Bill > HR885

Introduced Session

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.

Committee Categories

F. James Sensenbrenner (R)*,  Karen Bass (D),  Joyce Beatty (D),  Ami Bera (D),  Earl Blumenauer (D),  Suzanne Bonamici (D),  Julia Brownley (D),  Cheri Bustos (D),  John Carney (D),  Matt Cartwright (D),  Judy Chu (D),  David Cicilline (D),  Katherine Clark (D),  Jim Clyburn (D),  Mike Coffman (R),  Steve Cohen (D),  Tom Cole (R),  Gerry Connolly (D),  John Conyers (D),  Jim Cooper (D),  Jim Costa (D),  Ryan Costello (R),  Elijah Cummings (D),  Carlos Curbelo (R),  Susan Davis (D),  Peter DeFazio (D),  Diana DeGette (D),  John Delaney (D),  Charles Dent (R),  Debbie Dingell (D),  Robert Dold (R),  Michael Doyle (D),  Donna Edwards (D),  Eliot Engel (D),  Elizabeth Esty (D),  Michael Fitzpatrick (R),  Bill Foster (D),  Lois Frankel (D),  Ruben Gallego (D),  John Garamendi (D),  Christopher Gibson (R),  Alan Grayson (D),  Luis Gutiérrez (D),  Alcee Hastings (D),  Denny Heck (D),  Brian Higgins (D),  Michael Honda (D),  Steny Hoyer (D),  Jared Huffman (D),  Randy Hultgren (R),  Sheila Jackson-Lee (D),  Hakeem Jeffries (D),  Hank Johnson (D),  David Jolly (R),  Marcy Kaptur (D),  Robin Kelly (D),  Dan Kildee (D),  Ron Kind (D),  Ann Kirkpatrick (D),  Ann Kuster (D),  James Langevin (D),  John Larson (D),  Barbara Lee (D),  John Lewis (D),  Ted Lieu (D),  Daniel Lipinski (D),  Frank LoBiondo (R),  Zoe Lofgren (D),  Alan Lowenthal (D),  Nita Lowey (D),  Ben Ray Luján (D),  Carolyn Maloney (D),  Sean Maloney (D),  Doris Matsui (D),  Jim McDermott (D),  Jim McGovern (D),  Gregory Meeks (D),  Luke Messer (R),  Gwen Moore (D),  Patrick Murphy (D),  Jerry Nadler (D),  Eleanor Holmes Norton (D),  Frank Pallone (D),  Donald Payne (D),  Ed Perlmutter (D),  Scott Peters (D),  Pedro Pierluisi (I),  Chellie Pingree (D),  Tom Reed (R),  Kathleen Rice (D),  Cedric Richmond (D),  E. Scott Rigell (R),  Raul Ruiz (D),  Bobby Rush (D),  John Sarbanes (D),  Jan Schakowsky (D),  Adam Schiff (D),  Bobby Scott (D),  David Scott (D),  Brad Sherman (D),  Mike Simpson (R),  Kyrsten Sinema (I),  Louise Slaughter (D),  Eric Swalwell (D),  Mark Takai (D),  G.T. Thompson (R),  Niki Tsongas (D),  Mike Turner (R),  Fred Upton (R),  Chris Van Hollen (D),  Marc Veasey (D),  Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), 

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. (on 03/16/2015)

Official Document