BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AJR 13
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR
13 (Ridley-Thomas)
As Introduced April 7, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Elections |6-0 |Ridley-Thomas, Grove, | |
| | |Gatto, Gordon, | |
| | |Mullin, Perea | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th anniversary of
the signing of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and
urges the Congress and President of the United States (U.S.) to
continue to secure citizens' rights to vote and remedy any
racial discrimination in voting. Specifically, this resolution:
1)Recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th Anniversary of the
signing of the VRA, and recognizes the significant progress
made by the VRA to protect every citizen's right to vote.
2)Honors and remembers those who struggled and died for this
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freedom.
3)Urges the Congress and President of the U.S. to continue to
secure citizens' rights to vote and remedy any racial
discrimination in voting.
4)Makes the following findings and declarations:
a) Signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon
B. Johnson, the VRA is a landmark piece of federal
legislation in the U.S.;
b) One hundred and forty-five years ago, in 1870, Congress
ratified the 15th Amendment, which declared that the right
to vote shall not be denied or abridged on the basis of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude;
c) By 1910, violence and intimidation resulted in nearly
all black citizens being disenfranchised and removed from
the voter rolls in the former Confederate States,
undermining the promise of equal protection under the law;
d) Native American, Latino, and Asian American/Pacific
Islander communities experienced similar attempts to
disenfranchise citizens in their communities throughout the
U.S.;
e) Between 1870 and 1965, voters faced "first-generation
barriers," such as poll taxes, literacy tests, vouchers of
"good character," disqualification for "crimes of moral
turpitude," and other tactics intended to keep African
Americans from the polls on election day;
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f) During the 1920s, African Americans in Selma, Alabama
formed the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL). During the
1960s in partnership with organizers from the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the DCVL held
registration drives and classes to help African Americans
in Dallas County pass the literacy tests required to
register to vote. On March 7, 1965, the first march from
Selma to Montgomery took place. The march, nicknamed
"Bloody Sunday" for the horrific attack on unarmed marchers
by armed police, was broadcast nationwide and led to a
national outcry for the passage of the VRA;
g) Often regarded as one of the most effective civil rights
laws, the VRA was passed with the intent to ban
discriminatory voting policies at all levels of government;
h) The VRA is credited for the enfranchisement of millions
of minority voters as well as the diversification of the
electorate and legislative bodies throughout all levels of
government;
i) Before Section 203 of the VRA was added in 1975,
language minorities were disenfranchised from the electoral
process. Section 203 required certain jurisdictions to
provide registration or voting notices, forms,
instructions, assistance, or other materials and
information regarding the electoral process in the language
of the applicable minority group;
j) In June of 2013, the Supreme Court struck down key
sections of the VRA that were designed to prevent
discriminatory voting policies that can disenfranchise
minority voters;
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aa) Despite 50 years of progress, racial minorities continue
to face voting barriers in jurisdictions with a history of
discrimination;
bb) To build a stronger and more cohesive state and nation,
we must continue to help advance the cause of voter
equality and equal access to the political process for all
people in order to protect the rights of every American;
and,
cc) We must continue to educate the next generation about
the importance of civic engagement in our communities now.
FISCAL EFFECT: None. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by
the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "Fifty years ago, civil
rights activists from all over Alabama faced an angry mob of
state and local lawmen at the foot of the Edmund Pettis bridge
in Selma, Alabama. Over 600 peaceful marchers led by Reverend
Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
and John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee,
suffered horrific attacks from the lawmen to demonstrate their
demand for equal protection under the law guaranteeing all
minorities the right to vote. In this resolution, I recognize
the 'Bloody Sunday' march for the important role the
demonstration played in sparking a national outcry leading to
the passage of the Voting Rights Act..."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
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Analysis Prepared by:
Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094 FN:
0001120