Equality & Opportunity
One of my top priorities in Congress is to break down barriers for all people to fully participate in our economy and democracy. The Second Congressional District is an increasingly diverse place, and I am working to make sure people from all over the district can access education, exercise their right to vote and participate fairly in elections, and contribute to our communities. I strongly support marriage equality, equal pay for equal work, and other efforts that make our communities and our country places where people have the opportunity to succeed.
Another important civil rights priority for me is reforming the federal government’s surveillance programs following revelations last year about the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection. The American public deserves to know the content and methods used to collect data.
Accomplishments
- Introduced the America Votes Act, which would protect voters facing disenfranchisement as a result of discriminatory voter ID laws. The bill would allow voters to sign a sworn written statement attesting to their identity if they do not have the ID required at their polling place.
- Cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would ensure equal pay for equal work. Closing the earnings gap between men and women will drive economic growth and create more equal opportunity.
- Strong supporter of equality for members of the LGBT community. Cosponsor of a bill to provide federal recognition for same-sex married couples in all federal programs.
- Cosponsor of a bill to end workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.
- Support a Constitutional Amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions, which have given the wealthy an outsized influence on elections.
- Introduced the Government Surveillance Transparency Act, which aims to increase transparency by allowing technology companies to disclose the volume and type of information they were ordered to turn over to the government. A version of this proposal is included in a bill the House passed in May 2014.