PRINTER'S NO. 1246
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
180
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY KITCHEN, COSTA, EICHELBERGER, TEPLITZ, BREWSTER,
SCHWANK, SABATINA, BARTOLOTTA, FONTANA, TARTAGLIONE, BOSCOLA,
DINNIMAN, AUMENT, GREENLEAF, HUTCHINSON, PILEGGI, MENSCH,
RAFFERTY, VULAKOVICH, YUDICHAK AND FARNESE,
SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of
1965.
WHEREAS, Federal legislation known as the Voting Rights Act
was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6,
1965, serving as one of the most important and far-reaching
pieces of civil rights legislation in the history of the United
States; and
WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act (Public Law 89-110, 42 U.S.C.
ยง 1973 et seq.) became law during the height of the Civil Rights
Movement and was enacted in response to acts of violence against
voting rights activists, as well as the failure of some states
to implement effective voting rights legislation; and
WHEREAS, Not long after his election to the Presidency in
1964, President Johnson pushed for legislation to improve the
lives of every American, including stronger voting rights laws;
and
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WHEREAS, It took less than five months for the historic piece
of legislation, introduced as S. 1564, to pass the Congress and
reach the President, the signing of which occurred during a
ceremony attended by Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil
rights leaders who strongly advocated for voting rights; and
WHEREAS, Once enacted, the legislation reinforced the right
of all Americans, particularly African Americans, to vote under
the guaranteed rights established by the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States by
prohibiting racial discrimination in voting; and
WHEREAS, The act regulates the administration of elections
and specifically prohibits state and local governments from
implementing laws that result in discrimination against racial
minorities; and
WHEREAS, The law banned literacy tests or other mechanisms
that may be used to disenfranchise minorities from voting and
provided for more Federal oversight; and
WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been amended
several times over the last five decades to include additional
voting protections for disenfranchised groups such as non-
English speaking citizens; and
WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 resulted in the mass
enfranchisement of racial minorities in the United States, most
notably in the South, and gave all Americans the legal means to
challenge unfair and illegal voting restrictions; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth is committed to upholding laws and
voting rights of its citizenry regardless of race, color,
background or age; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the 50th anniversary of
the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the Department of State, which is charged, in part, with
administering the laws to provide for the fair and efficient
administration of voter registration and elections in this
Commonwealth.
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