Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019
Latest action · Jul 27, 2020 Pursuant to the provisions of H. Con. Res. 107, enrollment corrections on H.R. 4 have been made.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 26, 2019
- Passed HouseDec 6, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019
This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices in these areas may take effect. (Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.)
A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if (1) 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; or (2) 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years.
A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a voting practice to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from preclearance.
All jurisdictions must preclear changes to requirements for documentation to vote that make the requirements more stringent than federal requirements for voters who register by mail or state law.
The bill specifies practices jurisdictions meeting certain thresholds regarding racial minority groups, language minority groups, or minority groups on Indian land, must preclear before implementing. These practices include changes to methods of election, changes to jurisdiction boundaries, redistricting, changes to voting locations and opportunities, and changes to voter registration list maintenance.
The bill expands the circumstances under which (1) a court may retain the authority to preclear voting changes made by a state or political subdivision, or (2) the Department of Justice may assign election observers.
States and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices.
The bill revises the circumstances under which a court must grant preliminary injunctive relief in a challenge to voting practices.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 654 | On Passage | Passed— | Dec 6, 2019 |
| House 653 | On Motion to Recommit with Instructions | Failed— | Dec 6, 2019 |
Cosponsors 229
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 26, 2019 to Nov 19, 2019, with 207 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-VA | A. Donald McEachin | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-IA | Abby Finkenauer | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-VA | Abigail Davis Spanberger | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-TX | Al Green | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-FL | Al Lawson, Jr. | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-NY | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-NC | Alma S. Adams | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-CA | Ami Bera | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | Feb 26, 2019 |
Actions 24
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 27, 2020Pursuant to the provisions of H. Con. Res. 107, enrollment corrections on H.R. 4 have been made.
- Dec 9, 2019Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Dec 6, 2019Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 741. (consideration: CR H9308-9330)
- Dec 6, 2019DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Rodney Davis (IL) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment inserting a new section entitled rule of construction which states that nothing in this Act may be construed to allow fines or other amounts paid to the United States in connection with a violation of title I of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 including any amount paid pursuant to a settlement agreement, to be used to make a payment in support of a campaign for election for the office of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
- Dec 6, 2019DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 4.
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAmdt 699 | Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 741, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in Part A of House Report 116-322 is considered to be adopted. | Rules Committee | On agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote. |
Related bills 5
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCONRES 107 | Directing the Clerk of the House to make a correction in the enrollment of H.R. 4. | Related bill | Jul 29, 2020 |
| S 561 | Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 | Related bill | Feb 26, 2019 |
| HRES 741 | Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4) to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for determining which States and political subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and for other purposes, and providing for considera | Related bill | Dec 5, 2019 |
| HR 1799 | Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2019 | Related bill | May 3, 2019 |
| S 4263 | John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act | Related bill | Jul 22, 2020 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 9, 2019Referred in Senate
- Dec 6, 2019Engrossed in House
- Nov 29, 2019Reported in House
- Feb 26, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.