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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The history of the United States has been tarnished |
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by discriminatory policies that suppress minority voting rights and |
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threaten the foundation of our democracy; and |
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WHEREAS, On March 7, 1965, civil rights activists the |
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Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis led a peaceful |
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march against voting inequality and were met with extreme violence; |
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this event prompted a public outcry and inspired Congress to pass |
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the Voting Rights Act later that year; the bipartisan legislation |
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allowed direct federal oversight and protections of election |
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processes to prevent states from suppressing minority voters; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2013, a landmark Supreme Court decision weakened |
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the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by ending the preclearance process, |
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which required jurisdictions with a history of voting |
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discrimination to submit changes to voting policies for federal |
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approval before implementing them; this limited the federal |
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government's ability to deter voter suppression, and North Carolina |
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and Texas immediately passed voting changes that were previously |
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rejected for preclearance; these laws remained during several |
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elections before federal courts later determined that they were |
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discriminatory; and |
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WHEREAS, U.S. Representatives Terri Sewell and John Lewis |
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coauthored the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was renamed in |
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honor of Congressman Lewis after his passing; this bill would |
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restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 while |
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updating the coverage criteria to reflect current conditions and |
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apply to all states; furthermore, the bill focuses the preclearance |
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process on a set of discriminatory measures, requires reasonable |
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public notice for voting changes, and allows the Attorney General |
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to request the presence of federal observers in places at risk of |
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racial discrimination in voting; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis dedicated his life to |
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protecting Americans' right to vote, and Congress should pass his |
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legislation to prevent voter suppression and uphold our nation's |
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core value of equality; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to pass |
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the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |