(NAME-MCE) Civil Rights Act of 2008

[Bill Howe]

Senators Lautenberg, Kennedy, Lewis Introduce Civil Rights Act of 2008

January 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
today joined with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), and
more than a dozen Senate colleagues, to introduce the Civil Rights Act of
2008, to strengthen accountability when civil rights and workers' rights are
violated.

Recent court decisions have weakened America's civil rights laws in ways
that Congress never intended. This legislation will ensure accountability
for violations of our civil rights and fair labor laws and give individuals
the right to challenge practices that have unjustified discriminatory effect
based on race, color, national origin, disability, age or gender. It also
gives students the same protection from harassment in school that workers
have on the job, and holds employers fully accountable for age
discrimination and discrimination against our men and women in the armed
services.

The Civil Rights Act of 2008 was introduced by Sen. Kennedy and is
co-sponsored by Sens. Lautenberg, Leahy, Dodd, Bingaman, Kerry, Harkin,
Mikulski, Akaka, Boxer, Feingold, Murray, Durbin, Schumer, Cantwell,
Clinton, Obama, Menendez, Cardin, and Brown.

"We need to put teeth back in our civil rights laws," Lautenberg said. "This
bill would reaffirm the basic American value that everyone—regardless of
race, gender or age—should have the same opportunities to succeed."

Senator Kennedy said, "Civil rights is still the unfinished business of
America. Prejudice, discrimination, and outright bigotry continue to limit
the lives of large numbers of our people, and even some courts have rolled
back core protections for civil rights and workers' rights. The Civil Rights
Act of 2008 will restore the bedrock principle that individuals may
challenge all forms of discrimination in public services and will strengthen
existing civil rights protections. Our civil rights and fair labor laws must
have effective remedies that ensure accountability for discrimination, or
America will never be America."

"The struggle for civil rights in this country, "said Rep. John Lewis, "has
been a long hard road, littered with the broken bodies of countless men and
women who gave all they had for the cause of social justice. They were
sharecroppers, sanitation workers, teachers, students, ministers, priests,
housewives, and activists. They were ordinary people with extraordinary
vision who joined together and tore down the walls of legalized segregation
and racial discrimination in this country. Only a few decades later, we
cannot allow recent court decisions to turn back the clock and open the door
to contemporary abuses. That is why Sen. Kennedy and I have worked so hard
to meet every judicial step backward with a legislative step forward. We
want to be able to say that on our watch, we did all we could as members of
Congress to ensure the protection of civil rights in this country and hold
discriminatory employers and individuals accountable. With the passage of
the Civil Rights Act of 2008, we hope the 110th Congress will hold the same
legacy, as a legislative body that continued the march toward a democracy in
this country that ensures liberty and justice for all."

"I have been a long-time supporter of efforts to rid the workplace of
unlawful discrimination, and I believe the Civil Rights Act of 2008 is
critical to achieving that important goal," said Leahy. "This bill ensures
that protections against workplace bias and discrimination, which
conservative courts have attempted to roll back, are fully protected and
restored. It is particularly important that, on the week that our nation
observes and honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congress has
introduced this bill. We must remain vigilant in ensuring our precious civil
rights, which generations of Americans fought and bled to protect, remain
available for our children and our grandchildren. I will continue to fight
to end all workplace discrimination, including discrimination based on
sexual orientation."

"The best way to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is to
continue his work to ensure that America lives up to its promise of treating
all citizens equally," said Dodd. "The fight for civil rights will not be
won or lost in a single battle, but instead is an ongoing struggle taking
place in our workplaces, schools, and communities across the nation. I am
honored to join Senator Kennedy and my colleagues in the Senate and
Congressman John Lewis in the House of Representatives in introducing a bill
that will give Americans the tools and support they need to defend
themselves and others when their civil rights have been violated."

"This legislation is an important step in restoring the ability of Americans
to protect their civil rights in courts," U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman said.

