Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Veterans Legal Support Act, which would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide funding to law school clinical programs that provide pro bono legal services to veterans, including assistance with disability claims and foreclosures. There are at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans’ legal needs, including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which was the first recipient of a “best practice” certification from the VA. There are many other law schools, such as the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law, that are interested in starting their own VA-certified clinics.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– After the House Appropriations Committee marked up the fiscal year 2025 D.C. appropriations bill yesterday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that although she was able to get some victories for D.C., she is disappointed with the anti-home rule riders and other provisions. Significantly, the rider prohibiting D.C. from commercializing marijuana, which was absent in the base text of the bill, was added back during the markup.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recognition of Flag Day today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated progress made in gaining the same respect for the District of Columbia flag that state flags receive. The House has previously passed her D.C. statehood bill twice, the Senate has held a hearing on the bill, and President Biden supports it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to add the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the list of principals for whom the president must order the nation’s flag be flown at half-staff. Current law states that the president must order the flag to be flown at half-staff “upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory.” Norton said D.C. mayors, who perform many of the same functions as state and territorial governors, clearly qualify as principals and should receive equal recognition.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Committee on Appropriations today released the text of the fiscal year 2025 (FY 25) Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations bill, which includes many victories secured by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) despite Republican control of the House. Significantly, Norton was able to get the rider preventing D.C. from commercializing and regulating recreational marijuana, historically a priority for House Republicans, removed from the FY 25 bill.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to help reduce the number of unemployed young Americans by expanding AmeriCorps by 500,000 members to allow unemployed young people who have mostly completed college or high school to earn a stipend sufficient to support themselves, as well as an education award, while gaining valuable work experience. Norton's bill would allow states and localities to boost personnel for badly needed services, such as after school and elderly programs, without new administrative structures or bureaucratic requirements.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) filed several D.C.-related amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including amendments to:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to create a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the nation's major industries and workplaces. The commission would report to Congress on recommended changes in law or regulations and is modeled on legislation Congress enacted to combat other national problems. Norton, the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), issued the first federal guidelines holding sexual harassment to be a violation of equal employment laws, later upheld by the Supreme Court.