{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where state = \"DC\" and year = 2024 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-sends-condolences-family-loved-ones-president-jimmy-carter", "Norton Sends Condolences to Family, Loved Ones of President Jimmy Carter", "2024-12-30", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today sent her condolences to the family and loved ones of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away yesterday at the age of 100. President Carter nominated Norton as the first woman to head the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1977. She was confirmed and served as head of the Commission, where she enforced Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, barring job discrimination, until 1981.\n\n\u201cPresident Carter led a remarkable life, particularly after the end of his presidency. He was a model for how presidents can continue to make significant contributions after leaving the most powerful post in the world,\u201d Norton said. \u201cHis earnest belief that America could be better, coupled with his expectation that it should be, inspired a nation.\n\n\u201cIn the year 1977 a woman had never led the EEOC, which is tasked with enforcing federal laws against job discrimination, including gender-based discrimination. President Carter\u2019s action in appointing me as the first woman to lead the Commission helped reassure American women that existing federal protections against job discrimination applied equally to them.\n\n\u201cIn his later life, President Carter\u2019s enormous courage and resilience in the face of personal loss and illness cannot be doubted by anyone paying attention. I send my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during their time of mourning.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-celebrates-senate-passage-bill-transfer-control-rfk-stadium-campus-dc", "Norton Celebrates Senate Passage of Bill to Transfer Control of RFK Stadium Campus to D.C.", "2024-12-21", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated the early morning Senate passage of her bill with Rep. James Comer (R-KY) to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus from the federal government to D.C. for up to 99 years. The bill is now headed to the president's desk to be signed into law.\n\nThe RFK Stadium bill clears the way for D.C. to use the land where the crumbling old stadium sits for redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton has worked on prior versions of the bill aimed at revitalizing the RFK Stadium campus, which, at 174 acres, is the largest unused tract of land in the District, since 2017.\n\n\u201cD.C. has scored a victory in its fight for self-determination just in time for the holidays,\u201d Norton said. \u201cWhen the bill is signed into law by President Biden, D.C. will get to decide for itself what to do with the largest unused tract of land remaining in the District. I look forward to seeing the site transformed from crumbling blight to a productive and bustling complex that will generate significant revenue for the nation\u2019s capital.\n\n\u201cThroughout my career in Congress, I\u2019ve prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District.\u201d\n\nThe RFK Stadium bill requires D.C. to reserve 30 percent of the campus for parks and open space and prohibits D.C. from building along the waterfront.\n\nAn earlier House-passed version of the continuing resolution to keep the government funded included language to transfer the D.C. National Guard personnel and assets to the Maryland National Guard. In the version of the continuing resolution signed into law, the D.C. National Guard transfer was not included. The RFK Stadium bill was enacted as a stand-alone bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-disappointed-rfk-stadium-bill-excluded-house-passed-cr-will-continue", "Norton Disappointed RFK Stadium Bill Excluded from House-Passed CR, Will Continue Working to Transfer Control of Site to D.C.", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 After the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) that excluded her bill with Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus from the federal government to D.C. for up to 99 years, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was disappointed but remained committed to getting D.C. control of the land so it could be put to productive use. A previous version of the CR unveiled earlier this week included the RFK Stadium bill.\n\nThe RFK Stadium bill would allow D.C. to use the land where the crumbling old stadium sits for redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton has worked on prior versions of the bill aimed at revitalizing the RFK Stadium campus, which, at 174 acres, is the largest unused track of land in the District since 2017.\n\n\u201cWhile I am disappointed that the House-passed version of the CR did not contain the bill, which I\u2019ve worked on since 2017, I am hopeful that D.C. will eventually get control of the land and transform it from crumbling blight to a productive and bustling complex that will generate significant revenue for the nation\u2019s capital,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThroughout my career in Congress, I\u2019ve prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District. I\u2019m committed to continue working towards the same for the RFK Stadium site.\n\n\u201cThank you to Chairman Comer for his partnership on this bill this Congress.\u201d\n\nThe RFK Stadium bill would require D.C. to reserve 30 percent of the campus for parks and open space and prohibit D.C. from building along the waterfront.\n\nThe House-passed CR does include $90 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund (EPSF), including $50 million for the inauguration, which is more than D.C. has received in previous years. The EPSF pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital and is designed to cover the District's costs upfront so D.C. does not need to expend local funds and then seek an appropriation to be reimbursed for such costs after the fact.\n\n\u201cWhile I am disappointed the RFK Stadium bill was excluded, I am pleased that the CR includes $90 million in funding for the EPSF, more than D.C. has received in previous years,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe additional funding will be beneficial for the District, which bears the burdens associated with hosting the federal government.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-provision-will-keep-dc-government-open-if-federal-government-shuts-1", "Norton Provision Will Keep D.C. Government Open if Federal Government Shuts Down", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 With the possibility of a federal government shutdown tomorrow night if a continuing resolution isn\u2019t passed, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today reminded District of Columbia residents that a provision she got included in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 District of Columbia Appropriations bill exempts the D.C. government from a federal government shutdown in FY 2025. Norton has gotten a provision exempting the D.C. government from federal government shutdowns each year since FY 2015.\n\n\u201cThe D.C. shutdown exemption, which I have gotten included in the D.C. Appropriations bill since 2014, will prevent the D.C. government from shutting down if the federal government shuts down on Friday night,\u201d Norton said.\n\nIf Congress does not pass a continuing resolution by tomorrow night, the federal government will shut down. However, the D.C. government will not shut down because Norton got a provision included in the FY 2024 D.C. Appropriations bill that allows D.C. to remain open and spend under the D.C. Council-passed FY 2025 local budget for the duration of a federal government shutdown in FY 2025. Before Norton first got the shutdown exemption, the District government had to prepare shutdown contingency plans every time there was the threat of a federal government shutdown and would shut down if the federal government shut down. Consistent shutdown threats harmed D.C.\u2019s credit rating. Credit rating agencies have favorably cited Norton\u2019s shutdown exemption provision.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-announces-bill-allow-redevelopment-rfk-stadium-site-included-continuing", "Norton Announces Bill to Allow Redevelopment of RFK Stadium Site Included in Continuing Resolution", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her bill to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus from the federal government to D.C. for up to 99 years has been included in the text of the continuing resolution (CR), released today. If passed before Friday\u2019s funding deadline, the CR will allow the federal government to avoid a shutdown.\n\nIf signed into law by the president, the RFK Stadium bill would allow D.C. to use the land where the old stadium sits for redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton has worked on prior versions of the bill aimed at revitalizing the RFK Stadium campus, which at 174 acres is the largest unused tract of land in the District, since 2017.\n\n\u201cI am pleased this important bill was included in the CR, which must pass this week for the federal government to avoid a shutdown,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe RFK Stadium bill is a win-win for the federal and D.C. governments. As the Department of the Interior testified, it would allow D.C. to transform the crumbling, long-vacant campus from \u2018acres of asphalt to a complex focused on community sports, recreation, park space and cultural amenities\u2019 and would \u2018guarantee public access to a sizeable amount of park land and outdoor recreation areas.\u2019 Additionally, this bill would allow D.C. to create a mixed-used development and to generate significant revenue for the District.\u201d\n\nThe bill would require D.C. to reserve 30 percent of the campus for parks and open space and prohibit D.C. from building along the waterfront.\n\nThroughout her career in Congress, Norton has prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-highlights-dc-provisions-house-passed-water-resources-development-act", "Norton Highlights D.C. Provisions in House-Passed Water Resources Development Act", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced victories for D.C. included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which passed the House today. Norton requested several provisions for D.C., all of which were maintained.\n\nThe bill includes a Norton provision making the Washington Metropolitan Area secondary drinking water supply study, which Norton got included in the 2022 WRDA, federally funded at 90%. It also includes Norton provisions authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to conduct a feasibility study for a project for ecosystem restoration, recreation, dredging and sediment management of the Anacostia River and a feasibility study for a project to improve recreation by dredging Fletcher\u2019s Cove.\n\n\u201cThere is an urgent need for Congress to act to protect the drinking water and other infrastructure of the nation\u2019s capital from serious vulnerabilities, and I am pleased the bicameral, bipartisan WRDA bill contains my provision for a study on the topic funded by the federal government at 90%,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDue to sediment accumulation over time, many parts of the federal navigation channel in the Anacostia do not meet the current formal depth requirements, so I\u2019m pleased my provision for a study on dredging the Anacostia was included in WRDA. A similar problem exists in Fletcher\u2019s Cove on the Potomac River, which I was able to get addressed in the House-passed bill.\u201d\n\nD.C. is wholly dependent on the Potomac River for its drinking water, but natural or man-made events could render the river unusable for this purpose. The federally owned and operated Washington Aqueduct produces drinking water from the river for D.C. and parts of Virginia. However, the aqueduct maintains only a single day of backup water supply. Many other highly populated metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco have a second source of drinking water, and many are in the planning stages for a third source.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/senate-confirms-norton-recommendations-sparkle-l-sooknanan-and-amir-h-ali-us", "Senate Confirms Norton Recommendations, Sparkle L. Sooknanan and Amir H. Ali, for the U.S. District Court for D.C.", "2024-12-04", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that the Senate confirmed Norton\u2019s recommendations who President Biden nominated, Sparkle L. Sooknanan and Amir H. Ali, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The two are the last federal judicial nominees Norton recommended to President Biden.\n\nSooknanan has been the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division since 2023. She previously served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice after first working in the Department as an appellate attorney in the Civil Division. She served as a law clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court, for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and for Judge Eric N. Vitaliano on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Sooknanan received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, her M.B.A. with distinction from Hofstra University, and her B.S., summa cum laude, from St. Francis College.\n\nAmir H. Ali has been President and Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center since 2021 and Director of the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic at Harvard Law School since 2018. Previously, Mr. Ali worked in private practice as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, D.C. from 2013 to 2017. He also served as a law clerk for Justice Marshall Rothstein on the Supreme Court of Canada from 2012 to 2013 and Judge Raymond C. Fisher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2011 to 2012. Mr. Ali received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2011 and his B.S.E. from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada in 2008.\n\nBecause D.C. lacks senators to recommend candidates for some positions, Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden granted Norton senatorial courtesy to recommend judges for the U.S. District Court for D.C., the U.S. Attorney for D.C., the U.S. Marshal for the D.C. Superior Court, and the U.S. Marshal for the U.S. District Court for D.C. Norton has established a nominating commission, comprised of lawyers and non-lawyers from all eight wards in D.C., to screen applicants and to make recommendations to her for the senatorial courtesy positions.\n\n\"As is evident from both nominees\u2019 extensive and impressive accomplishments, Sooknanan and Ali have the principles, acumen and experience to serve as exemplary federal judges,\" Norton said. \"They will bring much-needed diversity to the federal bench. I look forward to their service and thank President Biden for granting me senatorial courtesy to recommend judges for the U.S. District Court for D.C.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-honoring-dc-veterans-who-served-their-nation-0", "Norton Introduces Resolution Honoring D.C. Veterans Who Served Their Nation Despite Being Denied Full Voting Representation in Congress", "2024-11-08", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Ahead of Veterans Day, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her annual resolution honoring D.C.\u2019s veterans and current service members and their families, all who served their country and continue to serve without voting representation in Congress or complete home rule. The resolution condemns the denial of voting rights in Congress and full home rule for D.C. veterans and their families and calls for statehood for the District.\n\n\u201cResidents of the District of Columbia have fought and died for their country in every war, including the Revolutionary War, which created our country, yet are still denied a full voting representation in Congress,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy annual resolution honors their sacrifices, and it outlines our progress on our D.C. statehood bill.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s resolution follows.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nRecognizing the service of all District of Columbia veterans, condemning the denial of voting representation in Congress and full local self-government for veterans and their families who are District of Columbia residents, and calling for statehood for the District of Columbia through the enactment of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51), particularly in light of the service of District of Columbia veterans in every American war.\n\nWhereas, on November 11, our Nation observes Veterans Day, a Federal holiday commemorating the men and women who served in the military;\n\nWhereas the service and sacrifice of all American veterans must be recognized;\n\nWhereas the service of the approximately 30,000 veterans who are District of Columbia residents is unparalleled because they served without voting representation in Congress and full local self-government;\n\nWhereas residents of the District of Columbia fought to create the United States, fighting for the Revolutionary War slogan of \u201cno taxation without representation\u201d, and have served in every war fought by the United States since;\n\nWhereas 635 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War I, a casualty figure greater than that of 3 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 3,575 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War II, a casualty figure greater than that of 4 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 547 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Korean war, a casualty figure greater than that of 8 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 243 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Vietnam war, a casualty figure greater than that of 10 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas almost 200,000 District of Columbia residents have served in the military since World War I;\n\nWhereas residents of the District of Columbia, including active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, and veterans, continue to be denied voting representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as full local self-government;\n\nWhereas the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51) would grant full and equal voting rights in Congress as well as unimpeded democratic control over local affairs to the District of Columbia by making it the 51st State; and\n\nWhereas, on June 26, 2020, and April 22, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, the only two times in history the D.C. statehood bill has been passed by either chamber of Congress: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the service of all District of Columbia veterans, condemns the denial of voting representation in Congress and full local self-government for veterans and their families who are District of Columbia residents, and calls for statehood for the District of Columbia through the enactment of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51), particularly in light of the service of District of Columbia veterans in every American war.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-molinaro-and-moran-celebrate-senate-passage-words-matter-district", "Norton, Molinaro, and Moran Celebrate Senate Passage of Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act, to Remove Derogatory Language from D.C. Code", "2024-09-27", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) celebrated Senate passage of the Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act, to remove the term \u201cretarded\u201d from Title 11 of the District of Columbia Code and replace it with more appropriate and respectful terminology. Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, only Congress can amend Title 11 of the D.C. Code. The bill was introduced in the House in November.\n\n\u201cWords indisputably matter, and I am pleased, particularly in this divided Congress, that a bipartisan group of lawmakers has come together to bring the D.C. Code into the 21st Century,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy own daughter, Katherine, has Down syndrome. I\u2019m appalled at the thought of someone using the \u2018R-word\u2019 slur toward her, and it is unacceptable that the derogatory term is still a part of the D.C. Code. Only Congress can amend Title 11 of the D.C. Code. I look forward to continuing our efforts to pass the bill in the House and get it signed into law by the president.\u201d\n\n\"I\u2019m proud to cosponsor such important legislation to ensure every individual of every ability is treated with value and respect,\u201d Molinaro said. \u201cThere is no question we should remove derogatory language from the D.C. code, and I'm pleased to work with my colleagues to get this done.\"\n\n\u201cLanguage that is degrading to individuals with disabilities should be eliminated from our laws and courts, and this legislation works to maintain the dignity of all people,\u201d said Moran. \u201cI urge the House of Representatives to quickly pass this legislation that respects and values people with disabilities.\u201d\n\nThe Words Matter for District of Columbia Courts Act has been endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the Association of University Centers Disabilities, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, the National Down Syndrome Congress and the Special Olympics.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-mary-church-terrell-day-resolution-honoring-life-civil", "Norton Introduces \u2018Mary Church Terrell Day\u2019 Resolution, Honoring the Life of Civil Rights and Women's Rights Activist", "2024-09-24", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution supporting the designation of September 23, 2024, as \"Mary Church Terrell Day,\" recognizing Mary Church Terrell's lasting contributions to the civil rights and women's rights movements. Terrell moved to the District of Columbia in 1887 to become a teacher at M Street Colored High School, now known as Dunbar High School, which is Norton's alma mater.\n\nTerrell's parents encouraged her to pursue education, beginning her journey to become one of the first Black women to graduate from college and later to become the first Black woman appointed to the D.C. board of education. As a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Association of Colored Women, Terrell spent her life working to advance the status of African American women as a civil and women's rights activist.\n\n\"Mary Church Terrell is well known for the battles she fought in the District of Columbia to demand a more equal America for Black women,\" Norton said. \"Her education empowered her to speak against the flaws of segregation and voter suppression. Our history books are filled with the accomplishment of men, but not enough of women who, like Mary Church Terrell, worked to change the world.\"\n\nThe text of the resolution follows.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nExpressing support for the designation of September 23, 2024, as \u201cMary Church Terrell Day\u201d, and calling on Congress to recognize Mary Church Terrell\u2019s lasting contributions to the civil rights and women\u2019s rights movements.\n\nIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\n\nMs. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on _______________\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nExpressing support for the designation of September 23, 2024, as \u201cMary Church Terrell Day\u201d, and calling on Congress to recognize Mary Church Terrell\u2019s lasting contributions to the civil rights and women\u2019s rights movements.\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was born on September 23, 1863, in Memphis, Tennessee, to former enslaved persons;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell\u2019s father, Robert Reed Church, was a successful businessman and one of the South\u2019s first African-American millionaires;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell attended the Antioch College laboratory school and Oberlin College;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was one of the first African-American women to attend college;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell\u2019s belief in the importance of education led her to the District of Columbia in 1887;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell taught at M Street Colored High School, now known as Paul Laurence Dunbar High School;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was the first African-American woman to be appointed to a school board;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell believed that the end to racial discrimination could be achieved through education, work, and community activism;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell\u2019s activism was sparked by the lynching of an old friend, Thomas Moss, in 1892;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell used her position to fight racial and gender discrimination;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell participated in antilynching campaigns alongside Ida B. Wells-Barnett;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell led the fight to desegregate eating places in the District of Columbia;\n\nWhereas District of Columbia laws of 1872 and 1873 required all restaurants \u201cto serve any respectable, well-behaved person regardless of color\u201d;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was age 86 at the time she launched the campaign to enforce these civil rights laws;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell and several colleagues entered Thompson Restaurant in the District of Columbia on February 28, 1950;\n\nWhereas the group was refused service on the basis of their race;\n\nWhereas John R. Thompson Co., Inc., was prosecuted for violating these laws;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell continued her fight through boycotts, picketing, and sit-ins at restaurants around the District of Columbia;\n\nWhereas, on June 8, 1953, three years after the information charging the restaurant was filed, the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., Inc., held these laws were enforceable;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell also actively fought for women\u2019s suffrage;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was president of the National Association of Colored Women;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell was one of the founders and charter members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People;\n\nWhereas Mary Church Terrell persuaded the National Association of University Women to admit Black members;\n\nWhereas the Mary Church Terrell House is a National Historic Landmark located at 326 T Street, N.W., in the District of Columbia, and is open to the public; and\n\nWhereas September 23 would be an appropriate day to designate as Mary Church Terrell Day: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives\u2014\n\nsupports the designation of \u201cMary Church Terrell Day\u201d; and\n\n(2) calls on Congress to recognize Mary Church Terrell\u2019s lasting contributions to the civil rights and women\u2019s rights movements.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-writes-postmaster-general-requesting-usps-meet-ward-5-residents", "Norton Writes Postmaster General Requesting USPS Meet with Ward 5 Residents", "2024-09-24", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy after USPS took more than six weeks to respond to her constituent services office\u2019s request for a meeting to address widespread mail delivery problems in Ward 5 in D.C. When the Postal Service did respond, it said no such meeting could be held due to a 45-day election blackout period. In her letter, Norton urged USPS to at least independently meet with Ward 5 residents no later than October 11, 2024.\n\nThe text of the letter follows.\n\nSeptember 23, 2024\n\nLouis DeJoy\n\nPostmaster General and CEO\n\nUnited States Postal Service\n\n475 L\u2019Enfant Plaza SW\n\nWashington, DC 20260\n\nDear Postmaster General DeJoy:\n\nI have had numerous constituents contact my office regarding postal issues in Ward 5 in the District of Columbia. Given these issues, my constituent services office first contacted the United States Postal Service (USPS) on August 1, 2024, to discuss holding a community meeting with Ward 5 residents and USPS to address the issues. Despite repeated inquiries from my office, USPS did not respond to my office until September 18, 2024, and said no such meeting could be held with my office until after November 5, 2024, because of a 45-day election blackout period. It is unacceptable that USPS did not respond to my office until September 18, 2024, and it is unacceptable that USPS now refuses to meet with my office and the community until after November 5, 2024. Given USPS\u2019s failure to timely respond to my office, I urge USPS to meet with my office and Ward 5 residents no later than October 11, 2024, notwithstanding the blackout period. If USPS will not meet with my office and Ward 5 residents until after November 5, 2024, I ask USPS to independently meet with Ward 5 residents no later than October 11, 2024.\n\nMy constituents in Ward 5 have raised concerns about mail being stolen, burned or otherwise destroyed, lost or not delivered. This mail has included checks, traffic tickets, credit card statements and other important documents. I ask that you provide a written response to this letter by September 30, 2024.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-designating-september-peace-month-inspired-dc-0", "Norton Introduces Resolution Designating September as \u2018Peace Month,\u2019 Inspired by D.C. Second Graders", "2024-09-19", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, ahead of International Day of Peace on September 21, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution supporting the designation of September 2024 as national \u201cPeace Month\u201d and calling on Congress to take action to promote peace, at home and abroad. The idea for the resolution came from the Helpful Potato Bugs, a class of second-grade students at Horace Mann Elementary School in the District of Columbia. In 2018, the students sent Norton a handwritten note, adorned with peace signs, expressing their desire to \u201chelp make the world a peaceful place\u201d and for \u201call Americans to be nice, have no conflicts, and be very peaceful.\u201d Norton has been introducing resolutions supporting the designation of September as Peace Month since then.\n\n\u201cI am pleased to reintroduce this resolution on the International Day of Peace, a day that urges nations around the world to lay down their arms and focus on peacemaking and diplomacy,\u201d Norton said. \u201cI am grateful to the wise second graders who wrote to me in 2018, stressing the importance of a more peaceful America and world. Congress should take note that our children are watching, adding to our responsibility to encourage action to help achieve peace around the world. Thank you again to the 2018 Helpful Potato Bugs for keeping Congress on its toes!\u201d\n\nNorton's resolution follows.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nExpressing support for the designation of September 2024 as \u201cPeace Month\u201d and calling on Congress to take action to promote peace.\n\nWhereas the United Nations designated September 21 \u201cInternational Day of Peace\u201d\u2014otherwise known as Peace Day;\n\nWhereas the United Nations General Assembly declared Peace Day as a day devoted to \u201ccommemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples\u201d;\n\nWhereas all United Nations member states, organizations, regional and nongovernmental organizations, and individuals are encouraged to celebrate and recognize global peace efforts on Peace Day;\n\nWhereas Peace Day represents shared hopes of an end to conflict in all forms;\n\nWhereas the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global cease fire on Peace Day;\n\nWhereas this year\u2019s Peace Day theme is \u201cCultivating a Culture of Peace\u201d;\n\nWhereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone development in contemporary human history promoting peace and well-being worldwide;\n\nWhereas global peace promotion efforts improve the lives of Americans and all peoples;\n\nWhereas the United States has a long history of promoting peace and human rights at home and abroad; and\n\nWhereas September would be an appropriate month to designate as Peace Month: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives\u2014\n\n(1) supports the designation of \u201cPeace Month\u201d; and\n\n(2) calls on Congress to promote peace, both at home and abroad.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-applauds-markup-and-committee-passage-two-bills-bipartisan-support", "Norton Applauds Markup and Committee Passage of Two Bills with Bipartisan Support", "2024-09-18", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) applauded today\u2019s markup and passage of two of her bills by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I). One bill would make D.C. eligible for certain wastewater infrastructure grants under the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, and the second bill would equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with tools to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by residential moving companies in the interstate transportation of household goods.