HJ0105 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is an important piece of legislation that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement and was developed to ensure the fundamental right of all citizens to vote; and

WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act was reauthorized by Congress in 2006 by an overwhelmingly bipartisan effort; and

WHEREAS, On June 25, 2013, in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, the United States Supreme Court eliminated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act which provided a screening mechanism for changes in voting procedures in certain states and jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination; and

WHEREAS, The Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County has allowed states and jurisdictions to pursue and justify a range of changes to voting procedures which would infringe upon the right to vote and negatively and disproportionately impact minority voters; and

WHEREAS, These voting changes include enhanced and aggressive voter identification laws, limitations on early voting, and statewide voter purges; and

WHEREAS, On Januray 16, 2014, United States Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced The Voting Rights Amendment Act, S. 1945, that would strengthen the foundation of the original Voting Rights Act and combat current and future discrimination; and

WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Amendment Act represents a bipartisan response to the Supreme Court's invitation in Shelby County to update the Voting Rights Act and address the demonstrated need for protections to the right to vote; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Congress to pass S. 1945, the Voting Rights Amendment Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Illinois congressional delegation.