HR1207 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1207 LRB098 21871 GRL 60732 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and

WHEREAS, The history of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 began with a speech from President John F. Kennedy on June 11, 1963, in which he asked for legislation "giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public - hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments" and "greater protection for the right to vote"; on June 19, 1963, the president sent his bill to Congress as it was originally written, saying legislative action was "imperative"; and

WHEREAS, Upon the bill's entrance to the United States House of Representatives, it was referred to the Judiciary Committee, where, after a series of hearings on the bill, the committee strengthened the act, adding provisions to ban racial discrimination in employment, providing greater protection to black voters, eliminating segregation in all publicly owned facilities, and strengthening the anti-segregation clauses regarding public facilities such as lunch counters, as well as authorization for the Attorney General to file lawsuits to protect individuals against the deprivation of any rights secured by the Constitution or federal law; and

WHEREAS, President Kennedy called the congressional leaders to the White House in late October of 1963 to line up the necessary votes in the House for passage; the bill was reported out of the Judiciary Committee in November of 1963 and referred to the Rules Committee, where it was feared that the bill would stall; however, following the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the political situation changed and new President Lyndon Johnson came out in support of the bill; due to the diligent efforts of President Johnson and many others, the bill was allowed to pass through the Rules Committee and head toward the Senate; and

WHEREAS, Once the bill made it to the Senate, it faced great opposition by a group of Senators known as the "Southern Bloc"; 18 southern Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator led by Richard Russell (D-GA) launched a filibuster to prevent the passage of the bill; after 54 days of filibuster, a substitute bill was introduced the was able to attract enough Republican swing votes to end the filibuster; and

WHEREAS, On June 19, 1964, the substitute bill passed the Senate by a vote of 73–27 and quickly passed through the House-Senate conference committee, which adopted the Senate version of the bill; following the conference bill's passage by both houses of Congress, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964; and

WHEREAS, Today, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stands as one of the main foundations of the rule of law and the guarantees of freedom and equality as set forth in the United States Constitution; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and urge the citizens of this State to take part in suitable celebrations and events celebrating the anniversary of this important event.