\n\n\u201cI am pleased by today\u2019s markup and passage of two of my bills with bipartisan support by the T&I Committee,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy bill to ensure D.C. is eligible for wastewater grants both as a state and as a municipality is consistent with the overall intent of the grant program and would enable D.C. to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve post-consumer materials management and recycling and implement a specific collection and treatment measures to remove these wastes from the wastewater stream.\n\n\"The second bill would clarify that FMCSA has the authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations, and crucially, to withhold registration from applicants failing to provide verification details demonstrating they intend to operate legitimate businesses. Americans moving across state lines need to be able to have confidence in FMCSA-licensed companies transporting their physical belongings. I'm thankful for Rep. Ezell\u2019s partnership in co-leading this bill with me and look forward to the bill\u2019s progress in the Senate.\u201d\n\n\u201cI'm pleased that the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a bipartisan manner,\u201d Ezell said. \u201cThis solution would hold fraudulent actors in the transportation sector accountable while protecting individuals, trustworthy companies, and their employees. With this legislation advancing in Congress, we are one step closer to closing these loopholes that ultimately undermine consumer trust and harm our nation\u2019s supply chain.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-van-hollen-introduce-bill-make-union-station-eligible-funding-under", "Norton, Van Hollen Introduce Bill to Make Union Station Eligible for Funding Under Federal Transportation Grant Programs", "2024-09-18", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today introduced a bill to make the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), a nonprofit responsible for managing and operating Union Station in D.C., eligible for funding under several federal transportation grant programs.\n\n\u201cDespite the vital role Union Station plays in the nation\u2019s capital, it has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe planned redevelopment and expansion of Union Station represents a historic transportation and economic development opportunity for the nation\u2019s capital and the national capital region, but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out. This bill would give USRC access to critical funding.\u201d\n\n\u201cUnion Station is the gateway to our nation\u2019s capital for visitors and regional commuters alike, including thousands of Marylanders and District residents every day. We passed the infrastructure modernization law to fund critical upgrades to our nation\u2019s transportation system, and this legislation will ensure those federal resources are available to this important regional hub,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\nUnion Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal transportation hub that welcomes approximately 70,000 travelers and visitors each day\u2014more than either Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. It is owned by the federal government, and the nonprofit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) manages and operates it exclusively under a lease. Due to its federal ownership and management structure, it is currently ineligible for federal grant funding. As such, the station has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s.\n\nCongresswoman Norton and Senator Van Hollen\u2019s Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act allows USRC to apply for funding under four major U.S. Department of Transportation infrastructure funding programs: the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega Program.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-allow-dc-courts-and-dc-public-defender-service-offer", "Norton Introduces Bill to Allow D.C. Courts and D.C. Public Defender Service to Offer Buyouts to Employees", "2024-09-10", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to provide the District of Columbia Courts and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia with the same authority that federal courts and federal agencies have to offer voluntary separation incentive payments, or buyouts, to its employees. Norton\u2019s bill is part of her efforts to improve the operations of the parts of the local justice system in D.C. that are under federal control.\n\nIn her introductory statement, Norton writes: \u201cCongress has provided this authority to the D.C. Courts and PDS on an annual basis in the last several appropriations bills. However, this bill would make this authority permanent. This authority would give the D.C. Courts and PDS additional flexibility to respond to administrative and budgetary needs.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of the District of Columbia Courts and\n\nPublic Defender Service Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments Act\n\nSeptember 9, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments Act. This bill, which the House passed in the 114th Congress, would make a small but important change to the authority of the District of Columbia Courts (D.C. Courts) and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), giving them the same authority federal agencies and federal courts already have to offer voluntary separation incentive payments, or buyouts, to their employees.\n\nCongress has provided this authority to the D.C. Courts and PDS on an annual basis in the last several appropriations bills. However, this bill would make this authority permanent. This authority would give the D.C. Courts and PDS additional flexibility to respond to administrative and budgetary needs.\n\nThe U.S. Government Accountability Office has opined that voluntary separation incentive payments may be made only when statutorily authorized. Federal agencies and federal courts already have permanent statutory authority to offer buyouts, and there is no reason why the D.C. Courts and PDS, which are both exclusively federally funded, should not have this permanent statutory authority.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-designate-september-national-campus-sexual-0", "Norton Introduces Resolution to Designate September as \u2018National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month\u2019", "2024-09-10", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 As students return to campus for the fall semester, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her annual resolution to designate September as \u201cNational Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month\u201d and said that the return to in-person classes highlights the importance of ensuring students have safe campuses, both now and in the future.\n\n\u201cIn recent years, sexual assaults on college campuses have been increasing. With many schools now returning to in-person classes, the increase in sexual assaults we have seen points to the continuing importance of our resolution on this issue,\u201d Norton said.\n\nNorton has introduced this resolution for the past several years to highlight the problem of sexual assaults on campuses. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the exposure of Jeffrey Epstein and the #MeToo movement, and especially the increase of sexual assaults in campus settings, Norton said her determination to continue to speak out has only grown, and that we must change behavior at the earliest stages of the lives of young men and women.\n\nThe resolution follows.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nExpressing support for the designation of September 2024 as National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.\n\nWhereas colleges are now receiving students in person for the academic year;\n\nWhereas freshmen and sophomores in college are at a greater risk of being sexually assaulted than juniors or seniors;\n\nWhereas college students are at a higher risk of sexual assault during the first few months of school, with more than 50 percent of college sexual assaults occurring in either August, September, October, or November;\n\nWhereas many college students are survivors of \u2018\u2018incapacitated assault\u2019\u2019, in which they are sexually assaulted while drugged, drunk, passed out, or otherwise incapacitated;\n\nWhereas these survivors often know their attackers;\n\nWhereas less than 12 percent of rapes and attempted rapes of college students are reported to campus authorities or local law enforcement;\n\nWhereas college sexual assault survivors are likely to tell someone they know, most often a friend, about their experience;\n\nWhereas over 25 percent of college sexual assault survivors fear reprisal by the perpetrator;\n\nWhereas approximately 5 percent of college men account for 90 to 95 percent of the rapes on college campuses;\n\nWhereas many college sexual assault survivors fear poor treatment by campus or law enforcement authorities, or even lack knowledge of the reporting process;\n\nWhereas approximately 10 percent of colleges still do not allow confidential reporting of sexual assaults to campus authorities;\n\nWhereas 22 percent of colleges provide no sexual assault response training for members of their faculty and staff;\n\nWhereas approximately 41 percent of colleges have not conducted a single sexual assault investigation in the last 5 years;\n\nWhereas most colleges fail to provide access to a specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner;\n\nWhereas law enforcement officials at 30 percent of colleges receive no training on how to respond to reports of sexual violence;\n\nWhereas more than 70 percent of colleges do not have protocols regarding how the institution and local law enforcement should work together to respond to sexual violence;\n\nWhereas 33 percent of colleges fail to provide training to dispel \u2018\u2018rape myths\u2019\u2019 to persons adjudicating sexual assault claims;\n\nWhereas 43 percent of the Nation\u2019s largest colleges have students assisting in adjudicating sexual assault cases, which creates privacy and conflict-of-interest concerns;\n\nWhereas 22 percent of colleges allow athletic department oversight of sexual violence cases involving student athletes;\n\nWhereas many college sexual assault survivors experience confusion over how to report a sexual assault, are unsure of acceptable standards of sexual conduct and definitions of rape and sexual assault, and fear punishment for activities\n\npreceding some sexual assaults, such as underage drinking;\n\nWhereas 21 percent of the Nation\u2019s largest private colleges report not independently investigating all claims of sexual assault that they conveyed to the Department of Education;\n\nWhereas only approximately 5 percent of the perpetrators of college sexual assaults are permanently expelled;\n\nWhereas approximately 10 percent of reported college rape cases result in criminal charges against the alleged perpetrator;\n\nWhereas survivors of campus sexual assaults are more likely to have their lives disrupted, such as by changing a college major, changing campus housing, and dropping a class, than the average student;\n\nWhereas approximately 7 States require colleges to adopt affirmative consent policies; and\n\nWhereas September 2024, when many students begin or return to college, is an appropriate month to designate as National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it\n\n1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports\n\n2 the designation of National Campus Sexual Assault\n\n3 Awareness Month.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-strengthen-workplace-protections-legislative-branch", "Norton Introduces Bill to Strengthen Workplace Protections for Legislative Branch Employees", "2024-09-04", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Congress Leads by Example Act, which would subject Congress and the rest of the legislative branch to workplace laws that protect employees in the private sector and the executive branch.\n\n\"Congress must abide by the laws it imposes on the American people and their workplaces,\u201d Norton said. \u201cCongress already acknowledged the importance of accountability in the legislative branch workplace when it passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and further confirmed it when it passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act in 2018. As a former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, I take issues of workplace discrimination and abuse very seriously. My bill builds on the protections in previous laws, bringing the protections for legislative branch employees in line with those for other workers.\"\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn the Introduction of the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2024\n\nAugust 27, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2024, which would apply to the legislative branch many of the laws that protect employees in the private sector and the executive branch. Congress should abide by the laws it imposes on others.\n\nIn 1995, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), which applied 13 existing civil rights, labor and workplace safety and health laws to the legislative branch. In 2018, after reports of sexual harassment in Congress and in light of the #MeToo movement, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act (Reform Act), which changed the name of the Office of Compliance to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR), revised the process to resolve workplace claims and extended CAA protections to unpaid staff, interns and fellows. It also made Members of Congress personally liable for their own violations of workplace harassment and retaliation laws.\n\nThe CAA and the Reform Act were important steps in making the legislative branch accountable for its employment practices, but they did not finish the job. As noted, the CAA brought the legislative branch under 13 existing civil rights, labor and workplace safety and health laws but it omitted important substantive and procedural protections. In its three most recent Section 102(b) biennial reports to Congress, OCWR identified additional federal workplace laws and procedures that should apply to the legislative branch. This bill takes into account OCWR\u2019s recommendations, and seeks both to apply the standard of fairness for employees of the legislative branch that Congress requires for other employees and provide a safer work environment for the legislative branch and visitors by bringing the legislative branch obligations in line with the legal requirements for the private sector and the executive branch.\n\nThis bill provides general whistleblower protections and anti-retaliation measures and makes additional Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) retaliation provisions applicable to the legislative branch. This bill also provides subpoena authority to OCWR to conduct inspections and investigations into OSHA violations. It also provides extended paid parental bereavement leave to legislative branch employees.\n\nThis bill also furthers the CAA\u2019s goal of preventing workplace discrimination in the legislative branch by prohibiting the legislative branch from making adverse employment decisions based on an employee\u2019s wage garnishment or involvement in bankruptcy proceedings pursuant to the Consumer Credit Protection Act or Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.\n\nFinally, this bill bolsters the CAA\u2019s recordkeeping requirements. It applies to the legislative branch the obligation to maintain accurate records of safety information and employee injuries, as otherwise required by OSHA, as well as employee records necessary to administer anti-discrimination laws.\n\nThis bill would help restore the public\u2019s trust in Congress by redoubling our efforts to exercise leadership by example. I urge support for this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-requiring-health-insurers-directly-reimburse-divorced", "Norton Introduces Bill Requiring Health Insurers to Directly Reimburse Divorced Parents for Children\u2019s Medical Expenses", "2024-08-13", "2024", "2024-08", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act, which would require all health insurers to directly reimburse a divorced parent who pays for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. In a divorce, one parent typically is court-ordered to provide health insurance for a child, but the other parent may pay for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are required to directly reimburse the parent who pays for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, other health insurers are not required to do so. This issue was raised by one of Norton's constituents.\n\n\"Families facing divorce are experiencing significant hardship,\" Norton said. \"My bill would ensure that children are getting necessary medical care while easing administrative burdens on families.\"\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2024\n\nAugust 13, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2024. This bill would require that when a court directs a non-custodial parent (including a stepparent) to provide health insurance for a child, the other parent may get reimbursed directly from the insurer for any out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child incurred by such parent, regardless of the source of insurance.\n\nIn a divorce, one parent is typically court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child. However, the other parent may pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child that are reimbursable by the insurer. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are required to directly reimburse a parent who pays for reimbursable out-of-pocket medical expenses when the other parent has been court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child. However, other health insurers are not required to reimburse the other parent directly. This bill would require all health insurers to provide such reimbursement.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-establish-national-effort-promote-healthy-lifestyles", "Norton Introduces Bill to Establish National Effort to Promote Healthy Lifestyles through Nutrition and Exercise", "2024-08-07", "2024", "2024-08", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Promoting Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act, or the LIFE Act, to encourage exercise and healthy eating habits nationwide. The bill would provide $75 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat obesity and sedentary lifestyles in three ways: conducting national education campaigns about how to recognize and address obesity; training health professionals to recognize the signs of obesity early and to educate people concerning healthy lifestyles; and developing intervention strategies to be used in everyday life, such as in the workplace and in community settings. This initial funding would be for a pilot program to develop best practices and give the country a coherent national strategy for combating overweight and obesity.\n\nReducing overweight and obesity rates has been a priority for Norton in Congress. Although the LIFE Act applies nationally, she notes that the District of Columbia has higher rates than many jurisdictions of conditions related to overweight and obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.\n\nIn her introductory statement, Norton states: \u201cToday, chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by overweight and obesity, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. and 75 percent of U.S. medical care costs, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.\n\n\u201cI urge support for this bill to mobilize the country before entirely preventable health conditions, which often begin in childhood, overwhelm the nation\u2019s health care system.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s full introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the\n\nIntroduction of the Promoting Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act of 2024\n\nAugust 6, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Promoting Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act of 2024, or the LIFE Act, which would establish a national program to combat overweight and obesity, a major health problem in the United States that cannot be remedied through the health care system alone. Increasing rates of overweight and obesity are found among Americans of every age, race and major demographic group, and threaten the health of Americans like no other condition or disease. In fact, the key to reducing or eliminating many of the most serious health conditions is not only to reduce overweight and obesity but also to encourage exercise of all kinds.\n\nThis bill would provide $75 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to reverse increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. Specifically, the CDC, either directly or through grants and contracts, would train health professionals to recognize the signs of overweight and obesity early in order to educate patients about proper nutrition and regular exercise; conduct public education campaigns about how to recognize and address overweight and obesity; and develop intervention strategies for use in everyday life, such as in the workplace and community settings.\n\nThe National Survey of Children\u2019s Health found that 17 percent of children ages 10 to 17 had obesity in 2020-2021. The CDC National Center for Health Statistics reports that Type 2 diabetes, once considered an adult disease, is now widespread among children. The rising cost of the health care system, including insurance premiums, reflects this epidemic. Today, chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by overweight and obesity, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. and 75 percent of U.S. medical care costs, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The national program established by this bill would provide a model for states and local governments to establish similar programs.\n\nTo cite an example of the need for action, the District of Columbia is one of the fittest cities in the U.S., according to a 2023 study by the American College of Sports Medicine, yet, even here, obesity continues to be a severe problem. Approximately one-fifth of D.C. residents are considered obese. Most of the obesity epidemic is exercise- and food-related.\n\nI urge support for this bill to mobilize the country before entirely preventable health conditions, which often begin in childhood, overwhelm the nation\u2019s health care system.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-treasury-officer-protection-act", "Norton Introduces Treasury Officer Protection Act", "2024-08-06", "2024", "2024-08", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2024, which would allow Treasury Department police officers, including those who work at the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), to carry their service weapons home with them after they are no longer on duty.\n\nCurrently, although both are uniformed police officers working for the Treasury Department, U.S. Mint police officers are allowed to carry their service weapons home, while BEP police officers are not. BEP officers, therefore, often carry personal firearms while commuting to and from work because they wear uniforms and could be a target as security professionals. However, BEP officers have no place to securely store their weapons at government facilities, creating possibly dangerous situations of officers having to leave their firearms in their cars. There is no meaningful distinction between police officers for the two agencies and they should be treated equally.\n\n\"Officers who protect the public, risking their own lives, should be given the protection and convenience of carrying their service weapons home to protect themselves and the public alike,\" Norton said. \"Further, many BEP officers carry personal firearms to and from work because they are not allowed to take their government firearms home, and some are forced to leave those personal firearms in their cars while they are on duty, creating potentially dangerous situations. This bill would eliminate the need for officers to leave unguarded personal firearms in the vehicles and ensure BEP officers, who are potential targets because they wear uniforms to and from work, can protect themselves and the public even when off duty.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the\n\nIntroduction of the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2024. This bill would help protect Treasury Department police officers and the public by allowing all the officers, including those who work at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), to carry their government firearms home.\n\nBEP officers are not allowed to take their government firearms home. However, BEP officers can be targets because they wear uniforms to and from work. Many BEP officers carry personal firearms to and from work because they are not allowed to take their government firearms home, and some are forced to leave those personal firearms in their cars while they are on duty, creating a possibly dangerous situation.\n\nAllowing BEP officers to carry their government firearms home will put them in the same position as Mint officers. Although both agencies are under the Treasury Department, under Treasury Department rules, Mint officers are allowed to carry their government firearms home, while BEP officers are not. There is no meaningful distinction between officers for these two agencies. They should be treated equally.\n\nThis bill would allow all police officers in the Treasury Department to carry their government firearms home to protect officers and the public, eliminating separate carrying rules for the Treasury Department\u2019s different law enforcement agencies.\n\nI ask my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-increase-transparency-501c4-organizations", "Norton Introduces Bill to Increase Transparency in 501(c)(4) Organizations", "2024-07-22", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the Increased Transparency in 501(c)(4) Organizations Act of 2024, which would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make publicly available the forms organizations that self-declare under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) file with the IRS. Norton says Americans have the right to know which organizations are operating under this section of the IRC.\n\nTo be eligible for tax-exempt status under 501(c)(4), organizations, often referred to as \"social welfare organizations,\" must be \"devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.\" They can choose to apply for 501(c)(4) status from the IRS, or they can simply self-declare. Previously, organizations seeking to self-declare their 501(c)(4) status were not required even to notify the IRS of their existence. In 2015, however, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the PATH Act) was enacted into law. Under that law, an organization seeking to self-declare their 501(c)(4) status now must file a notice with the IRS that it is operating under this section. The PATH Act did not make the filed notices, Form 8976, subject to public disclosure. Norton's bill would correct this oversight and mandate that the IRS publicly disclose any filed Form 8976 upon request, thus allowing the public to know which organizations operate under 501(c)(4), as they do with 501(c)(3) organizations.\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the\n\nIncreased Transparency in 501(c)(4) Organizations Act of 2024\n\nJuly 22, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Increased Transparency in 501(c)(4) Organizations Act of 2024. This bill would require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make publicly available the forms organizations that self-declare under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) file with the IRS. Americans have the right to know which organizations are operating under this section of the IRC.\n\nTo be eligible for tax-exempt status under 501(c)(4), organizations, often referred to as \u201csocial welfare organizations,\u201d must be \u201cdevoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.\u201d They can apply for 501(c)(4) status, or they can self-declare. Previously, organizations seeking to self-declare were not required to notify the IRS of their existence. In 2015, however, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act), which required an organization seeking to self-declare to file a notice with the IRS, was enacted into law. The PATH Act did not, however, make the filed notices, Form 8976, subject to public disclosure.\n\nThe IRS has opined that Form 8976 cannot be made available under the Freedom of Information Act or other disclosure laws. This opinion creates a discrepancy between those organizations for which the IRS must make publicly available information \u2013 all Section 501(c)(3) organizations and 501(c)(4) organizations that applied for that status \u2013 and self-declared 501(c)(4) organizations. This discrepancy appears to have been inadvertently created by the PATH Act.\n\nThis bill would fix this discrepancy by requiring the IRS to publicly disclose any filed Form 8976 upon request, thus allowing the public to know which organizations operate under 501(c)(4), as they do with organizations that operate under 501(c)(3). In the aftermath of the Supreme Court\u2019s Citizens United decision, which allows unlimited expenditures in political campaigns by these \u201csocial welfare\u201d organizations, greater transparency is needed.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-major-general-david-f-wherley-jr-district-columbia-national", "Norton Introduces Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Act", "2024-07-15", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her bill to permanently authorize funding for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program, which provides tuition and other financial assistance for higher education to members of the D.C. National GuardThe program was recommended by Major General Wherley before he was killed in 2009 and his successor at the D.C. National Guard to stem the loss of D.C. National Guard members to other units in surrounding states that offer higher education assistance to their members.\n\n\u201cWhile I am grateful that Congress has consistently provided funding for this program, this bill would authorize permanent funding for members of the D.C. National Guard to pursue higher education,\u201d Norton said. \u201cPermanent authorization would help ensure the D.C. National Guard receives the same benefits as other National Guards and help the D.C. National Guard recruit and retain members.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the\n\nIntroduction of the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr.,\n\nDistrict of Columbia National Guard Retention\n\nand College Access Program Act\n\nJuly 15, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program Act. This bill would permanently authorize funding for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program, which provides financial assistance for higher education to members of the D.C. National Guard, which is an exclusively federal entity.\n\nThis program and bill are named for Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., former Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, who, along with his wife, Ann, and seven others were tragically killed when Metro trains collided on the Red Line on June 22, 2009. I named this bill for Major General Wherley because he worked tirelessly with me for many years to get funding for this program, and because of his devotion to D.C. youth and to the D.C. National Guard.\n\nThis program was recommended by Major General Wherley and his successor at the D.C. National Guard, Major General Errol Schwartz, to stem the troublesome loss of D.C. National Guard members to other units, including National Guards in surrounding states that offer financial assistance for higher education to their members. I am grateful that Congress has consistently provided funding for this program, most recently $600,000 in fiscal year 2024. Permanently authorizing this program will help ensure that members of the D.C. National Guard receive the same benefits as members of other National Guards and help the D.C. National Guard recruit and retain members.\n\nThis program not only benefits D.C. National Guard members, the great majority of whom live in Maryland or Virginia, but also helps the D.C. National Guard to maintain the force necessary to protect the federal presence in D.C.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-says-senate-bill-repeal-dc-home-rule-act-indicates-dc-closer-ever-0", "Norton\u00a0Says Senate Bill to Repeal D.C. Home Rule Act Indicates D.C. is Closer Than Ever to Statehood", "2024-07-12", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that news that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a bill to repeal the D.C. Home Rule Act is a sign that D.C. is closer than ever to statehood.