Norton Calls Utah Senators After They Ask Senate to Pass D.C. House Vote Bill if the House Moves
December 6, 2006

Washington, DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today issued the following statement upon receiving copies of a letter urging passage of the D.C. House vote bill during the lame duck session from Utah Senators Orrin Hatch (R) and Robert Bennett (R) and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) (the original sponsor of the Norton bill for full representation for the District of Columbia in both Houses), addressed to their Republican and Democratic leadership.  Norton immediately placed calls to Sen. Hatch, whom she knows well and has worked closely with in the past, and to Sen. Bennett, as well as to Sen. Lieberman.  She spoke with Bennett and is waiting for a return call from Hatch and Lieberman.   

Norton said: "The letters to Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (NV) from Utah Senators Hatch and Bennett and Sen. Lieberman leave no doubt that if the D.C. House vote bill passes here in the House this week, both Utah Senators are prepared to get the bill through the Senate.  Both Utah Senators are clear that they want the vote both for their state and for our city.  They wrote, ‘No doubt, the citizens of Utah and the District of Columbia face different challenges, in greatly different parts of the country, and with greatly differing life styles, but they share a commonality: the right to be represented in our country's legislature.'  Senator Bennett left no doubt during our conversation that he was committed to move now and that he would be with us upon reintroduction.  All along I have thought that the Senate vote on the bill would be easier than passage in the House because Senate traditions virtually mandate that matters affecting only one state be handled as the Senators from that state desire.  I believe that the Senate would pass our bill as a courtesy to Senators Hatch and Bennett, as clearly desired by the citizens of Utah and by residents of the District, if the House passed the bill, even now.

"I recognize that yesterday's decision by the House Republican leadership against consideration of the bill during the lame duck appeared to be final, but the gavel has not fallen and the letter from the Utah Senators and Lieberman renews our hope."

The letter was addressed to Frist and Reid, rather than to the House leadership because the normal protocol of each body of Congress is to direct requests for consideration to their own houses.  Norton also noted that Hatch is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, and Lieberman, the Ranking Member and incoming Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, with jurisdiction over D.C. matters. 

A copy of the Hatch/Bennett/Lieberman letter is available upon request.