Norton Thanks Hundreds of D.C. Residents Who Attended D.C. Statehood Hearing Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked the hundreds of District of Columbia residents who came to the Capitol to show their support for D.C. statehood. The House Oversight and Reform Committee conducted a hearing today on Norton's H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would reduce the size of the federal district and make the remaining territory the 51st state. This bill would ensure full voting rights and full self-government for District residents, who for 218 years have been treated unequal from their American citizen peers. As the Washington Post noted, "Hundreds of statehood supporters wearing shirts emblazoned with ‘Statehood' or the District flag formed a line that snaked down the hallways and around corners of the Rayburn House Office Building. Another crowd gathered outside in a nearby park to watch the proceedings on a large video screen."

"The enthusiasm we saw today for H.R. 51 matched the momentum we have gained in the last several months for D.C. statehood," Norton said. "In unprecedented numbers, hundreds of D.C. residents gave presence to D.C.'s demands for full voting rights and full self-government. Thanks as well to DC Vote for mounting a first-of-a-kind giant screen in Spirit of Justice Park, which enabled many more residents to see the hearing in real time. Members of Congress from across the country saw how determined D.C. residents are for equality. We are now preparing for the markup of the bill as it heads to the House floor for yet another historic milestone in our quest for equality."

Norton's bill would make most of the present-day District of Columbia into the State of Washington, D.C., with the remaining territory designated as the nation's capital. Just nine months into the new Congress, Norton has built historic support for her D.C. statehood bill that virtually assures House passage. H.R. 51 has a record number of voting cosponsors (217); the Senate's D.C. statehood bill, sponsored by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), also has the most cosponsors ever (34); the House-passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, contained extensive findings supporting D.C. statehood, marking the first time in history either chamber of Congress has endorsed D.C. statehood; Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) strongly endorsed D.C. statehood upon introduction of H.R. 51; House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), a cosponsor of the statehood bill, endorsed D.C. statehood in a strong op-ed earlier this year; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled a sweeping proposal to combat voter disenfranchisement, including restoring the Voting Rights Act, establishing national, automatic voter registration laws, and supporting D.C. statehood; and H.R. 51 is endorsed by over 100 national advocacy groups.