- Share on WeChat
-
Steny Hoyer
DTo be claimed
Member, Air Power Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, present
Member, Law Enforcement Caucus, present
Member, Minor League Baseball Caucus, present
Former Executive Board Member, Congressional Arts Caucus
Former Member, Congressional Competitiveness Caucus
Former Co-Chair, Congressional Fire Services Caucus
Former Co-Chair, Democratic Caucus on Election Reform
Former Member, House Appropriations Committee
Former House Co-Chair, National Security Caucus
Chair, House Democratic Caucus, 1989-1995
Member, Air Power Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, present
Member, Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, present
Member, Law Enforcement Caucus, present
Member, Minor League Baseball Caucus, present
Former Executive Board Member, Congressional Arts Caucus
Former Member, Congressional Competitiveness Caucus
Former Co-Chair, Congressional Fire Services Caucus
Former Co-Chair, Democratic Caucus on Election Reform
Former Member, House Appropriations Committee
Former House Co-Chair, National Security Caucus
Chair, House Democratic Caucus, 1989-1995
Astrological Sign:
Gemini
— Awards:
Names of Grandchildren:
Judy, James Cleveland, and Alexa
— Number of Grandchildren:
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes
2. Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
- Yes
1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes
1. Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
- No
Do you support increasing defense spending?
- Yes
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
3. Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes
1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No
2. Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No
1. Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
- Yes
Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- No
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- X
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
6. Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Agricultural
- Slightly Increase Funding
2. Arts
- Slightly Increase Funding
3. Defense
- Greatly Increase Funding
4. Education
- Greatly Increase Funding
5. Environmental
- Slightly Increase Funding
6. International Aid
- Slightly Increase Funding
7. Law Enforcement
- Slightly Increase Funding
8. Medical Research
- Greatly Increase Funding
9. National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA)
- Slightly Increase Funding
10. National Parks
- Slightly Increase Funding
11. Public Health Services
- Greatly Increase Funding
12. Scientific Research
- Slightly Increase Funding
13. Terrorism Prevention
- Greatly Increase Funding
14. Transportation and Highway Infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding
15. Welfare
- Slightly Increase Funding
16. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Armed Forces personnel training
- Greatly Increase Funding
2. Covert intelligence operations
- Greatly Increase Funding
3. Military hardware
- Greatly Increase Funding
4. Pay for active duty personnel
- Greatly Increase Funding
5. National Missile Defense Program
- Greatly Increase Funding
6. Programs to improve military retention rates
- Greatly Increase Funding
7. Research and development of new weapons
- Greatly Increase Funding
8. Troop and equipment readiness
- Greatly Increase Funding
9. Other or expanded categories
- Greatly Increase Funding
1. Less than $25,000
- Eliminate
2. $25,000 - $75,000
- Greatly Decrease
3. $75,000 - $150,000
- Slightly Decrease
4. Over $150,000
- Maintain Status
5. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
6. Over $40, 000
- Maintain Status
7. Alcohol taxes
- Greatly Decrease
8. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease
9. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease
11. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
12. Inheritance taxes
- Greatly Decrease
13. Charitable deductions
- Greatly Increase
14. Medical expense deductions
- Greatly Increase
15. Mortgage deductions
- Slightly Increase
16. Child tax credit
- Greatly Increase
17. Earned income tax credit
- Greatly Increase
18. Student loan tax credit
- Greatly Increase
1. Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
- Yes
2. Would you use Social Security surpluses to balance the budget?
- No
3. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support public taxpayer funding for congressional candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
- X
2. Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- X
3. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
4. Provide free or low-cost television advertising to candidates who agree to voluntary campaign spending limits.
- X
5. Ban unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- X
6. Prohibit non-U.S. citizens from making soft money contributions to national parties or party committees.
- X
7. Require full disclosure of funding sources of issue advocacy commercials which appear within 60 days of an election.
- X
8. Remove all contribution limits to federal candidates and parties.
- No Answer
9. Require congressional candidates to raise over half of their campaign money from their home state.
- No Answer
10. Require that unions give members the option of not having membership dues used for political purposes.
- No Answer
11. Support the federal government mandate that creates national voting system standards.
- Yes
12. Do you support amending the Constitution to limit the number of terms that members of Congress can serve?
- No
13. Do you support voting on-line?
- Undecided
14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
2. Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
- X
3. Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
5. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
6. Increase funding for community policing programs.
- X
7. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X
8. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- X
9. Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
- X
10. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- X
11. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
- X
2. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- X
3. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
- X
4. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
5. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
- X
6. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X
2. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- No Answer
3. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- No Answer
4. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X
5. Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
- X
6. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X
7. Increase funding for computers and computer training in public schools.
- X
8. Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X
9. Eliminate restrictions on federal education funding, giving educators or local school districts more flexibility to design and implement their programs.