"I am proud to stand with Senator Kennedy and our colleagues to stop the
assault on civil rights in our country," said Sen. Kerry. "Too many brave
Americans marched, fought, and faced down snarling dogs and fire hoses in
the struggle for civil rights to have decades of progress erased by a few
misguided decisions made by conservative judges. Our country is great
because we believe in Jefferson's promise of God-given inalienable rights
for every citizen, and because we know it takes a government committed to
protecting them to make the promise of civil rights real for the American
people."

"Over 40 years ago Congress made it clear that discrimination is
unacceptable in this country," said Harkin. "In recent years however the
Supreme Court has eroded these important laws and our action today is a
first step towards restoring crucial civil rights protections in order to
stamp out bigotry and injustice."

"The Supreme Court's decision in Alexander v. Sandoval sent a dangerous
message about equity in this country. I am proud to team up with my
colleagues to right this wrong," said Senator Mikulski. "We need to
reexamine what this country must still do to make sure that all Americans
are protected from discriminatory acts. This bill ensures that those who
have received injustice in the workplace have their fair day in court."

"There is no better way of honoring the civil rights movement than by
working to address the erosion of protections we see today," said Senator
Murray, Chair of the HELP Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee.
"This bill restores many of our most basic civil rights by confronting
threats on the job and in our schools. We cannot continue to allow students
to be harassed, employment laws to be marginalized, and discrimination to go
unpunished. I am proud to support Senator Kennedy and Rep. Lewis in this
effort."

Senator Schumer said, "For too long, the Supreme Court's cramped
interpretations of civil rights statutes have closed the doors of the
federal courts to people with claims of discrimination. This important
legislation will right the wrong of those decisions, and restore Congress's
original intent to protect all citizens by holding accountable those that
violate our cherished civil rights."

"In recent years, we have seen courts erode key civil rights protections in
our workplaces, our schools and our communities," said Senator Clinton.
"This important bill will reverse a number of these troubling decisions, and
restore the promise of our nation's civil rights laws for millions of
Americans."

"Too many hardworking Americans continue to face discrimination and unfair
employment practices, and we must do everything we can to guarantee that all
Americans receive fair and equal treatment under the law," said Senator
Obama. "Civil rights have to be at the forefront of our national dialogue,
and we must ensure that those who suffer discrimination, whether by the
federal government or private employers, can protect themselves legally. The
Civil Rights Act of 2008 is an important step in our continuing battle
against age discrimination, religious discrimination, the misuse of federal
funds, and upholding workers' rights. I commend Chairman Kennedy for his
leadership on this bill – and for his lifelong leadership on these issues –
and urge my colleagues to quickly pass this legislation."

"Just because the calendar says 2008 doesn't mean that the need to fight for
civil rights in our country is over," said Sen. Menendez. "This week, we all
reflected on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and this legislation
helps carry on that legacy. Federal tax dollars should never be used to
discriminate against or disadvantage our citizens. It is our responsibility
to sustain our commitment to civil rights, and with this legislation, we can
restore some of the major civil rights principles that have been diluted. I
applaud Senator Kennedy for his continued leadership on civil rights."

"Discrimination for any reason has no place in America. The Civil Rights Act
of 2008 is essential to restoring the balance to our system that provides
equal opportunity for every American," said Senator Cardin. "There has been
a growing disregard of the original intent of Congress by many conservative
judges in the area of civil rights law. For many, this has eroded their
chance at achieving the American Dream. I believe Congress must act to
reverse this troubling trend."

"This legislation bolsters the rights of Americans by ensuring there are
consequences when an individual's civil rights are breached," Brown said.
"It is a bill that honors our constitution, and I am proud to support it."

Source: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg

-- 
Bill Howe

Travel to China - June 1-14, 2008 - 12 nights -  (Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin,
Yangshuo & Shanghai)  Teachers & Health Care Professionals -
http://www.billhowe.org/China2008.htm > Feb 1 deadline to register.

Web - http://www.billhowe.org
Blog - Travel - http://billhowe.org/BillBlog/
Blog - Multicultural Education - http://billhowe.org/MCE/