Expressing the support for the passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015.

Bill: 114-hconres-164
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]
Introduced: 2016-09-27
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Elections, voting, political campaign regulation

Legislative rules and procedure

State and local government operations

Voting rights
Latest action: action_date: 2016-09-30
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-09-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Observes and recognizes the new crisis of voter suppression tactics that have been enacted by states and localities since the <i>Shelby County v. Holder</i> Supreme Court decision.</p> <p>Urges congressional leadership to allow for an immediate vote on the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015.</p>

tv_txt: IV 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 164 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 amendment 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 disenfranchisement 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 including 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 jurisdictions ; Whereas since this decision, a wave of voter suppression tactics have been enacted in 33 States that have implemented 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 formerly 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 jurisdictions 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 Advancement Act of 2015: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (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 Advancement Act of 2015.