Civil Rights
Education and Labor
A quality public education is a powerful force for economic and social mobility. As a senior member of the Education and Workforce Committee and former Chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, I am working to expand opportunities for students of all backgrounds. We must close opportunity gaps for students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families, who continue to face disparate academic and disciplinary outcomes in our public education system. This means delivering additional resources to low-income schools and implementing restorative policies that end the school-to-prison pipeline, reduce suspensions and expulsions, and make schools safer and healthier for all students. It also means providing each student with a meaningful pathway to a degree or into the workforce after high school. We must also invest in making higher education more affordable so students and families will no longer have to choose between getting a degree or credential and putting food on the table.
The Biden administration has taken important steps to protect the civil rights of students and workers and promote safe, inclusive, and supportive schools and workplaces, but more must be done. I support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act because workers deserve the opportunity to negotiate for a fair wage, better benefits, and improved working conditions. I also support expanding paid family and medical leave to provide workers with the flexibility needed to take time off to care for loved ones or recover from an illness without missing a paycheck. I take seriously the obligation of Congress to advance equity, hold institutions accountable, and provide meaningful oversight of the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. I will advocate for all students and workers so they can learn and work in safe, inclusive, and supportive environments.
LGBTQI+ Equality
All Americans should be free from discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As a Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, I have long advocated for LGBTQI+ rights. I challenged Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to reinstate protections for transgender students, and I'm leading the Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI+ Elder Americans Act to update the Older Americans Act and strengthen safeguards for LGBTQI+ elders. My Elder Pride Act would improve access for LGBTQI+ seniors and seniors living with HIV so they can access the services they need regardless of zip code.
Last year, I enthusiastically helped pass the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill enshrines this fundamental principle into federal law - same-sex and interracial marriages are protected and honored. Congress must continue to pass legislation to protect our hard-won freedoms and privacy, especially with the apparent willingness of this extremist Supreme Court to erode longstanding precedent.
I am also an enthusiastic supporter of the Equality Act, to clarify in our civil rights laws that prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of sex include prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This legislation is similar to the Oregon Equality Act, which I helped pass when I was in the state legislature. Additionally, I served for four years as the Chair of the Education and Labor Committee’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, where I fought to protect the LGBTQI+ community against discrimination in housing, access to credit, and other services.
Elections and Access to Voting
The right to vote is the core of representative democracy, and it is critical that all Americans who qualify to vote have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the polls. For too long our nation did not allow minorities to vote; even after that right was afforded to all Americans, many jurisdictions engaged in shameful practices that effectively made it impossible for many citizens to exercise their rights.
In the 1960's, the Voting Rights Act gave all citizens equal access to our election process regardless of race. In the 1970's, The Federal Election Campaign Act brought a new era of transparency and accountability in campaign finance, and thirty years later Congress passed the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act with the goal of ridding the system of unchecked corporate soft-money.
But the right of all citizens to fully participate in our democracy is under threat in ways we haven't seen since the civil rights and post-Watergate eras. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision has harmed our democracy by allowing unlimited donations to Super PACS. The Supreme Court further undermined voting rights in 2013 by overturning key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, making it easier for states and localities to implement discriminatory practices that block access to the ballot box.
Voter suppression efforts and voter identification laws often restrict access for minority, military, disabled, and low-income voters, as well as seniors and college students. I am also deeply concerned about potential foreign interference in elections, especially following the 2016 Presidential election.
I am a strong supporter of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The For the People Act addresses campaign finance reform, voting rights, election security, accountability for government officials, and more. It includes many of the voting provisions that Oregonians have already adopted and appreciate, helping states across the country follow Oregon's lead by expanding automatic voter registration and online registration, having paper ballots, and establishing secure vote-by-mail systems to make it easier for millions of people to exercise their right to vote. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act.
Access to Justice
Our society relies on an accessible and effective justice system to adjudicate rights and wrongs. When I was in college and law school, I helped low-income families access quality legal advice by working at Legal Aid Services. More than 60 million Americans qualify for legal assistance programs, and these attorneys assist the most vulnerable in our society, including military veterans seeking disability benefits, women seeking protection from their abusers, and families facing unlawful evictions. I have fought hard for full funding for Legal Aid, and I oppose efforts to eliminate funding for these vital programs. I am also leading legislation to help address the chronic shortage of public defenders. Without enough public defenders many criminal cases will be delayed or dismissed, which negatively affects our criminal justice system and has the potential to delay or deny justice for victims.