Quelling a rebellion by mostly southern conservatives over landmark civil rights legislation, House leaders announced Wednesday they will vote this week to extend the Voting Rights Act.
"We intend to go on Thursday," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, told reporters after a weekly meeting of House Republicans.
Although a group of Republican lawmakers forced a last-minute delay in the bill in June, it has broad bipartisan support and is expected to pass the House easily. The Senate plans to take up identical legislation later this year.
Racial and language concerns
Controversy has centered on two issues — extra scrutiny for mostly southern states with a legacy of discrimination against black or other minority voters, and a requirement for bilingual ballots for some citizens whose English is poor.
In a rare display of bipartisan unity, House and Senate leaders announced a deal this spring to extend the 1965 Voting Rights Act for 25 years. While most of the law is permanent, some sections have to be updated periodically.
Rep. Deborah Pryce, a Republican from Ohio and a member of the House leadership, said House Majority Leader John Boehner, also from Ohio, had told fellow Republicans at the meeting that he wanted the bill passed without further delay.
Democratic lawmakers, who at first had been willing to give Hastert and Boehner time to work out disagreements, had begun to step up criticism for their failure to pass key civil rights legislation before the November congressional elections.
Some changes expected
Several Republican lawmakers, including southerners who oppose some provisions, said details were still being worked out but predicted they would not derail the vote again.
Some of the sticky issues about the southern states might be addressed in exchanges on the House floor that clarify Congress's intent. Because of their earlier civil rights records, nine states mostly in the U.S. South need Justice Department approval if they make changes to their voting procedures, and some critics say the rules need updating.
The House will allow some amendments but they are not expected to significantly alter the legislation, the outcome of careful negotiations involving Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate.
House leaders said a decision would be made late Wednesday on whether to allow a vote on the bilingual ballot provisions. A related amendment on a separate spending bill failed last month.