\n\n\"We have rarely heard such extensive anti-democratic rhetoric from Republicans about the District of Columbia,\" Norton said. \"Republicans are scared that D.C. is closer to statehood than ever, after the House passed my statehood bill twice and the Senate held a hearing on it. The Republican response is, predictably, to try to take away what small measure of democracy the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, have. I will defeat their efforts, which only strengthen our case for statehood.\"\n\nCongress passed the Home Rule Act in 1973, which was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The Home Rule Act gave D.C. an elected chief executive (mayor) and legislature (Council). Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) previously introduced a bill in the House to repeal the Home Rule Act.\n\nNorton noted that D.C. has a larger population than two states, pays more federal taxes than 19 states, pays more federal taxes per capita than any state, and has a larger gross domestic product than 17 states.\n\nSenator Lee\u2019s bill is unlikely to advance in the Democratically-led Senate.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-prohibit-federal-bureau-prisons-charging-health-care", "Norton Introduces Bill to Prohibit Federal Bureau of Prisons from Charging Health Care Copays", "2024-07-08", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to prohibit the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) from charging individuals in its custody copays for health care visits. Individuals serving sentences for D.C. Code felonies are in BOP custody.\n\n\"BOP residents should be encouraged to seek medical care before their health conditions worsen,\" Norton said. \"Preventative care is more effective than later-stage interventions and is much less expensive for the federal government, saving taxpayer money in the long run. The objective is successful reentry into the community, and inmates cannot return to society successfully without their health and wellbeing. Charging copays is antithetical to this goal.\"\n\nCurrently, BOP inmates are required to pay a fee of $2.00 per health care visit. Inmates earn only $0.12 to $0.40 per hour from work assignments.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Fairness in Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2024\n\nJuly 8, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Fairness in Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2024. This bill would eliminate the copay the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) imposes on individuals in its custody when they visit a health care provider.\n\nUnder BOP rules, individuals in its custody are required to \u201cpay a fee for health services of $2.00 per health care visit.\u201d While $2 may seem insignificant, when such individuals earn only twelve to forty cents per hour on their work assignments, $2 is substantial. That money could better be used to pay for the cost of necessities. Moreover, while copays can reduce unnecessary appointments, we should be encouraging such individuals to seek medical care before their conditions become worse and more expensive for taxpayers. Early care is better for patients and much less expensive for the federal government than costly treatments that could have been avoided by a simple health care visit earlier in the process.\n\nUnder BOP rules, if an individual in BOP custody is found responsible through the Disciplinary Hearing Process of having caused an injury to another person in BOP custody that required a visit to a health care provider, the offending individual is required to pay the $2 copay for the injured individual\u2019s visit. That rule would not change under this bill.\n\nRemoving this unnecessary copay would encourage early treatment and would save the federal government money.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-says-248-years-after-nations-independence-dc-statehood-long-overdue", "Norton Says 248 Years After the Nation\u2019s Independence, D.C. Statehood is Long Overdue", "2024-07-04", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that, as the nation today celebrates 248 years since declaring independence from Great Britain in part because of taxation without representation, Congress must take the nation's founding slogan to heart and pass the D.C. statehood bill.\n\n\"The continuation of taxation without representation in the nation's capital not only violates a main pillar of the revolution that sent our Founders to war,\" Norton said. \"Allowing the nearly 700,000 Americans who live in the nation's capital to continue to live as second-class citizens betrays the spirit of July 4th itself. On no U.S. holiday is D.C.'s inequality more deeply felt or more at war with the nation's democratic values than on July 4th. District residents not only pay all federal taxes without voting representation in Congress, they pay more federal taxes per capita than the citizens of any state in the nation. July 4th summons our moral outrage to continue our fight for statehood and full equality for D.C. residents.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-legislation-repeal-government-accountability-offices", "Norton Introduces Legislation to Repeal Government Accountability Office\u2019s Authority Over D.C.", "2024-07-03", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to repeal the authority of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the District of Columbia. GAO, a federal agency that conducts investigations and audits for Congress, has the same authority over D.C. that it has over federal agencies. GAO's authorizing statute defines D.C. as a federal agency. In addition, GAO's authorizing statute and the D.C. Home Rule Act require GAO to engage in specific types of oversight of D.C.\n\n\"D.C. is not a federal agency, and it should never be treated as such,\" Norton said. \"D.C. already has a locally appointed auditor and inspector general, so GAO's authority over D.C. is both redundant and offensive. GAO does not have general authority over states and cities, and therefore should not have such authority over D.C.\"\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the Introduction of the\n\nDistrict of Columbia Government Accountability Office Home Rule Act\n\nJuly 2, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the District of Columbia Government Accountability Office Home Rule Act. This bill would repeal the authority of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the District of Columbia.\n\nGAO, a federal agency that conducts investigations and audits for Congress, has the same authority over D.C. that it has over federal agencies. GAO\u2019s authorizing statute defines D.C. as a federal agency. In addition, GAO\u2019s authorizing statute and the D.C. Home Rule Act require GAO to engage in specific types of oversight of D.C.\n\nD.C. is not a federal agency, and it should never be treated as such. D.C. already has a locally appointed auditor and inspector general, so GAO\u2019s authority over D.C. is both redundant and offensive. GAO does not have general authority over states and cities, and therefore should not have such authority over D.C. This bill is an important step to increase home rule for D.C.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-frost-introduce-bill-remove-gender-designation-requirement-real-id-act", "Norton, Frost Introduce Bill to Remove Gender Designation Requirement from REAL ID Act During Pride Month", "2024-06-27", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, during Pride Month, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) introduced a bill to remove the requirement from the REAL ID Act that compliant licenses include a gender designation. The bill instead would leave the decision to the states, and, if a state chooses to require a gender designation, a person would be able to change the designation by self-attestation.\n\n\u201cThis is an important bill for equality, especially for transgender and nonbinary Americans,\u201d Norton said. \u201cUnder the REAL ID Act, gender must be included on a license. This can be problematic for transgender or nonbinary individuals. I recognize that some LGBTQ+ individuals do not want gender designations on licenses at all, while others do want gender designations so as to express their identity. I believe this bill strikes the middle ground, while showing Congress\u2019 support for LGBTQ+ individuals.\u201d\n\n\"Coming from a state like Florida, where LGBTQ+ folks have seen their identity and very existence targeted day in and day out, I am proud to fight alongside Congresswoman Norton to help ensure trans and nonbinary person's licenses can reflect who they truly are,\" Frost said. \"This is about showing support and solidarity with a community that has already had to overcome so much to simply live in the light. Enshrining into law that an ID will not be the next obstacle we place in front of our LGTQ+ neighbors is the least we can do.\"\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of the REAL ID Gender Requirement Reform Act\n\nJune 27, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the REAL ID Gender Requirement Reform Act, which would remove the requirement from the REAL ID Act that REAL ID-compliant licenses include gender. Instead, the decision of whether to have gender on a state\u2019s REAL-ID compliant licenses would be left to the states. I am pleased Representative Maxwell Frost is co-leading this bill.\n\nThis bill would require states that require gender designation for licenses to allow individuals wishing to change their gender designation on their license to do so through self-attestation. It would also require states that require gender designation on licenses to have a neutral or other designation gender field, in addition to male or female.\n\nUnder the REAL ID Act, gender must be included on a license. This can be problematic for transgender or nonbinary individuals. I recognize that some LGBTQ+ individuals do not want gender designations on licenses at all, while others do want gender designation so as to express their identity. I believe this bill strikes the middle ground, while showing Congress\u2019 support for LGBTQ+ individuals.\n\nThis is an important bill for equality. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-highlights-dc-provisions-wrda-after-transportation-infrastructure", "Norton Highlights D.C. Provisions in WRDA After Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Markup", "2024-06-26", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced victories for D.C. included in the House version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 after the bill was marked up by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) today. Norton requested several provisions, all of which were maintained by the T&I Committee during the bill\u2019s markup.\n\nThe bill includes a Norton provision making a study on a secondary drinking water source for D.C., which Norton got included in the 2022 WRDA, 100% federally funded. The bill also includes Norton provisions authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to conduct a feasibility study for a project for ecosystem restoration, recreation, dredging and sediment management of the Anacostia River and a feasibility study for a project to improve recreation by dredging Fletcher\u2019s Cove.\n\n\u201cThere is an urgent need for Congress to act to protect the drinking water and other infrastructure of the nation\u2019s capital from serious vulnerabilities, and I am pleased the marked up version of the bill contains my provision making the study on the topic 100% federally-funded,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDue to sediment accumulation over time, many parts of the federal navigation channel in the Anacostia do not meet the current formal depth requirements, so I\u2019m pleased my provision for a study on dredging the Anacostia was included in WRDA. A similar problem exists in Fletcher\u2019s Cove on the Potomac River, which I was able to get addressed in the current T&I Committee-passed version of WRDA.\u201d\n\nD.C. is wholly dependent on the Potomac River for its drinking water, but natural or man-made events could render the river unusable for this purpose. The federally owned and operated Washington Aqueduct produces drinking water from the river for D.C. and parts of Virginia. However, the aqueduct maintains only a single day of backup water supply. Many other highly populated metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco have a second source of drinking water, and many are in the planning stages for a third source.\n\nNorton said that she was disappointed that her provision to make the Federal Triangle flood risk management study 100% federally funded was not included in the bill. However, she was pleased with the inclusion of a standalone section affirming the Transportation Secretary\u2019s ability to accept funds contributed by other federal agencies for the study. She got a provision authorizing the study included in the final, enacted WRDA of 2022.\n\nWith heavy rain projected to become more frequent due to climate change, the Federal Triangle area is increasingly susceptible to flooding. In June 2006, an intense storm produced flooding in the area, which caused power outages and major disruptions to federal and D.C. operations, forcing closures of local businesses, public transportation hubs and federal buildings. Smaller but still significant storms in the area in 2018, 2019 and 2020 resulted in closures of Constitution Avenue, power and transportation disruptions and flooding of buildings. The study included in WRDA of 2022 would be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-provide-funding-law-school-clinics-provide-pro-bono", "Norton Introduces Bill to Provide Funding to Law School Clinics that Provide Pro Bono Services to Veterans", "2024-06-21", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Veterans Legal Support Act, which would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide funding to law school clinical programs that provide pro bono legal services to veterans, including assistance with disability claims and foreclosures. There are at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans\u2019 legal needs, including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which was the first recipient of a \u201cbest practice\u201d certification from the VA. There are many other law schools, such as the University of the District of Columbia\u2019s David A. Clarke School of Law, that are interested in starting their own VA-certified clinics.\n\n\u201cThousands of veterans are waiting for their disability claims to be processed by the VA. Law school clinics clinical programs provide free legal resources to assist veterans in processing their claims,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy bill would merely build on what some law schools have begun to do for the last several years. More needs to be done to sustain and increase these programs.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s full introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn the Introduction of the Veterans Legal Support Act of 2024\n\nJune 21, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Veterans Legal Support Act of 2024, which would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide support to law school clinical programs that provide pro bono legal and support services to veterans, including assistance with disability claims and foreclosures. There are at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans\u2019 legal needs, including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which was the first recipient of a \u201cbest practice\u201d certification from the VA. There are many other law schools, such as the University of the District of Columbia\u2019s David A. Clarke School of Law, that are interested in starting their own VA-certified clinics. More needs to be done to sustain and increase the number of these programs.\n\nI was a tenured professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and continued to teach a seminar there after being elected to Congress. I saw the expert assistance that clinical programs provide their clients.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill, a concrete measure that would assist our veterans, who put their lives on the line for this country.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/mark-flag-day-norton-celebrates-respect-dc-flag-achieved-even-statehood", "To Mark Flag Day, Norton Celebrates Respect for D.C. Flag, Achieved Even Before Statehood", "2024-06-14", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In recognition of Flag Day today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated progress made in gaining the same respect for the District of Columbia flag that state flags receive. The House has previously passed her D.C. statehood bill twice, the Senate has held a hearing on the bill, and President Biden supports it.\n\nEven before D.C. statehood, Norton has made considerable progress in achieving equal treatment for the D.C. flag. In 2020 the House Judiciary Committee passed Norton's bill requiring the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff upon the death of a D.C. mayor. The National Park Service now flies the D.C. flag across from Union Station along with state flags. Norton was also successful in getting a provision enacted requiring the armed services to display the D.C. flag when state flags are displayed.\n\n\"Today, on Flag Day 2024, we are closer than ever to statehood,\" Norton said. \"Americans who reside in the nation's capital celebrate Flag Day in part because we have achieved equal treatment and recognition of the D.C. flag in our country. State flags give recognition to the importance of the state itself in the Union. The D.C. flag demands no less.\"\n\nNorton said that the importance of respecting the D.C. flag at the same level as state flags is particularly tied to military service by D.C. residents who continue to fight and die for their country without voting representation in Congress. She pointed to the service of District residents in every war, including the Revolutionary War, which created the nation itself. More than 5,000 D.C. residents have suffered casualties in major wars since World War I. \"Honoring the D.C. flag is an important way of honoring their sacrifices,\" Norton added.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-statement-house-markup-dc-appropriations-bill", "Norton Statement on House Markup of D.C. Appropriations Bill", "2024-06-14", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "June 14, 2024\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 After the House Appropriations Committee marked up the fiscal year 2025 D.C. appropriations bill yesterday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that although she was able to get some victories for D.C., she is disappointed with the anti-home rule riders and other provisions. Significantly, the rider prohibiting D.C. from commercializing marijuana, which was absent in the base text of the bill, was added back during the markup.\n\nThe bill, as reported out of committee, provides the following successes for D.C.:\n\nExempts D.C. from federal government shutdowns in FY 2025. Norton has gotten annual shutdown exemptions enacted every year since the 2013 federal government shutdown.\n\nProvides $8 million for D.C. Water for ongoing work to control flooding in D.C. and to clean up the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.\n\nProvides $77 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund, including $47 million for the upcoming presidential inauguration. The fund pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital, and is designed to cover the District's costs upfront so D.C. does not need to expend local funds and then seek an appropriation to be reimbursed for such costs after the fact.\n\nProvides $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.\n\nProvides $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.\n\nThe bill also provides $20 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a 50% decrease in funding from last year\u2019s level for the program created by a 1999 Norton bill. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition up to $10,000 at public institutions of higher education in the United States.\n\nNorton was disappointed that the bill, as reported out of committee:\n\nMaintains the existing abortion rider, which prohibits D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortions for low-income women.\n\nReinserted from the introduced version of the bill the existing rider prohibiting D.C. from using local funds to commercialize adult-use marijuana.\n\nProhibits D.C. from spending its own local funds to enforce the rule relating to \u201cAdoption of California Vehicle Emission Standards.\u201d\n\nRepeals D.C.\u2019s Death with Dignity Act of 2016 and purports to prohibit D.C. from passing such legislation in the future.\n\nPermits anyone with a concealed carry permit from any state or territory to carry a concealed handgun in D.C. and on WMATA.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to enact or carry out any law that prohibits motorists from making right turns on red, including the D.C. Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to carry out its automated traffic enforcement law.\n\nRepeals a portion of D.C \u2018s Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) law that currently exempts the D.C. government.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to implement its law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections or on activities related to enrolling or registering noncitizens into voter rolls for local elections.\n\nRequires D.C. to report on D.C.\u2019s enforcement of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to carry out the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to implement its Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.\n\nReduces the maximum age of eligibility for D.C.\u2019s Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 1985.\n\nProhibits the use of local funds \u201cto implement, administer, or enforce any COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandate.\u201d\n\nAllows new students to enroll in the D.C. private school voucher program, instead of only permitting current students to remain in the program. Congress imposed the voucher program on the District, which is the only federally funded or created voucher program, even though Congress has rejected a national voucher program.\n\nNorton also opposed the three directives to D.C. in the committee report:\n\nDirecting D.C. to submit a report on maternity care access for D.C. residents.\n\nDirecting D.C. to exempt houses of worship from some of its building performance standards.\n\nDirecting D.C. to submit a report on fines for violations of the D.C. law regulating the removal of refuse from public spaces adjacent private property.\n\n\"While I am pleased to have achieved some victories for D.C. in the bill reported out of the House Appropriations Committee yesterday, I am outraged by the anti-home-rule riders and committee report provisions,\u201d Norton said.\n\nNorton said she will fight to remove the anti-home-rule riders in the bill, which Republicans try to attach to the annual spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as elected officials representing districts far from D.C.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-allow-president-order-nations-flag-half-staff-upon", "Norton Introduces Bill to Allow President to Order Nation\u2019s Flag at Half-Staff Upon Death of D.C. Mayor, Like Governors", "2024-06-11", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to add the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the list of principals for whom the president must order the nation\u2019s flag be flown at half-staff. Current law states that the president must order the flag to be flown at half-staff \u201cupon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory.\u201d Norton said D.C. mayors, who perform many of the same functions as state and territorial governors, clearly qualify as principals and should receive equal recognition.\n\n\u201cEven though the District is not yet the 51st state it strives to be, we should treat a deceased D.C. mayor the same respect as comparable figures of states, territories, or possessions, which are named in the statute,\u201d Norton said. \u201cI can only assume that the omission of the District of Columbia was an oversight and not meant to disrespect a deceased D.C. mayor or the residents of the District of Columbia. Adding D.C.\u2019s mayor to the list of officials who can be honored with flags flown at half-staff is a small but, to D.C. residents, significant way to ensure residents receive the equal treatment they deserve.\u201d\n\nNorton has successfully gotten other congressional recognition of the District of Columbia in situations where the District was overlooked while honoring the states. As a result of her work, the District of Columbia War Memorial honors only District residents who served in World War I; D.C.\u2019s Frederick Douglass and Pierre L\u2019Enfant statues sits in the Capitol alongside statues from the 50 states; the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 requires the armed services to display the District flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed; D.C. has a coin after it was omitted from legislation creating coins for the 50 states; the U.S. Postal Service created a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the 50 states; and the National Park Service added the D.C. flag alongside the state flags across from Union Station.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of a Bill to Permit the Flag of the United States to be Flown at Half-Staff in the Event of the Death of a Mayor of the District of Columbia\n\nJune 11, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce a bill that would make a small but respectful change to federal law by adding the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the list of named principals for whom the President shall order the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff. Current law states that the President shall make this order \u201cupon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory.\u201d Surely the D.C. Mayor should qualify as such a principal. My bill would add the D.C. Mayor, who has the same responsibilities as state and territory governors, to the current list of officials. This bill is part of a series of bills to ensure equal treatment for the nearly 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia. In the 116th Congress, the House Committee on the Judiciary passed this bill.\n\nCongress has already acknowledged that D.C. is entitled to a place among the states for certain honors. For example, legislation we got enacted gave D.C. a coin after D.C. was omitted from legislation creating coins for the states and required the armed services to display the D.C. flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed. We got D.C.\u2019s Frederick Douglass and Pierre L\u2019Enfant statues placed in the Capitol, alongside the two statues from each state. We also successfully worked with the U.S. Postal Service to create a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the states, and successfully worked with the National Park Service to add the D.C. flag alongside the state flags near Union Station.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-secures-victories-dc-appropriations-bill-despite-republican-control-0", "Norton Secures Victories in D.C. Appropriations Bill Despite Republican Control of House", "2024-06-04", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "June 4, 2024\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 The House Committee on Appropriations today released the text of the fiscal year 2025 (FY 25) Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations bill, which includes many victories secured by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) despite Republican control of the House. Significantly, Norton was able to get the rider preventing D.C. from commercializing and regulating recreational marijuana, historically a priority for House Republicans, removed from the FY 25 bill.\n\nThe appropriations bill, however, includes several anti-home rule riders.\n\n\"I am pleased with many of the provisions in the text of the D.C. spending bill released by the House Appropriations Committee today, which I was able to secure despite Republican control of the House,\u201d Norton said. \"Notably, the rider preventing D.C. from commercializing marijuana is absent from the FY 25 bill.\u201d\n\nIn addition to removing the marijuana rider, Norton secured the following victories:\n\nThe bill exempts D.C. from federal government shutdowns in FY 2025. Norton has gotten annual shutdown exemptions enacted every year since the 2013 federal government shutdown.\n\nThe bill provides $8 million for D.C. Water for ongoing work to control flooding in D.C. and to clean up the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.\n\nThe bill provides $77 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund, including $47 million for the upcoming presidential inauguration. The fund pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital, and is designed to cover the District's costs upfront so D.C. does not need to expend local funds and then seek an appropriation to be reimbursed for such costs after the fact.\n\nThe bill provides $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.\n\nThe bill provides $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.\n\nNorton said she was outraged at the numerous anti-home-rule riders in the bill, which Republicans try to attach to the annual D.C. spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as elected officials representing districts far from D.C. The text released today:\n\nPermits anyone with a concealed carry permit from any state or territory to carry a concealed handgun in D.C. and on WMATA.\n\nProvides $20 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a 50% decrease in funding from last year\u2019s level for the program created by a 1999 Norton bill. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition up to $10,000 at public institutions of higher education in the United States.\n\nRepeals D.C.\u2019s Death with Dignity Act.\n\nMaintains the existing abortion rider, which prohibits D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortions for low-income women.\n\nProhibits D.C. from spending its own local funds to enforce its vehicle emission standards.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to enact or carry out any law that prohibits motorists from making right turns on red, including the D.C. Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to carry out its automated traffic enforcement law.\n\nRepeals a portion of D.C \u2018s Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) law that currently exempts the D.C. government.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to implement its law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections or on activities related to enrolling or registering noncitizens into voter rolls for local elections.\n\nRequires D.C. to report on D.C.\u2019s enforcement of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to carry out the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014.\n\nProhibits D.C. from using local funds to implement its Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.\n\nReduces the maximum age of eligibility for D.C.\u2019s Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 1985.\n\nProhibits the use of local funds \u201cto implement, administer, or enforce any COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandate.\u201d\n\nAllows new students to enroll in the D.C. private school voucher program, instead of only permitting current students to remain in the program. Congress imposed the voucher program on the District, which is the only federally funded or created voucher program, even though Congress has rejected a national voucher program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-expand-americorps-reduce-youth-unemployment", "Norton Introduces Bill to Expand AmeriCorps, Reduce Youth Unemployment", "2024-06-03", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to help reduce the number of unemployed young Americans by expanding AmeriCorps by 500,000 members to allow unemployed young people who have mostly completed college or high school to earn a stipend sufficient to support themselves, as well as an education award, while gaining valuable work experience. Norton's bill would allow states and localities to boost personnel for badly needed services, such as after school and elderly programs, without new administrative structures or bureaucratic requirements.\n\n\"Expanding AmeriCorps would have immediate benefits both for our economy and for young Americans still struggling to find work,\" Norton said. \"These young people who have worked hard to get their high school education or college degrees deserve better than competing for unpaid internships. They deserve the opportunity to earn a living while serving their communities.