Eleanor Holmes Norton

05/21/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/21/2025 13:06

Norton Calls Committee Markup of Two Anti-Home Rule Bills to Overturn D.C. Laws Paternalistic, Undemocratic

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the two bills marked up and passed by the Committee on Oversight and Accountability today represent the continuation of paternalistic, undemocratic incursions by Congress on the democratically expressed will of more than 700,000 D.C. residents. A bill introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) would prohibit D.C. residents who are not citizens from voting in local D.C. elections, and a bill introduced by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) would repeal parts of D.C.'s 2022 local police accountability and transparency law.

"Last Congress, Republicans introduced 14 bills or amendments to prohibit noncitizens from voting in D.C. or to repeal, nullify or prohibit the carrying out of D.C.'s law that permits noncitizens to vote," Norton said. "Yet Republicans refuse to make the only election law change D.C. residents have asked Congress to make, which is the right to hold elections for voting members of the House and Senate by passing the D.C. statehood bill.

"Let's discuss the stunning timing of Rep. Garbarino's bill to repeal parts of D.C.'s police transparency law, though it is always wrong and never the right time for Congress to legislate on local D.C. matters. This bill was introduced three days after House Republicans passed a continuing resolution that cut D.C.'s local budget by one billion dollars. That act of fiscal sabotage, which did not save the federal government any money, has led to a freeze on overtime, hiring and pay raises, and furloughs or layoffs may be next. Nine weeks ago today, the Senate passed the D.C. Local Funds Act to reverse the cut. The D.C. Local Funds Act is just sitting in the House. Like President Trump and the National Fraternal Order of Police, I call on the House immediately to pass the D.C. Local Funds Act.

"By voting to report out these bills today, I can only conclude that the Republican committee members believe that D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are incapable or unworthy of governing themselves. I will continue fighting to defeat these paternalistic, undemocratic, and anti-home rule bills and any actions seeking to override the will of D.C. residents expressed through the District's own local government."

The D.C. Council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act in 2022, which allows noncitizens to vote in local D.C. elections. More than a dozen cities in the U.S. allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, and there is a long history of the U.S. allowing noncitizens to vote in local, state, territorial and federal elections, including prior to the country's formal founding.

In 2023 President Biden vetoed a disapproval resolution that would have repealed all of the D.C. policing reform law, the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (CPJRAA). The House failed to override the presidential veto. The bill the committee reported out today would (1) repeal the CPJRAA's provisions that removed police officer disciplinary matters from collective bargaining; (2) reinstitute a 90-day limit on the police department to commence corrective or adverse action against a police officer or civilian employee; and (3) repeal the CPJRAA's provision requiring the police department to publish on a public website a schedule of adverse hearings in which the proposed discipline for an officer is termination, including the date, time, and location of the hearing, the name and badge number of the officer, and a summary of the alleged misconduct or charges.

Norton's markup statements for each bill follow.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Markup of H.R. 884

May 21, 2025

I strongly oppose this undemocratic, paternalistic bill. Today, this committee is considering its second and third bills this year to repeal, nullify or establish local District of Columbia laws, policies or practices.

Last Congress, Republicans introduced 14 bills or amendments to prohibit noncitizens from voting in D.C. or to repeal, nullify or prohibit the carrying out of D.C.'s law that permits noncitizens to vote.

Yet, Republicans refuse to make the only election law change D.C. residents have asked Congress to make, which is the right to hold elections for voting members of the House and Senate.

I want to discuss democracy, or lack thereof in D.C. D.C. has no voting representation in Congress, and Congress has the ultimate say on local D.C. matters.

While Congress has the authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, it is not required to do so. In Federalist 43, James Madison said of D.C. residents: "[A] municipal legislature for local purposes, derived from their own suffrages, will of course be allowed them." The Supreme Court held in 1953 that "there is no constitutional barrier to the delegation by Congress to the District of Columbia of full legislative power."

D.C.'s local legislature has 13 members. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, residents can vote them out or pass a ballot measure. That is called democracy.

Congress has 535 voting members. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote on local D.C. matters, residents cannot vote them out. That is the antithesis of democracy.

The substance of H.R. 884 is irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress to legislate on local D.C. matters. However, I will briefly discuss it.

While D.C.'s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act allows noncitizens to vote only in local D.C. elections, noncitizen voting at every level of government has been part of the history of the U.S. since its founding. Forty states have allowed noncitizens to vote, nearly 20 cities today allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, and Congress only first prohibited noncitizens from voting in federal elections 29 ago.

I will close with a plea to Republicans: pass the bipartisan D.C. Local Funds Act to reverse the $1 billion cut the continuing resolution made to the local D.C. budget. That bill has been held at the desk of the House since the Senate passed it nine weeks ago.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Markup of the Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act of 2025 (H.R. 2096)

May 21, 2025

I strongly oppose this bill. The more than 700,000 District of Columbia residents are capable and worthy of self-government.

This bill would repeal police discipline provisions in D.C.'s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act. Last Congress, Republicans introduced seven bills or amendments to nullify or prohibit D.C. from carrying out that law, or police discipline provisions thereof.

Let's discuss the justification and timing of this bill, though it is always wrong and never the right time for Congress to legislate on local D.C. matters. The text of this bill says repealing the police discipline provisions is necessary to combat rising violent crime in D.C. and to improve the retention and recruitment of police officers.

This committee may not be aware that violent crime reached a more than 30-year low in D.C. last year and is down 22 percent this year. This committee also may not be aware that police departments of all sizes, in both red and blue states throughout the country, are struggling to retain and recruit officers, and they have been for many years.

The timing of the introduction and markup of this bill is stunning. This bill was introduced three days after House Republicans passed a continuing resolution that cut D.C.'s local budget by one billion dollars. That act of fiscal sabotage, which did not save the federal government any money, has led to a freeze on overtime, hiring and pay raises, and furloughs or layoffs may be next. Nine weeks ago today, the Senate passed the D.C. Local Funds Act to reverse the cut. The D.C. Local Funds Act is just sitting in the House. Like President Trump and the National Fraternal Order of Police, I call on the House to pass immediately the D.C. Local Funds Act.

This committee also may not be aware that the D.C. police department supported removing discipline from collective bargaining, eliminating the 99-day statute of limitations on discipline and allowing the police chief to increase proposed discipline.

I will close by discussing democracy, or lack thereof in D.C. The Revolutionary War was fought to give consent to the governed and to end taxation without representation. Yet, D.C. residents cannot consent to any action taken by Congress, whether on local D.C. or federal matters, and they pay full federal taxes while being denied voting representation in Congress.

If Republicans cared about D.C. or democracy, instead of playing city council, this committee today would be marking up the D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. Congress has the authority to admit the residential and commercial areas of D.C. as a state. It simply lacks the will.

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