Norton to Speak at Press Conference Nationalizing the Fight for D.C. Statehood

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will join advocacy groups tomorrow to discuss her District of Columbia statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, along with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Some of the groups, including DC Vote and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), now coming forward to nationalize the issue of D.C. statehood will speak.

"Since Democrats have assumed control of the House, we have made record-setting progress in Congress with our D.C. statehood bill," Norton said. "The outstanding problem we have faced is that the vast majority of Americans still do not know that 700,000 taxpaying citizens who live in their nation's capital do not have the same representation in their government as other Americans. This summer, we will work to further nationalize our fight and make sure that every American knows that this injustice cannot continue."

Media interested in attending can RSVP to jack.miller@mail.house.gov

WHAT: Congresswoman Norton joins coalition members to nationalize the fight for D.C. statehood

WHEN: Tuesday, May 21 at 11:00 AM

WHERE: U.S. Capitol Building (Northwest side), across from Russell Senate Building, 2 Constitution Avenue NE, Washington, DC

Just five months into the new Congress, Norton has built historic support for her D.C. statehood bill. In March, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which contained extensive findings supporting D.C. statehood and marked the first time in American history either chamber of Congress has endorsed D.C. statehood; Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) strongly endorsed D.C. statehood upon introduction of Norton's D.C. statehood bill; 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 Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, announced that the committee will hold a hearing and markup on the statehood bill this year, the first House hearing or markup on a D.C. statehood bill since 1993.

Norton's bill also has a record number of cosponsors in the House (204) and Senate (32). The Senate version of the D.C. statehood bill was introduced by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE). The bill is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, People for the American Way, Common Cause, Demand Justice, Indivisible, Public Citizen, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, Americans for Democratic Action, and the Sierra Club