87S10437 TBO-D     By: Bucy H.C.R. No. 8       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The passage of the For the People Act and the John   Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would help to protect   Americans' right to vote; and          WHEREAS, The For the People Act currently under consideration   in the United States Congress reflects lessons learned across the   country during recent election cycles, embracing measures to   improve the safety and security of our voting processes and to   strengthen our democracy by engaging more citizens; recognizing the   exigencies of modern life in a 24/7 economy, the legislation   includes many elements to make voting simpler and more convenient,   among them at least two weeks of early in-person voting, online and   same-day voter registration, and automatic voter registration at   motor vehicle departments and other specified government agencies;   it expands and standardizes voting by mail, provides funding for   mail-in ballot tracking, and offers standards for ballot drop   boxes; setting such national policies will ensure that every   eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box, no matter where   they reside; and          WHEREAS, In 2013, a landmark Supreme Court decision weakened   the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by ending the preclearance process,   which required jurisdictions with a history of voting   discrimination to submit changes to voting policies for federal   approval before implementing them; in response to the decision,   U.S. Representatives Terri Sewell and John Lewis coauthored the   Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was renamed in honor of   Congressman Lewis after his passing; this bill would restore the   protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 while updating the   coverage criteria to reflect current conditions and apply to all   states; furthermore, the bill focuses the preclearance process on a   set of discriminatory measures, requires reasonable public notice   for voting changes, and allows the Attorney General to request the   presence of federal observers in places at risk of racial   discrimination in voting; and          WHEREAS, The United States is the world's leading democracy,   and we must continue to set the standard for free, fair, and   accessible elections in which every vote is counted; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,   1st Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the United States   Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting   Rights Advancement Act; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to   the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a   memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.