House Democrats introduced the latest version of what’s been dubbed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on Tuesday, intent on beefing up a civil rights-era law cut back by a series of Supreme Court decisions.
The effort still faces significant Republican opposition, however, and the prospects of a filibuster in the Senate. The bill comes after a series of House committee hearings over the past several months to establish a legislative record for modern efforts to suppress minority groups’ voting power.
In a statement Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized a wave of election law changes passed in the last few months by Republican-controlled states and said the House would vote on the bill next week.
“In doing so, we live up to the powerful legacy of this bill’s late namesake, Congressman Lewis: a titan of the Civil Rights Movement and a courageous champion for voting rights,” Pelosi’s statement said. “With the attack on the franchise escalating and states beginning the process of redistricting, we must act.”