H.R. No. 187







R E S O L U T I O N

	WHEREAS, It has been said that "the vote is the most powerful 

instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice,"  and 

the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been hailed as the crowning 

achievement of the American civil rights movement; and

	WHEREAS, Signed into law on August 6, 1965, the act banned the 

use of literacy tests, poll taxes, and other strategems that had 

long been used to prevent black Americans and members of other 

minority groups from casting a ballot; and

	WHEREAS, The measure authorized federal registrars to enroll 

voters in areas where 50 percent or more of the voting-age 

population was unregistered; the act also authorized the 

appointment of federal observers to monitor polling-place activity 

on election day, and it allowed new laws affecting voting to be 

implemented only if they were proven not to have a discriminatory 

purpose or effect; and

	WHEREAS, Ensuring the right of all citizens to vote had a 

profound effect on the political landscape, and the passage of the 

Voting Rights Act stands as a milestone in this country's 

continuing quest to honor the high ideals at the heart of the 

American experiment; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 

Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 40th 

anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.



                                                                          Alonzo



                                                  ______________________________

                                                       Speaker of the House     



	I certify that H.R. No. 187 was adopted by the House on August 

11, 2005, by a non-record vote.



                                                  ______________________________

                                                     Chief Clerk of the House