H. Res. 315 (119th)Bill Overview

Recognizing the 159th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues|Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Apr 9, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief

H.

Res. 315 is a House resolution recognizing the 159th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

It recounts the Act’s passage, President Andrew Johnson’s veto and its override, and affirms the Act’s role defining citizenship and equal legal protection.

Passage2/100

H.Res. is symbolic and does not create law; adoption by the House is likely, but it cannot become statute as written.

CredibilityAligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a well-constructed commemorative resolution: it states a clear purpose, supplies relevant historical context, and limits its content to expressions of recognition and advocacy without creating statutory changes or implementation requirements.

Contention12/100

Progressive wants the resolution tied to concrete civil rights policies.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Who this appears to help vs burden50% / 50%
Federal agenciesFederal agencies
Likely helped
  • Federal agenciesAffirms federal commitment to civil rights principles and equal protection under law.
  • Targeted stakeholdersRaises public awareness and educational discussion about Reconstruction-era civil rights history.
  • Targeted stakeholdersProvides a formal congressional record that could be cited in policy and advocacy debates.
Likely burdened
  • Targeted stakeholdersCreates no binding legal change, regulatory authority, or new funding.
  • Federal agenciesWill not directly create jobs, alter taxes, or affect the federal budget.
  • Targeted stakeholdersMay be criticized as symbolic without accompanying legislative or enforcement actions.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Progressive wants the resolution tied to concrete civil rights policies.
Progressive90%

Likely welcomes the recognition of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as an important foundation for citizenship and equal protection.

Sees symbolic value but may criticize the resolution for not proposing concrete remedies for ongoing systemic inequality.

Leans supportive
Centrist95%

Likely supports the resolution as a noncontroversial, bipartisan acknowledgment of an important historical law.

Appreciates factual recitation of history while noting it is declarative rather than legislative.

Leans supportive
Conservative85%

Likely broadly supportive of honoring a foundational law that affirms citizenship and equal protection.

May prefer emphasis on rule of law and patriotic unity rather than expanded federal authority.

Leans supportive
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood2/100

H.Res. is symbolic and does not create law; adoption by the House is likely, but it cannot become statute as written.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • Whether House leadership schedules it for floor consideration
  • Whether any Member objects to specific historical language
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Progressive wants the resolution tied to concrete civil rights policies.

H.Res. is symbolic and does not create law; adoption by the House is likely, but it cannot become statute as written.

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a well-constructed commemorative resolution: it states a clear purpose, supplies relevant historical context, and limits its content to expressions of recognition…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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