Press releases
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282 rows where party = "Democrat", state = "DC" and year = 2020 sorted by date descending
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| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bass-lead-letter-to-president-elect-biden-on-combating-aircraft | Norton, Bass Lead Letter to President-Elect Biden on Combating Aircraft Noise | 2020-12-31 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) led a letter this week urging President-elect Joe Biden to appoint Federal Aviation Administration officials who will use creative approaches to solve noise problems from aircraft. Norton has long led the effort in the House to combat airplane and helicopter noise in the nation's capital and across the country. Norton's community meetings on airplane and helicopter noise and residents' stories of interrupted sleep patterns, homes shaking and difficulty having conversations have guided Norton's efforts to quell airplane and helicopter noise. The disruption to human health and local economies by aircraft noise has long been overlooked or altogether ignored by the FAA, said Congresswoman Bass. I urge the Biden administration to appoint FAA officials who will finally address this issue that has plagued many of my constituents. The letter was also signed by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), Congressman Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA). The full text is below. Congress of the United States Washington, D.C. 20515 December 28, 2020 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President-elect of the United States Office of the Biden-Harris Transition Washington, DC 20500 Dear President-elect Biden: You will soon name several new appointees to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the Deputy FAA Administrator, the Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization, the Associate Administrator for Airports, and the Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-first-member-of-congress-to-introduce-native-american-land | Norton First Member of Congress to Introduce Native American Land Acknowledgment Resolution | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution to recognize that the land of the United States was originally inhabited by Native Americans and to call on state and local governments to encourage formal land acknowledgments before public or ceremonial events. She appears to be the first member of Congress to introduce such a resolution. It's past time for Congress to acknowledge that the land comprising our country was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples known as Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives, Norton said. This formal statement recognizes that Indigenous peoples are the original and traditional stewards of a given geographic area, and I hope to convey honor and respect for their connection to their ancestral lands." The full text of the resolution is below. 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1264 Recognizing that the land that is now known as the United States of America was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples known as Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources. RESOLUTION Recognizing that the land that is now known as the United States of America was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples known as Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives. Whereas a land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as the original and traditional stewards of a given geographic area and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands; Whereas a formal statement of a land acknowledgment is a proper method to recognize the traditions of Indigenous peoples and ancestral land; Whereas a land acknowledgment is a practice that honors and respects contemporary Indigenous peoples' connection to their ancestral lands; Whereas a land acknowledgment is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to Tribes… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-dc-parole-and-supervised-release-act | Norton Introduces D.C. Parole and Supervised Release Act | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has introduced a bill to give the District of Columbia. the authority to make parole and supervised release determinations for D.C. Code offenders beginning in 2022. Currently, the U.S. Parole Commission makes these determinations for D.C. Code offenders. This bill is important because it would give D.C. the same right that states have to make parole and supervised release determinations for residents convicted of violating their laws, Norton said. Even before we achieve statehood, I'm continuing to fight for D.C. to have the same rights as the states do, including the right to make these determinations. Norton's introductory statement is below. Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the District of Columbia Parole and Supervised Release Act December 7, 2020 I rise today to introduce the District of Columbia Parole and Supervised Release Act. This bill would give the District of Columbia the authority to make parole and supervised release determinations for D.C. Code offenders beginning on November 1, 2022. Currently, the U.S. Parole Commission (Commission) makes these determinations for D.C. Code offenders. This bill would give D.C. the same authority over parole and supervised release determinations for D.C. Code offenders that the Commission has today. The District has asked to have this authority for its own local offenders. D.C. would have the same authority the states possess over their own local offenders on these matters, including the authority to devise an adjudication system as it sees fit. The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 transferred the functions of the D.C. Parole Board to the Commission. By transferring the costs associated with the Commission's work on D.C. Code offenders to the District, the federal government would save money with passage of this bill. I ask my colleagues to support this bill. