H.R. 5746 · 117th Congress

Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act

Introduced on Oct 27, 2021 by Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA-8). 5 cosponsors, 3 of them from another party. Latest action (Jan 19, 2022): Motion to proceed to consideration of the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 (Record Vote No. 9) withdrawn in Senate.

Stage
Passed both chambers
Introduced
Oct 27, 2021
Cosponsors
5
3 from the other party
Policy area
Government Operations and Politics
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To amend title 51, United States Code, to extend the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to enter into leases of non-excess property of the Administration.

Subjects

  • Accounting and auditing
  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Administrative remedies
  • Adult day care
  • American Samoa
  • Assault and harassment offenses
  • Buy American requirements
  • Caribbean area
  • Child care and development
  • Civil actions and liability
  • Commemorative events and holidays
  • Computer security and identity theft
  • Congressional districts and representation
  • Congressional elections
  • Congressional oversight
  • Consumer credit
  • Corporate finance and management
  • Correctional facilities and imprisonment
  • Criminal justice information and records
  • Criminal procedure and sentencing
  • Department of the Treasury
  • Digital media
  • Disability and paralysis
  • Disability assistance
  • Domestic violence and child abuse
  • Due process and equal protection
  • Election Assistance Commission
  • Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
  • Employee performance
  • Executive agency funding and structure
  • Family relationships
  • Federal Election Commission (FEC)
  • Federal district courts
  • Federal officials
  • Federal-Indian relations
  • Food assistance and relief
  • Food industry and services
  • Foreign language and bilingual programs
  • Fraud offenses and financial crimes
  • Freedom of information
  • Government buildings, facilities, and property
  • Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
  • Government information and archives
  • Government lending and loan guarantees
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Government trust funds
  • Guam
  • Health care costs and insurance
  • Health care coverage and access
  • Higher education
  • House of Representatives
  • Housing and community development funding
  • Housing finance and home ownership
  • Indian lands and resources rights
  • Indian social and development programs
  • Intergovernmental relations
  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  • Internet, web applications, social media
  • Judges
  • Judicial review and appeals
  • Jurisdiction and venue
  • Labor-management relations
  • Landlord and tenant
  • Legal fees and court costs
  • Low- and moderate-income housing
  • Manufacturing
  • Military personnel and dependents
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
  • Political advertising
  • Political parties and affiliation
  • Postal service
  • Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
  • Public contracts and procurement
  • Public housing
  • Public participation and lobbying
  • Public transit
  • Puerto Rico
  • Racial and ethnic relations
  • Right of privacy
  • Rural conditions and development
  • Science, Technology, Communications
  • State and local government operations
  • Subversive activities
  • Supreme Court
  • Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
  • Tax-exempt organizations
  • U.S. territories and protectorates
  • User charges and fees
  • Violent crime
  • Virgin Islands
  • Voting rights
  • Water use and supply
  • Worker safety and health

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (House agreed to Senate amendment, Jan 13, 2022). Public domain.

Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act

This bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, campaign finance, and voting rights.

Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.

Next, the bill establishes Election Day as a federal holiday.

The bill establishes certain federal criminal offenses related to voting. In particular, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for conduct (or attempted conduct) to corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote.

Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including by requiring states to conduct post-election audits for federal elections.

The bill outlines criteria for congressional redistricting and generally prohibits mid-decade redistricting.

The bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.

Next, the bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.

The bill also includes provisions related to federally protected activities at polling places and voting access on tribal lands.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Donald S. Beyer, Jr.D-VA-8Sponsor

Democrats · 2

Republicans · 3

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment With An Amendment
    Jan 13, 2022· House· Passage· Passed 220–203
  2. On the Cloture Motion
    Jan 19, 2022· Senate· Cloture· Cloture Motion Rejected 49–51
  3. On the Decision of the Chair
    Jan 19, 2022· Senate· Procedural· Decision of Chair Sustained 52–48

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Oct 27, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Oct 27, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Oct 27, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
  4. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMr. Beyer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  5. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7470-7472)
  6. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5746.
  7. Dec 8, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H7470-7471)
  8. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H7470-7471)
  9. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. Dec 9, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate, read twice.
  11. Dec 14, 2021 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S9155)
  12. Dec 14, 2021Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  13. Dec 14, 2021 · SenatePassed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  14. Dec 14, 2021 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  15. Jan 13, 2022 · HouseMr. Butterfield moved that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendment.
  16. Jan 13, 2022 · HousePursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 868, Mr. Butterfield moved to agree to the Senate amendment with an amendment to H.R. 5746.
  17. Jan 13, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on the motion to agree to the Senate amendment with an amendment to H.R. 5746.
  18. Jan 13, 2022 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  19. Jan 13, 2022Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 203 (Roll no. 9).House · Roll call 9
  20. Jan 13, 2022 · HouseOn motion that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 203 (Roll no. 9).House · Roll call 9
  21. Jan 13, 2022 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  22. Jan 13, 2022 · SenateMessage on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate amendment.
  23. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateMotion to proceed to consideration of measure agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  24. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S229-253; S253-272)
  25. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 made in Senate. (CR S229)
  26. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 with an amendment (SA 4903) made in Senate. (CR S229)
  27. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to refer to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration the House message to accompany H.R. 5746 with instructions to report back forthwith with the following amendment (SA 4905) made in Senate. (CR S229)
  28. Jan 18, 2022 · SenateCloture motion on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 presented in Senate. (CR S230)
  29. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateConsidered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S277-340)
  30. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateCloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 49 - 51. Record Vote Number: 9. (CR S339)Senate · Roll call 9
  31. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not invoked on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 (Record Vote No. 9) entered in Senate.
  32. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateMotion to proceed to consideration of the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 (Record Vote No. 9) made in Senate.
  33. Jan 19, 2022 · SenatePoint of order that for the Message from the House with respect to H.R. 5746, the only debate in order during consideration of the Message be on the question of adoption of the motion to concur in the amendment of the House, that no further amendments, motions, or points of order be in order, and that any appeals be determined without debate, raised in Senate.
  34. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateRuling of the Chair that the point of order raised by Senator Schumer with respect to the House message to accompany H.R. 5746, not sustained.
  35. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateMotion by Senator Schumer to appeal the ruling of the chair not agreed to, the question being, "Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgement of the Senate" by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 48. Record Vote Number: 10.Senate · Roll call 10
  36. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateRuling of the Chair sustained.
  37. Jan 19, 2022 · SenateMotion to proceed to consideration of the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5746 (Record Vote No. 9) withdrawn in Senate.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.