87S20766 TBO-D
By: Reynolds H.C.R. No. 5
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The 2020 election took place amidst the
unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, but local and state
administrators rose to the occasion, embracing measures that
allowed a record number of Americans to make their voices heard in a
safe, secure, and professional process; and
WHEREAS, The For the People Act currently under consideration
in the United States Congress reflects lessons learned across the
country during recent election cycles, embracing measures to
improve the safety and security of our voting processes and to
strengthen our democracy by engaging more citizens; recognizing the
exigencies of modern life in a 24/7 economy, the legislation
includes many elements to make voting simpler and more convenient,
among them at least two weeks of early in-person voting, online and
same-day voter registration, and automatic voter registration at
motor vehicle departments and other specified government agencies;
it expands and standardizes voting by mail, provides funding for
mail-in ballot tracking, and offers standards for ballot drop
boxes; setting such national policies will ensure that every
eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box, no matter where
they reside; and
WHEREAS, Described by the League of Women Voters as "the most
expansive democracy reform legislation we have seen since the
Voting Rights Act," the For the People Act also bolsters election
security, ensuring that elections are decided by American voters
without interference from foreign adversaries; it creates a
national strategy to protect our democratic institutions,
increases oversight of election vendors, and improves federal
support for state voting system security upgrades, including paper
ballot voting systems; by requiring states to adopt independent
redistricting commissions, it ensures that voters choose their
representatives, not the other way around; moreover, it addresses
the dominance of big money and special interests in politics by
increasing transparency, bolstering oversight by the Federal
Election Commission, and fortifying ethics laws and enforcement for
violations; and
WHEREAS, The provisions in the For the People Act enjoy
overwhelming public support; a recent Global Strategy Group/ALG
Research survey of likely general election voters in a dozen states
found 83 percent agreement for the bill, with provisions to reduce
the influence of money in politics receiving nearly universal
support; and
WHEREAS, Americans can take great pride in the resiliency of
our electoral system and the determination of the voting public
even in the face of historic upheaval, and by passing this
legislation, Congress can provide an even sturdier foundation for
government of the people, by the people, and for the people; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,
2nd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the United States
Congress to pass the For the People Act; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.