\"\n\nNorton's full introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of the Promoting National Service\n\nand Reducing Youth Unemployment Act\n\nJune 3, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Promoting National Service and Reducing Youth Unemployment Act to address one of the greatest workforce tragedies\u2014our unemployed young people\u2014while filling vacancies in the public sector. Youth unemployment is harming our young people and costing our country billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and tax revenue, among other costs. Although the total unemployment rate has reached a relative low (3.9%), the youth unemployment rate is 8.2%. These young people have not had a fair chance to use the high school or college education we strongly urged them to obtain.\n\nBy adding 500,000 new members to AmeriCorps, this bill would need no new administrative structure or bureaucracy, and would allow unemployed youth to earn a stipend, obtain work experience and develop a good work history to help secure future employment. This bill would significantly expand job opportunities for young people who have done what they could to get a job, but, despite their best efforts, remain unemployed. AmeriCorps participants receive a living allowance and are also eligible for an education award equal to the value of a Pell grant, school-loan forbearance, health care benefits and childcare assistance. By expanding AmeriCorps, we would reduce the number of unemployed young people, provide them work skills and experience and help understaffed state and local governments provide services.\n\nThis bill would also establish that the minimum wage for any AmeriCorps State & National member would be 200 percent of the federal poverty line, and would not allow for a decrease in that amount, as is allowed under current law. AmeriCorps members serve their country and gain skills, but we should increase the minimum wage for everybody, including national service members.\n\nFor some time, it has been clear that policies to address the most stubborn forms of unemployment need to be targeted in order to be effective. Without significant targeting, many young people will continue to face their first years as adults without jobs and with no way to acquire necessary work experience. They deserve a better start in life as adults.\n\nI ask my colleagues to support this urgently needed, targeted assistance for our unemployed youth.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-files-pro-dc-amendments-fiscal-year-2025-national-defense-authorization", "Norton Files Pro-D.C. Amendments to Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act", "2024-05-30", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) filed several D.C.-related amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including amendments to:\n\nGive the Mayor of the District of Columbia the same authority over the D.C. National Guard that the governors of states and territories have over their National Guards.\n\nGive the District of Columbia the same number of appointments and nominations to the U.S. service academies as states.\n\nPermanently authorize the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.\n\nCorrect a longstanding drafting error and clarify that District of Columbia National Guard members who were federal civilian employees were entitled to leave without loss in pay or time from their civilian employment during their mobilization from January 6, 2021, until enactment of the FY22 NDAA.\n\nProhibit the Department of Defense (DOD) and the District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) from transferring personnel and equipment of the DCNG to DOD or the National Guard of a state or territory.\n\nRequire the Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard to reside in D.C.\n\nInsert the text of Norton\u2019s Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2023 (H.R.2775).\n\n\u201cThese critical amendments would increase equality for D.C. in relation to the states, address operational and human needs for D.C. residents, and benefit all of us by redirecting resources from nuclear weaponry to solving human needs and addressing the climate crisis,\u201d Norton said.\n\n\u201cOn January 6, 2021, as our democracy was under attack, D.C.'s mayor was unable to call out the D.C. National Guard, wasting hours and potentially costing lives. The January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated why this authority belongs in the hands of D.C.'s mayor and not the president, as my amendment would do.\n\n\u201cDistrict residents have fought in every American war, and my service academy amendment will ensure they have the same opportunities to attend our prestigious service academies as residents of the states.\n\n\u201cPermanently authorizing the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program would help ensure members of the D.C. National Guard receive the same benefits as members of other National Guards and help the D.C. National Guard recruit and retain members.\n\n\u201cMy amendment to require the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard to reside in D.C. would help ensure the Guard's connection to the residents it serves and in-depth knowledge of the unique issues and challenges faced by D.C. residents.\n\n\u201cMy nuclear weapons amendment would redirect the resources the United States uses from nuclear weapons to greater needs our country has, such as housing, restoring the environment, and infrastructure.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-create-national-commission-combat-sexual-harassment", "Norton Introduces Bill to Create National Commission to Combat Sexual Harassment", "2024-05-29", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to create a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the nation's major industries and workplaces. The commission would report to Congress on recommended changes in law or regulations and is modeled on legislation Congress enacted to combat other national problems. Norton, the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), issued the first federal guidelines holding sexual harassment to be a violation of equal employment laws, later upheld by the Supreme Court.\n\n\"Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem that impacts every part of our society,\" Norton said. \"In the last few years, the country has made tremendous strides in calling out and confronting sexual harassment. However, unlike individual high-profile cases, this commission would focus on the average American worker.\n\n\"Discrimination and the hierarchy of power in the workplace mean that men still hold positions that enable them to take advantage of or ignore female subordinates. A national commission would help expose pervasive sexual harassment in private sector workplaces. Importantly, a national commission would not have to wait for workers to take the risk of coming forward but would be charged with taking affirmative steps to look at workplace practices.\u201d\n\nCongress has created similar national commissions on other national areas, such as gambling, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the Introduction of\n\nthe National Commission to Combat Workplace Sexual Harassment Act\n\nMay 28, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the National Commission to Combat Workplace Sexual Harassment Act, which would establish a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. I have modeled this bill on bills Congress has passed to establish commissions to address other national problems. Specifically, this bill would establish a commission to carry out a comprehensive investigation and study of workplace sexual harassment in the United States.\n\nA national commission would assure the American people that Congress takes sexual harassment seriously, beyond just the high-profile workplace instances. Most importantly, the commission would hear from a cross section of workers\u2014from office and factory workers to retail and food service workers. The commission could travel or invite witnesses to the District of Columbia from throughout the country to recommend changes in laws or regulations and best practices to prevent, investigate, respond to and penalize sexual harassment in the private and public sectors.\n\nOur constituents expect Congress to take on the problem of sexual harassment throughout our national economy. A national commission could help reach and reduce sexual harassment, a form of gender discrimination, where the average American works.\n\nI strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-expresses-disappointment-after-house-passes-anti-home-rule-bill-would", "Norton Expresses Disappointment After House Passes Anti-Home Rule Bill That Would Overturn D.C.\u2019s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act", "2024-05-23", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) expressed her disappointment after the House passed a bill to overturn D.C.\u2019s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 and prohibit non-citizens from voting in local D.C. elections. Congresswoman Norton vowed to work with Senate colleagues to ensure the bill is defeated.\n\n\u201cIf House Republicans cared about elections or D.C. residents, they would bring to the floor the D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government,\u201d Norton said. \u201cD.C.\u2019s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 allows D.C. residents who are noncitizens to vote only in local D.C. elections. D.C.\u2019s law is not unique. More than a dozen cities today allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. While the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act applies only to local D.C. elections, there is a long history in the United States, including before its founding, of allowing noncitizens to vote in local, state, territorial and federal elections. Congress should keep its hands off D.C.\u201d\n\nCongressional Republicans have introduced 22 bills to overturn D.C. election laws so far this Congress. Two years ago, the D.C. Council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which allows noncitizens to vote in local D.C. elections. In February of 2023, the House passed a disapproval resolution that would have nullified the legislation, but the Senate never took it up.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-bill-direct-gsa-sell-webster-school-building-marked-passed-out-senate", "Norton Bill to Direct GSA to Sell Webster School Building Marked Up & Passed Out of Senate Committee", "2024-05-22", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 A bill co-led by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA) to direct the General Services Administration (GSA) to dispose or sell the Daniel Webster School in downtown D.C. for fair market value was marked up and passed by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today. The legislation would return the long-vacant Webster School building to productive use. It passed the House in December.\n\n\u201cThe Webster School has been vacant since the 1980s and has fallen into disrepair,\u201d said Norton. \u201cMy bill with Rep. Perry contains a similar sale provision included in legislation successfully enacted in 2016 that directed GSA to sell a building known as the Cotton Annex, which is now being converted into housing. This bill will ensure that the Webster School too shall return to productive use. Thank you to D.C.\u2019s longtime ally in the Senate, Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), for prioritizing the markup of this commonsense bill.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-ezell-introduce-bipartisan-bill-strengthen-consumer-protections-against", "Norton, Ezell Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Consumer Protections Against Fraud Involving Residential Moving Companies", "2024-05-22", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Mike Ezell (R-MS) today introduced a bipartisan bill to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the necessary tools protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods. The bill was written to address a growing type of fraud involving entities that charge an up-front fee, pack and hold consumers\u2019 household goods, then demand more funds to deliver or release the items. The companies involved have launched websites with fake 5-star reviews, and when negative reviews are submitted, the scammers simply close down the existing companies and open new ones, repeating the original scheme under a new FMCSA license.\n\nThe bill has been endorsed by the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), American Trucking Associations\u2019 Moving & Storage Conference (ATA-MSC), Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA), the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC), Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) and Road Safe America.\n\n\u201cFMCSA receives thousands of complaints every year from Americans who are the victims of fraud in the shipment of household goods by licensed entities,\" Norton said. \"This bill would provide FMCSA with explicit authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations, and crucially, to withhold registration from applicants failing to provide verification details demonstrating they intend to operate legitimate businesses. Americans moving across state lines need to be able to have confidence in FMCSA-licensed companies transporting their physical belongings, and I'm proud to introduce this bill with Rep. Ezell to strengthen protections.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act works to address illegal practices in the shipping and moving industry that ultimately undermine consumer trust and harm our nation\u2019s supply chain,\u201d Congressman Ezell said. \u201cHolding these fraudulent actors in the transportation sector accountable will not only protect individuals but also benefit trustworthy companies and their employees. I am glad to co-author this critical initiative to stop fraud and establish greater law and order in our economy.\u201d\n\n\u201cTIA applauds Congresswoman Norton and Congressman Ezell for introducing the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act,\u201d said Anne Reinke, President and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). Combating fraud through effective legislation is imperative for the protection of brokers, motor carriers, shippers, consumers, and the integrity of the economic system. Fraudulent activities not only cause significant financial losses but also undermine public trust in institutions and markets. By implementing strong anti-fraud laws, governments can ensure a more stable and predictable economic environment, which is essential for sustainable growth and investment. This legislation achieves these goals by implementing several key provisions to reinforce the federal government\u2019s role in combating fraud,\u201d stated Anne Reinke, President and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA).\n\n\u201cWe commend Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Congressman Mike Ezell for taking this step to help combat moving fraud and protect consumers from becoming victims of scams,\u201d said American Trucking Associations\u2019 Moving & Storage Conference Executive Director Ryan Bowley. \u201cTheir legislation would provide FMCSA and other enforcement officials with additional tools to act against scam companies. By rooting out unscrupulous bad actors, Americans will be able to have greater confidence that the moving professionals they entrust with their valuable possessions are experienced, honest, and reliable.\u201d\n\n\"Freight fraud committed by criminals and scam artists has been devastating to many small business truckers simply trying to make a living in a tough freight market\" Todd Spencer, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said. \"OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent applaud Representative Holmes Norton and Representative Ezell for their bipartisan leadership to provide FMCSA better tools to root out fraudulent actors, which are also harmful to consumers and highway safety. Because of the broad industry support for these commonsense reforms, we hope this bipartisan legislation will move through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee without delay.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe National Association of Small Trucking Companies commends the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, and we thank Representatives Norton and Ezell for their leadership on the freight fraud issue,\" David Owen, President, National Association of Small Trucking Companies said. \"This bedeviling epidemic continues to plague the trucking industry. Therefore, NASTC is happy to support this legislation. It takes steps to ensure that fraudulent brokering by criminals and criminal enterprises gets caught and held accountable. This bill requires a tangible place of business to register, which should help disrupt the many frauds who exploit the ability to run and constantly shift their brokering fraud schemes solely online. NASTC looks forward to working with these lawmakers to move this bill forward.\"\n\nThis week, FMCSA launched the \u201cOperation Protect Your Move\u201d initiative to address complaints about scams involving interstate household goods movers and brokers.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act\n\nMay 22, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce theHousehold Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. This bill would give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) more authority to protect consumers from fraud in the interstate transportation of household goods. Specifically, this bill would give FMCSA the authority to assess civil penalties against unregistered shippers and against entities that hold consumers\u2019 personal goods hostage, give FMCSA the express authority to reimburse states for enforcing federal consumer protection laws related to the transportation of household goods, and establish requirements to ensure that motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders that seek registration are operating legitimate businesses. Representative Mike Ezell is co-leading this bill with me.\n\nFMCSA receives thousands of complaints every year from Americans who are the victims of fraud in the shipment of household goods. Fraudsters have launched moving companies with fake 5-star online reviews to draw in customers, intending to overcharge customers or hold their personal goods hostage until an additional fee is paid. After receiving negative reviews, fraudsters would open a new moving company under a new name and a new FMCSA license. FMCSA lacks the authority to prevent and punish these types of fraud.\n\nIn 2019, a Department of Transportation Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ruled that FMCSA lacks authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations and registration requirements, including unauthorized brokerage and for failure to return household goods to consumers. Under current law, as interpreted by the ALJ\u2019s decision and final agency order, FMCSA may not assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations. Instead, the Department of Justice must initiate an action in federal court. This bill would reverse the ALJ\u2019s decision and provide explicit authority for FMCSA to adjudicate and assess civil penalties for unfair business practices and consumer protection violations, as well as give FMCSA authority to enforce roadway safety regulations against fraudsters.\n\nThis bill would also provide explicit authority to FMCSA to withhold registration from any applicant that fails to provide a valid principal place of business or disclose common ownership with any other registered entities at the time of registration. Household goods carriers, brokers and freight forwarders have registered with addresses where no legitimate operations take place, often designating their official address as a retail package store, vacant parking lot or business address unrelated to the registered entity. FMCSA already requires motor carriers to designate a principal place of business and disclose common ownership. However, FMCSA may only take enforcement action after the entity is already registered and refuses to cooperate with investigations at the designated address.\n\nThis bill would also permit states to use Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program and High Priority program funding to conduct commercial regulatory and consumer protection standard reviews and enforcement actions against household goods motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders. It would also clarify that states may retain the penalties and fines imposed in proceedings relating to violations of household goods statutes and regulations. These provisions would support states in their efforts to protect the American people from predatory practices.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/ahead-rules-committee-consideration-norton-condemns-bill-repeal-dc-voting-law", "Ahead of Rules Committee Consideration, Norton Condemns Bill to Repeal D.C. Voting Law", "2024-05-21", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of today\u2019s Rules Committee consideration of a bill by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) to prohibit D.C. residents who are not citizens from voting in local D.C. elections, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that D.C. residents are capable of governing their own local affairs without interference from members of Congress who weren\u2019t elected by D.C. D.C.\u2019s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, which allows noncitizens to vote in local D.C. elections, was passed by the D.C. Council in 2022.\n\n\"D.C. laws are matters for the duly elected D.C. Council and mayor, not unaccountable members of Congress who do not represent D.C. residents. The almost 700,000 D.C. residents are worthy and capable of governing their own local affairs,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDespite these constant attacks on D.C. election laws, congressional Republicans have refused to do the one and only thing D.C. residents have asked them to do about elections in D.C.: to give D.C. residents voting representation in the House and Senate, as well as full control over their local affairs, by passing my D.C. statehood bill.\u201d\n\nApproximately 50 bills with anti-D.C. provisions have been introduced in the House and Senate this Congress.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-recognizing-dc-servicemembers-and-veterans-0", "Norton Introduces Resolution Recognizing D.C. Servicemembers and Veterans in Advance of Memorial Day", "2024-05-21", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution in advance of Memorial Day recognizing District of Columbia servicemembers and veterans. The resolution calls for statehood for the District of Columbia to ensure these servicemembers and veterans \u2013 and all District residents \u2013 enjoy the full rights of American democracy. D.C. residents have served in every war since the Revolutionary War, all without the full and equal rights that can come only with statehood.\n\n\"Each year we use Memorial Day to recognize servicemembers who have died in service to our nation,\" Norton said. \"District of Columbia servicemembers and veterans have fought and died in every war since the Revolution without the equal protections of American democracy \u2013 including voting representation in Congress \u2013 that residents of the states receive.\u201d\n\nThe House passed Norton's D.C. statehood bill twice in the last two Congresses. When it first passed in 2020, it was the first time in history either the House or the Senate had passed the D.C. statehood bill. This Congress, there are 206 House cosponsors and 46 Senate cosponsors. The Biden administration strongly supports the D.C. statehood bill.\n\nThe text of the resolution follows.\n\nH. RES. __\n\nRecognizing on Memorial Day, May 27, 2024, the denial of full participation in their Government through statehood by active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and their families who are residents of the District of Columbia.\n\nIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\n\nMs. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on _______________\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nRecognizing on Memorial Day, May 27, 2024, the denial of full participation in their Government through statehood by active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and their families who are residents of the District of Columbia.\n\nWhereas, on the last Monday of May, the Nation observes Memorial Day, a Federal holiday commemorating the members of the Armed Forces who died in the service of their country;\n\nWhereas the service and sacrifice of active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and their families are unparalleled;\n\nWhereas active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, and veterans have risked life and limb to protect the American people and uphold the rights and freedoms of the people of the United States;\n\nWhereas approximately 30,000 veterans are residents of the District of Columbia and do not have voting representation in Congress or full local self-government in the District of Columbia;\n\nWhereas residents of the District of Columbia fought in the Revolutionary War, which resulted in the creation of the United States and was fought under the slogan of \u201cno taxation without representation\u201d, and have served in every war since;\n\nWhereas 635 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War I, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 3 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 3,575 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War II, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 4 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 547 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Korean war, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 8 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas 243 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Vietnam war, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 10 different States during that war;\n\nWhereas almost 200,000 District of Columbia residents have served in the military since World War I;\n\nWhereas, the District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51/S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, has 206 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 46 cosponsors in the Senate: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That\u2014\n\n(1) District of Columbia residents have earned full and equal representation in the House of Representatives and Senate and full local self-government; and\n\n(2) on Memorial Day, the House of Representatives recognizes that active duty servicemembers, National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and their families who are residents of the District of Columbia deserve passage of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-highlights-biden-administration-statement-opposing-dc-crimes-act-house", "Norton Highlights Biden Administration Statement Opposing D.C. CRIMES Act on House Floor Today, D.C. Officials\u2019 Opposition to the Bill, Releases Floor Remarks", "2024-05-15", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) highlighted the Biden Administration\u2019s Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) opposing the D.C. CRIMES Act, which the House is considering today. The SAP stated that the bill was \u201ca counterproductive and destructive invasion of the District\u2019s right to self-governance and would impede public safety and crime reduction.\u201d D.C.\u2019s three top local elected officials, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Attorney General Brian Schwalb, also oppose the bill.\n\n\u201cThank you, President Biden, for your strong statement opposing the radical, undemocratic and paternalistic bill on the House floor today,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe bill, introduced by a member of Congress who was not elected by D.C. residents, would remove D.C.\u2019s ability to increase criminal penalties for violations of its own local laws. It could even be construed to prevent D.C. from creating any new crimes in the future, impeding the District\u2019s ability to respond to new threats. And thank you to D.C.\u2019s local officials for supporting home rule.\n\n\u201cThe bill is an egregious violation of D.C. residents\u2019 right to self-governance, and as the Biden Administration rightly states, it highlights why D.C. needs statehood.\u201d\n\nNorton is expected to speak on the House floor today at approximately 4:15 p.m. opposing the bill. Her floor remarks follow, as prepared for delivery.\n\nFloor Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nH.R. 7530, the DC CRIMES Act of 2024\n\nMay 15, 2024\n\nI strongly oppose this radical, undemocratic and paternalistic bill, as do the three top local elected District of Columbia officials: Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. I ask unanimous consent to insert into the record their joint letter opposing this bill.\n\nBefore I discuss the substance of this bill, I want to discuss democracy, and the lack of it in D.C. D.C. residents, who have all the obligations of American citizenship, have no voting representation in Congress, and Congress has the ultimate say on local D.C. matters.\n\nWhile my Republican colleagues are correct that Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, their assertion that Congress has a constitutional duty to do so is wrong. Legislating on local D.C. matters is a choice. As the Supreme Court held in 1953, \u201cthere is no constitutional barrier to the delegation by Congress to the District of Columbia of full legislative power.\u201d\n\nD.C.\u2019s local legislature, the Council, has 13 members. The members are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, they can vote them out of office. That is called democracy.\n\nCongress has 535 voting members. The members are elected by residents of their states. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote on local D.C. matters, they cannot vote them out of office. That is the anthesis of democracy.\n\nThe merits of this bill should be irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress legislating on local D.C. matters. However, I will discuss this bill.\n\nThis bill would be the biggest rollback of D.C. self-government in a generation. This bill says the D.C. Council may not \u201cenact any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence in effect on the date of the enactment of the DC CRIMES Act of 2024.\u201d This provision, which does not define the term criminal liability sentence, is as poorly drafted as it is offensive. It takes away D.C.\u2019s authority to increase or decrease statutory criminal penalties. If D.C. wanted to increase penalties for violent crime, it could not do so. This bill could even be construed to prevent D.C. from establishing any new crimes at all.\n\nThis bill also reduces the maximum age of eligibility for D.C.\u2019s Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 1985. D.C. is not the only jurisdiction to have such a so-called young adult offender law. Alabama, Florida, Michigan, New York, South Carolina and Vermont have such laws. The sponsor of this bill is from one of those six states.\n\nThe 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 and pay full federal taxes. Indeed, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 20 states.\n\nIf House Republicans cared about democratic principles or D.C. residents, they would bring to the floor my D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government. Congress has the constitutional authority to admit the State of Washington, D.C. It simply lacks the will.\n\nThe nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of self-government.\n\nI urge members to vote NO on this bill and to keep their hands off D.C.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-thanks-senate-energy-natural-resources-subcommittee-chair-holding", "Norton Thanks Senate Energy & Natural Resources Subcommittee Chair for Holding Hearing on RFK Stadium Campus Bill", "2024-05-15", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 After today\u2019s Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources hearing to receive testimony from the National Park Service on her bill with Rep. James Comer (R-KY) to authorize transfer administrative control of the RFK Stadium campus to D.C., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked National Parks Subcommittee Chairman Angus King (I-ME) for holding the hearing, which represents the bill\u2019s first step in the Senate towards a full vote in that chamber. The House passed the bill in February.\n\n\u201cThank you, Chairman King, for holding today\u2019s hearing on my bill with Rep. Comer, which would allow D.C. to use the land where RFK Stadium sits for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDuring my tenure in Congress I\u2019ve worked to transfer control of underused federal land in the District to local D.C. so it can be put to productive use.\n\n\u201cThis bill is a win-win for both the federal and D.C. governments. The last professional sports game played at RFK Stadium was in 2017 and the stadium\u2019s current blighted state presents dangers to nearby residents, but the bill would allow D.C. to create a mixed-use development and generate significant revenue for the District.\n\n\u201cI will work to ensure momentum continues after today\u2019s important hearing.