Leadership Conference on Civil Rights press release
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Title
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Leadership Conference on Civil Rights press release
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Date
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1965-04-30
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Description
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The Senate debated whether the Federal Government had the authority to ban poll taxes in state and local elections. As introduced, the administration bill did not ban such poll taxes. On April 9, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported a bill with a complete ban on poll taxes. Senate leaders Mike Mansfield (D-MT) and Everett Dirksen (R-IL) deleted the provision and substituted one authorizing federal courts to determine if local poll taxes were racially discriminatory. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights expressed displeasure with the Dirksen-Mansfield compromise. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) sponsored a floor amendment that restored the committee-reported bill’s ban on all poll taxes. On May 11, the Senate narrowly defeated Kennedy’s amendment.
