Tag: U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids

U.S. Rep. Davids denounces gerrymandering of congressional district boundaries

Davids seeks passage of federal election reform bill ahead of 2022 elections

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids lashed out Wednesday at politicians motivated by personal and partisan gain to create a gerrymandered map of congressional districts in Kansas that effectively silences the electoral voice of voters in the Kansas City region.

Davids is seeking re-election in the 3rd District anchored by Wyandotte and Johnson counties, but boundaries of all four districts in Kansas could be significantly altered by the Kansas Legislature before voters head to the polls for the August primary and November general elections.

“There are leaders in the Kansas Legislature who have explicitly stated their motivation to gerrymander maps to their party’s political advantage,” she said. “I know people are tired of feeling like billionaires have more of a say than they do in our democracy, tired of having their voices taken away by partisan gerrymandering.”

She said some elected public officials were placing their partisan political goals above the public’s interests, which was “truly insulting to folks that not only want but deserve to have their voices listened to.”

Each state’s congressional map is redrawn every decade to reflect population shifts, and former Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle said the 2022 election cycle was an opportunity to advance GOP candidates. Other Kansas Republicans have expressed a desire to shifting the boundaries in Kansas to undermine Davids’ re-election.

The map-making work could get awkward because usurping Davids could increase obstacles to re-election of U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Republican serving the neighboring 2nd District in eastern Kansas, or influence the campaigns of GOP Congressmen Ron Estes of the mostly urban 4th District and Tracey Mann of the rural 1st District.

On Wednesday, Davids was part of an online news conference with two congressional colleagues and a pair of election reform advocates to encourage the U.S. Senate to approve the Freedom to Vote Act. Major elements of the legislation have been adopted by the U.S. House.

The bill would attempt to bring an end to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, initiate an overhaul of the federal campaign finance system and create safeguards against subversion of the electoral process.

It would create baseline national standards that supersede more restrictive state voting rules by establishing minimum standards for early and mail voting, modernizing voter registration and restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated people. In addition, it would strengthen legal standards for challenging laws that burden voting rights and tackle the problem of dark money in political campaigns.

Former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder, who serves as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said federal action on the Freedom to Vote Act was necessary to moderate action by state GOP politicians and federal GOP lawmakers who seek to hold on to “power at all costs.”

“Our democracy is at a crossroads,” Holder said. “We’re on the verge of, I think, a political apartheid system where we have minority rule.”

Tiffany Muller, a former Kansan who is president of End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund, said activities of the Republican Party amounted to a “brazen power grab” driven by those who benefit from a rigged system of gerrymandering and the influence of untraceable campaign contributions.

“It’s designed to eliminate accountability in Washington so that the system serves the corporate special interests and dark money groups rather than the voters,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat from Texas, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a North Carolina Democrat, also urged the U.S. Senate to take up legislation to thwart gerrymandering of congressional districts through adoption of the Freedom to Vote Act.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.org, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
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See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/12/01/u-s-rep-davids-denounces-gerrymandering-of-congressional-district-boundaries/

Davids joined president for infrastructure bill signing

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., joined President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday at the White House as the president officially signed the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill into law.

Rep. Davids serves as vice chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“It was an honor and a privilege to join President Biden as he signed the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill into law today,” Rep. Davids said. “Every step of the way, as we worked across the aisle to pass infrastructure legislation that creates good-paying jobs, makes strides against climate change, and sets the foundation for long-term growth, I pushed to make sure the Kansas Third was a part of the conversation. Signing this bill into law today is a big step—but it is not the final step. I’m going to continue advocating for these funds to come to our community.”

“I want to thank Representative Davids for her hard work passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. For too long we’ve neglected investments in critical areas that directly impact American workers, American businesses and American families. One of the many historic investments in this bill is the effort to bridge the digital divide and ensure all Americans have access to reliable, affordable broadband. Broadband is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Thanks to President Biden’s vision and the Congresswoman’s tireless effort to get this passed, we can now bring affordable broadband to every community in Kansas,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Along with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Davids joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers at Monday’s bill signing event, including federal, state, and local officials from across the country.

Davids says bipartisan infrastructure bill will bring billions to Kansas, create millions of jobs

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids spoke at a news conference about the passage of the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Today, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., the vice chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, joined Kansas Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz and dozens of local leaders to celebrate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which is expected to bring $3.8 billion to Kansas for infrastructure needs from roads and bridges to high-speed internet and public transit.

The Davids-backed bipartisan infrastructure bill passed into law last week marks the largest investment in America’s physical infrastructure in generations, creating an estimated 2 million jobs a year for the next decade.

The bill is paid for through a combination of new revenues and savings and has been called the most fiscally responsible infrastructure bill in at least a decade by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Among its provisions for Kansas include:

• $2.6 billion for highways
• $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs
• $272 million to improve public transportation options
• a minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage
• access to $3.5 billion flood mitigation assistance program
• $454 million to improve water infrastructure and ensure clean drinking water across the state
• $109 million for airports

“I’ve been working towards this for a while, and I’m proud to say that we passed historic, bipartisan infrastructure legislation that’s going to create good-paying jobs, make strides against climate change, and set the foundation for long-term growth here in the Kansas Third,” Rep. Davids said. “I’m not stopping there—I’m going to keep pushing to bring new investments to projects across our region, like U.S. 69 and the KCATA electric bus expansion, just like I worked to bring this bill across the finish line.”

“By working with Kansans, we will make our roads safer, drive down transportation costs for people and goods and generate economic growth all across Kansas,” said Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “I want to thank Rep. Davids for supporting the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which combined with our IKE program, will allow us to deliver the game-changing results Kansans deserve.”

The news conference in Overland Park was attended by members of the local labor community, business leaders, climate advocates, and elected officials —all applauding Davids’ work to pass this much-needed infrastructure legislation and joining the group of more than a dozen Kansas City-area leaders who backed the bill prior to its passage.

Unified Government District 5 Commissioner and LiUNA Local 1290 Public Affairs Director Mike Kane and Overland Park Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Public Policy Kevin Walker joined Davids and Secretary Lorenz to speak.

Additionally, today’s event followed the first installment of Davids’ “State of Our Systems” report series on the most pressing infrastructure needs in the 3rd District, which examined bridges. The report noted that 6 of the top 10 most-travelled structurally deficient bridges in Kansas are in the 3rd District and more than 730 local bridges need repairs.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed by the House last Friday with 228 votes, including 13 Republican votes. It was passed by the Senate with 69 votes in August. For more information on the expected impact on Kansas, see the fact sheet at
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KANSAS_Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf.