LCCR's Congressional Testimony
Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity
Wade Henderson - April 29, 2009
Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
""Equalization of the sentencing ratio for crack and powder cocaine offenses from 100 to 1 to a ratio of 1 to 1 at the current powder cocaine level is the only fair solution. Such a change in federal law would be a significant step toward restoring balance and racial fairness to the criminal justice system. The time has come to rationalize drug sentencing laws and practices. The civil rights impact of these criminal justice reforms can no longer be ignored.""
Report on February 17, 2009 DTV Transition and Future Plans
Mark Lloyd - March 5, 2009
Federal Communications Commission
"For much of 2008 we conducted a national campaign enlisting many of the Leadership Conference member organizations..... As a result of an award from NTIA in late November we have been on the ground in seven markets: Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Antonio, and Seattle/Tacoma. "
Status of the Digital Television (DTV) Transition
Mark Lloyd - February 5, 2009
Federal Communications Commission
"We are continuing the work we’ve been doing for over a year now to inform people about the coupon program, and we are providing information about where to get converter boxes and antennae, how to set up that equipment with their existing television sets, and providing a resource for people to donate and receive donated coupons. "
The District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009
Wade Henderson - January 27, 2009
House Committee on the Judiciary; Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
"The continued disenfranchisement of DC residents before Congress continues to stand out as the most blatant violation of the most important civil right that Americans have: the right to vote. Without it, without the ability to hold our leaders accountable, all of our other rights are illusory."
The DTV Transition
Mark Lloyd - July 18, 2008
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement
"Millions rely on broadcasting for emergency information, school closings and the news and public affairs programming so necessary for local democratic engagement. We are concerned that the disproportionate impact of this transition will result in a greater divide between those who have access to vital information and those who do not."
Status of the DTV Transition: 252 Days and Counting
Mark Lloyd - June 10, 2008
House Committee On Energy And Commerce; Subcommittee On Telecommunications And The Internet
"Despite the valiant volunteer work of our members and the DTV transition coalition, the nation is not prepared for the shut-off of full-power analog television broadcasting. There is, in brief, too little funding for research, education and outreach to ensure that when February 17, 2009 arrives all Americans will continue to receive over-the-air broadcasting service. "
Strengthening Our Economy: Foreclosure Prevention and Neighborhood Preservation
Wade Henderson - January 31, 2008
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
"While the use of responsible subprime lending could have created meaningful homeownership opportunities for people who might otherwise be left out of the market, many homeowners were deceptively steered into expensive subprime mortgages even though they qualified for prime loans, with unreasonable terms and hidden fees that made it impossible for homeowners to stay current, much less get ahead."
The Growing Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis: Identifying Solutions and Dispelling Myths
Wade Henderson - January 29, 2008
House Judiciary Committee; Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
"The consequences are still unfolding, but one thing is certain: they will be staggering. Home foreclosure rates are rapidly increasing throughout the nation and as many as 2.4 million borrowers – just in the subprime market alone – are likely to lose their homes."
Public Hearing on Media Localism
Wade Henderson - October 31, 2007
Federal Communications Commission
"We in the civil rights community care about media ownership because the way the public looks at issues – indeed, whether the public is even aware of issues like fair housing or voter discrimination, is directly related to the way these issues are covered by the media."
Status of the Digital Television Transition - Part 2
Nancy Zirkin - October 17, 2007
House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
"At stake in the transition to digital television is the ability of the nation’s most vulnerable populations to maintain uninterrupted access to their key source of news and information and emergency warnings: free, over-the-air television. It would be a great tragedy if the millions of Americans who rely on free TV wake up after February 17, 2009 and find that their TVs simply don’t work."
The 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and its Continuing Importance
Wade Henderson - September 5, 2007
Senate Judiciary Committee
"In order for the Division to once again play a significant role in the struggle to achieve equal opportunity for all Americans, it must rid itself of the missteps of the recent past, but also work to forge a new path. It must respond to contemporary problems of race and inequality with contemporary solutions."
Preparing Consumers for the Digital Television Transition
Nancy Zirkin - July 26, 2007
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
"A successful digital television transition will require well-informed consumers who can access what, for many, will be brand new technology. This cannot occur without a comprehensive, coordinated national consumer education effort."
Ending Mortgage Abuse: Safeguarding Homebuyers
Wade Henderson - June 26, 2007
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
"It has long been clear to our groups that America has a separate and unequal lending system and that African-American, Latino and other minority consumers disproportionately secure credit from an unscrupulous and unregulated lending market."
Oversight of the Civil Rights Division
Wade Henderson - June 21, 2007
Senate Judiciary Committee
"The Division's record on every score has undermined effective enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws, but it is the personnel changes to career staff that are, in many ways, most disturbing. For it is the staff that builds trust with communities, develops the cases, and negotiates effective remedies."
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