#OTD in 1993, the Motor Voter Act became law. This legislation allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for or renew a driver's license.
In its first year, this law helped 30 million Americans register to vote. (1/4)
A year ago, I introduced the Filer Voter Act. Based on the Motor Voter Act, my bill would allow Americans to register to vote when they file their taxes. (2/4)
Potential voters should have as many opportunities as possible to register to vote so they can make their voices heard.
By making voter registration more convenient, my Filer Voter Act would strengthen our democracy during a time when democracy itself is under attack. (3/4)
I’ll paraphrase the Senator’s statement. Sen. Cassidy is saying that his state’s maternal death rate wouldn’t be so high if you didn’t count Black women.
He suggests that “correcting” the data means eliminating Black maternal health outcomes entirely. (2/8)
Due to structural inequities built into our health care system. Black mothers are 3 times as likely to die due to complications from pregnancy than white mothers. In Louisiana, that number jumps to 4. (3/8)
Racism is still entrenched in the fabric of American society.
I’m optimistic for a future where it isn’t. But the road to that future is a long and challenging one. (1/16)
In 1967, #MLK wrote, “The roots of racism are very deep in America. Historically, it was so acceptable in the national life that today it still only lightly burdens the conscience.”
Despite our progress as a country, Dr. King’s words ring true 55 years later. (2/16)
Our nation is still governed overwhelmingly by the white, the male and the wealthy. Our leaders in the federal government make decisions for the entire country, including those whose lived experiences are nothing like their own. (3/16)
Today, @RepJohnKatko and I are reintroducing the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought much needed attention to the serious mental health crisis many communities had already been facing.
A 2019 study found that suicide attempts rose 73% in 20 years among Black youth.
Our bill would authorize funding to support research, improve the pipeline of culturally competent providers, build outreach programs that reduce stigma, and develop training programs.
In 2019, the @TheBlackCaucus Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health published its report outlining this growing problem and providing potential solutions that you can find in this bill.
If we look at history, insurrections occur when conditions become dire, the needs of people are ignored, and they get desperate.
A botched pandemic response + impotent economic relief in the face of crisis + a demagogue who shifts blame and stokes hatred = where we are today.
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To be clear, those who stormed the capital must be prosecuted and punished for their crimes, but if we don’t address the pain people are facing ACROSS the country, by people of all political leanings, we will never be able to bring our country back together.
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Congress needs to pass REAL relief: recurring checks to relieve people’s economic fears, labor reforms so they don’t fear losing their job for taking a day to care for a sick relative, a jobs guarantee to ensure economic stability, M4A…
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