IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 164 
Expressing the support for the passage of the Voting Rights Advancement 
Act of 2015. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 
Mr. VEASEY (for himself, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, 
Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. TED LIEU of California, and Mr. POCAN) 
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the support for the passage of the Voting Rights 
Advancement Act of 2015. 
Whereas the right to vote, guaranteed by the 15th amend-
ment to the Constitution, is one of the fundamental 
rights in which the United States political system is built, 
and for which many brave United States citizens fought, 
bled, and died to secure; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prevents disenfran-
chisement of voters due to race, color, or language, and 
was instrumental in allowing millions of minority United 
States citizens to vote for the first time; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provides extensive 
voter protections for the people of the United States in-
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•HCON 164 IH 
cluding section 5, which required ‘‘covered jurisdictions’’, 
those locales with a history of restricting the minority 
vote, to receive Federal approval before altering voting 
practices and procedures; 
Whereas the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County 
v. Holder effectively dismantled this key provision of the 
Voting Rights Act of 1965 by striking section 4(b), the 
coverage formula used to identify ‘‘coverage jurisdic-
tions’’; 
Whereas since this decision, a wave of voter suppression tac-
tics have been enacted in 33 States that have imple-
mented laws that make it difficult for traditionally 
disenfranchised communities to exercise their right to 
vote; 
Whereas these present conditions represent a voting crisis 
caused by voter suppression and intimidation tactics for-
merly remedied by the original Voting Rights Act of 
1965; 
Whereas on several occasions since 1965 and most recently 
as of 2006, the United States Congress has recognized 
the need to amend, extend, and strengthen the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 in a broad bipartisan fashion; 
Whereas Congress has the authority to create a new formula, 
based on current conditions, to determine which jurisdic-
tions must submit to pre-clearance under section 5 of the 
Voting Rights Act of 1965; and 
Whereas Congress has the opportunity to create and pass 
such a formula in the proposed Voting Rights Advance-
ment Act of 2015: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
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•HCON 164 IH 
(1) observes and recognizes the new crisis of 
voter suppression tactics that have been enacted by 
States and localities since the Shelby County v. 
Holder Supreme Court decision; and 
(2) urges congressional leadership to allow for 
an immediate vote on the Voting Rights Advance-
ment Act of 2015. 
Æ 
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