[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 676 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                         June 24, 2004.
Whereas 2004 marks the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352);
Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the result of decades of struggle and 
        sacrifice of many Americans who fought for equality and justice;
Whereas generations of Americans of every background supported Federal 
        legislation to eliminate discrimination against African Americans;
Whereas a civil rights movement developed to achieve the goal of equal rights 
        for all Americans;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy on June 11, 1963, in a nationally televised 
        address proposed that Congress pass a civil rights act to address the 
        problem of invidious discrimination;
Whereas a broad coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations, 
        culminating in the 1963 march on Washington, created national support 
        for civil rights legislation;
Whereas during consideration of the bill a historic prohibition against 
        discrimination based on sex was added;
Whereas the Congress of the United States passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 
        and President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on July 2, 1964;
Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among other things, prohibited the use of 
        Federal funds in a discriminatory fashion, barred unequal application of 
        voter registration requirements, encouraged the desegregation of public 
        schools and authorized the United States Attorney General to file suits 
        to force desegregation, banned discrimination in hotels, motels, 
        restaurants, theaters, and all other places of public accommodations 
        engaged in interstate commerce, and established the Equal Employment 
        Opportunity Commission;
Whereas title VII of the Act not only prohibited discrimination by employers on 
        the basis of race, color, national origin, and religion but sex as well, 
        thereby recognizing the national problem of sex discrimination in the 
        workplace;
Whereas the Congress of the United States has amended the Civil Rights Act of 
        1964 from time to time, with major changes that strengthened the Act;
Whereas the 1972 amendments, among other things, gave the Equal Employment 
        Opportunity Commission litigation authority, thereby giving the EEOC the 
        right to sue nongovernment respondents, made State and local governments 
        subject to title VII of the Act, made educational institutions subject 
        to title VII of the Act, and made the Federal Government subject to 
        title VII, thereby prohibiting Federal executive agencies from 
        discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, and national 
        origin;
Whereas the 1991 amendments to the Civil Rights Act overruled several Supreme 
        Court decisions rendered in the late 1980s and allowed for the recovery 
        of fees and costs in lawsuits where plaintiff prevailed, for jury 
        trials, and for the recovery of compensatory and punitive damages in 
        intentional employment discrimination cases, and also expanded title VII 
        protections to include congressional and high level political 
        appointees;
Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the most comprehensive civil rights 
        legislation in our Nation's history; and
Whereas we applaud all those whose support and efforts lead to passage of the 
        Civil Rights Act of 1964: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of congressional 
        passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and
            (2) encourages all Americans to recognize and celebrate the 
        important historical milestone of the congressional passage of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1964.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.