- No Answer
10. Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
- X
11. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer
3. Establish empowerment zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
- X
4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X
5. Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- X
6. Eliminate any federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
7. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- X
8. Considering race and gender in government contracting decisions is appropriate for the federal government.
- X
9. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- X
10. Continue federal affirmative action programs.
- X
11. Discontinue federal affirmative action programs.
- No Answer
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- X
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- X
3. Support opening a select portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
- No Answer
4. Support the U.S. re-entering the current Kyoto treaty process to limit global warming.
- No Answer
5. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately owned land.
- X
6. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X
7. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline or diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
8. Provide tax credits for state and local bonds to preserve open spaces, build parks, improve water quality and redevelop brownfields.
- X
9. Support the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act prohibiting commercial logging in our national forests.
- No Answer
10. Provide states and local communities with more flexibility to address their respective environmental problems.
- No Answer
11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- X
2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X
3. Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
4. Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer
6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X
7. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- X
8. Require a license for gun possession.
- X
9. Raise the minimum age for ownership of handguns from 18 to 21.
- No Answer
10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer
2. Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
- No Answer
3. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights to define and enforce the rights of insured patients, including greater access to specialists and emergency rooms, wider choice of health care providers, and appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
- X
4. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
- X
5. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- No Answer
6. Support legislation to provide prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- X
7. Increase research funding of the human genome to find cures for diseases such as cancer, AIDS/HIV, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.
- No Answer
8. Increase federal funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
- X
9. Prohibit the procedure of cloning human embryos.
- No Answer
10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer
2. Provide extra federal aid to states with higher numbers of immigrants for necessary medical and social services.
- No Answer
3. Prohibit states from passing laws that deny human services (medical care, education) to illegal immigrants or their children.
- No Answer
4. Increase the immigration quota for computer scientists and other information technology workers.
- X
5. Establish English as the official U.S. language.
- No Answer
6. Collect fingerprint data from all U.S. visa applicants which would be accessible to all federal immigration-related agencies.
- No Answer
7. Allow legalization for certain illegal immigrants working in the U.S.
- X
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X
2. Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the U. S.
- X
3. Aid should be granted to countries that are close allies of the U. S. and in need of financial/military assistance.
- X
4. Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
5. Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated except for extraordinary circumstances.
- No Answer
6. Other or expanded principles
- X
1. The U.S. should take military action against Iraq only as part of an international effort.
- No Answer
2. The U.S. should end the economic embargo against Iraq.
- No Answer
3. The U.S. should not continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority.
- No Answer
4. The U.S. should support the formation of a Palestinian state.
- X
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
6. The U.S. should participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions only when vital U.S. interests are involved.
- X
7. The U.S. should not commit military troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer
8. The U.S. should withdraw completely from the United Nations.
- No Answer
9. Should the U.S. have full diplomatic relations with Cuba?
- No
10. Should the U.S. recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan?
- No
11. Should the U.S. increase its financial support to Colombia for the "war on drugs?"
- Yes
12. Do you support the cooperative threat reduction programs with Russia to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
- Yes
13. Do you support the recent withdrawal of the U.S. from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in order to deploy a national missile defense system?
- No
14. Should the U.S. hold nations accountable for terrorists who operate from their country?
- Yes
1. Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
- No
2. Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
- Yes
3. Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
- Yes
4. Do you support China becoming a member of the World Trade Organization?
- No Answer
5. Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) trading status with the United States? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
- Yes
6. Should the President have "fast-track" authority to negotiate trade agreements?
- Yes
7. Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
- No
8. Other or expanded principles
- X
1. Do you support the President using military tribunals to try terrorist suspects when the President deems ordinary civil courts to be inappropriate or impractical?
- Yes
2. Should the U.S. adopt higher qualification rules for student visa applications from nations known to sponsor terrorism?
- Yes
3. Should law enforcement agencies be granted greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- Yes
4. Should federal law enforcement agencies share intelligence data with local law enforcement agencies?
- Yes
5. Should the federal government provide states with funding for homeland security?
- Yes
6. Other or expanded principles
- X
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
- No Answer
2. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
- No Answer
3. The federal government should invest a portion of Social Security's assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of U.S. Treasury securities.
