Press Releases
September 13, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced her United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act to establish a national commission of experts from a broad spectrum of disciplines to investigate how to maintain our democratic traditions of openness and access while responding adequately to the security threats posed by terrorism. The bill authorizes a 21-member commission, with the President designating nine members and the House and Senate leadership each designating six members, to investigate and offer recommendations on the balance between public access to and security in Federal buildings and other Federal property. Members of the commission must come from diverse fields, including security, architecture, technology, sociology, psychology, military, city planning, business, engineering and history. Norton began working on the bill after Pennsylvania Avenue was closed and ugly security barriers first began to emerge in the District of Columbia following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The events of 9/11 and the attack on the Capitol have made this bill even more urgent.
September 11, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today called on District of Columbia residents to remember the children, teachers, and others lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the attacks.
September 11, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that her Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission (Commission) is accepting applications for an upcoming vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Beryl A. Howell, whom Norton recommended to President Obama, will take senior status in February 2024, creating an upcoming vacancy.
September 6, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that she will be hosting an online roundtable discussion Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm with representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
August 22, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution that would support the designation of Chuck Brown's birthday, August 22nd, as national "Chuck Brown Day" to honor his contributions as the "Godfather of Go-Go" and his support for District of Columbia statehood. The musical genre of go-go originated in D.C. with Brown as the main progenitor. Norton introduces the resolution each year for Brown's birthday.
August 8, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to remove the authority of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), a federal agency, over District of Columbia-owned property and private property in D.C. The bill would expand home rule for the District. This Congress, Norton has introduced two other land-use home-rule bills, one to give D.C. the authority to appoint all members of the D.C. Zoning Commission and another to remove the authority of the National Capital Planning Commission over D.C.-owned real property.
August 8, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to reduce federal employee pay compression today. This bill would allow federal employees who reach the pay cap in their respective pay system to receive the base and locality pay adjustments they would otherwise be entitled to. Currently, federal employees who reach the pay cap do not receive such adjustments. Norton is a senior member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over federal employees.
August 1, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her bill to remove the authority of the federal National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to review or approve the development of D.C.-owned real property.
July 27, 2023
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 sell the Daniel Webster School in downtown D.C. for fair market value was marked up and passed by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee today. The legislation would return the long-vacant Webster School building to productive use.
July 24, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Home Rule Act today, which would give D.C. the authority to appoint all members of the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). Currently, the Commission consists of two federal officials (the Architect of the Capitol and the Director of the National Park Service), in addition to three members appointed by D.C.’s mayor with the D.C. Council’s approval, even though the Commission has no authority over federal property. Despite the D.C. Home Rule Act, which gave D.C. authority over local matters, 40 percent of the members of the Commission are federal officials, who are unaccountable to the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents.