Home
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) filed several D.C.-related amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at the Rules Committee, including amendments to:
Give the Mayor of D.C. the same authority over the D.C. National Guard that the governors of states and territories have over their National Guards. Currently the president controls the D.C. National Guard. This amendment is based on the District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act (H.R. 5093).
Require the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard to reside in D.C. This amendment is based on the District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General Residency Act (H.R. 4815).
Require members of the Armed Forces performing active service in D.C. in response to an order of the president relating to crime or civil disturbance in D.C. to participate in a body-worn camera program similar to the D.C. police department’s program. This amendment is based on H.R. 5051.
Give D.C. the same number of appointments and nominations to the U.S. service academies as states receive. Without senators to nominate qualified students, D.C. residents currently receive only a third of the total slots available to residents of the states. This amendment is based on the Service Academies District of Columbia Equality Act (H.R. 5971).
Require the consent of the chief executive officer of a state (including D.C. and a territory) for the deployment of an out-of-state National Guard to the state or territory under Title 32. This amendment is based on a bill introduced by former Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), H.R. 590.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced her United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act to establish a national commission of experts from a broad spectrum of disciplines to investigate how to maintain our democratic traditions of openness and access while responding to the security threats posed by terrorism. The bill authorizes a 21-member commission, with the President designating nine members and the House and Senate leadership each designating six members, to investigate and offer recommendations on the balance between public access to and security in Federal buildings and other Federal property. Members of the commission must come from diverse fields, including security, architecture, technology, sociology, psychology, military, city planning, business, engineering and history. Norton began working on the bill after Pennsylvania Avenue was closed and security barriers were erected in D.C. following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The events of 9/11 and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol have underscored the bill’s urgency.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today introduced the District of Columbia Courts Vacancy Reduction Act, which would allow nominees to the local District of Columbia courts to be seated after a 30-day congressional review period, unless a disapproval resolution is enacted into law during that period. Currently, nominees to the local D.C. courts cannot be seated without affirmative Senate confirmation. The bill would make the congressional review process for nominees the same as the one currently used for legislation passed by the D.C. Council. This bill is cosponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she was determined to get answers from the Joint Task Force-D.C., National Guard Bureau and D.C. National Guard (DCNG) about reports she’d received and videos she’d reviewed depicting troubling conduct, including the apparent mistreatment of the D.C. flag, the appearance of voter intimidation by National Guard personnel congregating near ballot boxes, and aggressive detention of D.C. residents. The president controls the DCNG, unlike state National Guard units which are controlled by governors. Norton has introduced legislation to give the D.C. mayor the same authority over the DCNG that governors have over their states’ National Guard units, which the House passed in 2021 as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to create a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the nation's major industries and workplaces. The commission would report to Congress on recommended changes in law or regulations and is modeled on legislation Congress enacted to combat other national problems. Norton, the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), issued the first federal guidelines holding sexual harassment to be a violation of equal employment laws, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court.
Norton to Question GAO Witness on Progress Implementing Recommendations from Helicopter Noise Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will use today’s Aviation Subcommittee hearing to question Derrick Collins, Physical Infrastructure Director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), about the progress made by the Department of Defense (DoD) in implementing GAO recommendations that came out of the helicopter noise study that Norton got enacted in the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization law. Press and the public can live stream the hearing, which is expected to begin at 10:15 a.m.