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-calls-house-vote-down-dc-crimes-act-tomorrow", "Norton Calls on House to Vote Down D.C. CRIMES Act Tomorrow", "2024-05-14", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) called on the House to vote down the D.C. CRIMES Act when it is considered on the House floor tomorrow. The bill would remove D.C.\u2019s authority to increase or decrease criminal penalties for violations of its own local laws and could be construed to prevent D.C. from establishing any new crimes in the future. Passage and enactment would be the most substantial rollback of D.C.\u2019s authority to govern itself in 30 years.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m calling on the House to vote against this radical, undemocratic, and paternalistic bill when it comes to the floor,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThis bill would work against the purported \u2018concern\u2019 by Republican members of Congress with crime in D.C. by hampering the District\u2019s ability to deter or punish criminal activity. D.C.\u2019s three top elected officials, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb also oppose the bill, which would be the most substantial rollback of D.C.\u2019s home rule authority in a generation.\n\n\u201cThe D.C. CRIMES Act, which was introduced by a member of Congress from Florida, states the D.C. Council may not \u2018enact any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence in effect on the date of the enactment of the DC CRIMES Act of 2024.\u2019 This provision, which does not define the term \u2018criminal liability sentence,\u2019 is as poorly drafted as it is offensive. If D.C. wanted to increase penalties for violent crime, it could not do so under this bill. Perhaps most egregiously, it could even be construed by a court to prevent D.C. from establishing any new crimes at all.\n\n\u201cThe 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 and pay full federal taxes. Indeed, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 20 states.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are worthy and capable of self-government. I\u2019m calling on the House to vote down this anti-home rule legislation.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/ahead-8th-anti-home-rule-hearing-congress-norton-calls-end-paternalistic", "Ahead of 8th Anti-Home Rule Hearing This Congress, Norton Calls for End to Paternalistic, Wasteful Hearings on Local D.C. Affairs", "2024-05-07", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of tomorrow\u2019s anti-D.C. home rule Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR) hearing, titled \u201cOversight of D.C.\u2019s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism,\u201d Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the current Republican preoccupation with grandstanding to score political points at D.C.\u2019s expense must end. Tomorrow\u2019s hearing will be the eighth anti-DC hearing \u2013 the fifth in COR \u2013 held by House Republicans this Congress, none of whom were elected to represent D.C.\n\n\u201cProtests are occurring on campuses across the country, including in Chairman Comer\u2019s home state of Kentucky,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe only remarkable aspect of the protests at George Washington University is that they\u2019re occurring in D.C., which has more experience managing protests than any other jurisdiction in the country. This undemocratic, paternalistic preoccupation with the affairs of D.C. by members of Congress elected to represent far-away districts must end.\n\n\u201cWhile my colleagues across the aisle could be working to solve problems across the country or to advance the goals of their own constituents, they are instead choosing, yet again, to use valuable time scoring political points at the expense of nearly 700,000 people who live in D.C. who elected me to represent them in Congress. Ahead of the eighth anti-DC home rule hearing in the 118th Congress, I\u2019m calling for an end to the unseemly, paternalistic, wasteful Republican fixation on D.C.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-washington-channel-public-access-act", "Norton Introduces Washington Channel Public Access Act", "2024-05-06", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to prohibit the Secretary of the Army from finalizing or implementing any rule that would restrict public access to the Washington Channel in the District of Columbia. A proposed rule that would have established a permanent restricted area in the Channel adjacent to Fort McNair, specifically impacting recreation and commerce in the Wharf and Navy Yard neighborhoods, was withdrawn in 2022 after community members expressed overwhelming opposition.\n\n\u201cThe rule proposed in 2019 was arbitrary, capricious and would have unnecessarily restricted recreational and commercial access to the Channel without providing any security benefits,\u201d Norton said. \u201cAlthough the proposed rule was withdrawn after community members expressed their overwhelming opposition during a community meeting I held, this bill is necessary to ensure that the Secretary of the Army does not finalize, implement or enforce a rule that would restrict public access to the Channel.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn the Introduction of the Washington Channel Public Access Act\n\nMay 6, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Washington Channel Public Access Act. This bill would prohibit the Secretary of the Army from finalizing, implementing or enforcing any rule that would restrict access to the Washington Channel (Channel) in the District of Columbia.\n\nIn 2019, the Secretary of the Army proposed a rule to establish a permanent restricted area in the Channel adjacent to Fort McNair, which would have restricted access to the navigable portion of the Channel by narrowing the waterway where recreational and commercial vessels could traverse and prohibited anchoring and mooring altogether. The U.S. Army Military District of Washington cited security needs at Fort McNair to justify the rule.\n\nThe proposed rule was arbitrary and capricious and would have unnecessarily restricted recreational and commercial access to the Channel without providing any security benefits.\n\nNeighborhoods like The Yards and The Wharf have reinvigorated community engagement on the waterfront, and the Channel is increasingly used for regional transportation and recreation. The stretch of the Channel past Fort McNair is the only connection to the Potomac River. The rule would have likely forced kayaks, paddleboards and recreational boats into the same space as water taxis and river cruise ships, creating a potentially dangerous situation.\n\nI hosted a public meeting in which community members expressed overwhelming opposition to the proposed rule, but military officials did not address the question of whether less restrictive measures could provide the same security. I then wrote asking Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to direct the U.S. Army Military District of Washington and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the proposed rule and to prohibit these agencies from proposing a similar rule. In 2021, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed a version of this bill. In 2022, the U.S. Army withdrew the proposed rule. Nevertheless, this bill is necessary to ensure that the Secretary of the Army does not finalize, implement or enforce a rule that would restrict public access to the Channel.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-designate-may-1-2024-dc-statehood-day", "Norton Introduces Resolution to Designate May 1, 2024, as \u201cD.C. Statehood Day\u201d", "2024-05-01", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution expressing support for the designation of May 1, 2024, as \u201cD.C. Statehood Day\u201d and calling for statehood for the District through enactment of her Washington, D.C. Admission Act.\n\n\"The single idea of 'taxation without representation' that gave rise to the American Revolution still resonates today,\" Norton said. \"D.C. residents pay the highest federal taxes per capita and more federal taxes than 19 states. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the Revolution, and they deserve voting representation in Congress and full local self-government.\n\n\u201cHighlighting the District\u2019s need for statehood as often as possible only serves to help us reach statehood sooner, and I introduced this resolution to name May 1st, or 5/1, \u2018Statehood Day\u2019 for this very reason.\u201d\n\nThe text of the resolution follows.\n\nH. RES. __\n\nRecognizing the disenfranchisement of District of Columbia residents, calling for statehood for the District of Columbia through the enactment of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, and expressing support for the designation of May 1, 2024, as \u201cD.C. Statehood Day\u201d.\n\nIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\n\nMs. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on _______________\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nRecognizing the disenfranchisement of District of Columbia residents, calling for statehood for the District of Columbia through the enactment of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, and expressing support for the designation of May 1, 2024, as \u201cD.C. Statehood Day\u201d.\n\nWhereas the United States was founded on the principles of consent of the governed and no taxation without representation;\n\nWhereas District of Columbia residents are denied voting representation in Congress and full local self-government;\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia pays more per capita Federal taxes than any State and pays more Federal taxes than 19 States;\n\nWhereas statehood would give District of Columbia residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government;\n\nWhereas Congress has the constitutional authority to pass the District of Columbia statehood bill, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51), which would admit the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth and reduce the size of the Federal district;\n\nWhereas the Admissions Clause of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to admit new States, and all 37 new States were admitted by Congress;\n\nWhereas no State would have to consent to the admission of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth;\n\nWhereas the District Clause of the Constitution gives Congress plenary authority over the Federal district and establishes a maximum size of the Federal district, but not a minimum size nor a location of the Federal district;\n\nWhereas the 23d Amendment to the Constitution allows the Federal district to participate in the electoral college, while not establishing a minimum size nor a location of the Federal district;\n\nWhereas the Constitution does not establish any prerequisites for new States, but Congress has generally considered 3 factors\u2014\n\n(1) population and resources;\n\n(2) support for statehood; and\n\n(3) commitment to democracy;\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia has a larger population than 2 States;\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia has a larger gross domestic product than 16 States and a higher per capita gross domestic product than any State;\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia has a higher per capita personal income than any State;\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia has a triple-A bond rating;\n\nWhereas 86 percent of District of Columbia residents voted for statehood in 2016; and\n\nWhereas District of Columbia residents have been fighting for voting representation in Congress and full local self-government for more than 200 years: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives\u2014\n\n(1) supports the designation of \u201cD.C. Statehood Day\u201d; and\n\n(2) calls on Congress to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51 and S. 51).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-address-retirement-issues-certain-public-servants-under", "Norton Introduces Bill to Address Retirement Issues for Certain Public Servants Under D.C. Revitalization Act", "2024-04-30", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to address several retirement issues for several categories of workers who used to be under the District of Columbia retirement system. First, the service of some employees from 1987-1997 who participated in D.C.\u2019s defined contribution plan and were transferred to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) had those ten years of service not fully counted for the amount of their annuity. The bill would allow those employees to buy into the FERS annuity amount from those ten years, which would give them the full retirement benefit to which they should be entitled.\n\n\u201cWhen receiving their retirement benefits, these workers should be able to have all of their service recognized and counted in determining the amount of annuity they receive,\u201d Norton said.\n\nThe bill also addresses two benefit issues for employees in the teachers, police officers, and firefighters pension plans, whose pre-1997 benefits are funded by the federal government. First, the bill would recognize domestic partner benefits for pre-1997 benefits, like D.C. enacted for benefits post-1997. Second, the bill would change the age at which a surviving spouse may remarry without losing survivor benefits to bring them in line with both the post-1997 benefits and the retirement benefits for most federal employees, and make the analogous change for D.C. judges, whose retirement benefits are funded by the federal government.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the Introduction of\n\nThe National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 Technical Corrections Act of 2024\n\nApril 30, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 Technical Corrections Act of 2024, which would address several retirement issues for current and former District of Columbia employees that resulted from the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Revitalization Act). The Revitalization Act, among other things, transferred several categories of employees who were in the D.C. retirement system to the federal retirement system and the federal government took over paying for the pension benefits earned by teachers, police officers, firefighters and judges before 1997.\n\nThe Revitalization Act transferred several categories of employees, primarily related to D.C.\u2019s criminal justice system, who participated in D.C.\u2019s defined contribution plan from 1987 to 1997 to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). However, these employees\u2019 service from 1987 to 1997 was not counted for purposes of creditable service or annuity amount in FERS. In 2009, Congress passed legislation counting this service for creditable service, but not annuity amount. This bill would allow these employees to buy into the FERS annuity amount for 1987 to 1997 by paying 1.3% of their base pay plus interest, essentially the employee contribution for this time, which would give them the full retirement benefit to which they should be entitled.\n\nSecond, this bill would address two benefit issues for employees in the teachers, police officers and firefighters pension plans, whose pre-1997 benefits are funded by the federal government. In 2018, D.C. enacted a law to provide domestic partner benefits for the police and firefighters pension plan, which mirrored a law already enacted for teachers. However, these domestic partner benefits apply only to service accrued after 1997, since the federal government funds pre-1997 benefits. This bill would make the domestic partner benefits available for pre-1997 benefits, too.\n\nFinally, in 2012, D.C. enacted the Equity in Survivor Benefits Amendment Act, which reduced from age 60 to 55 the age after which a surviving spouse may remarry without losing survivor benefits for those in the teachers, police and firefighters pension plans. However, these survivor benefits apply only to service accrued after 1997, since the federal government funds pre-1997 benefits. This bill would bring those pre-1997 benefits in line with both the post-1997 benefits and the retirement benefits for federal employees in the Civil Service Retirement System or FERS and make an analogous change for D.C. judges, whose retirement benefits are funded by the federal government. In general, for federal retirees, 55 is the age after which a surviving spouse may remarry without losing survivor benefits.\n\nThis bill is an important step to assist these workers in getting the retirement benefits they deserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-announces-community-project-funding-application-process-0", "Norton Announces Community Project Funding Application Process", "2024-04-25", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced the process for applying to her office for Community Project Funding, formerly known as earmarks, for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). For a Community Project Funding request to be considered, eligible entities must submit an application by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30th to NortonCommunityProjectFunding@mail.house.gov.\n\nThe House Committee on Appropriations instituted new eligibility requirements for FY25. Only governmental entities and public institutions of higher education will be eligible for projects under the T-HUD Economic Development Initiatives program. Memorials, museums, and commemoratives (i.e., projects named for an individual or entity) are not eligible for Community Project Funding. The subcommittees\u2019 requirements can be found here.\n\nLate or incomplete applications, including applications that do not provide the information required by the relevant subcommittee, will not be considered and the project must be in the District of Columbia.\n\nAn application consists of all the information about the entity and project required by the applicable subcommittee, as well as the following:\n\nName of the recipient\n\nAddress of the recipient\n\nAmount of the request\n\nExplanation of the request, including purpose, and a justification for why it is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds\n\nEvidence of community support\n\nIf on behalf of a non-profit, evidence the entity is a non-profit organization as described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and evidence non-profit\u2019s work is primarily focused on D.C.\n\nThe Appropriations Committee is only permitting certain programs within specific subcommittees that are going to participate in the earmark process, listed below.\n\nAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies\n\nDepartment of Agriculture\u2013Farm Production and Conservation Programs\n\nNatural Resources Conservation Service (Conservation Operations)\n\nDepartment of Agriculture\u2013Research, Education, and Economics\n\nAgricultural Research Service (Buildings and Facilities)\n\nDepartment of Agriculture\u2013Rural Development\n\nRural Housing Service (Community Facilities)\n\nRural Utilities Service (ReConnect Program)\n\nRural Utilities Service (Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants)\n\nRural Utilities Service (Rural Water and Waste Disposal Grants)\n\nCommerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies\n\nDepartment of Commerce\n\nNIST\u2014Scientific and Technical Research\n\nNOAA\u2014Coastal Zone Management\n\nDepartment of Justice\n\nCOPS Technology and Equipment\n\nByrne Justice\n\nNational Aeronautics and Space Administration\n\nSafety, Security, and Mission Services\n\nEnergy and Water Development\n\nArmy Corps of Engineers (Civil Works)\n\nInvestigations\n\nConstruction\n\nMississippi River and Tributaries\n\nOperation and Maintenance\n\nDepartment of the Interior/Bureau of Reclamation\n\nWater and Related Resources\n\nHomeland Security\n\nFederal Emergency Management Agency\n\nFederal Assistance\u2014Emergency Ops. Centers\n\nFederal Assistance\u2014Pre-Disaster Mitigation\n\nInterior, Environment, and Related Agencies\n\nEnvironmental Protection Agency\n\nSTAG\u2014Clean Water State Revolving Fund\n\nSTAG\u2014Drinking Water State Revolving Fund\n\nMilitary Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies\n\nArmy\n\nArmy National Guard\n\nArmy Reserve\n\nNavy & Marine Corps\n\nNavy Reserve\n\nAir Force and Space Force\n\nAir National Guard\n\nAir Force Reserve\n\nDoD, Defense-Wide\n\nTransportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies\n\nDepartment of Housing and Urban Development\n\nCDBG \u2013 Economic Development Initiatives\n\nDepartment of Transportation\n\nAirport Improvement Program\n\nHighway Infrastructure Projects\n\nTransit Infrastructure Projects\n\nConsolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements\n\nPort Infrastructure Development Program", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-rename-rock-creek-park-rock-creek-national-park", "Norton Introduces Bill to Rename Rock Creek Park as \u201cRock Creek National Park\u201d", "2024-04-23", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her bill to rename Rock Creek Park as \"Rock Creek National Park,\" which would acknowledge the importance of the park for the nation, visitors, tourists, and its central place for District of Columbia residents. Norton said this name would highlight Rock Creek Park as one of the nation's great historic parks, along with national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia National Park. Rock Creek is the nation's oldest federally managed urban park and the third oldest federal park in the country.\n\n\"We are grateful to enjoy all the amenities of a beautiful park running through our city, but Rock Creek Park also deserves its place among the nation's great historic parks,\" Norton said. \"Rock Creek Park is one of America's oldest and most revered parks, enjoyed not only by hundreds of thousands of D.C. residents, but by the millions who visit the nation's capital each year. Rock Creek Park is a tourist destination different from our monument sites only in its creation by nature. Renaming Rock Creek Park as \u2018Rock Creek National Park' would help recognize the national status of the park and would assist us in getting Congress to revitalize this remarkable resource in the nation's capital.\"\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn theIntroduction of theRock Creek National Park Act of 2024\n\nApril 23, 2024\n\nMs. Norton. Mr. Speaker.\n\nToday, I introduce a bill to redesignate the United States-owned Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia as \u201cRock Creek National Park.\u201d Redesignating this park will highlight its significance to the nation, including visitors to the nation\u2019s capital, and will help bring much-needed funding for the park\u2019s inviting trails, waterways and other unique features.\n\nRock Creek Park is already a \u201cnational\u201d park, as it was established by Congress in 1890 \u201cfor the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States.\u201d Rock Creek Park was the first federally managed urban park and the third federal park ever created, after Yellowstone and Sequoia. Rock Creek Park was designed to preserve animals, timber, forestry and other interests in the park, and to ensure that its natural state is maintained as much as possible not only for D.C. residents, but for all Americans. The park also preserves the ancient history of the land, as it was used for temporary settlements and as a quarry for weapons and tools by Native Americans from 7000 BCE until the 1600s.\n\nSince Congress first designated Rock Creek Park, several structures and properties have been established or donated to further preserve Rock Creek Park, creating a vast connected park area that falls under a central National Park Service jurisdiction. In 1892, the federal government acquired Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, one of the mills used by local farmers during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. In 1950, the Old Stone House located in Georgetown, with its pre-Revolutionary War architecture, was acquired by the park. The building was restored and programs explain the house\u2019s rich history from the colonial period to the present day. The Fort Circle Parks were also acquired to interpret and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, which created a ring of protection for the nation\u2019s capital during the Civil War. The Carter Barron Amphitheater, established in honor of the 150th anniversary of the nation\u2019s capital, became an integral part of D.C.\u2019s live music scene, and has featured acts including Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross and Earth, Wind and Fire, as well as local artists. The redesignated \u201cRock Creek National Park\u201d would encompass these later additions to the park.\n\nToday, Rock Creek Park offers residents of D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, as well as visitors, an escape from our increasingly urban environment. Residents and tourists alike enjoy many activities in the park\u2019s 2,000 acres, including hiking and biking on the trails, horseback riding, picnicking, tennis and other recreational activities in some of the open fields. Our residents have expressed their appreciation by volunteering to clean up and maintain the forests, trails and waterways.\n\nIn 1918, landscape architects John Charles Olmstead and Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. wrote of Rock Creek Park, \u201cNo matter how perfect the scenery of the park may be or may become, no matter how high its potential value, that value remains potential except insofar as it is enjoyed by large and ever larger numbers of people, poor and rich alike.\u201d Redesignating Rock Creek Park as Rock Creek National Park will help recognize the national status of the park and protect and revitalize this remarkable resource in our nation\u2019s capital.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-award-congressional-gold-medal-first-13-african", "Norton Introduces Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to the First 13 African American Officers in the U.S. Navy", "2024-04-15", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to the first 13 African American officers in the United States Navy, known as the \u201cGolden 13.\u201d In 1944, 16 African American men completed training courses to become officers and passed their exams. Only 12 were commissioned as officers and a 13th was made a chief warrant officer, with no reason given by the Navy for why the remaining three did not receive the commissions they had earned.\n\n\u201cThe first African American officers in the U.S. Navy \u2013 known as the \u2018Golden 13\u2019 \u2013 passed their required exams with flying colors, despite being given only half the standard amount of time to train,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThese men supported each other throughout. When the group was accused of cheating and forced to retake the exams, the men scored even higher than they did the first time. These brave men overcame injustice and served their country honorably, overseeing all-Black units and the training of Black recruits. It's past time that we honor them with a Congressional Gold Medal.\"\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the Introduction of the Golden Thirteen Congressional Gold Medal Act\n\nApril 15, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Golden Thirteen Congressional Gold Medal Act. This bill would award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 African Americans who became the first African American commissioned and warrant officers in the United States Navy.\n\nIn 1944, the Navy began officer training courses for 16 African American men. At the time, there were no African American officers in the Navy. These 16 men were expected to complete their training in eight weeks, while normal officer training was 16 weeks.\n\nThese 16 men supported each other, including by placing blankets over their windows and studying as a group by flashlight at night. Each brought to the group his own expertise to help the others.\n\nWhen the course was completed, all 16 passed their exams. With some claiming that the group must have cheated, the group was forced to retake certain exams and scored even higher. The average grade for the group was 3.89 out of 4.00, the highest average of any class in Navy history at that time.\n\nEven though all 16 men passed the course, the Navy commissioned only 12 of the men, and a 13th was made a chief warrant officer. Three returned to the enlisted corps, with no reason given by the Navy.\n\nDuring the men\u2019s careers, they oversaw all-Black units or the training of Black recruits. One would go on to make his career in the Navy after World War II, with the rest returning to civilian life. In the 1970s, Captain Edward Secrest, a former instructor, gave the group the name the \u201cGolden Thirteen.\u201d\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor the first African American officers in the Navy, Jesse Walter Arbor; Phillip G. Barnes; Samuel Edward Barnes; Dalton Louis Baugh, Sr.; George Clinton Cooper; Reginald Ernest Goodwin; James Edward Hair; Charles Byrd Lear; Graham Edward Martin; Dennis Denmark Nelson; John Walter Reagan; Frank Ellis Sublett, Jr.; and William Sylvester White. The three members who passed their exams but were not given a commission were Augustus Alves; J.B. Pinkney; and Lewis \u201cMummy\u201d Williams.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-commemorating-dc-emancipation-day", "Norton Introduces Resolution Commemorating D.C. Emancipation Day", "2024-04-15", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her resolution commemorating D.C. Emancipation Day. D.C. Emancipation Day is an official holiday in D.C. honoring the date in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln freed 3,100 enslaved individuals in the District, nine months ahead of the Emancipation Proclamation.\n\n\u201cThis year, Emancipation Day comes the day after the deadline for filing federal taxes,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDistrict residents were the first to be freed from slavery, but we are the last to enjoy full rights and freedoms as American citizens, paying more in overall federal taxes than 19 states but still being denied voting representation in Congress. We also commemorate 3,100 enslaved individuals who were emancipated nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.\u201d\n\nThe text of the resolution follows.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nRecognizing the enduring cultural and historical significance of emancipation in the Nation\u2019s capital on the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which established the \u201cfirst freed\u201d on April 16, 1862, and celebrating passage of the District of Columbia statehood bill in the House of Representatives.\n\nWhereas the District of Columbia has been a focal point of the Nation\u2019s complex racial history, which has included slavery, the Civil War, killings, segregation, and disenfranchisement, among other violations of civil and human rights;\n\nWhereas, on April 16, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which freed the approximately 3,100 enslaved individuals in the District of Columbia and authorized compensation to their former enslavers;\n\nWhereas, on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which established a \u201cnew birth of freedom\u201d by legally emancipating millions of enslaved individuals in the 10 States of the Confederacy not under Union control, freeing the majority of the Nation\u2019s enslaved individuals;\n\nWhereas the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which reads \u201cNeither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation\u201d, was adopted on December 6, 1865, and effectively outlawed slavery in the United States;\n\nWhereas the enslavement of persons of African descent endured for more than two centuries in what is now the United States, including the District of Columbia;\n\nWhereas, in 2005, District of Columbia Emancipation Day, commemorating April 16, the date of the signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, was made a legal public holiday in the District of Columbia to be celebrated annually on April 16;\n\nWhereas the residents of the District of Columbia pay more per capita in Federal taxes than the residents of any State;\n\nWhereas the residents of the District of Columbia, who pay the full freight of Federal taxes, serve in the United States Armed Forces, are subject to all of the requirements of citizenship, and otherwise have long made contributions to the life, culture, and leadership of the United States, still are denied the voting representation in the Congress and independence from congressional interference in local matters in violation of the Nation\u2019s founding principles of no taxation without representation and consent of the governed;\n\nWhereas, on June 26, 2020, and April 22, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, the first and the second times in history, respectively, the D.C. statehood bill had been passed by either chamber of Congress;\n\nWhereas H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, has 206 cosponsors; and\n\nWhereas S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, has 46 cosponsors: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives\u2014\n\n(1) recognizes District of Columbia Emancipation Day, marking the anniversary of the end of slavery in the District of Columbia and symbolizing the aspirations of the residents of the District of Columbia for the same rights and freedoms afforded to residents of States; and\n\n(2) calls on Congress to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-says-federal-tax-filing-deadline-reminder-dc-residents-remain-under", "Norton Says Federal Tax Filing Deadline is Reminder that D.C. Residents Remain Under Taxation Without Representation", "2024-04-15", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the federal tax filing deadline today is a reminder that the District of Columbia pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more federal taxes overall than 19 states, while being denied the same voting representation in Congress or full local self-government. Norton said that the remedy is for Congress to pass her D.C. statehood bill.