87S10437 TBO-D
 
  By: Bucy H.C.R. No. 8
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The passage of the For the People Act and the John
  Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would help to protect
  Americans' right to vote; and
         WHEREAS, The For the People Act currently under consideration
  in the United States Congress reflects lessons learned across the
  country during recent election cycles, embracing measures to
  improve the safety and security of our voting processes and to
  strengthen our democracy by engaging more citizens; recognizing the
  exigencies of modern life in a 24/7 economy, the legislation
  includes many elements to make voting simpler and more convenient,
  among them at least two weeks of early in-person voting, online and
  same-day voter registration, and automatic voter registration at
  motor vehicle departments and other specified government agencies;
  it expands and standardizes voting by mail, provides funding for
  mail-in ballot tracking, and offers standards for ballot drop
  boxes; setting such national policies will ensure that every
  eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box, no matter where
  they reside; and
         WHEREAS, In 2013, a landmark Supreme Court decision weakened
  the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by ending the preclearance process,
  which required jurisdictions with a history of voting
  discrimination to submit changes to voting policies for federal
  approval before implementing them; in response to the decision,
  U.S. Representatives Terri Sewell and John Lewis coauthored the
  Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was renamed in honor of
  Congressman Lewis after his passing; this bill would restore the
  protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 while updating the
  coverage criteria to reflect current conditions and apply to all
  states; furthermore, the bill focuses the preclearance process on a
  set of discriminatory measures, requires reasonable public notice
  for voting changes, and allows the Attorney General to request the
  presence of federal observers in places at risk of racial
  discrimination in voting; and
         WHEREAS, The United States is the world's leading democracy,
  and we must continue to set the standard for free, fair, and
  accessible elections in which every vote is counted; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,
  1st Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the United States
  Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting
  Rights Advancement Act; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
  copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
  the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
  Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
  members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
  this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
  memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.