Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Title: Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015
Subject: Civil actions and liability: Elections, voting, political campaign regulation: Federal appellate courts: Foreign language and bilingual programs: Jurisdiction and venue: Racial and ethnic relations: State and local government operations: Voting rights: Government operations and politics
Description: Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015 Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the requirement that a federal court retain jurisdiction for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Expands the types of violations triggering the authority of a court to retain such jurisdiction to include certain violations of the Act as well as violations of any federal voting rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. Excludes from the list of violations triggering jurisdiction retention authority any voting qualification or prerequisite which results in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote that is based on the imposition of a requirement that an individual provide a photo identification as a condition of receiving a ballot for voting in a federal, state, or local election. Revises requirements for determining which states and political subdivisions are covered or not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Subjects to the requirements for making such a determination any state (and all of its political subdivisions) during a calendar if five or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 15 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Specifies application of such new coverage requirements to any specific political subdivision if: (1) three or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years; or (2) one or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years and the subdivision had persistent, extremely low minority turnout during that period. Provides that, if a state obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote, the requirements for a new declaratory judgment generally will not apply, unless the new coverage requirements of this Act apply to the state solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the declaratory judgment was issued. Prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Modifies authority to assign observers, including authorizing the assignment of observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Revises requirements for injunctive relief, including its scope and the persons authorized to seek relief as well as the grounds for granting it.
Session: 114th Congress
Last Action: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Last Action Date: March 16, 2015
Link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/885/all-info
Note: the first sponsor listed is normally the primary sponsor. If a sponsor's name is a hyperlink you can click on it to 'follow the money'.
112 sponsors: James Sensenbrenner (R); John Conyers (D); John Lewis (D); Steny Hoyer (D); James Clyburn (D); Jerrold Nadler (D); Zoe Lofgren (D); Sheila Jackson-Lee (D); Steve Cohen (D); Henry Johnson (D); Pedro Pierluisi (N); Judy Chu (D); Karen Bass (D); Cedric Richmond (D); Hakeem Jeffries (D); David Cicilline (D); Scott Peters (D); Robert Scott (D); Charles Dent (R); Michael Fitzpatrick (R); Christopher Gibson (R); Ann Kuster (D); Matthew Cartwright (D); Luke Messer (R); Frank LoBiondo (R); Gregory Meeks (D); Lois Frankel (D); Fred Upton (R); John Garamendi (D); Louise Slaughter (D); Krysten Sinema (D); Cheri Bustos (D); Elizabeth Esty (D); Niki Tsongas (D); Tom Reed (R); Barbara Lee (D); Ann Kirkpatrick (D); Jim Cooper (D); Carlos Curbelo (R); Carolyn Maloney (D); James McGovern (D); John Delaney (D); Earl Blumenauer (D); Robert Dold (R); Nita Lowey (D); Robin Kelly (D); Brian Higgins (D); Michael Honda (D); Eleanor Norton (D); Katherine Clark (D); Jared Huffman (D); Janice Schakowsky (D); Eliot Engel (D); Ron Kind (D); Alan Grayson (D); Jim McDermott (D); Adam Schiff (D); Ben Lujan (D); David Scott (D); Frank Pallone (D); Tom Cole (R); Julia Brownley (D); Donald Payne (D); Mark Takai (D); Chellie Pingree (D); Patrick Murphy (D); Eric Swalwell (D); Ruben Gallego (D); Marc Veasey (D); John Sarbanes (D); Alcee Hastings (D); John Larson (D); John Carney (D); Gwen Moore (D); Michael Turner (R); Debbie Dingell (D); Diana DeGette (D); Randy Hultgren (R); James Langevin (D); Gerald Connolly (D); Elijah Cummings (D); Brad Sherman (D); Alan Lowenthal (D); Kathleen Rice (D); Marcy Kaptur (D); Peter DeFazio (D); Doris Matsui (D); Donna Edwards (D); Jim Costa (D); Chris Van Hollen (D); Raul Ruiz (D); Luis Gutierrez (D); Scott Rigell (R); Denny Heck (D); Bonnie Coleman (D); Bobby Rush (D); Daniel Kildee (D); Ami Bera (D); Susan Davis (D); Sean Maloney (D); Suzanne Bonamici (D); Michael Doyle (D); Bill Foster (D); Joyce Beatty (D); Michael Simpson (R); Daniel Lipinski (D); Ted Lieu (D); Ryan Costello (R); Mike Coffman (R); David Jolly (R); Ed Perlmutter (D); Glenn Thompson (R)
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| House | Mar 16 2015 | Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. |
| House | Feb 11 2015 | Introduced in House |
| House | Feb 11 2015 | Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. |
| Type | Date | Federal Link | Text |
| Introduced | Feb 20 2015 | federal bill text | bill text |
| Title | Description | Date | State Link | Text | Adopted |
| There are no amendments to this bill at this time | |||||
Chamber: H
Committee Name: Subcommittee on the Constitution And Civil Justice
There have not been any votes on this bill