WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
PROGRAM # 9282 12:00 PM PDT
Clash on Voting Bills.
Texas Republicans are redoubling their push for new voter restrictions after Democrat state legislators staged a walkout last week and succeeded in blocking a massive elections bill that would drop voting sites in the biggest counties, and ban late-night voting, drive-thru voting sites, and ballot drop boxes. As voters of color continue to grow their share of the state electorate, the new barriers would make it harder for them to vote. Analysts comment on this development, as well as restrictive efforts that have passed in 14 states as well as the US Senate bill, to be voted this month, to block those laws and create a national baseline for voting rights.
Guests: Ricardo Ramirez, Advisor, Voting Rights and Elections Program, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, New York, NY; Lydia Camarillo, President, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, The William C. Velásquez Institute, San Antonio, TX.
Environmental Justice Law.
Washington policymakers recently passed a landmark bill that would require some state agencies to embed environmental justice into their strategic plans. The Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act would ensure that communities of color, which have traditionally suffered higher rates of pollution, are granted equal protection from environmental harm. A council created by the HEAL Act will involve impacted neighborhoods in the conversation and oversee climate mitigation actions. Analysts also comment on the potential impact of the law in farm working communities, which are highly exposed to toxic chemicals and unhealthy dust.
Guest: Giovanni Severino, Lead Policy Organizer, Latino Community Fund of Washington, Seattle, WA; Guillermo Rogel Jr, Legislative advocate, Front & Centered, Seattle, WA
Photo: democracynow.org
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