Newsletter: May 1, 2026
Norton Introduces Resolution to Designate May 1, 2026, as “D.C. Statehood Day” |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution to designate today, May 1, 2026, as “D.C. Statehood Day” and calling for statehood for the nation’s capital through enactment of her Washington, D.C. Admission Act. |
Norton Statement on Markup & Committee Passage of D.C. Appropriations Bill |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the House Committee on Appropriations marked up and passed the Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) bill on April 22, which includes the D.C. appropriations bill, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that although she was pleased no new riders were attached to the bill, she was still outraged at the number and scope of anti-home rule riders included in the base text that still remain in the bill. Republicans attempt to attach the riders to the annual D.C. spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as federal officials who do not represent D.C. residents. |
Norton Introduces Bill to Provide Funding to Law School Clinics Providing Pro Bono Services to Veterans |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Veterans Legal Support Act on April 21, which would allow the 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. Currently, there are more than 20 law schools nationwide that have clinics focusing on the legal needs of veterans, including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefit Clinic, which was the first recipient of a “best practice” certification from the VA. Allowing the VA to provide funding to these clinics would allow other law schools, like the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law, to start their own VA-certified clinics. |
Norton Highlights the Cruel Irony of D.C. Appropriations Bill, Including Many Anti-Home Rule Riders, Released on Emancipation Day |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Committee on Appropriations released the text of its fiscal year 2027 (FY 27) Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations bill on April 16, which Norton said includes an egregious number of anti-home rule riders. Republicans attempt to attach the riders to the annual D.C. spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as federal officials who do not represent D.C. residents. |
Norton Introduced Resolution Commemorating Emancipation Day, Which Falls the Day After 2026 Federal Tax Filing Deadline |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her resolution commemorating Emancipation Day, an official holiday in D.C., honoring the date in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln freed 3,100 enslaved people in the District, nine months ahead of the Emancipation Proclamation. This year D.C. will observe the holiday one day after the filing deadline for federal taxes. |
Norton Reintroduced Bill to Create Paul Laurence Dunabar Commemorative Coin |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 6, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced the Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 five-dollar coins, 400,000 one-dollar coins and 750,000 half-dollar coins in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar. The surcharge from each coin sold would benefit scholarships and other activities of the Dunbar Alumni Federation, the alumni association for Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School. Congresswoman Norton is a proud Dunbar Senior High School alumna. |
Norton Introduced Bill Requiring Health Insurers to Directly Reimburse Divorced Parents for Children’s Medical Expenses |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2026 on March 30, which would require all health insurers to directly reimburse a divorced parent who pays for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. In a divorce, one parent typically is court-ordered to provide health insurance for a child, but the other parent may pay for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are required to directly reimburse the parent who pays for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, other health insurers are not required to do so. This issue was raised by one of Norton's constituents. |