87R8457 TBO-D
 
  By: Reynolds H.C.R. No. 38
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The history of the United States has been tarnished
  by discriminatory policies that suppress minority voting rights and
  threaten the foundation of our democracy; and
         WHEREAS, On March 7, 1965, civil rights activists the
  Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis led a peaceful
  march against voting inequality and were met with extreme violence;
  this event prompted a public outcry and inspired Congress to pass
  the Voting Rights Act later that year; the bipartisan legislation
  allowed direct federal oversight and protections of election
  processes to prevent states from suppressing minority voters; 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; this limited the federal
  government's ability to deter voter suppression, and North Carolina
  and Texas immediately passed voting changes that were previously
  rejected for preclearance; these laws remained during several
  elections before federal courts later determined that they were
  discriminatory; and
         WHEREAS, 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, Congressman John Lewis dedicated his life to
  protecting Americans' right to vote, and Congress should pass his
  legislation to prevent voter suppression and uphold our nation's
  core value of equality; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to pass
  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.