Norton Releases Markup Statement Ahead of Third Markup This Congress of Bills to Repeal Local D.C. Traffic Laws

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her remarks ahead of today's Committee on Oversight & Government Reform (COGR) markup of a bill, introduced by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), that would repeal two D.C. laws that authorize automated traffic enforcement and limit turning right on red.

"Yet again, Republicans are wasting time they should be using to solve significant problems facing the American people to instead address their pet peeves, and while doing so, undemocratically repeal the duly enacted laws of the District of Columbia," Norton said. "Today's markup is the third this Congress of a bill that would interfere with these same two local D.C. laws, meaning today's markup is redundant. Republicans are wasting our time for the third time this Congress to accomplish the same purpose.

"Rep. Perry has spent the last five years trying to end D.C.'s use of the same automated traffic enforcement measures his own home state of Pennsylvania employs, to the benefit of his own constituents. Perhaps he should focus on banning his own state's use of the technology that has sparked such sustained animus before attacking the use of it in D.C., a district he does not represent.

"Regardless of the implications of this Committee's actions, 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of governing themselves without input from members of Congress who do not represent D.C."

Norton's markup statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Markup of the Stop DC CAMERA Act (H.R. 5525)

March 18, 2026

I strongly oppose this undemocratic and paternalistic bill, which would repeal two traffic laws enacted by the District of Columbia. Today's markup is the third markup this Congress of a bill that would interfere with these two laws. Last year, this committee passed a bill that would, among other things, repeal these two laws, and the House Committee on Appropriations passed a bill that would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to carry out these two laws.

Over the last five years, the sponsor of this bill has tried repeatedly to repeal or block these two laws, as well as another D.C. traffic law. But he is not the first Republican to try to repeal D.C.'s automated traffic enforcement law. Republicans have been trying to repeal that law since 2014.

The 700,000 D.C. residents, the majority of whom are Black and Brown, are capable and worthy of governing themselves. If residents do not like how the members of the D.C. Council vote, residents can vote them out of office. That is democracy. If D.C. residents do not like how the members of Congress vote on local D.C. matters, residents cannot vote them out of office. That is the antithesis of democracy.

I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record statements opposing this bill from the D.C. Mayor and twelve members of the D.C. Council.

The substance of this bill should be irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress to legislate on local D.C. matters, but I will discuss it.

D.C. is not unique in either using automated traffic enforcement or prohibiting turning right on a red light. For example, automated traffic enforcement is used by hundreds of jurisdictions in about half the states-both red and blue-including in the home states of both the chairman and the sponsor of this bill. According to an automated enforcement program checklist issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Triple A and the National Safety Council, "Automated enforcement is an effective tool to make roads safer."

D.C. residents have all the obligations of American citizenship, including paying federal taxes, serving on juries and registering with the Selective Service, yet Congress denies them full local self-government and voting representation in Congress. The only solution to this undemocratic treatment is to grant D.C. statehood.

Congress has the authority to admit D.C. as a state. The D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, would reduce the size of the federal district from 68 square miles to two square miles, consisting of the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the National Mall. The residential and commercial areas of D.C. would be a new state.

I urge members to vote NO on H.R. 5525. Free D.C.

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