Press Releases

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill co-led by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA) to direct the General Services Administration (GSA) to dispose or sell the Daniel Webster School in downtown D.C. for fair market value was marked up and passed by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today. The legislation would return the long-vacant Webster School building to productive use. It passed the House in December.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Mike Ezell (R-MS) today introduced a bipartisan bill to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the necessary tools protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods. The bill was written to address a growing type of fraud involving entities that charge an up-front fee, pack and hold consumers’ household goods, then demand more funds to deliver or release the items. The companies involved have launched websites with fake 5-star reviews, and when negative reviews are submitted, the scammers simply close down the existing companies and open new ones, repeating the original scheme under a new FMCSA license.