,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ghbj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bi1 #bjbj,mrs4
 ,beatty introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,oversight and ,reform  ,a ,,bill  ,to  
establish the ,john ,lewis ,election    
,day holiday on ,november #c1 #bjbj1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,congressman ,john ,r4 ,lewis ,election 
,day ,act of #bjbj4  #b4 ,findings      
,congress finds the following3 7#a7     
,john ,robert ,lewis was born on        
,february #ba1 #aidj1 near ,troy1       
,alabama1 the son of sharecroppers in   
the segregated ,south4  7#b7 ,lewis was 
ordained as a ,baptist minister after   
graduating from the ,american ,baptist  
,theological ,seminary in ,nashville1   
,tennessee1 and received a bachelor's   
degree in religion and philosophy from  
,fisk ,university4  7#c7 ,as a student1 
,lewis learned nonviolent civil         
disobedience from the ,reverend ,james  

,lawson and participated in the         
,nashville ,student ,movement1          
organizing sit-ins at segregated lunch  
counters and participating in other     
civil rights events4  7#d7 ,lewis was   
one of the original #ac ,freedom        
,riders1 who traveled through southern  
states in #aifa to pressure the         
enforcement of the ,boynton v4 ,virginia
 ,supreme ,court case that declared     
segregated interstate bus travel        
unconstitutional4  7#e7 ,as a ,freedom  
,rider1 ,lewis was-- 7,a7 assaulted     
while attempting to enter a ,whites-only
 waiting room in ,rock ,hill1 ,south    
,carolina2  7,b7 on a bus that was      
fire-bombed by the ,ku ,klux ,klan      
outside ,anniston1 ,alabama2  7,c7 among
 the ,freedom ,riders beaten with bats1 
pipes1 and chains in ,birmingham1       
,alabama2  7,d7 hit in the head and left
 bleeding and unconscious outside a     
,greyhound bus station in ,montgomery1  
,alabama2 and  7,e7 imprisoned several  
times and spent a month in the          

,mississippi ,state ,penitentiary4  7#f7
 ,lewis was a founding member of the    
,student ,nonviolent ,coordinating      
,committee 7,,sncc7 and was elected its 
chair in #aifc1 serving until #aiff4    
7#g7 ,lewis was the youngest of the ,big
 ,six leaders to organize the #aifc     
,march on ,washington for ,jobs and     
,freedom and spoke to the crowd of over 
#bjj1jjj from the steps of the ,lincoln 
,memorial4  7#h7 ,during ,lewis's tenure
 as chair1 the ,,sncc organized the     
#aifd ,mississippi ,freedom ,summer     
campaign to register ,black voters4     
7#i7 ,lewis and fellow activist ,hosea  
,williams led over #fjj marchers over   
the ,edmund ,pettus ,bridge in ,selma1  
,alabama1 on ,march #g1 #aife4 ,the     
marchers were tear gassed and beaten by 
the ,alabama ,state ,police4 ,lewis had 
his skull fractured by an ,alabama      
,state trooper's nightstick4 ,the day   
became known as ,bloody ,sunday and     
inspired nationwide support leading to  
the enactment of the ,voting ,rights    

,act of #aife4  7#aj7 ,between #aifj and
 #aiff1 ,lewis was arrested #dj times as
 a nonviolent protestor for equal       
justice4  7#aa7 ,lewis became the       
director of the ,voter ,education       
,project in #aigj1 which added millions 
of minority voters to the rolls during  
his tenure4  7#ab7 ,president ,jimmy    
,carter appointed ,lewis to direct      
,,action1 the ,federal agency overseeing
 more than #bej1jjj volunteers1 in      
#aigg4  7#ac7 ,lewis was first elected  
to the ,house of ,representatives in    
#aihf1 representing ,georgia's #eth     
,congressional ,district4  7#ad7 ,during
 his #ag terms in the ,house of         
,representatives1 ,lewis became known as
 the ,conscience of the ,congress1 and  
was a stalwart champion for equality and
 justice4  7#ae7 ,among the numerous    
honors and awards bestowed on him1      
,lewis received the ,presidential ,medal
 of ,freedom from ,president ,obama in  
#bjaj4  7#af7 ,lewis passed away on     
,july #ag1 #bjbj1 at the age of #hj and 

lay in state in the ,united ,states     
,capitol ,rotunda4  7#ag7 ,lewis        
advised3 ,do not get lost in a sea of   
despair4 ,be hopeful1 be optimistic4    
,our struggle is not the struggle of a  
day1 a week1 a month1 or a year1 it is  
the struggle of a lifetime4 ,never1 ever
 be afraid to make some noise and get in
 good trouble1 necessary trouble44  #c4 
,john ,lewis ,election ,day holiday ,for
 purposes of any law relating to        
,federal employment1 ,november #c1      
#bjbj1 shall be a legal public holiday1 
to be known and designated as ,john     
,lewis ,election ,day1 described in     
section #fajc of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code4  #d4 ,sense of ,congress 
regarding treatment of day by private   
employers ,it is the sense of ,congress 
that private employers in the ,united   
,states should give their employees the 
day off on ,november #c1 #bjbj1 to      
enable the employees to cast votes in   
the elections held on that day and to   
honor the life and legacy of ,john      

,lewis4