Momentum for DC Statehood Surges as HR 1 Passage 'Paves the Way' to End Disenfranchisement

Support for Washington, D.C. statehood appears to have reached a new high in Congress.

With Friday’s passage in the House of H.R. 1, which endorses D.C. statehood, legislation that would end the district’s 200 years of disenfranchisement is primed for consideration, says its sponsor.

Democratic non-voting Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced H.R. 51, the “Washington, D.C. Admission Act,” in January. A hearing on the legislation, she said then, would “provide a prime opportunity to inform and remind Americans that over 700,000 of their fellow citizens who live in the nation’s capital are denied their basic democratic rights.” Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has partner legislation pending in the Senate.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who would become governor of the new state under H.R. 51, called Friday a “historic moment” in the movement towards statehood. She pointed to backing from the chambers’ top Democrats; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that D.C. statehood was a “priority,” and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Norton’s legislation “a critical step in righting [a] historic wrong.” To boot, the measure boasts 200 co-sponsors.