House approves Clyburn proposal to rename voting rights bill after John Lewis

On Monday, a unanimous proposal was passed to rename the H.R. 4 legislation of the voting rights act after the Late Representative John Lewis by the lower chamber. 

Lewis died on July 17 at the age of 80 after a year-long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Popularly known as the “conscience of the Congress” he had organized the historic 1965 civil rights march that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.” Lewis had his skull fractured on that day by the police, which prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act later that year.

The bill that was spearheaded by Majority Whip James Clyburn would continue to remind future lawmakers of the contribution of the great man and everything he stood for.

The bill comes as a victory for the Democrats who have for months been pressing the Senate to take up the legislation through Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell who sighted the bill as “voter suppression nonsense.”

“I think Trump and the Senate leadership, Mitch McConnell … if they so celebrate the heroism of this man, then let’s go to work and pass that bill,” Clyburn said. He suggested the legislation be named as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020.

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