Text of Senate Amendment 4672

Text of Senate Amendment 4672

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 50 (Thursday, March 19, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 50 (Thursday, March 19, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S1385-S1388] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 4672. Ms. MURKOWSKI submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 1383, to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. ___. CRITERIA FOR COVERAGE OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. (a) Determination of States and Political Subdivisions Subject to Section 4(a).-- (1) In general.--Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10303(b)) is amended to read as follows: ``(b) Determination of States and Political Subdivisions Subject to Requirements.-- ``(1) Existence of voting rights violations during previous 25 years.-- ``(A) Statewide application.--Subsection (a) applies with respect to a State and all political subdivisions within the State during a calendar year if-- ``(i) fifteen or more voting rights violations occurred in the State during the previous 25 calendar years; or ``(ii) ten or more voting rights violations occurred in the State during the previous 25 calendar years, at least one of which was committed by the State itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within the State). ``(B) Application to specific political subdivisions.-- Subsection (a) applies with respect to a political subdivision as a separate unit during a calendar year if three or more voting rights violations occurred in the subdivision during the previous 25 calendar years. ``(2) Period of application.-- ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), if, pursuant to paragraph (1), subsection (a) applies with respect to a State or political subdivision during a calendar year, subsection (a) shall apply with respect to such State or political subdivision for the period-- [[Page S1386]] ``(i) that begins on January 1 of the year in which subsection (a) applies; and ``(ii) that ends on the date which is 10 years after the date described in clause (i). ``(B) No further application after declaratory judgment.-- ``(i) States.--If a State obtains a declaratory judgment under subsection (a), and the judgment remains in effect, subsection (a) shall no longer apply to such State and all political subdivisions in the State pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) unless, after the issuance of the declaratory judgment, paragraph (1)(A) applies to the State solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the issuance of the declaratory judgment, or paragraph (1)(B) applies to the political subdivision solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the issuance of the declaratory judgment. ``(ii) Political subdivisions.--If a political subdivision obtains a declaratory judgment under subsection (a), and the judgment remains in effect, subsection (a) shall no longer apply to such political subdivision pursuant to paragraph (1), including pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) (relating to the statewide application of subsection (a)), unless, after the issuance of the declaratory judgment, paragraph (1)(B) applies to the political subdivision solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the issuance of the declaratory judgment. ``(3) Determination of voting rights violation.--For purposes of paragraph (1), a voting rights violation occurred in a State or political subdivision if any of the following applies: ``(A) Judicial relief; violation of the 14th or 15th amendment.--Any final judgment (that has not been reversed on appeal) occurred, in which the plaintiff prevailed and in which any court of the United States determined that a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group occurred, that a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting created an undue burden on the right to vote in connection with a claim that the law unduly burdened voters of a particular race, color, or language minority group, or that race was the predominant factor motivating the decision to place a significant number of voters within or outside of a particular district, unless narrowly tailored in service of a compelling interest or in response to an objection interposed by the Department of Justice, in violation of the 14th or 15th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, anywhere within the State or subdivision. ``(B) Judicial relief; violations of this act.--Any final judgment (that has not been reversed on appeal) occurred in which the plaintiff prevailed and in which any court of the United States determined that a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting was imposed or applied or would have been imposed or applied anywhere within the State or subdivision in a manner that resulted or would have resulted in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, in violation of subsection (e) or (f) or section 2, 201, or 203, or any final judgment (that has not been reversed on appeal) occurred in which a court of the United States found a State or political subdivision failed to comply with section 5(a): Provided, That if the voting qualifications or prerequisites to voting or standards, practices, or procedures that the court finds required compliance with section 5(a) subsequently go into effect (without alteration or amendment) in accordance with the procedures in section 5(a), then such finding shall not count as a violation. ``(C) Final judgment; denial of declaratory judgment.--In a final judgment (that has not been reversed on appeal), any court of the United States has denied the request of the State or subdivision for a declaratory judgment under section 3(c) or section 5, and thereby prevented a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting from being enforced anywhere within the State or subdivision. ``(D) Objection by the attorney general.--The Attorney General has interposed an objection under section 3(c) or section 5, and thereby prevented a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting from being enforced anywhere within the State or subdivision. A violation under this subparagraph has not occurred where an objection has been withdrawn by the Attorney General, unless the withdrawal was in response to a change in the law or practice that served as the basis of the objection. A violation under this subparagraph has not occurred where the objection is based solely on a State or political subdivision's failure to comply with a procedural process that would not otherwise count as an independent violation of this Act. ``(E) Consent decree, settlement, or other agreement.-- ``(i) Agreement.--A consent decree, settlement, or other agreement was adopted or entered by a court of the United States that contains an admission of liability by the defendants, which resulted in the alteration or abandonment of a voting practice anywhere in the territory of such State or subdivision that was challenged on the ground that the practice denied or abridged the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group in violation of subsection (e) or (f) or section 2, 201, or 203, or the 14th or 15th Amendment. ``(ii) Independent violations.--A voluntary extension or continuation of a consent decree, settlement, or agreement described in clause (i) shall not count as an independent violation under this subparagraph. Any other extension or modification of such a consent decree, settlement, or agreement, if the consent decree, settlement, or agreement has been in place for ten years or longer, shall count as an independent violation under this subparagraph. If a court of the United States finds that a consent decree, settlement, or agreement described in clause (i) itself denied or abridged the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, violated subsection (e) or (f) or section 2, 201, or 203, or created an undue burden on the right to vote in connection with a claim that the consent decree, settlement, or other agreement unduly burdened voters of a particular race, color, or language minority group, that finding shall count as an independent violation under this subparagraph. ``(F) Multiple violations.--Each instance in which a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting, including each redistricting plan, is found to be a violation by a court of the United States pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B), or prevented from being enforced pursuant to subparagraph (C) or (D), or altered or abandoned pursuant to subparagraph (E) shall count as an independent violation under this paragraph. Within a redistricting plan, each violation under this paragraph found to violate the rights of any group of voters within an individual district based on race, color, or language minority group shall count as an independent violation under this paragraph. ``(4) Timing of determinations.-- ``(A) Determinations of voting rights violations.--As early as practicable during each calendar year, the Attorney General shall make the determinations required by this subsection, including updating the list of voting rights violations occurring in each State and political subdivision for the previous calendar year. ``(B) Effective upon publication in federal register.--A determina