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-lists-dc-victories-in-spending-bill-passed-today | Norton Lists D.C. Victories in Spending Bill Passed Today | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) listed the D.C. victories in the final fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills, which the House and Senate are expected to approve soon. Among other wins, Norton was able to secure $40 million for the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), $8 million for D.C. Water, and $7 million to begin work on a new Howard University Hospital. In addition, Norton was able to get language recognizing Union Station's importance as a multimodal transportation hub for the National Capital Region and instructing the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to continue working with D.C. on the station's expansion, and directing Capitol Police not to enforce the law prohibiting sledding on Capitol Hill. Norton also got the Long Bridge Act of 2020 included. I'm pleased with the victories achieved in today's spending bill, Norton said. The funding for DCTAG will allow District students to attend schools in all 50 states. Although I requested $10 million for Howard University Hospital, I received $7 million, a large majority of my request. The Long Bridge Act of 2020, which, authorizes the National Park Service to convey federal property for construction of a much-needed new commuter rail bridge spanning the Potomac River, was included. I was also successful in including a provision directing Capitol Police not to enforce the law prohibiting sledding on Capitol Hill, a tradition long enjoyed by D.C. residents. The complete list of Norton's victories for D.C. is below. DCTAG: $40M $600K for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program. $4M federal payment for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in D.C. Howard University Hospital:$7M for construction of the new hospital $8M federal payment for D.C. Water. Language recognizing the importance of Washington Union Station as a multimodal transportation hub for the National Capital Region and instructing the FRA to continue working with D.C. o… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-receive-covid-19-vaccine-hold-media-availability-today | Norton to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine, Hold Media Availability Today | 2020-12-18 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will receive the first dose of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine today at 5:00 p.m. at the House of Representatives and hold a media availability afterwards. Members of Congress, to ensure continuity of government, are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine beginning today, and I will get my first dose today as well at 5:00 p.m., Norton said. I hope to set an example, encouraging my constituents to trust the science, as I do, that has given us this feat of modern medicine, and I urge them to follow my example by getting the vaccine at the earliest opportunity. I am now working to ensure a smooth distribution of this life-saving vaccine to my constituents as soon as possible. Norton will hold a media availability afterwards at her Capitol Hill office (2136 Rayburn House Office Building). Media seeking interviews should contact Sharon Eliza Nichols at Sharon.e.nichols@mail.house.gov. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-writes-letter-supporting-increase-in-dc-eviction-filing-fee-court | Norton Writes Letter Supporting Increase in D.C. Eviction Filing Fee Court Agrees to Solicit Public Comment | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to Chief Judge Anita M. Josey-Herring of the D.C. Superior Court supporting an increase in the filing fee for evictions to reduce the number of eviction filings by landlords trying to collect small amounts of rent owed and asking the court to solicit feedback by parties affected by the fee, especially tenant representatives, as part of a rulemaking process on this matter. Norton cited a study that showed D.C.'s eviction filing fee to be the lowest among all cities in the study and $91 below the median. The court agreed to solicit public comment on the fee. After looking at the issue, I've concluded that the low eviction filing fee in D.C. encourages landlords to file for evictions as a first response to small amounts of rent owed, imposing unnecessary costs on tenants and the court, Norton said. Especially during this pandemic, we do not need to encourage evictions. Norton's letter and the court's response are below. December 9, 2020 Chief Judge Anita M. Josey-Herring Superior Court of the District of Columbia 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001 Dear Chief Judge Josey-Herring: I understand that the Superior Court of the District of Columbia is examining its eviction filing fee. On November 10, 2020, the D.C. Council passed legislation expressing the sense of the Council that the fee should be increased from $15 to $100 to reduce the number of eviction filings by landlords trying to collect small amounts of rent owed. I, too, support increasing the fee. As we consider the urgent issue of mitigating evictions in Congress, I urge the Court to actively solicit public feedback by parties affected by the fee, especially tenant representatives, as part of a rulemaking process on this matter. According to a recent study, the Court's $15 eviction filing fee is the lowest in the major American cities studied, and D.C. has one of the highest rates of eviction filings.