\n\n\"Today, on the deadline for filing federal taxes, I remind the public that D.C. still does not have voting representation in Congress nor full local self-government \u2013 rights accorded to Americans in the 50 states,\" Norton said. \"'No taxation without representation' was the slogan that gave birth to our nation itself. The principle should particularly apply to the citizens of the nation's capital today, who have all the obligations of citizenship and pay more federal taxes per capita than residents of any state.\n\n\u201cI introduced my D.C. statehood bill in the House on the first day bills were allowed to be introduced this Congress. The residents of our nation\u2019s capital are owed the same rights afforded to residents of the states, which should be accomplished through enactment of my D.C. statehood bill.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s D.C. statehood bill has passed the House twice, most recently in April of 2021.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/anniversary-start-civil-war-norton-introduces-bill-preserve-dc-region-civil", "On Anniversary of Start of Civil War, Norton Introduces Bill to Preserve D.C. Region Civil War Defenses", "2024-04-12", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 On the anniversary of the start of the Civil War \u2014 April 12, 1861 \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to recognize and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, located in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, by redesignating them as a national historic park.\n\n\u201cThis bill would redesignate the 22 Civil War Defenses of Washington currently under National Park Service jurisdiction as a national historical park,\u201d Norton said in her introductory statement. \u201cThis bill would also require the Secretary of the Interior to facilitate the history of the Civil War, including the history of the Defenses of Washington and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, being assembled, arrayed and conveyed for the benefit of the public for the knowledge, education and inspiration of this and future generations.\u201d\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act\n\nApril 12, 2024\n\nToday, on the anniversary of the week of the start of the Civil War, I introduce the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act, which would recognize and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington located in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. The Defenses of Washington, including forts, unarmed batteries and rifle trenches, created a ring of protection for the nation\u2019s capital during the Civil War. This bill would redesignate the 22 Civil War Defenses of Washington currently under National Park Service jurisdiction as a national historical park, and allow other sites associated with the Defenses of Washington that are owned by D.C. or a unit of state governments to be affiliated with the national historical park through cooperative agreements. This bill would also require the Secretary of the Interior to facilitate the history of the Civil War, including the history of the Defenses of Washington and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, being assembled, arrayed and conveyed for the benefit of the public for the knowledge, education and inspiration of this and future generations. In 2018, the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing on this bill. Although the Department of the Interior opposed this bill, I feel strongly that the Defenses of Washington need additional recognition and should be redesignated as a national historical park.\n\nThe Defenses of Washington were constructed at the beginning of the war, in 1861, as a ring of protection for the nation\u2019s capital and for President Abraham Lincoln. By the end of the war, these defenses included 68 forts, 93 unarmed batteries, 807 mounted cannons, 13 miles of rifle trenches and 32 miles of military roads. The major test of the Defenses of Washington came with the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, when Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early, directed by General Robert E. Lee, sought to attack the nation\u2019s capital from the north, causing Union forces threatening to attack Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, to be withdrawn. General Early was delayed by Union Major General Lew Wallace at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, and was stopped at the northern edge of Washington at the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11-12, 1864. The Shenandoah Valley Campaign ended when Union Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan defeated General Early at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia on October 19, 1864.\n\nNearly all the individual forts in the Defenses of Washington\u2014on both sides of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers\u2014were involved in stopping General Early\u2019s attack, and the Battle of Fort Stevens was the second and last attempt by the Confederate Army to attack Washington.\n\nTaken together, these battles were pivotal to the outcome of the war and the freedom and democracy that the war represented for this country. It is therefore fitting that we recognize the Defenses of Washington by redesignating them as a national historical park.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-molinaro-bill-remove-derogatory-r-word-dc-code-passes-senate-committee", "Norton, Molinaro Bill to Remove Derogatory \u201cR-Word\u201d from D.C. Code Passes Senate Committee", "2024-04-10", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs marked up and passed her bipartisan bill, the Words Matter for the District of Columbia Courts Act, co-led in the House by Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and in the Senate by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), to remove the derogatory \u201cR-word\u201d from Title 11 of the D.C. Code and replace it with more appropriate and respectful terminology. Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, only Congress can amend Title 11 of the D.C. Code.\n\n\u201cWords indisputably matter, and I am pleased that today\u2019s Senate committee passage means we\u2019re one step closer to bringing the D.C. Code into the 21st Century,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy own daughter, Katherine, has Down syndrome. I\u2019m appalled at the thought of someone using the \u2018R-word\u2019 slur toward her, and it is unacceptable that the derogatory term is still a part of the D.C. Code.\u201d\n\n\"I'm proud to see the Words Matter Act pass the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs,\u201d Molinaro said. \"This is a crucial step in removing disparaging terms that diminish individuals with disabilities. Our words matter and our laws should reflect that.\"\n\nThe Words Matter for the District of Columbia Courts Act has been endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, the National Down Syndrome Congress and the Special Olympics.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-prohibit-census-questions-citizenship-nationality-and", "Norton Introduces Bill to Prohibit Census Questions on Citizenship, Nationality, and Immigration Status", "2024-04-09", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today that would prohibit questions on citizenship, nationality, and immigration status on the decennial census.\n\n\"Questions on citizenship, nationality and immigration status undermine the census by driving down responses, especially from minorities,\" Norton said. \"Since the all-important issues of congressional apportionment and federal funding rely on an accurate census, we must do everything we can to ensure this unnecessary and harmful question is never allowed on the census.\u201d\n\nInformation on citizenship is already obtained through the American Community Survey.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn the Introduction of the Ensuring Full Participation in the Census Act of 2024\n\nApril 9, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Ensuring Full Participation in the Census Act of 2024, which would prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) from including questions on the decennial census about citizenship, nationality or immigration status.\n\nPrior to the 2020 census, the Department of Justice wrote to the Bureau requesting that it \u201creinstate on the 2020 [c]ensus questionnaire a question regarding citizenship.\u201d From 1970-2000, this question was sent to only approximately 16 percent of the population in the decennial census through the so-called \u201clong-form.\u201d However, the long-form system was dropped from the census and replaced with the current American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is sent to approximately three million people annually on a rotational basis, and allows the Bureau to get the necessary information on citizenship. Asking questions about citizenship status to every person in the decennial census has not been done in almost 70 years because it would discourage people, largely minorities, who are already undercounted in the census, from participating in the census. The ACS was created to make the decennial census simpler for people to complete, which facilitates higher participation rates and preserves privacy.\n\nFortunately, after a protracted legal and political process, the citizenship question was not included on the 2020 census. However, this legislation is necessary to ensure it cannot be asked on a future decennial census. The representative sampling provided by the ACS is more than sufficient to determine citizenship statistics in the U.S. We must ensure that all individuals are counted in the decennial census, thereby providing accurate allocation of federal funds and representation in Congress, and not reduce participation by asking a question that is already asked elsewhere.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-create-commemorative-coin-honor-paul-laurence-dunbar", "Norton Introduces Bill To Create Commemorative Coin To Honor Paul Laurence Dunbar", "2024-04-02", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 50,000 five-dollar coins, 400,000 one-dollar coins and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first influential African American poets in American literature. The surcharge on each coin sold would benefit scholarships and similar activities of the Dunbar Alumni Federation, the alumni association for the historic Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, the first public high school for African Americans in the United States. Norton is a Dunbar alumna.\n\n\"I am a proud graduate of Dunbar, a storied African American high school in our country,\u201d Norton said. \u201cIt was the first college preparatory high school for African American students in the United States.\n\n\u201cPaul Laurence Dunbar was revered by Americans as one of the greatest African American poets in our nation\u2019s history. Minting a coin in his honor would be particularly fitting since his poetry captured African Americans in their own terms not long after slavery, while also raising funds for worthy causes undertaken by the Dunbar Alumni Federation.\u201d\n\nMany well-known and accomplished African Americans have graduated from Dunbar. Among many notable alumni are: Edward Brooke, the first popularly elected African American to the U.S. Senate; Wesley A. Brown, the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy; and Robert C. Weaver, the first-ever Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Dunbar Alumni Federation was organized in 2002 to provide scholarships and other financial support to students and graduates of Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-address-complicit-bias-schools", "Norton Introduces Bill To Address Complicit Bias In Schools", "2024-03-28", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today she plans introduce the Combating Implicit Bias in Education Act during Friday\u2019s pro forma session. This bill would create a $30 million grant program for schools to train teachers, principals and other personnel on implicit bias. Norton says the program would cover both actual and perceived race, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.\n\n\"Study after study confirms that the effects of implicit bias can be seen in school discipline and academic achievement,\" Norton said. \"My bill would give school districts the right tools to address this bias and help implement corrective feedback. Every student deserves the opportunity and support to succeed in class, and my bill will help correct these harmful biases.\"\n\nUnder this bill, the Department of Education\u2019s Institute of Education Sciences would evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the training.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-mourns-loss-senator-joe-lieberman-dc-champion", "Norton Mourns Loss of Senator Joe Lieberman, D.C. Champion", "2024-03-28", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Senator Joseph Lieberman, who, at age 82, passed away yesterday. Norton said that Lieberman was a tireless champion of D.C. statehood.\n\n\"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my good friend, Senator Joe Lieberman,\" Norton said. \"Throughout his career, Senator Lieberman was a champion of D.C. statehood and equality for the residents of the District. He was the Senate sponsor of the D.C. statehood bill for many Congresses. Even after his retirement, Senator Lieberman fought for statehood. In 2021, Senator Lieberman returned to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he had chaired while he was in the Senate, to advocate for D.C. statehood. I will be forever grateful for Senator Lieberman\u2019s contributions, not just for D.C. statehood, but to our nation. May his memory be of a blessing.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-secures-victories-final-fiscal-year-2024-dc-appropriations-bill", "Norton Secures Victories in Final Fiscal Year 2024 D.C. Appropriations Bill", "2024-03-26", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said the final fiscal year (FY) 2024 District of Columba Appropriations bill, which President Biden signed into law last week, includes many victories for D.C. The bill provides $40 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a program created by a Norton bill. The appropriations bill, however, also includes two anti-home rule riders, one prohibiting D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women and the other prohibiting D.C. from spending its local funds on recreational marijuana commercialization.\n\n\"I am pleased at many of the provisions in the D.C. spending bill signed into law last week,\u201d Norton said. \"I am particularly pleased the bill provides $40 million for DCTAG. DCTAG is critical for D.C. students and families, who do not have the same array of public institutions of higher education that most states do, and for the D.C. tax base because DCTAG encourages taxpayers to move to and remain in the District.\u201d\n\nNorton secured the following victories:\n\nThe bill provides $40 million for DCTAG. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public institutions of higher education in the United States.\n\n$50 million for construction of a new building for Howard University Hospital.\n\nThe bill exempts D.C. from federal government shutdowns in Fiscal Year 2025. Norton has gotten annual shutdown exemptions enacted every year since the 2013 federal government shutdown.\n\nThe bill provides $8 million for D.C. Water for ongoing work to control flooding in D.C. and to clean up the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.\n\nThe bill provides $30 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund, which pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital.\n\nThe bill provides $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.\n\nThe bill provides $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.\n\nThe bill authorizes sledding on the Capitol grounds.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-statement-house-administration-committee-hearing-dc-crime", "Norton Statement on House Administration Committee Hearing on D.C. Crime", "2024-03-21", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today\u2019s Committee on House Administration hearing purporting to be about crime in D.C., even though crime across almost all measures has declined significantly, demonstrates that the Republican fixation with meddling in local D.C. affairs is undemocratic, paternalistic, irresponsible and unreflective of reality.\n\n\u201cCrime is falling in D.C. across almost all measurements,\u201d Norton said. \u201cIt is ironic that Republicans in Congress, who do not represent D.C., are abusing their undemocratic power over D.C. for a House Administration Committee hearing based on outdated information, in a hearing that serves no legislative purpose. Today\u2019s hearing is a scare tactic and demonstrates the Republican fixation on reducing or eliminating home rule for the District of Columbia.\u201d\n\nToday\u2019s hearing was the fourth hearing on crime in D.C. this Congress. Nine bills this Congress have been marked up or brought directly to the floor by House Republicans to repeal or amend statutes enacted by the duly-elected D.C. Council.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-clarify-due-process-rights-federal-employees", "Norton Introduces Bill to Clarify Due Process Rights for Federal Employees", "2024-03-19", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to clarify due process rights for federal employees serving in sensitive positions. Norton's bill would overturn an unprecedented federal court decision, Kaplan v. Conyers and MSPB, that stripped federal employees who do not work on classified matters of the right to independent review of an agency decision removing them from jobs on grounds of ineligibility, preventing at least 200,000 federal workers who are designated as \"noncritical sensitive\" from appealing. Norton says the Kaplan decision undercuts the Civil Service Act, which ensures due process rights for federal workers, as required by the U.S. Constitution.\n\nIn her introductory statement, Norton said: \"Stripping employees whose work does not involve classified matters of the right to an independent review of an agency decision that removes them from their jobs opens entirely new avenues for unreviewable, arbitrary action or retaliation by an agency head. This bill would stop the use of \u2018national security\u2019 to undo a vital component of civil service protection and of due process.\u201d\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of a Bill to Clarify Certain Due Process Rights of\n\nFederal Employees Serving in Sensitive Positions\n\nMarch 19, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce a bill to clarify certain due process rights of federal employees serving in sensitive positions. This bill would overturn an unprecedented federal court decision, Kaplan v. Conyers and MSPB, that stripped many federal employees of the right to independent review of an agency decision removing them from their jobs on grounds of ineligibility. The case was brought by two Department of Defense (DOD) employees, Rhonda Conyers, an accounting technician, and Devon Northover, a commissary management specialist, who were permanently demoted and suspended from their jobs after they were found to be no longer eligible to serve in noncritical sensitive positions. In 2014, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, which allowed the decision to stand. This bill is cosponsored by Representative Andr\u00e9 Carson.\n\nSpecifically, the decision prevents federal employees who are designated as \u201cnoncritical sensitive\u201d from appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they are removed from their jobs. Noncritical sensitive jobs include those that do not have access to classified information. The decision affects at least 200,000 DOD employees who are designated as noncritical sensitive. Even more concerning is that most federal employees could potentially lose the right to an independent review of an agency\u2019s decision because of a rule issued by the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that permits agency heads to designate most jobs in the federal government as noncritical sensitive, which went into effect in July 2015.\n\nThe decision undercuts Title 5, section 7701 of the Civil Service Act, which ensures due process rights for federal workers, as required by the Constitution. Stripping employees whose work does not involve classified matters of the right to an independent review of an agency decision that removes them from their jobs opens entirely new avenues for unreviewable, arbitrary action or retaliation by an agency head. This bill would stop the use of \u201cnational security\u201d to undo a vital component of civil service protection and of due process.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-allow-commercial-filming-capitol", "Norton Introduces Bill to Allow Commercial Filming at Capitol", "2024-03-13", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill to permit commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol Complex beyond the area where it is currently permitted, Union Square, when both chambers of Congress are out of session. Norton\u2019s bill would provide an economic and patriotic boost to the nation\u2019s capital by allowing commercial filmmakers and photographers to showcase the Capitol in its fullest authenticity to the nation and the rest of the world. The expanded commercial filmmaking and photography would be subject to the same conditions and requirements that exist for commercial filmmaking and photography in Union Square. Norton said her bill addresses any security concerns by giving Capitol Police full discretion on when to issue permits. Norton\u2019s bill is part of her effort to expand public access to public spaces, particularly around the Capitol.\n\n\u201cIn our open and free democracy, it should be unthinkable to deny access to film the Capitol, one of our nation\u2019s most iconic democratic symbols,\u201d Norton said. \u201cIt is neither business-friendly nor true to the nation\u2019s democratic traditions to exclude filming of the Capitol, and there is no justifiable policy reason to limit filming to Union Square. Encouraging commercial photography and filmmaking at the Capitol would help spread the story of our democracy and our national legislature around the world, while providing a boost to the District of Columbia\u2019s economy.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nOn the Introduction of a Bill to Permit Commercial Filmmaking and Photography on the Grounds of the U.S. Capitol\n\nMarch 13, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce a bill that would permit commercial filmmaking and photography on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Complex. Currently, such filmmaking and photography is only authorized in Union Square.\n\nIn many countries, freedom of expression is limited, and while the January 6th insurrection was one of the greatest threats to American democracy in history, the Capitol and the United States remain beacons of democracy for the world. We should encourage commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol to share this symbol of democracy with the world. Movies and television shows that involve the Capitol should not have to go to other cities or use a fake building.\n\nThis bill would allow commercial filmmaking and photography outside of the Capitol and congressional office buildings by permit, so long as neither chamber is in session. The policy allowing commercial filmmaking and photography in Union Square shows that the Capitol Police can handle commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol Complex, especially when Congress is not in session. However, that vantage point captures the least familiar view of the Capitol. Preventing commercial filmmakers and photographers from shooting in front of the Capitol is neither business-friendly nor true to the nation\u2019s democratic traditions. Encouraging commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol would help spread the story of democracy around the world.\n\nThere is no good reason why commercial filmmaking and photography should be confined to Union Square. Specifically, my bill would give the Capitol Police complete discretion to issue a permit for commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol Complex under the same terms and conditions as those for commercial filmmaking and photography in Union Square. No policy or security reasons exist to justify limiting commercial filmmaking and photography at the Capitol Complex to Union Square, especially considering that permits are necessary. Visitors are regularly seen taking videos and pictures around the Capitol Complex, demonstrating the arbitrary nature of limiting commercial filmmaking and photography to Union Square.\n\nThis bill would provide the Capitol Police authority to charge fees to cover any costs incurred by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) for permit approval. The fees would be deposited into the Capitol Trust Account, which was established to accept fees collected from commercial filmmaking and photography permits for Union Square. Amounts in the Capitol Trust Account would be available without fiscal year limitation for maintenance, improvements and projects the AOC considers appropriate, subject to the approval of the Appropriations Committees.\n\nViews of the Capitol are among America\u2019s most iconic. Limiting commercial filmmaking and photography of the Capitol, an important vehicle for telling the nation\u2019s story, does not serve the American people. Indeed, most of the world reveres our system of government largely through commercial films and photos of the Capitol, a symbol of our democracy at work. Commercial films and photographs of the Capitol, the seat of our democracy, are perhaps the best modern vehicles for telling the nation\u2019s story and showcasing its democratic system of government. Republicans and Democrats alike revere the image of the Capitol as a symbol of democracy. My bill would enable appropriate, permitted commercial filmmaking and photography of the Capitol, and would create economic benefits for the nation, the District of Columbia and private businesses.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-says-bidens-budget-contains-critical-victories-she-requested-dc", "Norton Says Biden\u2019s Budget Contains Critical Victories She Requested for D.C.", "2024-03-13", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that President Biden's fiscal year 2025 budget, released this week, includes several significant victories for the District of Columbia, including, as Norton requested, $40 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), which a Norton bill created, and an increase in the DCTAG annual and lifetime grants. However, she said she was disappointed that the budget, like the president\u2019s previous budgets, maintains the rider that prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on recreational marijuana commercialization. D.C. victories in the bill include:\n\n$40 million in funding for DCTAG, including an increase for the DCTAG annual award from $10,000 to $15,000, and an increase in the lifetime grant from $50,000 to $75,000. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public institutions of higher education in the United States.\n\n$97 million for the Emergency Planning & Security Fund, which pays for the increased cost of emergency and security planning related to the federal government\u2019s presence in D.C.\n\n$70 million for construction of a new Howard University Hospital building.\n\n$15 million for improvements to Union Station.\n\nA provision allowing the District to spend its local funds during a federal government shutdown.\n\n$5 million for HIV/AIDS testing, treatment and prevention in D.C.\n\n$8 million for DC Water.\n\n$600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.\n\n\u201cI particularly appreciate that the Biden administration recognizes the importance of the DCTAG program for D.C. students and families and has included increases in the annual and lifetime awards,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThe cost of college has increased dramatically, but the grants have not kept pace since Congress created the program in 1999. I am also pleased the budget includes my provision exempting the local D.C. government from federal government shutdowns, which I have gotten enacted every year since 2014.\u201d\n\nNorton expressed disappointment that the budget maintains the rider that prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on recreational marijuana commercialization.\n\n\u201cWhile I am disappointed the budget again maintains the marijuana rider, I am pleased it does not include the abortion rider, which currently bars D.C. from spending its local funds on abortions for low-income women,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThis is particularly important for the residents of the District after the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has threatened D.C. residents\u2019 continued ability to receive full reproductive healthcare.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/after-oversight-committee-markup-two-anti-dc-bills-norton-calls-republican", "After Oversight Committee Markup of Two Anti-D.C. Bills, Norton Calls Republican Effort to Overturn D.C. Laws Undemocratic and Paternalistic", "2024-03-07", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 After today\u2019s Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR) markup and vote on two anti-D.C. home rule bills, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said the Republican efforts to repeal or amend local D.C. laws enacted by the duly-elected D.C. Council are undemocratic and paternalistic. The first anti-D.C. bill, introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), would prohibit the D.C. Council from changing any existing criminal sentence, make several changes to D.C.'s criminal code relating to youth, and require the office of D.C.'s Attorney General to post information on youth crime data on its website. The second bill, introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), would repeal D.C.'s recently-enacted vehicle emission standards.\n\n\u201cI strongly oppose both of these paternalistic, undemocratic, anti-D.C. bills,\u201d Norton said. \u201cMy Republican colleagues are correct that Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, but their assertion that Congress has a constitutional duty to do so is wrong. Republican efforts from members of Congress who do not represent D.C. to impose their will on D.C. residents are always a choice. To suggest that members of Congress representing Florida know or care more about public safety in D.C. than D.C.\u2019s locally elected officials is patronizing. They need to keep their hands off D.C.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s markup statements for both bills follow.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nHouse Committee on Oversight and Accountability\n\nMarkup of H.R. 7530, the DC CRIMES Act of 2024\n\nMarch 7, 2024\n\nI strongly oppose this undemocratic and paternalistic bill. This is the ninth bill this Congress that House Republicans have marked up or brought directly to the floor to repeal or amend statutes enacted by the duly elected Council of the District of Columbia. However, this bill is more extreme than the typical such bill, because it would permanently prohibit the Council from enacting specific policies relating to crime.\n\nMy Republican colleagues are correct that Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, but their assertion that Congress has a constitutional duty to do so is wrong. Legislating on local D.C. matters is a choice. As the Supreme Court held in 1953, \u201cthere is no constitutional barrier to the delegation by Congress to the District of Columbia of full legislative power.\u201d\n\nThe D.C. Council has 13 members. The members are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, they can vote them out of office. That is called democracy.\n\nCongress has 535 full voting members. The members are elected by residents of their states. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote on local D.C. matters, they cannot vote them out of office. This is the anthesis of democracy.