- 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.
Recognizing the 159th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
H.Res. is symbolic and does not create law; adoption by the House is likely, but it cannot become statute as written.
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.
Progressive wants the resolution tied to concrete civil rights policies.
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
- 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.
Why the argument around this bill splits.
Progressive wants the resolution tied to concrete civil rights policies.
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.
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.
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.
The path through Congress.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
H.Res. is symbolic and does not create law; adoption by the House is likely, but it cannot become statute as written.
- Whether House leadership schedules it for floor consideration
- Whether any Member objects to specific historical language
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Go deeper than the headline read.
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.
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.