[1] This suggests that D.C.'s low fee, which is $91 below the median, enc… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-allowing-sales-tax-at-federal-gift-shops | Norton Introduces Bill Allowing Sales Tax at Federal Gift Shops | 2020-12-15 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has introduced a bill to allow state and local governments to impose a sales tax on purchases at gift shops on federal property. At a time when local economies are struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic, this bill will generate vital tax revenue. It will particularly help D.C., which hosts many federal gift shops but doesn't currently receive tax revenue from sales at these shops, Norton said. Norton's introductory statement for the bill is below. Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton On the Introduction of the Federal Gift Shop Tax Act December 9, 2020 Ms. Norton. Madam Speaker. Today, I rise to introduce the Federal Gift Shop Tax Act, which would allow state and local governments to impose a sales tax on purchases at gift shops on federal property. These governments would be able to generate millions of dollars in new revenue at a time when they are struggling to meet their budgets because of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. When the federal government engages in activity that is not inherently governmental, such as operating a gift shop, there is no reason to exempt customer purchases from a sales he items sold at federal gift shops, such as jewelry, apparel, accessories, games, books and dcor, would be subject to sales tax if sold on private property. Customers are often unaware of this sales tax exemption when shopping at gift shops on federal property, so the introduction of a sales tax is unlikely to have a significant impact on gift shop sales. It would, however, create a valuable revenue stream for struggling governments. In addition, state and local governments often provide uncompensated services to federal property, such as fire service, and allowing them to impose a sales tax on gift shops would allow them to recoup some of those costs. This bill is of particular importance to the District of Columbia, as it is home to a number of gift shops on federal property, such as at the Smithsonian Institution… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-celebrates-house-passage-of-long-bridge-project-legislation | Norton Celebrates House Passage of Long Bridge Project Legislation | 2020-12-10 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated House passage today of the Long Bridge Act of 2020, which would authorize the National Park Service to transfer land necessary for the Long Bridge Project to the District of Columbia and Virginia. The project will create a new rail bridge and a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River connecting D.C. and Virginia. Norton worked on the bill with sponsor Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) and other members of the Virginia and Maryland delegations. As a regional hub, D.C.'s transit needs are interwoven with those of our regional partners, Norton said. For example, 75% of D.C.'s health care workers live in Virginia and Maryland. Projects and success stories like the passage of the Long Bridge Act are integral to developing robust interjurisdictional transportation systems for commuters, tourists and freight entering D.C. As the chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I am leading the effort in the House to combat climate change caused by the transportation sector. This bill expands rail, bike and pedestrian connections between the District and Virginia, providing freight, commuters and tourists greater opportunities for green mobility. I thank my colleagues in the House for their work on this bill, and I look forward to further collaboration to provide robust infrastructure investments for the national capital region. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced companion legislation. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-writes-to-nps-asking-for-cleanup-of-parkland-east-of-the | Norton Writes to NPS Asking for Cleanup of Parkland East of the Anacostia River | 2020-12-10 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter this week to Margaret Everson, Acting Director of the National Park Service (NPS), asking that more resources be devoted to keep NPS parkland east of the Anacostia River welcoming, accessible and clean. Norton argued that accessible outdoor space is even more important during a pandemic, when being outside is often safer than being indoors. Norton was instrumental in helping to enact the Great American Outdoors Act, which will provide funding for NPS to address deferred maintenance, and in her letter, Norton urged NPS to use some of this funding for parkland east of the river. I worked hard for passage of the Great American Outdoors Act to provide funding for NPS deferred maintenance because NPS owns most of the parkland in D.C., Norton said. I intend to work with Congress and the National Park Service to make sure that the funds for NPS parks in the District are directed where they are most needed. Our residents in Southeast should not be left to cleaning their parks of debris themselves and to the neglect that has finally come to public attention. The letter follows. Margaret Everson Acting Director National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Acting Director Everson: I write to bring to your attention a major article in the Washington Post yesterday. The article, titled A fight for forest equity in Southeast D.C. takes on new urgency amid pandemic, describes, and illustrates with pictures, the outrageous conditions of National Park Service (NPS) parks east of the Anacostia River and the commendable efforts of Southeast D.C. residents to clean up the parks. I am asking NPS to devote more resources to its parks east of the river to make them accessible, clean and welcoming to the surrounding community, especially as access to outdoor space is critical for mental and physical health during the coronavirus pandemic. I recognize that NPS has approximately $12 billion in deferred maintenance, including $1.3 billion in th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-applauds-house-passage-of-bill-decriminalizing-marijuana | Norton Applauds House Passage of Bill Decriminalizing Marijuana | 2020-12-09 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) applauded House passage last week of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act). Norton is an original cosponsor of the MORE Act. The bill decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level, expunges marijuana convictions, and invests in local communities. It imposes a tax on marijuana sales and opens the door to commercialization of recreational marijuana in D.C. Today, when a global pandemic is harming the District's economy, forcing the closure of many businesses and even threatening government services, the MORE Act will allow vital tax revenue from an activity that's already common in D.C. and throughout the country, Norton said. D.C. legalized recreational marijuana in 2014. Republicans tried to block legalization with an appropriations rider. I found a flaw in the rider that allowed legalization to proceed, but the rider blocked commercialization and has remained in place since then. The MORE Act increases our chances of removing the anti-home-rule rider going forward and permitting commercialization. Fifteen states have legalized recreational marijuana, and all have or will commercializeit. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-asks-for-national-park-service-to-reinstitute-safety-protocols | Norton Asks for National Park Service to Reinstitute Safety Protocols for Employees in Light of Recent COVID-19 Cases | 2020-12-09 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter today to Margaret Everson, Acting Director of the National Park Service (NPS), expressing concern about the safety of employees who continue to work at NPS properties during the coronavirus crisis, which is at its highest level yet in the National Capital Region. Norton's letter asks Acting Director Everson to close the Washington Monument, visitor centers, and any other indoor properties in the National Capital Region until this wave of the virus has subsided. Norton also specifically asks that the NPS move all non-emergency employees to teleworking or to weather and safety leave. Most parkland in the District of Columbia is owned by NPS, meaning many of the employees affected are Norton's constituents. I understand that there have been at least four cases of COVID-19 and one hospitalization among NPS employees who work on the National Mall, Norton said. NPS employees need to be able to protect themselves and their families during this time of crisis. Norton asks Acting Director Everson to provide a written response by December 15, 2020. The letter follows: December 9, 2020 Margaret Everson Acting Director National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Acting Director Everson: I remain concerned about the health of National Park Service (NPS) employees who have been staffing NPS properties, including in the District of Columbia, during the coronavirus pandemic. I understand that there have been at least four cases of COVID-19 and one hospitalization among NPS employees who work on the National Mall. I also understand that NPS has not closed indoor properties such as the Washington Monument and that visitors are not uniformly following mask and social-distancing guidelines while on federal property, including inside the Washington Monument's elevator. These behaviors put NPS employees and the public at significant risk. As I emphasized in my letter to NPS on March 20, 2020, the safety of every NPS employee is my top pr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-highlights-major-development-milestone-in-hill-east | Norton Highlights Major Development Milestone in Hill East | 2020-12-09 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the author of theFederal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006, which transferred 67 acres of federal land (Reservation 13) in Hill East to the District of Columbia, said today she is delighted that the city has reached a major milestone in the development of this land with the announcement of the Request for Proposals for almost 500,000 square feet of land area for mixed-used development, with a focus on affordable housing. The land is located near RFK Stadium. I got this land transferred to the District, so I could not be happier to see it used to good effect, Norton said. The Hill East Project will help bring mixed-use development, including needed affordable housing and several thousand permanent and construction jobs, to the banks of the Anacostia River to spur economic development in the midst of tough economic times. Let Congress take notice that when passed, this is the type of economic development that my bill to transfer the federal RFK Stadium site to D.C. would achieve. These projects are instrumental in the revenue they generate and in remedying the structural deficit incurred by the District because of numerous federal requirements, such as the limits that keep the city from obtaining revenue by constructing tall buildings, like those that exist in other large cities. The Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006was signed into law after the congresswoman carried the bill through four different House committees and the Senate, as well as intense negotiations in both chambers. The bill also directed the transfer of Poplar Point in Ward 8 to the District. Norton continues to push Congress to pass her bill that would transfer the RFK Stadium site, currently the largest track of unused federal land in the District, to D.C. for fair market value. Norton's work in making land owned or controlled by the federal government available to the District has been essential in revitalizing D.C. neighbor… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-hoyer-van-hollen-carper-and-bowser-release-statements-calling-for | Norton, Hoyer, Van Hollen, Carper, and Bowser Release Statements Calling for Full Funding for D.C. in Next