Statue Bill for the City on House Floor Wednesday

Statue Bill for the City on House Floor Wednesday

December 14, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today that a bill to provide the District of Columbia and the territories each one statue in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol will go to the House floor on Wednesday, December 15, 2010. Norton expects the bill to pass if Republicans are consistent with their prior support for the bill. However, earlier this year, the Committee on House Administration approved Norton's bill to provide federal taxpaying residents of the District with two statues in the Capitol, as all 50 states are entitled to, but committee Republicans opposed the bill. The committee's ranking member, Representative Dan Lungren (R-CA), however, introduced the bill that will go to the floor on Wednesday, and the Republicans said in the committee report, "[W]e do not object to--and in fact support--the District of Columbia and the territories having the opportunity to display a statue...."

Norton, seeing no way to get her two-statue bill approved by both houses of Congress in the foreseeable future without anti-home rule amendments, asked that the bill for one statue for the city be brought to the House floor under suspension of the rules, which prohibits amendments but requires a two-thirds vote for passage. With Republican opposition to the two statues, Norton's two-statue bill would not achieve two-thirds, but inasmuch as Republicans agreed to one statue in committee, she sees no reason why they would be opposed to it on the floor. "Its federal taxpaying status entitles the District to two statues, like other jurisdictions that pay the full freight to support our government," Norton said. "However, we need to seize whatever rights we can, when we can, and pick up the rest when we can."

Several years ago, D.C. chose and created statues of Frederick Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant, both known for their contributions to the city as well as the nation. In 2008, the statues were placed at One Judiciary Square pending passage of this bill.