House Oversight Committee to Mark Up Bill to Nullify D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act, Monday Evening

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR) Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) today announced that the committee will mark up a disapproval resolution to nullify the District of Columbia's medical aid-in-dying bill, the Death with Dignity Act, on Monday evening, February 13, 2017, at 5:30 p.m., in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. After originally scheduling the markup of the disapproval resolution for last week, OGR Republicans postponed it at the last minute. The Death with Dignity Act was transmitted for a 30-legislative-day review period on January 6, 2017. A bill takes effect at the expiration of the review period unless a resolution of disapproval is passed by both houses and signed into law during that period.

"House Republicans are rushing against the clock to abuse congressional authority over the District to overturn a local law," Norton said. "The Committee has refused to allow local D.C. officials to defend it. Congress is way out of line on D.C.'s Death with Dignity Act, which is substantially similar to the medical aid-in-dying statutes in five states: California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Moreover, 24 House Republicans are from the six states where medical aid in dying in legal. D.C. is neither an outlier nor a pioneer on this bill, and it is entitled to the same respect as the six states where medical aid in dying is legal. D.C. residents have made it clear with their calls, tweets, and visits to Capitol Hill that they resent this meddling by Congress into the District's purely local affairs."

According to Gallup, a majority of Americans (69% in 2016) have supported medical aid in dying since 1973.