Coronavirus Bill | 2020-12-09 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser released statements today advocating for full and fair funding for the District in the next coronavirus bill. The CARES Act, passed in March, deprived the District of $755 million in fiscal relief that would have gone toward helping D.C. residents and businesses recover from the dual economic and health crises presented by the coronavirus. The next coronavirus bill must include these funds and treat D.C. the same as the states, as legislation usually does for purposes of federal funding. The needs of the District from the coronavirus pandemic are only increasing, Norton said. Any next coronavirus stimulus package must include state-level funding for the nation's capital, as D.C. is usually treated with regards to federal funding. As we continue to negotiate legislation to provide relief to American families and small businesses impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it's imperative that the District of Columbia receive equal treatment in any response legislation, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. More than 700,000 Americans live in our nation's capital and they deserve the same treatment and access to resources as their fellow citizens in Maryland and Virginia. I'll continue to urge my colleagues to not shortchange or discriminate against residents of DC. As COVID-19 cases continue to spike, blocking D.C. from accessing its fair share of relief funds will hamper its ability to address the health and economic crises at hand in our region.Since Republicans' initial efforts to shortchange the District, we have been fighting tooth and nail to secure fair treatment for the District and provide these much-needed COVID-19 resources moving forward. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and ensure D.C. receives fully-funded COVID-19 aid, to support the citizens and businesses that make our Nation's Cap… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-assures-residents-budget-provision-will-keep-dc-open-if-federal | Norton Assures Residents Budget Provision Will Keep D.C. Open if Federal Government Shuts Down | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C.As the possibility of a federal government shutdown looms this week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today assured District of Columbia residents that a provision she gets included in each District of Columbia Appropriations bill will keep the D.C. government open if the federal government shuts down this Saturday, when the current fiscal year (FY) 2021 short-term continuing resolution (CR) expires. President Trump is a wild card when it comes to negotiations over government funding, Norton said. While it is not probable that Trump will veto the one-week continuing resolution that Congress is expected to pass this week, it is possible. Given his erratic behavior throughout his administration and in particular since the election, he has proven far removed from reality and from the interests of the American people. The D.C. shutdown exemption provision is important this year in particular because it insulates D.C. from possible chaos Trump may try to create in his final months as President. Congress could learn something about fiscal responsibility by taking a look at D.C., which has a balanced budget and a surplus. During a federal shutdown, low-wage federal contract workers are at particular risk of being denied pay, through no fault of their own. Low-wage contract workers deserve the same back pay given to federal employees after a shutdown, as both federal employees and contract workers often work alongside one another. Both groups of workers deserve to be made whole after any shutdown. Norton's provision allows D.C. to spend under its local FY 2021 budget during a federal government shutdown in FY 2021.D.C. has been spending under its local FY 2021 budget during the (CR), and would continue to do so during a federal government shutdown. Norton has gotten the D.C. shutdown exemption included in each spending bill since the federal government shutdown of 2013. Before she got the shutdown exemption for D.C., the District had to prepare shutdown contingency plans every time there was th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-big-wins-for-swimmable-fishable-anacostia-river | Norton Gets Big Wins for Swimmable, Fishable Anacostia River | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) heralded House passage today of the final Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA), the major water infrastructure bill. This bill includes a provision that would help accelerate the cleanup of harmful sediments in and around the federal navigation channel in the Anacostia River. This provision changes the parameters, depth and coordinates of the federal navigation channel. The Congresswoman's provision supports the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment's (DOEE) plan to remediate the Anacostia River, a priority for Norton, by either dredging or capping toxic sediment to make the river safe for wildlife and District residents. This plan is called the Anacostia River Sediment Project. As chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I successfully worked to have this important provision for the District, and the surrounding region, included in the original House-passed version of WRDA and the final version of WRDA, which the House passed today, Norton said. The Anacostia River has long been a major priority for me, and this provision is necessary to continue the progress being made on cleanup of the river. This provision will allow DOEE to move forward with its plans for sediment remediation in the Anacostia River more quickly and at a lower overall cost. This is a major victory for our city. Due to sediment accumulation over time, many parts of the federal navigation channel in the Anacostia do not meet the current formal depth requirements of the federal navigation