[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 216 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 216

  Expressing the sense of the Congress that, as Congress observes the 
 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and encourages all 
  Americans to do the same, it will advance the legacy of the Voting 
 Rights Act of 1965 by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the Act 
             to protect the voting rights of all Americans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2005

Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. 
Chabot, and Mr. Nadler) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress that, as Congress observes the 
 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and encourages all 
  Americans to do the same, it will advance the legacy of the Voting 
 Rights Act of 1965 by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the Act 
             to protect the voting rights of all Americans.

Whereas brave Americans, known and unknown, of different races, ethnicities, and 
        religions, risked their lives to stand for political equality and 
        against racial discrimination in a quest culminating in the passage of 
        the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
Whereas numerous Americans paid the ultimate price in pursuit of that quest, 
        while demanding that our nation live up to the guarantees enshrined in 
        the 14th and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution;
Whereas the historic struggle for equal voting rights led nonviolent civil 
        rights marchers to gather on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama 
        on March 7, 1965, a day that would come to be known as ``Bloody 
        Sunday,'' where their bravery was tested by a brutal response, which in 
        turn sent a clarion call to the nation that the fulfillment of our 
        democratic ideals could no longer be denied;
Whereas eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for a 
        comprehensive and effective voting rights bill as a necessary response 
        by Congress and the President to the interference and violence, in 
        violation of the 14th and 15th amendments, encountered by African 
        American citizens when attempting to protect and exercise the right to 
        vote;
Whereas a bipartisan Congress approved the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and on 
        August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this landmark 
        legislation into law;
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stands as a tribute to the heroism of 
        countless Americans and serves as one of the Nation's most important 
        civil rights victories, enabling political empowerment and voter 
        enfranchisement for all Americans;
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 effectuates the permanent guarantee of the 
        15th amendment that ``the right of citizens of the United States to vote 
        shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on 
        account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude'';
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was amended in 1975 to facilitate equal 
        political opportunity for language minority citizens and was amended in 
        1982 to protect the rights of voters with disabilities;
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has helped advance true democracy in 
        America by encouraging political participation by all citizens and 
        providing voters with the ability to elect their representatives in the 
        Federal, State, and local governments;
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has increased voter registration among 
        racial, ethnic, and language minorities, as well as enhanced the ability 
        of those citizens to participate in the political process and elect 
        representatives of their choice to public office, the result of which is 
        reflected in 81 African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American 
        Members of Congress and thousands of minority State and local officials 
        elected nationwide;
Whereas despite the noteworthy progress from 40 years of enforcement of the 
        Voting Rights Act of 1965, voter inequities, disparities, and obstacles 
        still remain for far too many minority voters and serve to demonstrate 
        the ongoing importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provides extensive voter protections, such 
        as equipping voters with the means to challenge election laws that 
        result in a denial or abridgement of voting rights on account of race, 
        color, or language minority status (section 2), eliminating literacy 
        tests nationwide (section 201), requiring federal approval before 
        covered jurisdictions (those with a history of practices that restrict 
        minority voting) rights can implement changes in existing voting 
        practices and procedures (section 5), providing the Department of 
        Justice with the authority to appoint federal election monitors and 
        observers to ensure that elections are conducted free from 
        discrimination and intimidation (sections 6-9), and mandating language 
        assistance and translated voting materials in jurisdictions with 
        substantial concentrations of language minorities (section 203);
Whereas several of these provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 will expire 
        in August 2007 unless Congress acts to preserve and reauthorize them;
Whereas it is vital to our democracy at home, and to our efforts to promote 
        democracy abroad, that the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
        are fully effective to prevent discrimination and dilution of the equal 
        rights of minority voters;
Whereas in 2005, the year marking the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act 
        of 1965, we must applaud the substantial progress that has been made in 
        protecting the right to vote, but continue efforts to ensure fairness 
        and equal access to the political process in the United States in order 
        to protect the rights of every American; and
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been widely hailed as the single most 
        important achievement of our civil rights laws: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) observes and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 
        enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
            (2) pledges to advance the legacy of the Voting Rights Act 
        of 1965 to ensure its continued effectiveness in protecting the 
        voting rights of all Americans; and
            (3) encourages all Americans to celebrate the 40th 
        anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
                                 <all>