BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AJR 13|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AJR 13
Author: Ridley-Thomas (D), et al.
Amended: 8/17/15 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 8/17/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This resolution recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th
anniversary of the signing of the federal Voting Rights Act of
1965. This resolution also urges the Congress and President of
the United states to continue to secure citizens' right to vote
and remedy any racial discrimination in voting.
ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1)Signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B.
Johnson, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of
federal legislation in the United States.
2)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.
3)During the 1920s, African Americans in Selma, Alabama formed
the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL). During the 1960s in
AJR 13
Page 2
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 7th,
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 Voting Rights
Act.
4)Often regarded as one of the most effective civil rights laws,
the Voting Rights Act was passed with the intent to ban
discriminatory voting policies at all levels of government.
5)The Voting Rights Act 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.
6)Before Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act 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 precess in the language of the applicable minority
group.
7)In June of 2013, the Supreme Court struck down key sections of
the Voting Rights Act that were designed to prevent
discriminatory voting policies that can disenfranchise
minority voters. Despite 50 years of progress, racial
minorities continue to face voting barriers in jurisdictions
with a history of discrimination.
This resolution:
AJR 13
Page 3
1)Recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th Anniversary of the
signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and recognizes the
significant progress made by the Voting Rights Act to protect
every citizen's right to vote.
2)Honors and remembers those who struggled and died for this
freedom.
3)Urges the Congress and the President of the United States to
continue to secure citizens' right to vote and remedy any
racial discrimination in voting.
Prior Legislation
AJR 15 (Alejo, Resolution Chapter 60, Statutes of 2013) urged
the Supreme Court of the United States to affirm the
constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
SJR 14 (Yee, Resolution Chapter 133, Statutes of 2013) urged the
Congress and President of the United States to enact amendments
to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that would restore Section 4 of
the Act with a new coverage formula and update the entire Act in
order to address ongoing violations of voting rights in the
states.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:NoLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/26/15)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
California Association of Clerks and Election Officials
Future of California Elections
MALDEF
AJR 13
Page 4
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/26/15)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 8/17/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,
Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia,
Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray,
Grove, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Beth Gaines, Harper
Prepared by: Karen Chow / SFA / (916) 651-1520
8/26/15 16:14:09
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