Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HJR7020: A RESOLUTION to honor the civil rights martyrs whose sacrifice paved the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Status: Signed into law, May 14, 2026
Fiscal Summary Not Available Bill Summary Abstract summarizes the bill.
What the bill says
A resolution to honor the civil rights martyrs whose sacrifice paved the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
From the introduced text:
A RESOLUTION to honor the civil rights martyrs whose sacrifice paved the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed largely in response to the brutal murders of activists fighting to register Black voters in the South, most notably Jimmie Lee Jackson, Reverend James Reeb, Viola Liuzzo, George Lee, Lamar Smith, Samuel Younge, Jr., and the trio of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner; and WHEREAS, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed by an Alabama state trooper in February 1965 while protecting his mother during a peaceful voting rights march in Marion, Alabama. His death directly prompted the Selma to Montgomery march; and WHEREAS, Reverend James Reeb, a white Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston, Massachusetts, who answered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call to march in Selma, Alabama, was beaten to death by segregationists in March 1965, and his death spurred President Lyndon Johnson to push for the Voting Rights Act; and WHEREAS, Viola Liuzzo was a Detroit, Michigan, homemaker and mother who was murdered by a Klansman while driving activists back to Selma, Alabama, after the successful march to Montgomery, Alabama, in March 1965; and WHEREAS, George Lee was a minister and NAACP leader in Belzoni, Mississippi, who was shot to death in 1955 for refusing …
Sponsors
- Jones, Justin (D, 52) · primary sponsor
- Powell, Jason (D, 53)
- Fritts, Monty (R, 32)
- Salinas, Gabby (D, 96)
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor.
- : Transmitted to Governor for his action.
- : Signed by Senate Speaker
- : Signed by H. Speaker
- : Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
- : Concurred, Ayes 27, Nays 0
- : Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 5/7/2026
- : Refer to Senate Calendar Committee
- : Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
- : Sponsor(s) Added.
Subjects: Archives, Publications, My Bills
Common questions
- What is HJR7020?
- HJR7020 is a bill in the Tennessee Legislature (114th General Assembly): A RESOLUTION to honor the civil rights martyrs whose sacrifice paved the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- What does HJR7020 do?
- In its own words: A resolution to honor the civil rights martyrs whose sacrifice paved the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- What is the status of HJR7020?
- Signed into law as of May 14, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor. (May 14, 2026).
- Who sponsored HJR7020?
- Jones, Justin (D, 52), with 3 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HJR7020?
- On the Tennessee Legislature website: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HJR7020&GA=114
Source: official Tennessee record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.