Oversight Committee Reports Favorably on DC Voting Rights
March 13th, 2007 by Jesse LeeChairman Henry Waxman’s Opening Statement (pdf):
Today is an historic moment. We are considering a bill that will help nght a longstanding injustice. H.R. 1433, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007, will grant the District of Columbia a full vote in the House of Representatives.
District of Columbia residents have been denied full representation in Congress for over 200 years. District residents pay billions of dollars in federal taxes yet get no vote in Congress. This is not just unfair. It is undemocratic.
D.C. Could Get First Full Vote in House
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post - March 13, 2007
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today passed a bill that would grant the District its first full vote in the House of Representatives.
With the 24 to 5 vote, the bill now heads for the House Judiciary Committee, which is expected to vote on it Thursday. If approved, it then goes to the House floor.
The bill permanently increases the size of the House by two members. One seat will go to the District of Columbia and the other seat will go to the next state in line to get a congressional seat. Based on the 2000 decennial census and apportionment calculations, Utah will get the second seat until the reapportionment taking place after the 2010 Decennial Census.
Full text of the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 (pdf) >>