Councilmember Anita Bonds has submitted a resolution to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) in support of statehood for the District of Columbia, according to a July 30 press release from the Council of the District of Columbia.
“As a long-time statehood activist who served on the D.C. State Constitutional Convention in 1974, I remain committed to highlighting the inequities that Americans in the Nation’s Capital endure,” Bonds said in the press release. “[I] will continue to educate and build support for D.C. Statehood across the nation.”
This resolution is an educational opportunity as well as a hopeful effort to revert the disenfranchisement of the District. Nationally there isn’t a complete understanding of the Districts congressional influence, according to David Meadows, Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Councilmember Bonds.
Graffiti above Fashion One on H Street, NE.| Photo courtesy of philliefan99/Flickr
The District of Columbia has two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative that together form the “shadow delegation,” which has no voting ability and serves only to lobby for the autonomy of the District. Delegate to the House of Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton also serves D.C. residents through her ability to draft legislation and vote within House committee meetings. But she cannot represent the District on the House floor. Norton secured the only House vote to consider D.C. statehood in 1993.
“We hope to garner allies from across the nation, and we hope they will recognize our disenfranchisement and support us,” Meadows said. “We need to continue to advocate and highlight our lack of [Congressional voting rights]”
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton makes her case for D.C. voting rights/statehood in 2011. | Photo courtesy of philliefan99/Flickr
The annual NCSL Legislative Summit will take place in Seattle, Washington from August 3 – 6. National advocacy organization DC Vote will be in attendance lobbying for recognition of D.C. as an equally governed state.
A new level of autonomy would be a welcome change in the mind of 19-year-old District native Tyrus Jackson.
“We should have representation at the congressional level, and have the ability to develop our own local budget,” explained Jackson, though he understands the intent of separating the District from the states because of its status as the seat of power for the nation.
The Wilson Building, taken in 2013 | Photo courtesy of flymybz/flickr
The debate on D.C.’s statehood has been long engaged. Introduced in January, 2013, the New Columbia Admission Act sought to make the District the 51st state in America, but was never enacted. Bonds’ resolution is the most recent effort to seek autonomy for the District, but has a long road ahead. The resolution will need to be passed by the Law, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committees by a majority vote from present state representatives before it can be sent to general session—where it will need a three-fourths majority vote for implementations.
“Taxation Without Representation meant a lot in 1776 and it means the same today,” Bonds said.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Lobo/flickr
