[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 385 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 385

Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of congressional passage 
                    of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 21, 2004

 Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
 Bingaman, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Feingold, Mr. 
Daschle, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of congressional passage 
                    of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Whereas 2004 marks the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.);
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, proposed in a nationally 
        televised address that Congress pass civil rights legislation to address 
        the problem of invidious discrimination;
Whereas a broad coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations 
        created national support for civil rights legislation, culminating in a 
        1963 march on Washington;
Whereas during consideration of the legislation involved, Congress added a 
        historic prohibition against discrimination based on sex;
Whereas Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and President Lyndon 
        Johnson signed the Act 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 Attorney General to file suits to force the 
        desegregation, banned discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, 
        theaters, and all other places of public accommodation 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, religion, and national origin, but sex as 
        well, thereby recognizing the national problem of sex discrimination in 
        the workplace;
Whereas Congress has amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from time to time, 
        with major changes that strengthened the Act;
Whereas the amendments made to the Act by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act 
        of 1972 made changes that, among other things, gave the Equal Employment 
        Opportunity Commission litigation authority, thereby giving the 
        Commission the right to sue nongovernment respondents, made State and 
        local governments subject to title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 
        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, 
        religion, sex, and national origin;
Whereas the amendments made to the Act and other civil rights legislation 
        amended or added by the Civil Rights Act of 1991 clarified congressional 
        intent regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (in light of several 
        contrary Supreme Court decisions rendered in the late 1980s) and allowed 
        for the recovery of fees and costs in lawsuits in which the plaintiffs 
        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; and
Whereas the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the most comprehensive civil rights 
        legislation in the Nation's history: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of 
        congressional passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
            (2) applauds all persons whose support and efforts led to 
        passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and
            (3) encourages all Americans to recognize and celebrate the 
        important historical milestone of the congressional passage of 
        the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
                                 <all>