{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-responds-to-press-reports-about-possibility-of-dc-riders-in", "Norton Responds to Press Reports About Possibility of D.C. Riders in Upcoming Spending Bill", "2014-12-04", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In response to press inquiries and reports, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that she is working around the clock to protect the District of Columbia\u2019s right to home rule in the fiscal year 2015 omnibus spending bill, expected to be released on Monday.\u00a0 The House\u2019s version of the fiscal year 2015 D.C. appropriations bill contains three anti-home-rule riders \u2013 one from Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) to prohibit the District from using its local funds to decriminalize or legalize small amounts of marijuana, one from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to prohibit the city from using its local funds to enforce its ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and other gun laws, and one that is regularly attached to the D.C. appropriations bill to prohibit the city from spending its local funds on abortion services for low-income women.\u00a0\nNorton said that she is involved in conversations with House and Senate leaders and the White House, asking that they hold fast against Republican efforts to carry House interference with D.C. home rule into the final bill.\nNorton said that it was critical to defeat Rep. Harris\u2019 marijuana rider considering the racial justice impetus for D.C.\u2019s marijuana policies, following two recent studies that show that almost all marijuana-related arrests in D.C. are of Black residents, even though Blacks and Whites use marijuana at the same rate.\u00a0 Twenty-three states have legalized medical marijuana, 18 states have decriminalized marijuana, and four states have legalized marijuana.\u00a0 A February 2014 Pew Research Center poll found that 54% of Americans support marijuana legalization.\u00a0\nNorton also said that when the Secret Service has had difficulty protecting the White House from gun fire, the Massie gun amendment should be a non-starter.\u00a0 Eliminating the District\u2019s assault weapons ban and allowing magazines of unlimited capacity would endanger the First Family, federal officials, and countless world leaders and dignitaries that visit D.C. each year, as well as D.C. residents.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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"], "primary_key_values": ["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-responds-to-press-reports-about-possibility-of-dc-riders-in"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.826615072786808, "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"}