The action comes just one day after the legislation won unanimous approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee and one week after it was passed overwhelmingly by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Originally enacted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act has enfranchised millions of African American citizens by eliminating discriminatory practices, such as literacy tests, poll taxes and other means, to discourage political participation. It also served to open up the political arena for blacks seeking elected office.

"It has been a long tough fight but we've finally done it. After three years of the National Urban League championing this cause, our efforts have finally bore fruit - exactly one week before our annual conference kicks off in Atlanta," Morial said. This is a great achievement for the National Urban League, the civil rights movement and Americans everywhere," he added.

Morial praised senators for putting aside their partisan differences and sending the reauthorization to the president, who has pledged to sign it into law swiftly. "I must applaud all those lawmakers who resisted the few dissenting voices to extend one of the most effective and important civil rights laws ever enacted," he said.

The bill, entitled The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King and Cesar Chavez Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, will renew provisions of the 1965 historic act that are set to expire in 2007.

These provisions include: Section 5, which requires covered jurisdictions with a long history of voting discrimination to obtain approval or "pre-clearance" from the U.S. Justice Department for changes in voting laws; Section 203, which requires certain jurisdictions with high concentrations of citizens with limited English proficiency and illiteracy rates higher than the national average to provide bi-lingual ballots; and Sections 6-9 that authorize the federal government to use observers in elections to monitor voting rights act compliance and document abuses.

In June, the legislation was abruptly taken off the House calendar the morning of a scheduled vote after a small group of southern lawmakers voiced objections to key provisions. However, the day after the start of a voting rights vigil at the U.S. Capitol, spearheaded by the National Urban League and other civil rights organizations, the measure was brought to a vote in the House and passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 390 to 33.

"The Voting Rights Act has been instrumental in bringing America closer to its true promise. It has not only benefited minorities but every single American, regardless of their race, economic status, national origin or political party," Morial added. "It is great to see that our nation's elected representatives agree so strongly."

For more information or to schedule an interview with Mr. Morial, call Ricky Clemons at 212-558-5371 or Stephanie Jones at 202-898-1604.