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WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed legislation to enact comprehensive immigration reform in a bipartisan 68-32 vote.
More than ever, a college diploma unlocks economic opportunity, provides students with a wealth of new skills and knowledge, and encourages innovation and growth. But more than ever, it also comes with a mountain of student loan debt.
Washington, D.C. -- Madison Democrat Mark Pocan, the only gay married member of Congress, hailed Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said legally married gay and lesbian couples are entitled to federal marriage benefits.
“I am ecstatic," said Pocan at a news conference with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and several gay House colleagues. "But it shows the path we still have to go."
Pocan’s own marriage will not receive federal recognition as a result of the ruling because his home state, Wisconsin, does not allow same-sex marriage.
As he heard Wednesday’s rulings from the steps of the Supreme Court, the sole married, gay member of Congress thought about how his own marriage remains unrecognized by his home state.
“We have to be thinking about Wisconsin and the other states where same-sex couples can’t make end-of-life decisions, can't visit hospitalized spouses [in medical emergencies],” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin told CNN.
What the U.S. Supreme Court has done, with its decision to strike down essential elements of the Voting Rights Act, is wrong.
But the court has not gone so rogue as might immediately seem to be the case in a nation that our civics teachers tell us is committed to democratic values.
Rather, the court’s conservative majority has taken advantage of a gap in the Constitution that must be addressed.
WASHINGTON– U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus and the only current married gay member of Congress, today issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and to dismiss the Prop 8 case on a lack of standing. As a result of today’s rulings, married same-sex couples in the states that recognize same-sex marriage will now also be recognized by the federal government and have access to federal rights, obligations and protections.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), authors of the Right to Vote Amendment that would provide an affirmative constitutional right to vote for all Americans, today issued the following statement after the Supreme Court rejected Section 4 of the landmark Voting Right Act, which contains a formula to determine specified jurisdictions that need federal government approval before making voting changes that could be racially discriminatory. In its ruling on Shelby County v. Holder, the Court determined that the current formula was outdated.
House representatives announced the "Restore Honor to Service Members Act" last Wednesday, seeking to retroactively correct the records of gay and lesbian veterans who were dishonorably discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).
"As we celebrate the considerable progress we've made toward full equality in our military, we cannot forget about those who continue to suffer because of the discriminatory policies of our past," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) said in a statement. He joins Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) in introducing the bill.
Can anything be done to enhance federal voting rights?
This time, the answer is yes.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to void a key part of the federal Voting Rights Act "is an assault on what should be our most fundamental right as Americans," according to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison).