Norton Introduces D.C. Government Title Equality Act to Highlight that D.C. is Prepared to Transition from District to State

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to redesignate the D.C. Mayor as Governor, the D.C. Council as the Legislative Assembly, the D.C. Councilmembers as Representatives and the Chair of the D.C. Council as Speaker. These are the titles used in the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth constitution, which the District adopted in 2016 in anticipation of passage of a bill to make D.C. the 51st state. Norton introduced the bill to highlight that D.C. is prepared to make the transition from district to state. D.C. residents pay full federal taxes and D.C. operates as the functional equivalent of a state, providing state-, county- and city-level services, despite being denied voting representation in the House and Senate and full local self-government.

"While members of Congress from distant states have always tried to interfere in D.C.'s local laws and regulations, this bill is particularly important at a time when attacks on D.C. home rule are more happening more frequently than at any time since the 1990s," Norton said. "Changing the titles of key governmental figures highlights the fact that D.C. already operates as the functional equivalent of a state, despite being denied voting representation in Congress and full local self-government."

This bill would not change any legal authorities.

In addition to introducing her bill to grant D.C. statehood, Norton has introduced bills to reduce the federal government's control over local D.C. matters and to expand D.C. equality.

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