After Today’s Committee Vote, Norton Says Fight to Remove D.C. Riders Continues on the House Floor

Norton Will Call Out Members Who Violate Local Control

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she will force a floor vote to remove all anti-democratic riders included in the fiscal year 2016 District of Columbia Appropriations bill, which was passed today by the House Appropriations Committee. The committee approved an amendment offered by Congressman Steven Palazzo (R-MS) blocking D.C. funds to enforce the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits employers in D.C. from discriminating based on employees' reproductive health decisions, but Norton was pleased that two Republican members voted against the amendment, a rare break for Republicans, who almost always vote party-line in committee. The committee also voted against an amendment by Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) to remove the rider barring the District from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women.

"I was heartened by the significant number of allies who stood up for the District on both amendments, and that both amendments drew a number of speeches from committee Democrats," Norton said. "I was particularly pleased there was no discussion of the District's budget autonomy referendum and that no language was introduced to overturn it. No member will get a free pass, including Rep. Steven Palazzo, for violating his or her own cardinal Republican local control principles."