Norton Buoyed by Democratic Block of Republican Killer Motion (3/22/07)

Washington, DC—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the following statement after today’s vote on H.R. 1433, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007, was delayed:

“Republican opponents of the D.C. House voting rights bill triggered the mother of all misfired shots today when they tried to add a provision to repeal D.C. gun laws in order to kill our vote bill. Instead, Republicans were checkmated by a Democratic counter-motion that delayed the vote, sending the Republican side into a tailspin with endless parliamentary inquiries, but unable to rescue their maneuver to kill D.C. voting rights. All that they got was a nuisance delay, but we will get our bill any day now. Democrats expected the motion to recommit, designed to send the bill back to committee for further consideration. Most are harmless in effect because the bill still moves to final passage, but this Republican motion contained certain parliamentary words that would have stopped the bill altogether. This maneuver deserves condemnation, not because it is hard to overcome. It is disgusting because Republicans have only used this kill motion on our bill to give D.C. tax-paying Americans, some on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, a vote in the House.

“Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called me this afternoon to discuss alternative options. We have a quick fix. Republicans have a sure defeat.”