LDF submitted testimony to Connecticut General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee in advance of today’s public hearing to encourage the General Government A Subcommittee to allocate $1.95 million to the Secretary of the State (“SOTS”) for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Biennial Budget to enable the Secretary to implement and administer the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut (“CTVRA”). The funding will enable the Secretary of State to implement the provisions of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of CT, specifically the bill’s preclearance and database provisions. At under $2 million, it represents less than 0.004% of the overall $50.5 billion proposed budget for the upcoming two-year cycle. Yet this modest investment can have profound benefits, both for Connecticut’s democracy and for the wellbeing of Connecticut communities.
LDF Policy Counsel Steven Lance will testify at the hearing. The hearing begins at 6pm.
Read the full testimony here.
Watch the hearing here.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
