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