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S 1975 97th Congress Senate

Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1981

Official title: A bill to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend the effect of certain provisions, and for other purposes.

Introduced: December 15, 1981 Introduced by: Grassley, Chuck Republican · Iowa See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Bilingual election requirementsBilingualismCivil Rights and LibertiesCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Election administrationLiteracy testsMinoritiesVoter registrationVotingVoting rights
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This bill died when the 97th Congress ended
It never became law before the 97th Congress (1981–1982) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 12 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 1, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 25, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 12, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 11, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 4, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 2, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Feb 1, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Jan 28, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Jan 27, 1982
Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.
Dec 22, 1981
Referred to Subcommittee on Constitution.
Dec 15, 1981
Read second time and referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary.
Dec 15, 1981
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action March 1, 1982

Subcommittee on Constitution. Hearings held.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1981 - Extends the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including the bilingual election requirements, to August 6, 1987.

Permits political subdivisions to bail-out of the preclearance requirements independently of the State.

Conditions a declaratory judgment for bail-out on the jurisdiction's showing that it met the bailout requirements for a five-year period prior to the filing of the suit.

Includes among the requirements for bailout that: (1) no test or device has been used for the purpose or with the effect of voting discrimination; (2) all substantial submissions have been made; (3) no unremedied objections by the Attorney General remain; and (4) there have been no final judgments that the jurisdiction purposefully denied voting rights.

Permits jurisdictions to bring a bailout action in the Federal court in which the action arises (currently, actions are limited to the District Court for the District of Columbia).

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1975: Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1981. 97th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/97-S-1975/
MLA
"S. 1975: Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1981." 97th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/97-S-1975/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1975, 97th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/97-S-1975/.
Markdown link
[S. 1975: Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1981](https://openamerica.io/bill/97-S-1975/)
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