Volume
1 Issue 1 - March 2001
Earl Hilliard
by: Earl F. Hilliard U. S. Congressman - 7th District - Alabama (Democrat)
(Editor's Note: In the latter part of this article, Hilliard discusses his legislative agenda and special committee assignments)
I am very happy that this organization is going to concentrate on getting people to become politically motivated. Its charge should be to inform the people about the political process.
I am convinced that Democrats produce the best results for the people. I have no problem with your getting things from the Republican Party or interviewing other people to receive information from members of the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is the party of African-Americans. It is inclusive of all Americans and has always provided the things that made life better for everyone. The Democratic Party deals with real issues. It's not a party that deals with superficial window dressing. I invite you to compare the Democratic Presidential Cabinet of Clinton and the Republican Cabinet of President George W. Bush, in terms of the number of African-American appointments and who articulates the interest of African-Americans. You will find that the Democratic Party is the right party. When you look at the number of appointments of the current Governor of the State of Alabama and the last Governor of the State and examine the quality of people appointed and how they articulate African-American interests and concerns on the state level, you will discover that the Democratic Party is the party that best suits the interest of African-Americans. After you make the comparison between African-American appointments on both local and national levels, there is no doubt that the Democratic Party is the right party of the people.
As far as my legislative agenda for the 107th Congress is concerned, I will fight to maintain programs that support public education and programs that benefit low-income workers. I will fight to maintain affirmative action and introduce measures that would restore the voting rights of ex-felons. I will introduce legislation that will prevent police and other organizations from interfering with the people's right to vote and access to the polls. I will also introduce legislation that would move election days to Saturday and Sunday to make it more convenient for working citizens to vote. In addition, I will fight to insure that all Americans have the right to vote and that their votes are counted.
As Co-chair of the Home-Health working group of the House of Representatives, I plan to introduce legislation to support Americans who are being treated for medical problems in their homes, rather than in hospitals and nursing homes. I will support patients first, doctors, hospitals and other providers secondly. I firmly believe that comprehensive health care must be accessible to all Americans and I will support that legislatively.
I will introduce legislation to support equal pay for women for comparable work. I also plan to be actively involved in international relations.
In Agriculture, I will probably be chair of a sub-committee concerning Agriculture. In this powerful position, I will work to support family farms, small farms, and Alabama farms. We have lost too many small farms and this trend needs to be reversed. I support agricultural and environmental development and I believe that a balance between these interests will make this a state that is both a productive and beautiful place to live.
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