Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that she sees no reason why the end of the 30-day congressional review period for the District of Columbia's self-executing marijuana legalization initiative, Initiative 71, on Wednesday should be eventful if Members attend to their own business and principles. The initiative takes effect on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the District of Columbia Local Prosecutor Establishment Act of 2015 to establish a local prosecutor's office, designated under local law, to prosecute all local crimes in the District of Columbia. Currently, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a federal official, prosecutes most of D.C.'s criminal laws. Following a 2010 referendum, D.C. residents elected their first Attorney General, Karl Racine, in November, but his duties do not include prosecuting most local crimes.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will give closing remarks at a discussion among different generations of women civil rights leaders about their roles in fighting for change and how they are continuing that movement today. First Lady Michelle Obama will give opening remarks at the event. The discussion, moderated by Essence magazine Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca, will be in front of an audience made up of students, civil rights, business, education, and community leaders.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host her 15^th annual Tax Preparation and Financial Services Fair for District of Columbia residents on Saturday, February 21, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. – noon at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place NW). Low and moderate-income D.C. residents (household income less than $60,000/year) will be able to have their taxes prepared free of charge by local IRS-certified experts.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will commemorate Black History Month at Howard University with a community discussion entitled "Crossing the Bridge Together: A Conversation with Student Civil Rights Activists from Different Civil Rights Eras Addressing the Unfinished Business of Racial Profiling in America" on Wednesday, February 18, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., at the Howard University School of Business Auditorium (2600 6^th Street NW).

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, at the first congressional hearing on the January 12 Metro accident, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and emergency personnel should have real-time, on-site disaster training as a matter of best practices; raised questions about Metro's anonymous safety reporting system; and said that Metro should not raise fares at this time.

*Watch Committee Remarks*

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will serve as the Ranking Member of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules for a hearing entitled "The President's Executive Actions on Immigration and Their Impact on Federal and State Elections," and called on the Committee to focus on the urgent task of expanding voting rights for millions of Americans 50 years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law.