- No Answer
4. Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
- No Answer
5. Lower Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases.
- No Answer
6. Support a "lock box" measure, limiting Congress's ability to spend Social Security and Medicare surpluses on any other federal programs except Social Security and Medicare, until each program's long-term solvency is guaranteed.
- X
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Continue the moratorium on Internet sales taxes.
- X
2. Implement regulation of Internet content by the federal government.
- No Answer
3. Regulation of the Internet should not be controlled by the federal government.
- X
4. Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
- X
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- X
2. Provide homeless families with apartment vouchers they can use to defray the cost of an apartment.
- No Answer
3. Continue to give states and local governments responsibility for welfare programs through TANF block grants.
- X
4. Maintain current welfare-to-work requirements in order for states to qualify for block grants.
- X
5. Restore food stamp programs to legal immigrants.
- X
6. Transfer homeless housing programs to states through block grants.
- No Answer
7. Provide continued Medicaid benefits for those welfare recipients who have moved from welfare to work.
- X
8. Require states to return any unused welfare block grant funding to the federal government.
- No Answer
9. Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations.
- No Answer
10. Provide states with additional funding for Medicaid programs to alleviate increasing state budget deficits.
- X
11. Other or expanded principles
- X
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- No
1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes
1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No
Latest Action: House - 06/10/2019 On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by voice vote.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 05/31/2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 05/06/2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Tracker:By House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer Problems encountered by voters in recent primary elections continue to present a warning to all Americans ahead of our general election in November. Many voters -- particularly minority voters -- have waited hours at their polling locations or were turned away outright. Thousands who requested absentee ballots did not receive them. Those who could not vote by mail had difficulty casting their ballots in a way that is safe and secure. Unfortunately, these problems were entirely predictable. In May, I warned that the coronavirus pandemic would require states to begin immediately adopting new and safer voting practices to account for social and physical distancing requirements and make absentee voting available to all voters. If not, they would risk exactly the kind of difficulties we had already seen in Wisconsin and other states. Later, the primary debacle in Georgia proved that these lessons were ignored. Last week, however, in Kentucky we saw the Democratic governor and Republican secretary of state successfully team up to allow no-excuse absentee voting, opportunities for early voting, and higher-capacity polling locations. As a result, Kentucky voters broke records in absentee balloting, and, even with fewer in-person polling places open, lines were far shorter than predicted, as most voters participated through the mail. Though not perfect, Kentucky's primary shows us how bipartisanship and commonsense actions can lead to smoother elections while confronting the challenges of COVID-19. Having fought hard over the years for voting rights and to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot and have it counted accurately, I worry about whether our nation can meet this test in every state. After the weaknesses of our voting systems were exposed in the disputed 2000 election in Florida, I wrote the Help America Vote Act to ensure that such a disaster would not be repeated. Now, Congress ought to act, in concert with states, to make certain that every eligible voter will be able to vote this November -- without facing hours-long waits, risk from COVID-19, or outright voter disenfranchisement. U.S. House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer on June 26, 2020, in Washington, DC.First, we ought to enact Rep. Zoe Lofgren's bill, which the House included in last month's Heroes Act, to permit every voter in America to request an absentee ballot without excuse, along with a prepaid and self-sealing envelope for its safe return. In addition, her legislation would ban unfair practices often used to purge legitimate ballots, and it would provide those whose eligibility are questioned with a chance to correct missing information in their voter files. This would ensure maximum access to mail-in voting nationwide and prevent legitimate ballots from being thrown out. We now have solid evidence that mail-in ballots make an enormous difference in enabling Americans to vote safely during this pandemic. In Idaho and Montana, which held their primaries on June 2, all voters cast their ballots through the mail and overall voter turnout rose significantly. In Maryland, we saw mail-in ballots rise to 97% of all votes cast, and each county maintained in-person voting and ballot drop-off locations for those needing them. Governors and state legislators in these and several other states, including Kentucky, moved swiftly to adopt voting procedures that facilitated mail-in voting and safer in-person voting. Second, for those who still choose to vote in person, states ought to expand early voting as much as possible. We must avoid situations like we saw in Georgia and Wisconsin, where lines stretched for hundreds of feet and around city blocks, proving difficult to maintain social distancing, with many forced to wait hours to vote, others being turned away, and polling locations lacking basic supplies like power strips and enough provisional ballots. It is up to governors, legislatures and secretaries of state to prevent that from happening. Once inside a polling place, safety must be of paramount concern. That's why it is critical for states to adopt practices that protect both voters and poll workers, such as ensuring that there are a sufficient number of check-in stations, voting machines and ballot drop-off boxes and erecting protective screens and hand-sanitizer dispensers. At the same time, the higher risk of COVID-19 to older Americans means that now is the moment for more young people to step up as poll workers. For students and young people looking for ways to effect positive change in their communities, signing up to be a poll worker is a vital way that they can contribute. In Congress, I will work to take action to ensure that Americans can vote safely by mail in November. This is a core civil rights issue that affects the ability of millions of our fellow Americans to have their voices heard. There is no excuse not to act now to secure our elections in November. Congress and every state must act to ensure that our country's democracy does not become this pandemic's next victim.
By House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer The coronavirus outbreak has upended the routines of every American, forcing us to rethink how we live, work, and interact with one another. Ever resilient, our communities are adapting in innovative ways to "flatten the curve,' save lives, and protect the livelihoods of our neighbors impacted by economic disruption. Many have made the difficult choice to put important life events on hold, but we also recognize that some things simply cannot wait. One of those is our democracy, which depends on Americans exercising their right to vote and choosing the leaders who will see us through this challenge. Many states postponed their primary elections, cognizant that having voters gather at their polling places and touch the same voting machines is not wise at this moment. In Wisconsin, we witnessed a worst-case scenario, where partisanship got in the way of Governor Evers's efforts to adapt voting procedures to the challenges of this pandemic. In contrast, officials in my state of Maryland worked in a bipartisan manner to move our primary from April 28 to June 2, and Governor Hogan directed the state's Board of Elections to develop a plan to ensure that all voters can participate safely. Under Maryland's plan, every voter will be able to cast a mail-in ballot, and for those who cannot or prefer not to do so there will be at least one in-person polling location in each county. Elections across the country ought to be approached this same way, ensuring that every eligible voter can cast a ballot and participate equally in our democracy. Every state should encourage voters who are able to cast their ballots through the mail to do so. Meanwhile, the right to vote in person for up to fifteen days before an election -- with protective measures for voters and poll workers -- should be guaranteed for voters who lose their forms, never receive them, or do not feel comfortable participating by mail, just as Maryland is doing. Contrary to what President Trump has said, dismissing the need for measures like no-excuse absentee voting, protecting access to the ballot is critical to any successful recovery for our country and our economy, and we must take action to enable voters in every constituency to cast votes safely. That's why I strongly support legislation introduced by Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren of the House Administration Committee to allow every eligible voter to request an absentee ballot for any federal election without excuse -- and receive one with prepaid postage and a self-sealing envelope. Her legislation would also prohibit states from imposing additional, unnecessary, and burdensome conditions or requirements on the eligibility of a voter to cast an absentee ballot. It would allow states to verify voters' signatures against those in a voter database, as it wisely recognizes that signatures change over time and requires that voters be given notice and an opportunity to correct their signatures if a discrepancy is detected or a signature is missing from the voter file. Falsifying one's information or trying to obtain or cast a ballot without the right to do so would be illegal -- just as it always has been. Enabling every citizen to vote absentee will not require the development of new technology or previously untested practices. Indeed, voting by mail is already successfully in use for all elections in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington -- and another twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia already permit no-excuse absentee voting. Giving voters more opportunity to participate in elections isn't just helpful during a pandemic; it's good for our democracy at any time. Allowing no-excuse mail-in ballots is an idea embraced not only by Democrats but by Republicans as well, because it has been demonstrated to increase turnout and access across the board, in both cities and rural areas, advantaging neither party over the other while saving money for taxpayers. In 2002, I sponsored the Help America Vote Act to ensure that the voting debacle that sent a presidential election to the Supreme Court would not happen again. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush, and I have been working ever since to identify how the machinery of our democracy -- that is, our voting and registration systems and local voting rules and regulations -- can be strengthened to ensure maximum participation with the fewest hurdles. This is a civil rights issue as much as it is an issue of ensuring the accuracy of our elections. In the past two months, Americans have already proven that we can adapt to the fight against this coronavirus outbreak. Schools have embraced virtual learning, physicians have seen patients virtually through tele-medicine appointments, and businesses have moved as many of their employees as possible to telework. There is no reason we cannot quickly and efficiently transition our elections to ensure to adapt to these new conditions as well. Social distancing doesn't mean having to distance ourselves from those who lead us in public office. We must not force people to choose between staying safe at home or participating in elections. It is our responsibility to encourage and facilitate all eligible citizens to have a say in the leadership of our country by casting their votes and doing so safely.
Hoyer was elected by acclamation to be House majority leader in the 116th Congress when House Democrats held their leadership elections on November 28, 2018.