\n\nThe merits of the DC CRIMES Act should be irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress repealing or amending laws enacted by D.C. However, I want to address one provision of this bill. Section 602(a) of the D.C. Home Rule Act prohibits the D.C. Council from legislating on 10 matters, two of which are moot. This bill adds an 11th matter, saying the Council may not \u201cenact any act, resolution, or rule to change any criminal liability sentence in effect on the date of the enactment of the DC CRIMES Act of 2024.\u201d This provision is as poorly drafted as it is offensive.\n\nThe 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 and pay full federal taxes. Indeed, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 19 states.\n\nIf House Republicans cared about democratic principles or D.C. residents, they would bring to the floor my D.C. statehood bill, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government. Congress has the constitutional authority to admit the State of Washington, D.C. It simply lacks the will.\n\nI am deeply concerned about the violent crime spike in D.C., though violent crime is down this year. On Tuesday, the D.C. Council passed legislation that it believes will reduce crime. To suggest that a member of Congress from Florida knows or cares more about public safety in D.C. than D.C.\u2019s locally elected officials is patronizing.\n\nI urge members to vote NO on this bill and to keep their hands off D.C.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nHouse Committee on Oversight and Accountability\n\nMarkup of H.R. 7526, the D.C. Consumer Vehicle Choice Protection Act of 2024\n\nMarch 7, 2024\n\nI strongly oppose this undemocratic and paternalistic bill. This is the seventh bill on local D.C. matters this committee has marked up or brought directly to the House floor. While the other bills repeal or amend D.C. statutes, this bill repeals a D.C. regulation. For as much as Republicans meddle in the D.C. Official Code, it is extremely rare for them to meddle in the D.C. Municipal Regulations. This bill represents a new low in meddling.\n\nMy Republican colleagues are correct that Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, but their assertion that Congress has a constitutional duty to do so is wrong as a matter of constitutional law.\n\nThe legislative history and merits of this bill should be irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress repealing or amending laws or regulations enacted by D.C.\n\nNevertheless, I want to set the record straight. After two public hearings, the D.C. Council unanimously passed the Clean Cars Act of 2008, and the mayor signed it. The Clean Cars Act requires the mayor to adopt California\u2019s vehicle emission standards. The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment held a public notice and comment period, including a public hearing, on the regulation to carry out the Clean Cars Act. Upon the effective date of the regulation, D.C. joined 13 states, including two states represented by Republicans on this committee, in adopting California\u2019s vehicle emission standards known as Advanced Clean Cars 2.\n\nThere is only one question before this committee: Does it believe in democracy? The D.C. Council has 13 members. The members are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, they can vote them out of office. That is called democracy. Congress has 535 full voting members. The members are elected by residents of their states. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote on local D.C. matters, they cannot vote them out of office. This is the anthesis of democracy.\n\nThe 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 and pay full federal taxes. Indeed, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 19 states.\n\nIf House Republicans cared about democratic principles or D.C. residents, they would bring to the floor my D.C. statehood bill, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government. Congress has the constitutional authority to admit the State of Washington, D.C. It simply lacks the will.\n\nI urge members to vote NO on this bill and to keep their hands off D.C., including its regulations.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-require-faa-implement-mechanism-sharing-helicopter", "Norton Introduces Bill to Require FAA Implement Mechanism for Sharing Helicopter Noise Complaint Data", "2024-03-05", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus and a member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, introduced a bill today to require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create and implement a platform for sharing helicopter noise complaint data in the National Capital Region and to make the platform accessible to the public online. The House passed the bill last year as part of the FAA reauthorization.\n\n\"I hear from D.C. residents almost daily about the negative impact of helicopter noise on their lives, despite the airspace restrictions related to being the nation\u2019s capital,\" Norton said. \"The noise can be damaging to health and quality of life, and helicopters can even harm the structural integrity of homes. While I recognize the need for helicopters in D.C., the FAA and Congress must do more to mitigate the harm to D.C. residents. I will continue to work with federal agencies that fly helicopters in D.C. and on legislation to reduce helicopter noise for D.C. residents.\"\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise Information Exchange Act\n\nMarch 5, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise Information Exchange Act, which would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create and implement a helicopter noise sharing mechanism for all helicopter operators in the National Capital Region (NCR) and to make such mechanism accessible to the public online. I got this bill included in the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935), which the House passed last year.\n\nResidents of the NCR have been plagued by helicopter noise for years. Yet, there is no centralized complaint system nor any comprehensive data about helicopter noise in the NCR. Helicopter noise can harm health, quality of life and the structural integrity of homes. In 2019, I led members of the NCR in requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) study helicopter noise in the NCR. In 2021, GAO recommended that the FAA implement a noise sharing mechanism for helicopter operators in the NCR.\n\nIn 2022, the FAA initiated a pilot program with a private company to create a helicopter noise sharing mechanism in the NCR. After the end of the pilot program, Fairfax and Arlington Counties contracted with the private company to maintain such a mechanism solely for Northern Virginia. However, the company is not required to share the collected data with any jurisdictions, other than those in Northern Virginia, or the public. The FAA must be involved in the collection and analysis of helicopter noise data in the NCR to effectively address the impacts on the public, and the public has a right to know the source of the noise.\n\nThis bill would direct the creation of a more effective information sharing mechanism, which would allow for better, more comprehensive data on helicopter noise complaints. This data would in turn help us develop solutions to address helicopter noise.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-announces-state-union-guest-general-manager-and-ceo-wmata-randy-clarke", "Norton Announces State of the Union Guest, General Manager and CEO of WMATA Randy Clarke", "2024-03-01", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her guest for next week\u2019s State of the Union address will be constituent Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).\n\nClarke came to WMATA as general manager and CEO in July of 2022. He has many years of experience serving in public transportation leadership roles across the country, including as President and CEO of Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, where he helped secure one of the country's largest voter-approved transit referendums in U.S. history. As GM and CEO of WMATA, Clarke has gained a reputation as a friendly, accessible and responsive leader. He's often seen riding the Metro and is known for his interactions with other riders, answering questions, taking pictures, and offering helpful, real-time information.\n\nIn the national capital region, nearly 800,000 riders use Metro\u2019s rail and bus network each weekday. Reductions in Metro service would force transit riders to drive instead, increasing gridlock, traffic and air pollution in D.C. During her career in Congress, Norton has worked to ensure that D.C. residents have access to clean, reliable, and climate-friendly public transportation.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased GM Clarke accepted my invitation to attend this year\u2019s address as he will be an important partner in navigating the upcoming challenges with Metro,\u201d Norton said. \u201cWMATA is critical to the D.C. area, which is heavily dependent on public transportation, so we must ensure Metro remains accessible and reliable by maintaining funding.\u201d\n\n\u201cI look forward to attending the address, and hopefully taking a selfie or two, with GM Clarke.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am honored to join Congresswoman Norton as her guest for the State of the Union address,\u201d Clarke said. I appreciate her highlighting the critical role WMATA plays in a well functioning federal government and our region\u2019s success. She has been a lifelong leader in investing in transit to advance equity, economic opportunity and sustainability. I am incredibly proud to represent the transit industry and all Metro employees who work tirelessly to safely move America.\u201d\n\nThe Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was largely shaped by the work of Norton\u2019s Subcommittee on Highway and Transit, authorized $108 billion for transit investments, including $5.6 billion for low- and no-emission buses to reduce local pollution. Norton was proud to write a letter in support of WMATA\u2019s 2023 grant application to procure battery-electric buses, resulting in a $104 million grant that will further WMATA\u2019s transition to a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2045. Norton also helped deliver $30 billion in transit COVID relief funds through the American Rescue Plan to keep bus and train routes running and workers employed.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-bipartisan-norton-comer-bill-revitalize-rfk-stadium-campus-dc", "House Passes Bipartisan Norton, Comer Bill to Revitalize RFK Stadium Campus in D.C.", "2024-02-28", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The House today passed a bipartisan bill by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Chair James Comer (R-KY) to direct the federal government to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus to D.C. for up to 99 years, allowing D.C. to use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton previously introduced legislation to allow the federal government to sell the land, which at 174 acres is the largest unused track of land in the District, to D.C. for fair market value.\n\nThis is the first time any version of the legislation has been considered on the House floor.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased that the House passed my bipartisan bill with Chairman Comer to allow local D.C. to redevelop the RFK Stadium campus,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDuring my tenure in Congress, I\u2019ve worked to transfer control of underused federal land in the District to local D.C. so it can be put to productive use. Thank you to Chairman Comer for your partnership on this important issue.\u201d\n\nThroughout her congressional career, Norton has prioritized transferring federal land to D.C., bringing much-needed space to the District for development.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-releases-floor-statement-ahead-house-vote-rfk-stadium-bill", "Norton Releases Floor Statement Ahead of House Vote on RFK Stadium Bill", "2024-02-28", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her floor statement ahead of today\u2019s scheduled debate and vote on her bipartisan bill with Chair James Comer (R-KY) to direct the federal government to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus to D.C. for 99 years, allowing D.C. to use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton has worked on prior versions of the bill aimed at revitalizing RFK Stadium campus, which at 174 acres is the largest unused track of land in the District, since 2017. This is the first time any version of the legislation has been considered on the House floor.\n\nThroughout her career in Congress, Norton has prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District.\n\nNorton is scheduled to manage floor debate on the bill beginning at 4:00 p.m. Her floor statement follows.\n\nFloor Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nH.R. 4984, the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act\n\nFebruary 28, 2024\n\nI yield myself such time as I may consume.\n\nI strongly support this bipartisan bill. This bill would allow the District of Columbia to transform the RFK stadium campus, 174 acres of underutilized federal land in D.C. that primarily consist of parking lots, sports fields and a long-vacant stadium in the process of being demolished, into a thriving mixed-use development. The National Capital Planning Commission, the central planning agency for the federal government in D.C., has long called for revitalization of the campus, and the Department of the Interior testified in support of the goals of this bill.\n\nDuring my tenure, Congress has passed several bipartisan bills to transform underutilized land in D.C. into thriving mixed-used developments, including The Yards on the Southeast Waterfront and The Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront, and Reservation 13, 67 acres next to the RFK stadium campus, is now being transformed into a mixed-use development.\n\nSince 1988, D.C. has leased without consideration the RFK stadium campus from the Department of the Interior, but the lease only permits D.C. to use the campus for recreation, a stadium and open space, and the lease expires in 2038. This bill would give D.C. administrative jurisdiction over the campus for at least 99 years and permit D.C. to use the campus for commercial and residential development, recreation, a stadium, parks and open space. This bill would require D.C. to reserve 30 percent of the campus for parks and open space and prohibit D.C. from building along the waterfront.\n\nThis bill is a win-win for the federal and D.C. governments. As the Department of the Interior testified, this bill would allow D.C. to transform the campus from \u201cacres of asphalt to a complex focused on community sports, recreation, park space and cultural amenities\u201d and would \u201cguarantee public access to a sizeable amount of park land and outdoor recreation areas.\u201d At the same time, this bill would allow D.C. to create a mixed-used development and to generate significant revenue for D.C.\n\nI thank Chairman Comer for his leadership and partnership on this bill, and I thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for their work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.\n\nI reserve the balance of my time.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-make-dc-eligible-same-funding-states-under-two-wildlife", "Norton Introduces Bill to Make D.C. Eligible for Same Funding as States Under Two Wildlife Conservation Laws", "2024-02-26", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to make D.C. eligible for the same federal funding as states under two federal wildlife conservation laws.\n\n\"This omission and lack of parity under these Acts have serious consequences for D.C. D.C. has roughly 7,800 acres of parkland covering nearly a quarter of the city, which means it has more parkland per capita than any other city in the United States,\u201d Norton said. \u201cAdditionally, D.C. pays the highest taxes per capita in the nation and should be eligible for the same funding as the states, including for conservation purposes. I have gotten D.C. treated as a state for the purposes of most federal funding, and this legislation is no different.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act\n\nFebruary 26, 2024\n\nMs. Norton. Mr. Speaker.\n\nToday, I introduce the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would make the District of Columbia eligible for the same federal funding as states under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. D.C. residents pay full federal taxes and therefore D.C. is treated as a state under federal programs, with limited exceptions, most of them simply oversights or failures to update post-home rule.\n\nThe Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding, derived from excise taxes on sporting equipment, for five distinct purposes: program administration, wildlife restoration, basic hunter education and safety, enhanced hunter education and safety grants and multistate conservation grants. D.C. does not receive any funding under this Act. The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act provides funding for sport fish restoration, aquatic education, wetlands restoration and boat-related activities. Under this Act, states receive a minimum of one percent of the total amount apportioned, while D.C. is capped at one-third of one percent.\n\nThis omission and lack of parity under these Acts have serious consequences for D.C. D.C. has roughly 7,800 acres of parkland covering nearly a quarter of the city, which means it has more parkland per capita than any other city in the United States. This bill would define \u201cState\u201d in these Acts to include D.C., providing D.C. with equal funding for wildlife conservation in our nation\u2019s capital.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/biden-nominates-norton-recommendation-sparkle-l-sooknanan-us-district-court-dc", "Biden Nominates Norton Recommendation, Sparkle L. Sooknanan, for the U.S. District Court for D.C.", "2024-02-21", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today that President Biden has nominated Norton\u2019s recommendation, Sparkle L. Sooknanan, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Sooknanan has been the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division since 2023. She previously served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice after first working in the Department as an appellate attorney in the Civil Division. She served as a law clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court, for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and for Judge Eric N. Vitaliano on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Sooknanan received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, her M.B.A. with distinction from Hofstra University, and her B.S., summa cum laude, from St. Francis College.\n\nBecause D.C. lacks senators to recommend candidates for some positions, Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden granted Norton senatorial courtesy to recommend judges for the U.S. District Court for D.C., the U.S. Attorney for D.C., the U.S. Marshal for the D.C. Superior Court, and the U.S. Marshal for the U.S. District Court for D.C. Norton has established a nominating commission, comprised of lawyers and non-lawyers from all eight wards in D.C., to screen applicants and to make recommendations to her for the senatorial courtesy positions.\n\n\"As is evident from her extensive and impressive accomplishments, Sparkle Sooknanan has the principles, acumen and experience to serve as an exemplary federal judge,\" Norton said. \"She will bring much-needed diversity to the federal bench. I look forward to her Senate confirmation and service, and thank President Biden for granting me senatorial courtesy to recommend judges for the U.S. District Court for D.C.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-make-dc-eligible-federal-forestry-research-funding-udc", "Norton Introduces Bill to Make D.C. Eligible for Federal Forestry Research Funding for UDC", "2024-02-20", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to amend the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act to make the District of Columbia eligible for federal forestry research funds. The McIntire-Stennis Act provides U.S. states and territories with formula funds to support state-designated institutions' cooperative forestry research programs. Norton said that her bill would make D.C. eligible for funding that would particularly support research at the University of the District of Columbia's (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences, whose programs complement the city's ongoing forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land-grant university. Norton successfully got her provision to enable UDC to receive federal funding for forestry research under the McIntire-Stennis Act included in the Senate-passed 2013 Farm Bill.\n\n\"D.C., whose residents pay the highest taxes per capita in the nation, should be eligible for these critical federal forestry research funds,\" Norton said. \"I have gotten D.C. treated as a state for the purposes of most federal funding, and this legislation is no different. The University of the District of Columbia is the nation's only urban land-grant university and would benefit tremendously from these funds.\"\n\nNorton's introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act\n\nFebruary 20, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would correct an apparent oversight in the exclusion of the District of Columbia from eligibility for funding under the McIntire-Stennis Act (Act).\n\nThe Act provides the states and certain territories with formula funding to support state-designated institutions\u2019 cooperative forestry research programs. The funding available under this Act assists the states and territories in carrying out forestry research programs at state forestry schools and colleges and developing a trained pool of forest scientists capable of conducting needed forestry research.\n\nDistrict of Columbia residents pay full federal taxes and therefore D.C.is treated as a state under federal programs, with limited exceptions. The Act defines \u201cState\u201d to include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, whose residents do not pay full federal taxes. D.C.\u2019s exclusion from the Act makes it ineligible for federal funding that would support research at D.C.\u2019s public university, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences at UDC, the nation\u2019s only urban land-grant university, offers programs that complement D.C.\u2019s ongoing forestry efforts and serve individuals in D.C. and beyond. Rectifying D.C.\u2019s exclusion from the Act would ensure equal treatment for D.C. and provide UDC a fair share of resources.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-celebrates-birthday-frederick-douglass-dc-voting-rights-champion", "Norton Celebrates Birthday of Frederick Douglass, D.C. Voting Rights Champion", "2024-02-14", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated what is recognized as famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass' 206th birthday. (Like many enslaved, Douglass did not know his birthday, but he celebrated it on Valentine\u2019s Day.) Norton\u2019s D.C. statehood bill would name the 51st state \u201cWashington, Douglass Commonwealth\u201d in honor of Douglass\u2019, a longtime D.C. resident, advocacy of equal rights for the District.\n\nA Norton bill placed D.C.'s statue of Douglass in the U.S. Capitol, making D.C. the only jurisdiction with a statue in the Capitol that is not a state. Another Norton bill established a bicentennial commission to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities to honor and celebrate the life of Douglass. Norton was appointed by then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to serve on the commission.\n\n\"Frederick Douglass holds a special place in our country and in the hearts of D.C. residents, who chose his statue to represent the District in the Capitol,\" Norton said. \"This great American statesman, the country's foremost abolitionist, knew where he lived and lent his great renown to equality and freedom for our city and its residents. His historic home in Southeast D.C., Cedar Hill, is a National Historic Site and reminds residents and thousands of tourists annually of Douglass' many contributions and achievements.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-help-ensure-dc-deemed-eligible-federal-funding-going", "Norton Introduces Bill to Help Ensure D.C. Deemed Eligible for Federal Funding Going to States, Counties and Cities", "2024-02-14", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to amend title 1 of the United States Code to deem D.C. as both a state and political subdivision of a state \u2013 such as a city or county \u2013 for federal funding eligibility.\n\n\u201cD.C. already provides state, county and city-level services for residents, and D.C. residents pay full federal taxes,\u201d Norton said. \u201cAmending the United States Code, as my bill would do, is the fairest solution for D.C. residents, who are currently subject to the inconsistent interpretations of individual federal agencies about whether the District is eligible for federal funding.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the Introduction of the\n\nEqual Federal Funding for the District of Columbia Act\n\nFebruary 13, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Equal Federal Funding for the District of Columbia Act, which would amend title 1 of the United States Code to deem the District of Columbia as both a state and political subdivision of a state (such as a city or county) for the purpose of eligibility for federal funding, unless otherwise provided in a statute. D.C. operates as the functional equivalent of a state, city and county, and D.C. residents pay all federal taxes. Therefore, D.C. deserves to be eligible for federal funding available for each level of government.\n\nWhile federal statutes generally expressly treat D.C. as a state for federal funding\u2014and most federal grants go to states\u2014federal statutes that provide federal funding directly to political subdivisions are often silent on whether D.C. is to be treated as a political subdivision. In the absence of clear language in a statute, federal agencies are inconsistent in their treatment of D.C.\u2019s eligibility for federal funding.\n\nBy amending title 1 of the U.S. Code to deem D.C. as both a state and political subdivision for federal funding, this bill would automatically correct imprecise treatment of D.C.\u2019s eligibility for federal funding in existing and future statutes and remove discretion from federal agencies in their treatment of D.C.\u2019s eligibility for federal funding.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-reminds-residents-nps-soliciting-feedback-series-projects-northeast-and", "Norton Reminds Residents That NPS is Soliciting Feedback for a Series of Projects in Northeast and Southeast D.C.", "2024-02-14", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today that the National Park Service (NPS) will be hosting various public events throughout Northeast and Southeast D.C. to share proposed plans to improve NPS recreational facilities at the Alabama Avenue playground, Battery Ricketts and Fort Stanton Park, Kenilworth Park, Randle Circle Park, Lanham Estates and Ridge Road picnic areas at Fort Dupont Park, and River Terrace Park at Anacostia Park.\n\nIn a recent letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget, Norton stated \u201cTourist sites like the National Mall should not be the sole focus of our investment. I encourage you to invest FY 25 funding in NPS-owned neighborhood parks in D.C.\u201d\n\nNPS wants to hear from the community about how to continue improving parks and how the community would like to use and enjoy these spaces. During these events, neighbors will learn more about the effort to improve parks, see the plans, ask questions and share feedback on the plans. The NPS will use public feedback to help shape the design plans for each improvement project.\n\nThe event schedule follows:\n\nFebruary 17, 2024 from 12:00-2:00 p.m.\n\nSubject: Alabama Avenue Playground, adjacent to Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library\n\nWhere: Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library, 3660 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, D.C., 20020\n\nFebruary 20, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.\n\nSubject: River Terrace Park\n\nWhere: Langston Golf Course Clubhouse, 2600 Benning Rd NE, Washington, D.C., 20002\n\nFebruary 21, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.\n\nSubject: Kenilworth Park\n\nWhere: Kenilworth Recreation Center, 4321 Ord Street NE, Washington, D.C., 20019\n\nFebruary 22, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.\n\nSubject: Battery Ricketts and Fort Stanton Park\n\nWhere: Stanton Recreation Center, 1812 Erie Street SE, Washington, D.C., 20020\n\nFebruary 27, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.\n\nSubject: Randle Circle Park, Lanham Estates and Ridge Road Picnic Areas\n\nWhere: Fort Dupont Activity Center, Fort Dupont Drive SE, Washington, D.C., 20019", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-says-tax-filing-season-reminder-dc-residents-remain-under-taxation-0", "Norton Says Tax Filing Season is a Reminder that D.C. Residents Remain Under Taxation Without Representation", "2024-02-07", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 As the federal tax filing season kicks off, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued a statement reminding the public that the District of Columbia pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more federal taxes overall than 19 states, while being denied the same voting representation in Congress or full local self-government accorded to residents of the 50 states. Norton said that the remedy is for Congress to pass her D.C. statehood bill.\n\n\"As D.C. residents begin filing their federal tax returns, I remind the public that D.C. still does not have voting representation in Congress nor full local self-government \u2013 rights accorded to Americans in the 50 states,\" Norton said. \"'No taxation without representation' was the slogan that gave birth to our nation itself. The principle should particularly apply to the citizens of the nation's capital today, who have all the obligations of citizenship and pay more federal taxes per capita than residents of any state. I introduced my D.C. statehood bill in the House on the first day bills were allowed to be introduced this Congress. The residents of our nation\u2019s capital are owed the same rights afforded to residents of the states.\u201d\n\nThe D.C. statehood bill has passed the House twice, most recently in April of 2021.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-calls-committee-markup-bill-overturn-parts-dcs-policing-reform-law", "Norton Calls Committee Markup of Bill to Overturn Parts of D.C.\u2019s Policing Reform Law Paternalistic, Anti-Democratic", "2024-02-06", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the bill that the Committee on Oversight and Accountability passed today to repeal parts of D.C.\u2019s local police accountability and transparency law represents a paternalistic, undemocratic incursion on the will of nearly 700,000 D.C. residents. The bill, the Protecting Our Nation\u2019s Capital Emergency Act of 2023, was introduced by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY).\n\n\"By voting to report out this bill out today, I can only conclude that the Republican committee members believe that D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are unworthy of governing themselves,\" Norton said. \"I will continue fighting to defeat this and future actions seeking to override the will of D.C. residents expressed through the District\u2019s own local government.\"\n\nLast year 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.\n\nNorton\u2019s markup statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\nHouse Committee on Oversight and Accountability Markup\n\nH.R. 5798, the Protecting Our Nation\u2019s Capital Emergency Act of 2023\n\nFebruary 6, 2024\n\nI strongly oppose this undemocratic and paternalistic bill. This is the seventh bill this Congress House Republicans have marked up or brought directly to the floor to repeal laws enacted by the duly elected District of Columbia government.\n\nCongress has the constitutional authority to legislate on local D.C. matters, but it does not have a constitutional duty to do so. Instead, legislating on local D.C. matters is a choice. House Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated that they believe D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and Brown, are unworthy or incapable of governing themselves.\n\nThe D.C. Council has 13 members. The members are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, they can vote them out of office. That is called democracy.\n\nCongress has 535 full voting members. The members are elected by residents of their states. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote on local D.C. matters, they cannot vote them out of office. This is the anthesis of democracy.\n\nThe legislative history and merits of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 should be irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress repealing legislation enacted by D.C. Nevertheless, I would like to set the record straight.