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HR 3112 97th Congress House Government Operations and Politics Bilingual election requirements Bilingualism Blind Civil Rights and Liberties Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Election administration Eskimos Literacy tests Minorities Native Americans Physically handicapped Voter registration Voting Voting rights

An act to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend the effect of certain provisions, and for other purposes.

Introduced: April 7, 1981 See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 50 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 29, 1982
Became Public Law No: 97-205.
Jun 29, 1982
Signed by President.
Jun 25, 1982
Presented to President.
Jun 24, 1982
Measure Signed in Senate.
Jun 23, 1982
House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
Jun 23, 1982
Resolving differences -- House actions: House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
Jun 18, 1982
Senate struck all after the Enacting Clause and substituted the language of S. 1992 amended.
Jun 18, 1982
Passed Senate in lieu of S. 1992 with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 85-8. Record Vote No: 190.
Jun 18, 1982
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate in lieu of S. 1992 with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 85-8. Record Vote No: 190.
Oct 14, 1981
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar No.302.
Oct 7, 1981
Received in the Senate and read once. A request that the bill be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary was objected to. A request that the bill be read a second time was objected to. The bill, therefore, is held at the desk.
Oct 7, 1981
Received in the Senate.
Oct 5, 1981
Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 389 - 24 (Record Vote No: 242).
Oct 5, 1981
Passed/agreed to in House: Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 389 - 24 (Record Vote No: 242).
Oct 5, 1981
House Agreed to Amendments Adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
Oct 5, 1981
Committee Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute Considered as an Original Bill for the Purpose of Amendment.
Oct 2, 1981
Considered by House Unfinished Business.
Sep 28, 1981
Rule Passed House.
Sep 23, 1981
Supplemental Report Filed by House Committee on Judiciary. House Report No: 97-227 (Part II).
Sep 17, 1981
Rules Committee Resolution H.Res.222 Reported to House.
Sep 17, 1981
Rule Granted Providing an Open Rule with 2 Hours of Debate.
Sep 15, 1981
Placed on Union Calendar No: 154.
Sep 15, 1981
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on The Judiciary. Report No: 97-227.
Jul 31, 1981
Ordered to be Reported (Amended).
Jul 31, 1981
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 30, 1981
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 28, 1981
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 21, 1981
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee.
Jul 21, 1981
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 13, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 25, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 24, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 23, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 18, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 17, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 16, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 12, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 10, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 5, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 3, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 28, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 27, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 20, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 19, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 13, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 7, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
May 6, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Apr 10, 1981
Referred to Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights.
Apr 7, 1981
Referred to House Committee on The Judiciary.
Apr 7, 1981
Introduced in House
 Amendments to this bill 58

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

12 failed 46 pending / other

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
HAMDT 277 — An amendment setting times for elections. Withdrawn Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 276 — An amendment to state that nothing in this act shall be construed in such a way as to permit voting assistanc… Pending Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 275 — An amendment to exclude ballots from the list of materials relating to elections that must be printed in fore… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 274 — An amendment to strike the parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that require that a jurisdiction conduct bi… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 273 — An amendment to strike section 2 of the bill. Section 2 makes the test for voting rights violations the effec… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 272 — An amendment to specify that to be granted a declaratory judgement states or subdivisions (and not all govern… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 271 — An amendment to add that a declaratory judgement is to be issued only if the court determines that "the gover… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 270 — An amendment to permit declaratory judgements if a submission of a plan that elicited an objection from the A… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 269 — An amendment. The bill states that a declaratory judgement cannot be issued if the Attorney General has lodg… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 268 — An amendment to extend to all states the preclearance requirements. Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 267 — An amendment to strike the delay of the effective date until August 5, 1984 in the bill. The amendment state… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 266 — An amendment to allow states to petition for bail-outs if two-thirds of the state's political subdivisions ha… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 265 — An amendment to strike the language of the bill that sets the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia… Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 264 — An amendment. The bill state that a declaratory judgement shall be issued only if the court determines that … Failed Oct 5, 1981
HAMDT 263 — An amendment to state that declaratory judgements shall be vacated if after their issuance a final judgement … Pending Oct 5, 1981
SAMDT 1,440 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,439 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,438 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,437 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,436 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,435 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,434 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,433 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,432 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,431 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,430 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,429 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,428 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,427 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,426 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,425 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,424 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,423 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,422 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,421 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from section 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,420 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,419 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,418 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,417 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,416 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,415 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,414 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,413 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,412 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,411 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,410 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,409 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,408 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,407 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —
SAMDT 1,406 — To exempt a county in North Carolina from sections 4 and 5. Pending —

Showing the 50 most recent of 58 amendments.

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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Title I - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend from August 6, 1982, to August 6, 1992: (1) the time period during which jurisdictions covered by the triggering mechanism must not have used a test or device to deny the right to vote on account of race in order to be released from coverage; and (2) the time period during which changes in voting laws must be precleared with the Federal Government.

Title II - Restates the prohibition against denying the right to vote based on race to prohibit any State from imposing voting practices "in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement" of the right to vote (thus permitting use of indirect proof in proving discrimination).

Title III - Extends the bilingual election requirements from August 6, 1985, to August 6, 1992.

What's happening now June 29, 1982

Became Public Law No: 97-205.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • S 1992 Related bill Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982
  • HRES 222 Procedurally related A resolution providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 3112) to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend c…
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 3
D
Markey, Edward J.
Massachusetts · Jul 27, 1981
 D
Wyden, Ron
Oregon · Jul 15, 1981
 D
Schumer, Charles E.
New York · Jun 16, 1981
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3112: An act to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend the effect of certain provisions, and for other purposes.. 97th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3112/
MLA
"H.R. 3112: An act to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend the effect of certain provisions, and for other purposes.." 97th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3112/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3112, 97th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3112/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3112: An act to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend the effect of certain provisions, and for other purposes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3112/)
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