Norton Says Hard Work Yields Confidence for Historic D.C. Vote Markups (3/12/07)
March 12 2007
Washington, DC-TheOffice of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that Nortonbelieves the scheduling of a double markup of the District of Columbia HouseVoting Rights Act of 2007 this week is an indication of confidence that thebill will pass. The first markup will take place in the Oversight andGovernment Reform Committee Tuesday, March 13, at 10 AM in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House OfficeBuilding. Norton and Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-VA), authors of the bill, are confidentthey have the votes in their committee and in the Judiciary Committee, whichwill hold a hearing on the bill Wednesday and then a markup on Thursday(details below). The markups should put the bill on track to go to thefloor by the end of the month, before Congress goes on recess on April 2nd,as promised by the Democratic leadership.
Norton said, "This week'smarkups in two committees for full House representation for District of Columbia citizens signal amilestone as historic for the House itself as it is for our residents. The 110th Congress will be remembered for having fulfilled theframer's most basic promise when they gave Congress awesome power over thecitizens of the nation's capital. The much-rehearsed issues against D.C.voting rights are especially stale today, as residents continue to fight anddie for our country in Iraqand Afghanistan,as they have in every war, and to pay the same federal income taxes as othercitizens. Two committees have spent much of the 109th and 110thsessions of Congress doing their homework on the constitutional issues and haveworked with both Republicans and Democrats to settle all the other outstandingissues. There may be questions for other branches, but there is only onequestion for Members of this Congress: Can Members seriously tell the world in2007, as our country is engaged in a war waged in the name of democracy andfreedom, that citizens from their own capital, serving alongside their own constituentsshould be denied representation in our House? I am grateful to my goodfriend, Tom Davis, who acted first to show that the right to representation isabove partisanship, and to the state of Utah,the crucial partner for eliminating partisan concerns. I can only ask mycolleagues in the House to follow Utah'slead and do the same."
D.C. House Vote Bill Markup in Oversight & Government ReformCommittee:
Tuesday, March 13, 10 AM, Room 2154 RayburnHouse OfficeBuilding, Independence Ave.and South Capitol Street, SW
Hearing in Judiciary Committee:
Wednesday, March 14, 10 AM, Room 2141 Rayburn
Witnesses: Professor Viet Dinh, Georgetown University Law Center; Attorney Richard P. Bress, Latham and Watkins; Attorney Bruce Spiva, Partner,Spiva & Hartnett LLP; Professor Jonathan Turley, George WashingtonUniversity Law School
Markup in Judiciary Committee:
Thursday, March 15, Room 2141 Rayburn
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