\n\nThe D.C. Council unanimously passed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. While the legislation was enacted without the D.C. mayor\u2019s signature, the mayor urged Congress to oppose the disapproval resolution on the legislation.\n\nThe D.C. police department supported removing discipline from collective bargaining, eliminating the 90-day statute of limitations for discipline and allowing the police chief to increase proposed disciplinary penalties to make it easier to fire officers for serious misconduct. Moreover, disciplinary hearings have long been open to the public. Now the public finally can learn when and where they are occurring.\n\nThe 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 national or local D.C. matters, and pay full federal taxes. Indeed, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 19 states.\n\nIf House Republicans cared about democratic principles or D.C. residents, they would bring my D.C. statehood bill, which would give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full local self-government, to the floor. Congress has the constitutional authority to admit the State of Washington, D.C. It simply lacks the will.\n\nI am deeply concerned about the violent crime spike in D.C., and the D.C. Council is voting on legislation today that it believes will reduce crime. To suggest that Congress knows or cares more about public safety in D.C. than D.C. is patronizing.\n\nI urge members to vote NO on this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-establish-grant-program-mitigate-harmful-effects-train", "Norton Introduces Bill to Establish Grant Program to Mitigate Harmful Effects of Train Noise, Vibrations and Derailments on Homes", "2024-02-05", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, introduced a bill today to establish a grant program for the design and construction of barriers to mitigate rail activity that may harm homes and their occupants, including derailments, noise and vibrations.\n\n\"District of Columbia residents routinely contact me concerning the negative impact trains, including train noise and vibrations, have on residents\u2019 health, quality of life, and the structural integrity of their homes,\" Norton said. \"While trains are a critical mode of transportation, last year\u2019s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine demonstrated the need for increased safety measures to protect the residents who live near train tracks. Physical barriers, like the kind my bill would provide for, have proven effective in mitigating the harmful effects of both train noise, vibrations and derailments.\u201d\n\nNorton also introduced a bill to require the Department of Transportation to submit recommendations, including cost estimates, to Congress on how to reduce train noise and vibrations near homes.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-ruppersberger-introduce-bill-provide-lifetime-identity-protection", "Norton, Ruppersberger Introduce Bill to Provide Lifetime Identity Protection Coverage to Federal Employees Affected by OPM Data Breaches", "2024-02-05", "2024", "2024-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) today introduced the Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act, or the RECOVER Act, to provide free lifetime identity protection coverage to current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors whose personal information was compromised by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breaches in 2015. Following the data breaches, Congress approved a version of this bill as part of an appropriations bill. However, Congress has only required OPM to provide identity protection coverage to affected individuals through fiscal year 2026. The Norton-Ruppersberger bill would require OPM to provide the coverage for the remainder of the life of the affected individuals.\n\n\"We got some identity protection for federal workers and contractors impacted by the data breach as a first step, but only lifetime identity protection will give these workers the peace of mind they deserve,\" Norton said. \"Because there is no limit to the duration on when the compromised personal information can be used, Congress must protect these federal employees and contractors in perpetuity.\"\n\n\"The federal workers impacted by the OPM breach are victims. Their personal security was jeopardized through no fault of their own and the records stolen by hackers have no shelf life. The identity theft protection offered to these victims shouldn't, either,\" Ruppersberger said. \"I am proud to once again support this effort to help provide these hard-working men and women with the protections they need and deserve forever.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:21:00Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-allow-dc-residents-70-and-older-opt-out-local-jury-duty", "Norton Introduces Bill to Allow D.C. Residents 70 and Older to Opt Out of Local Jury Duty", "2024-01-29", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a bill today to allow individuals who are 70 and older to opt out of jury duty in the D.C. Superior Court.\n\n\u201cMost federal courts allow individuals 70 years of age or older to opt out of jury service, including the federal district court for D.C.,\u201d Norton said. \u201cA majority of states have similar provisions for their courts. D.C. residents who are summoned for jury duty at their own local trial court should have the same option.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton\n\non the introduction of\n\nThe District of Columbia Superior Court Jury Duty for Seniors Opt Out Act of 2024\n\nJanuary 29, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the District of Columbia Superior Court Jury Duty for Seniors Opt Out Act of 2024, which would allow individuals 70 years of age or older to opt out of jury service in D.C.\u2019s local trial court, the Superior Court.\n\nMost federal courts allow individuals 70 years of age or older to opt out of jury service, including the federal district court for D.C. A majority of states have similar provisions for their courts.\n\nUnder the D.C. Home Rule Act, the D.C. Council does not have authority to amend title 11 of the D.C. Code (relating to organization and jurisdiction of the local D.C. courts). This bill would amend title 11.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-universal-prekindergarten-bill", "Norton Introduces Universal Prekindergarten Bill", "2024-01-29", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced her Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act to provide federal funds for states to establish and expand prekindergarten programs in public and public charter schools for every child, regardless of income. The bill would afford the benefits of early childhood education to all families, many of whom are currently not able to access it due to cost.\n\n\u201cThe earliest years of childhood are most critical for brain development,\u201d Norton said. \u201cJust as providing K-12 education is essential, universal prekindergarten is an investment that we must make as a nation to ensure every child is prepared, to the greatest extent possible, to succeed.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s bill would provide funding for states to add prekindergarten for children at three and four years of age, similar to kindergarten programs for five-year-olds now routinely available in public schools. Norton\u2019s bill would eliminate major shortcomings of unevenly available day care and would take advantage of the existing infrastructure, trained teachers and safe facilities required in public schools.\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2024\n\nJanuary 29, 2024\n\nMs. Norton. Mr. Speaker.\n\nToday, I introduce the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2024, which would establish and expand prekindergarten programs in public and public charter schools for three- and four-year-old children.\n\nThis bill seeks a breakthrough in public education by providing funding for states to add prekindergarten for children at three and four years of age, like the kindergarten programs for five-year-olds now routinely available in public schools. This bill would eliminate major shortcomings of unevenly available day care and, importantly, would take advantage of the safe facilities required in public schools.\n\nThis bill would provide federal funds to states, which would be matched by at least 20 percent of a state\u2019s own funds, to establish or expand universal, voluntary prekindergarten in public and public charter schools for three- and four-year-olds, regardless of income. The classes, which would be full-day and run throughout the entire school year, would be taught by teachers who possess equivalent or similar qualifications to those teaching other grades in the school. The funds would supplement, not supplant, other federal funds for early childhood education. The unique, money-saving aspect of this bill is that it would use existing public-school infrastructure and trained teachers to make early childhood education available to all, saving billions of dollars in implementation costs.\n\nThe success of Head Start and other prekindergarten programs, combined with scientific evidence on the importance of brain development in early childhood, virtually mandates the expansion of early childhood education to all children. Early learning programs have been available only to the affluent, who can afford them, and to some low-income families in programs such as Head Start, which would be unaffected by this bill. This bill is a practical way to create universal, public prekindergarten. The goal of this bill is to provide the benefits of early childhood education to those who have been left out of this essential education.\n\nWe cannot afford to allow the most fertile years for childhood development to pass unenriched. This bill responds both to the great needs of parents who seek early childhood education and neuroscience, which shows that a child\u2019s brain development begins much earlier than had been previously understood.\n\nConsidering the staggering cost of day care, the inaccessibility of early childhood education and the opportunity that early education offers to improve a child\u2019s chances of success, schooling for three- and four-year-olds is overdue. The absence of viable options for working families demands our immediate attention.\n\nI strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-booker-introduce-bill-permit-marijuana-use-federally-assisted-public", "Norton, Booker Introduce Bill to Permit Marijuana Use in Federally Assisted Public Housing", "2024-01-25", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act today to permit the use of marijuana in federally assisted housing, including public housing and Section 8 housing, in compliance with the marijuana laws of the state (including the District of Columbia) where the property is located. Under current federal law, users of drugs that are illegal under federal law, including marijuana, are prohibited from being admitted into federally assisted housing. Federal law also allows landlords to evict residents of federally assisted housing for illegal drug use. Adult-use marijuana, medical marijuana or both are currently legal in D.C., New Jersey and 37 other states, and over 90 percent of Americans support legalized medical marijuana.\n\n\u201cIndividuals living in federally funded housing should not fear eviction simply for treating their medical conditions or for seeking a substance legal in their state,\u201d Norton said. \u201cIncreasingly, Americans are changing their views on marijuana, and it is time that Congress caught up with its own constituents. With so many states improving their laws, this issue should have broad bipartisan appeal because it protects states\u2019 rights.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis legislation challenges the discriminatory practices that still negatively impact tenants in federal housing programs, and ensures that personal choices made in accordance with state law are protected,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cNo one should face eviction or be denied housing for legally using marijuana or treating a medical condition in states where it is permitted.\u201d\n\nFor the last several years, Congress has prohibited the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prevent jurisdictions from implementing their medical marijuana laws. This bill would similarly allow individuals to use marijuana in federally assisted housing in compliance with the state\u2019s marijuana laws and would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop regulations that restrict smoking marijuana in federally assisted housing in the same manner and to the same locations as HUD restricts smoking tobacco in federally assisted housing.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-thanks-speaker-emerita-pelosi-cosponsoring-dc-statehood-bill", "Norton Thanks Speaker Emerita Pelosi for Cosponsoring D.C. Statehood Bill", "2024-01-24", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for cosponsoring Norton\u2019s D.C. statehood bill and for Pelosi\u2019s history of championing D.C. home rule.\n\n\u201cSpeaker Pelosi is perhaps the most important and effective member of the House in history,\u201d Norton said. \u201cNo Speaker or Minority Leader has ever fought harder to give D.C. residents voting representation in Congress, full home rule, or to ensure D.C. is treated like a state in all respects, and by cosponsoring my D.C. statehood bill, she\u2019s demonstrating her continued support for D.C. residents\u2019 right to self-governance. As she has said publicly many times, these issues are in her blood, given her father\u2019s work in Congress, and she has fought both publicly and behind the scenes on behalf of D.C. residents.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe sacred right to have a voice in our government is fundamental to our democracy \u2013 but for far too long, residents of Washington, D.C. have served in uniform, paid federal taxes and followed federal laws while being denied full representation,\u201d Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. \u201cThanks to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's years of tireless leadership, House Democrats have rallied around the need for D.C. statehood and twice passed H.R. 51 when we held the Majority. While Republicans shamefully continue to block this important legislation, I am proud to co-sponsor the D.C. Admission Act again as we continue fighting to secure access to the ballot box for Washingtonians.\u201d\n\nDuring Pelosi\u2019s tenure as Speaker, the House twice passed Norton\u2019s D.C. statehood bill, which are the only times either chamber of Congress has ever passed the D.C. statehood bill. The House also passed Norton\u2019s D.C. House Voting Rights Act, which would have given D.C. voting representation in the House, and several Norton bills to expand D.C. home rule, including voting to give D.C. control over the D.C. National Guard. Pelosi also fought countless Republican attempts to repeal, block, or impose D.C. laws, brought D.C.\u2019s second statue to the Capitol, giving D.C. two statues in the Capitol like each state, and ensured D.C. was made whole in the American Rescue Plan for the $755 million D.C. was shortchanged in the Republican-drafted CARES Act, which treated D.C. as a territory instead of a state for coronavirus fiscal relief, even though D.C. pays full federal taxes.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-carper-introduce-bill-make-dc-eligible-federal-flood-mitigation-funding", "Norton, Carper Introduce Bill to Make D.C. Eligible for Federal Flood Mitigation Funding", "2024-01-23", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) reintroduced their Flood Prevention Act, which would amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) to include the District of Columbia in the definition of a coastal state, making D.C. eligible for federal coastal zone management funding and giving it oversight authority over federally issued permits, facilities, and actions that affect the coastal waters of the District.\n\n\u201cEven though the District is located on two rivers and has suffered substantial coastal floods in the past, D.C. was omitted from the list of eligible entities in the CZMA,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThis oversight probably occurred because the CZMA was passed in 1972 \u2013 before the District achieved home rule. Because territories are included in the definition of \u2018coastal states,\u2019 it appears that D.C.\u2019s omission was a mistake, which only Congress can correct.\n\n\u201cScientists have predicted that the tides on the Atlantic Coast could rise two to four feet by the year 2100, causing as much as $7 billion worth of property damage in the District, which would regularly be under threat by floodwaters. This damage not only would be to private homes and businesses, but the National Mall, federal buildings, and three military bases located in the District. Due to this threat and the urgency of acting on climate change, the District should be eligible for CZMA grants just like vulnerable states and territories.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Coastal Zone Management Act helps low-lying states and territories like my home state of Delaware with flood control efforts and environmental restoration projects. One of the many inequities facing the District of Columbia is its ineligibility for the federal funding this law provides,\u201d Chairman Carper said. \u201cI\u2019m once again joining Congresswoman Norton in introducing the Flood Prevention Act, which would ensure that the federal taxpayers of D.C. can benefit from this critical program.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-joins-oversight-subcommittee-health-care-and-financial-services", "Norton Joins Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services", "2024-01-22", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today that she has joined the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services of the Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR). Norton, the second most-senior Democrat on the Committee, now sits on three Oversight subcommittees: Government Operations and the Federal Workforce; Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs; and Health Care and Financial Services.\n\n\"Health care and financial services affect all Americans \u2013 including D.C. residents,\u201d Norton said. \u201cD.C. should be represented as we consider the future of health care, potential reforms, and conduct important oversight of financial services.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-calling-congress-condemn-voter-suppression-laws", "Norton Introduces Resolution Calling on Congress to Condemn Voter Suppression Laws Enacted by the States", "2024-01-17", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution calling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by the states.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, this resolution was made necessary by voter suppression laws enacted by several states,\u201d Norton said. \u201cDemocracy is defined by the very fact that we count all legally-cast votes. My resolution calls on Congress to condemn these laws, which particularly burden African American communities, as did the Jim Crow laws of the past.\n\n\u201cI must also note that, by far, the worse instance of voter suppression in this country is continuing to deny the 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia a vote in Congress and full home rule.\u201d\n\nThe text of the resolution follows.\n\n118th CONGRESS\n\n2d Session\n\nH. RES. 968\n\nCalling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by States and political subdivisions.\n\nIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\n\nMs. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on _______________\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nCalling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by States and political subdivisions.\n\nWhereas the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 affirms that voting rights cannot be denied to citizens on the basis of race;\n\nWhereas post-Reconstruction Jim Crow laws severely restricted voting rights, particularly those of African Americans;\n\nWhereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 contributed to a significant increase in voter registration and participation by African Americans and other minorities;\n\nWhereas the Supreme Court\u2019s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the coverage provision of the law that identified States and political subdivisions with a chronic history of passing restrictive voting laws;\n\nWhereas the Shelby County decision effectively nullified section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed the Department of Justice and Federal courts to \u201cpreclear\u201d any proposed changes to voting rules, allowing a preemptive strike to unjust and discriminatory voting laws in the regions identified by section 4(b);\n\nWhereas the absence of this preclearance requirement has allowed for voter suppression laws to proliferate by permitting States and political subdivisions to pass restrictive voting laws without Federal preclearance to determine if the laws are racially discriminatory;\n\nWhereas since the Shelby County decision, 29 laws have been passed in 11 States that had been subject to preclearance;\n\nWhereas restricting early voting disproportionately affects people of color, low-income citizens, and the elderly, who often rely on flexible, early voting periods;\n\nWhereas many voting-eligible, low-income Latino voters are naturalized United States citizens who lack proof of citizenship and cannot afford a Certificate of Citizenship or a Replacement Certificate of Naturalization, which cost $1,170 and $555, respectively;\n\nWhereas many of these laws target voting mechanisms disproportionately used by non-White voters, including in the 2020 and 2022 elections, such as Georgia enacting new restrictions on mail voting after nearly 30 percent of Georgia\u2019s Black voters cast ballots by mail in 2020;\n\nWhereas since the Shelby County decision, at least 22 States have passed at least 43 laws to restrict mail voting access;\n\nWhereas reducing absentee voting disproportionately affects low-income, minority voters, who are more likely than other citizens to have inflexible work- and childcare-related schedules;\n\nWhereas 70.9 percent of White voters cast ballots in the 2020 election, compared to 58.4 percent of voters of color;\n\nWhereas in addition to State-level voter suppression laws, political subdivisions have also passed new laws that suppress minority voters, including reducing the number of polling places and offering insufficient language assistance for non-English-speaking voters;\n\nWhereas following the Shelby County decision, there were at least 868 fewer polling places in the 2016 election than in past elections;\n\nWhereas since the Shelby County decision, courts have struck down restrictive voting laws, demonstrating the discriminatory nature of voting restrictions that have proliferated post-Shelby County;\n\nWhereas if a preclearance formula had been in effect, the Department of Justice and Federal courts would have been able to prevent discriminatory voter suppression laws from being passed;\n\nWhereas 2,000,000 fewer individuals would have been purged from their States\u2019 voter rolls between 2012 and 2016 if formerly covered jurisdictions had continued to remove voters at the same rate as noncovered jurisdictions, and 1,100,000 fewer individuals would have been removed between 2016 and 2018 if formerly covered jurisdictions had continued to remove voters at the same rate as noncovered jurisdictions;\n\nWhereas, on July 13, 2023, the Committee on House Administration favorably reported the American Confidence in Elections Act (H.R. 4563), which contains provisions that would apply only to the District of Columbia and make it harder for District of Columbia residents to vote and for the District of Columbia to administer elections; and\n\nWhereas many voter laws that were passed or went into effect after the Shelby County decision threaten to affect a significant number of minority voters in upcoming elections: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the House of Representatives condemns the use by States and political subdivisions of voter suppression laws and techniques.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-reminds-dc-residents-her-provision-allows-sledding-capitol-hill", "Norton Reminds D.C. Residents that Her Provision Allows Sledding on Capitol Hill", "2024-01-16", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 After D.C. received a rare snowfall which accumulated enough to close schools and federal government offices, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a statement today reminding D.C. residents that her annual provision in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill allows sledding on Capitol Hill. Capitol Police confirmed this morning that the Capitol grounds are open to sledders of all ages.\n\n\u201cThe West Front of the Capitol is well known as the best place for sledding in D.C.\u2019s high-density urban environment,\u201d Norton said. \u201cI get a provision included in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill annually directing the Capitol Police to allow sledding on Capitol grounds. This is the first chance for sledding in at least two years and could be the only snowstorm D.C. gets this winter. Children and their parents should be able to enjoy sledding on one of the best hills in the city.\n\n\u201cSledding is a simple, childhood thrill. It is the least we can allow for our children this winter season.\u201d\n\nNorton got her provision included in the bill after the Capitol Police began prohibiting sledding several years ago.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/mlk-day-norton-calls-congress-pass-dc-statehood-and-other-voting-rights", "On MLK Day, Norton Calls on Congress to Pass D.C. Statehood and Other Voting Rights Legislation", "2024-01-15", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) called on Congress to pass her District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51) and other important voting rights legislation. Norton\u2019s bill would give D.C. full local self-government, a cause Dr. King championed, and voting representation in Congress.\n\n\"Dr. King spent his life advocating for voting rights for the most disenfranchised members in our society,\" Norton said. \"He supported home rule for D.C. well before the District focused on statehood. His efforts led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, allowing people of color to exercise their franchise in states with chronic histories of enacting restrictive voting laws. Although the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the Court invited Congress to update the Act. In the absence of responsible action by Congress, states have felt emboldened to pass new voter suppression laws.\n\n\u201cDr. King's birthday is not only for commemoration of past victories. His birthday should inspire Congress to complete the nation's work on civil rights.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-place-dc-seal-library-congress-alongside-state-seals-0", "Norton Introduces Bill to Place D.C. Seal in Library of Congress Alongside State Seals", "2024-01-10", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to place the official seal of the District of Columbia alongside seals of the states in the Library of Congress. Currently, the stained-glass windows in the historic building portray the seals of all states and territories that existed when the building was constructed, except for the D.C. seal, even though it was readily available at the time. The bill is part of Norton\u2019s \u201cFree and Equal D.C.\u201d series of bills.\n\n\u201cD.C. and its residents should receive equal representation in all aspects, including in the Library of Congress\u2019 stained-glass windows that portray the history of the United States,\u201d Norton said. \u201cD.C. residents have always had all the obligations of American citizenship, including serving in the military during all our country\u2019s wars since the American Revolution. D.C. residents served in the War of 1812, when the Capitol building, which then housed the Library of Congress, was burned.\u201d\n\nCongress often includes the District, or has corrected the omission of the District, when honoring the states. For example, the World War II Memorial includes a column representing the District, and D.C. has two statues in the Capitol alongside two statues from each state. Many examples of the District\u2019s current representation in ceremonies and symbols established to honor the states directly result from Norton\u2019s efforts.\n\nIn 2013, after a nearly 13-year legislative fight led by Norton, the District\u2019s first statue, depicting Frederick Douglass, was unveiled in the Capitol. In February of 2022, D.C.\u2019s second statue, depicting Pierre L\u2019Enfant, was unveiled in the Capitol. The enacted National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013 contained a Norton provision requiring the armed services to display the D.C. flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed. In addition, Norton succeeded in getting legislation enacted to give D.C. a coin after it was omitted from legislation creating coins for the states. D.C.\u2019s Duke Ellington coin is in circulation today. Norton also successfully worked with the U.S. Postal Service to create a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the states. She also got the National Park Service to fly the D.C. flag alongside the state flags at Union Station.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-pingree-introduce-bill-require-federal-bureau-prisons-provide-eligible", "Norton, Pingree Introduce Bill to Require Federal Bureau of Prisons to Provide Eligible Incarcerated Individuals Information on Voting", "2024-01-09", "2024", "2024-01", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced a bill today to require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide incarcerated individuals from jurisdictions that allow those individuals to vote, like the District of Columbia and Maine, information on how to register to vote and request absentee ballots.\n\n\u201cIt is imperative that these individuals be given the full range of voting information,\u201d Norton said. \u201cThis bill would codify some past BOP practices on providing incarcerated individuals with information on voter registration and instructing them on how to request absentee ballots. Thank you to Congresswoman Pingree for co-leading this important bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaine is only one of four states or territories that allows everyone to vote in our elections, including incarcerated people, and our democracy is stronger for it,\u201d said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME). \u201cToday, I\u2019m proud to join Congresswoman Norton on a bill that would provide people in prison with information on how they can register and vote absentee. Putting up barriers for anyone to engage in civic life is undemocratic and I am hopeful that with this bill we will open up more pathways to the ballot box.\u201d\n\nNorton\u2019s introductory statement follows.\n\nStatement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on\n\nthe Introduction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Voting Assistance Act\n\nJanuary 9, 2024\n\nToday, I introduce the Federal Bureau of Prisons Voting Assistance Act with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. This bill would require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide incarcerated individuals from jurisdictions that allow such individuals to vote, like the District of Columbia and Maine, information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. BOP would be required to provide each BOP prison information on the criteria for voter registration, instructions on voter registration, voter registration forms and prepaid envelopes for voter registration forms, if provided by the state generally. Each prison would be required to post the information in the facility and give it to each incarcerated individual eligible to vote.\n\nI urge my colleagues to support this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T23:46:48Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 90, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"state\" = :p0 and \"year\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "DC", "p1": "2024"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 90, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024&party=Democrat", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 90, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "DC", "label": "DC", "count": 90, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?year=2024", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=DC&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "2024", "label": "2024", "count": 90, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=DC", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": null, "next_url": null, "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 101.33655834943056, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}