Recognizing the 159th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

equal protection under the law is the centerpiece of this resolution, which would commemorate the 159th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and reaffirm its importance. This text recounts that the Act was the first federal law to define citizenship and to push back against Southern laws that denied Black Americans property rights, contracts, and labor protections. It notes Congress overrode President Andrew Johnson's veto to enact the law. The resolution also recognizes the Act's role as the foundation for the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments and calls for support of the rule of law and civil rights.