,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #fga ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #f1 #bjbj,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 and ,mr4 ,brown7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,recognizing1 commemorating1 and celebrating the #eeth anniversary of the enactment of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 and reaffirming the ,senate's commitment to ensuring the continued vitality of the ,act and the protection of the voting rights of all citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,whereas the passage of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife marked a historic point in the ongoing struggle to achieve political equality1 end racial discrimination1 and enforce the voting rights guarantees enshrined in the #adth and #aeth ,amendments to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,march #g1 #aife1 would become known as ,bloody ,sunday1 after nonviolent civil rights activists--including the late ,representative ,john ,lewis--marching across the ,edmund ,pettus ,bridge in ,selma1 ,alabama1 to the ,state capital in ,montgomery in support of voting rights were attacked and savagely beaten by ,state troopers and local lawmen2 ,whereas1 on ,march #ae1 #aife1 ,president ,lyndon ,b4 ,johnson addressed a joint session of ,congress concerning the violence in ,selma and the denial of voting rights1 saying1 ,at times1 history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom4 ,so it was at ,lexington and ,concord4 ,so it was a century ago at ,appomattox4 ,so it was last week in ,selma1 ,alabama4 ''' ,there is no cause for pride in what has happened in ,selma4 ,there is no cause for self-satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of ,americans4 ,but there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy in what is happening here tonight4 ''' ,experience has clearly shown that the existing process of law cannot overcome systematic and ingenious discrimination4 ,no law that we now have on the books--and ,i have helped to put #c of them there--can ensure the right to vote when local officials are determined to deny it4 ''' ,wednesday1 ,i will send to ,congress a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote4 ''' ,this bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections--,federal1 ,state1 and local--which have been used to deny ,blacks the right to vote42 ,whereas a bipartisan ,congress approved the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 and on ,august #f1 #aife1 ,president ,lyndon ,b4 ,johnson signed this landmark legislation into law2 ,whereas the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife effectuates the permanent guarantee of the #aeth ,amendment that the right of citizens of the ,united ,states to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the ,united ,states or by any ,state on account of race1 color1 or previous condition of servitude2 ,whereas1 according to the ,congressional ,research ,service1 the ,voting ,rights ,act had an immediate and dramatic impact1 and within #d years of its passage1 nearly #a1jjj1jjj ,black voters were registered1 including over #ej percent of the ,black voting age population in every southern ,state2 ,whereas1 after the #aiff elections1 the number of ,black elected officials in the ,south more than doubled1 from #gb to #aei2 ,whereas the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife stands as a landmark legislative achievement and pays tribute to the heroism of all those who fought to fulfill the promises guaranteed to them by the #adth and #aeth ,amendments1 especially those whose blood was spilled and whose lives were lost2 ,whereas the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife has been extended and amended #e times2 ,whereas1 despite progress from #ee years of enforcement of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 voting rights are still under attack in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 in its decision in ,shelby ,county v4 ,holder1 #egj ,u4,s4 #ebi 7#bjac71 the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states struck down section #d of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 which required covered ,states and jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting practices to submit voting changes for preclearance before they could take effect2 ,whereas1 since the decision in ,shelby ,county1 many ,states have passed discriminatory voting laws that have made it more difficult for people of color and low-income individuals to vote2 ,whereas it is vital to democracy in the ,united ,states that the provisions of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife are fully effective to prevent discrimination and dilution of the equal rights of minority voters2 and ,whereas the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife has been widely hailed as the single most important civil rights law passed in the history of the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes1 commemorates1 and celebrates the #eeth anniversary of the enactment of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife2 7#b7 reaffirms its commitment to advancing the legacy of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife to ensure the continued effectiveness of the ,act in protecting the voting rights of all citizens of the ,united ,states2 7#c7 commits itself to fully restoring section #d of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife and modernizing and strengthening the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife through further legislative efforts2 and 7#d7 encourages the people of the ,united ,states to celebrate the #eeth anniversary of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife4