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I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Robert (Bob) Vondrasek the most dedicated, committed and most loyal Saul-Alinsky-trained organizer that I have ever known. Bob came to the South Austin Community during a time of great turbulence. The community was in the throes of a great transition from being 80% white to becoming 80% Black within a ten-year period of time. Block busting, panic peddling, redlining, disinvestment and all manner of malfeasance were taking place. Police brutality and other forms of law enforcement misconduct were rampant.

Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released 10 must-do policies that would help address issues hurting both communities of color and rural communities. If Democrats take back the House next Congress, CBC would insist that they pass these policies within the first 100 days.

Among the policies included are those that would restore the Voting Rights Act, reform the criminal justice system, reinforce the Affordable Care Act, expand economic opportunity, and empower workers.

1. Restore the Voting Rights Act

Congressman Danny K. Davis today enthusiastically endorsed the Congressional Progressive Caucus 2019 Budget. The budget offers states the ability to transition to single-payer health care systems and improves the Affordable Care Act while protecting Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. It lowers costs of prescription drugs and expands access to mental health care and treatment for opioid and heroin addiction. It repeals excise tax on high-priced health care plans for workers and replaces those plans with public option.

Congressman Danny K. Davis joined with House colleagues calling for Emergency Hearings on State Department/Department of Justice settlement in the Defense Distributed et al v. U.S. Department of State case authorizing the 3D printing of guns from non-metallic materials. Davis denounced the agreement as opening a new, dangerous chapter in the availability of low cost guns which are undetectable by currently deployed technology.

Congressman Davis invites residents to upcoming August 2018 Townhall Meetings:

Congressman Danny K. Davis joined with Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Trump " . . .expressing our strong opposition to three Executive Orders you issued on May 25 that would undermine collective bargaining, union representation and whistleblower protections for federal workers. We join with members of Congress on both sides of the aisles who are asking you to rescind those Orders, which we do not believe comply with existing law.”

WASHINGTON, DC - Once again, as has happened so many times in the past, America is being tested. Read any grade or high school civics text and you will find soaring rhetoric about our commitment to individual liberty and equality, to freedom of the press, freedom of religion, due process, right to vote, freedom of association and right to organize ... For most Americans, those noble ideals are what we love most about our country. Today’s Supreme Court decision on President Trump’s “Muslim ban” reminds us that history does not bear out the reality of life in America in such simple terms.