Senate hearing set for Voting Rights Amendment Act

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has scheduled a June 25 hearing on the Voting Rights Amendment Act, his bill aimed at updating those sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) deemed by the high court to be unconstitutional. Senate panel to examine voting rights fix:

The date marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision, which Leahy characterized as a “disastrous” threat to voting protections. He’s urging lawmakers to adopt his bill ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“It is time for Congress to act,” Leahy said Monday in a statement. “Just as Congress came together 50 years ago to enact the Civil Rights Act, Democrats and Republicans should work together now to renew and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, which has always been bipartisan.

“This year should be no different, and I hope all Republicans will work with us to enact the meaningful protections in the Voting Rights Amendment Act.”

There’s been much less appetite for updating the VRA in the Republican-controlled House. Although a proposal has the vocal support of several prominent Republicans, including former Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), GOP leaders have not said if they’ll try to move legislation on the issue this year.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has expressed support for the concept, and has met this year with lawmakers and outside groups – including the NAACP and Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus – in an attempt to find a compromise.

But Cantor has stopped short of endorsing the bipartisan proposal. And his primary defeat last week, which forced him to announce his resignation as majority leader effective July 31, only creates more uncertainty surrounding the fate of the legislation.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the Democratic whip, said last week that supporters of the VRA update are “concerned” by the absence of House hearings on the issue, but he remains hopeful that something can move – with Cantor’s support.

“I’m still hopeful that Mr. Cantor will be a leader in this effort,” Hoyer said. “He could be very helpful.”

This is Cantor’s chance to “do the right thing” before he leaves Congress, and do right by all those he has done wrong for so long.