channel. In the absence of a partial deauthorization, in order to move forward with its plan for sediment remediation, DOEE would have had to dredge down to the full depth of 24 feet in many places, a depth that is inconsistent with existing and anticipated future uses of the Anacostia River. Extensive dredging is not necessary to restore the river and would be very time consuming and expensive and make the overall remediation project much more difficul… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/northern-virginia-delegation-norton-hail-full-reopening-of-memorial | Northern Virginia Delegation, Norton Hail Full Reopening of Memorial Bridge | 2020-12-07 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Over five years after corrosion and structural weakness led to lane closures and the imposition of a weight limit, the Memorial Bridge fully reopened today with all lanes open to traffic. The historic bridge, which connects Arlington National Cemetery in Northern Virginia and the Lincoln Memorial in the District of Columbia, was repaired with a $227 million rehabilitation project secured after a multi-year advocacy effort by the congressional delegation. Statement from U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC): We are thrilled to see Memorial Bridge finally reopened after years of hard work, and we thank everyone who helped make this moment possible. Nearly five years ago the National Park Service warned that the bridge would close by 2021 unless extensive repairs were undertaken. We knew that the loss of this key regional artery would inflict great hardship on our constituents, and worked with urgency to secure the funding necessary to restore and reopen the bridge. Thanks to those efforts and the support of key regional officials, that project has been completed successfully. Memorial Bridge is now fully operational, and stands not only as a historic and functional monument, but also as a symbol of the kind of progress that is possible on rebuilding key transportation infrastructure through smart government investment. We look forward to helping make more successes like this one possible in the National Capital Region and across the country in years to come. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-thanks-majority-leader-hoyer-for-becoming-an-original-cosponsor | Norton Thanks Majority Leader Hoyer for Becoming an Original Cosponsor of the D.C. Statehood Bill in Next Congress | 2020-12-02 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) for becoming today an original cosponsor of the District of Columbia statehood bill in the 117th Congress, which begins in January 2021. Majority Leaders are very selective about bills they choose to cosponsor, which makes it an even greater honor to receive Leader Hoyer's enthusiastic support as an original cosponsor of the D.C. statehood bill, Norton said. He is only the second Majority Leader in either chamber to ever bring the D.C. statehood bill to the floor for a vote, and the first ever to pass it, which occurred in June. Leader Hoyer has taken a personal interest in statehood for the District, even writing a moving op-ed in the Washington Post supporting the bill. I look forward to working with him as an original cosponsor of D.C. statehood next Congress. Norton has secured 173 original cosponsors of the bill in the House for the next Congress, which breaks the record she set this Congress (155), even though there will be fewer total House Democrats next Congress. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-to-allow-national-childrens-museum-to-remain-in-ronald | Norton Bill to Allow National Children's Museum to Remain in Ronald Reagan Building in D.C. Rent-Free Passes House | 2020-11-17 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her bill allowing the National Children's Museum (NCM), a congressionally designated museum, to remain in the federally owned Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in the District of Columbia without charge passed today in the House by voice vote, which will enhance its chances in the Senate. Norton says that the passage will allow the nation's first combination children's museum and science center to remain centrally located in the nation's capital for the benefit of D.C. residents and the many visitors who come annually to the nation's capital. Norton introduced the bill before the coronavirus pandemic but said the pandemic made the bill's passage even more urgent. Though the museum remains temporarily closed because of the pandemic, it has continued to provide valuable educational resources virtually. Despite the many benefits the NCM brings to the nation's capital and our country, it was an outlier before today, Norton said. NCM was the only congressionally designated museum expected to pay rent in a federal building. The passage of my National Children's Museum Act today will allow NCM to remain in its current federal location without charge, allowing staff to focus on bringing 21st-century science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) learning techniques to the nation's capital. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-van-hollen-request-1183-million-for-dc-emergency-planning | Norton, Van Hollen Request $118.3 Million for D.C. Emergency Planning & Security Fund in Final Spending Bill | 2020-11-17 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) sent a letter yesterday to the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Financial Services and General Government in support of the District of Columbia's request for $118.3 million for the D.C. emergency planning and security fund (EPSF) in the final fiscal year 2021 D.C. Appropriations bill. The federally-funded EPSF pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital and is used to cover expenses such as inaugurations and major events requiring an increased police presence. This fund does not pay for local matters but is used exclusively for protecting the federal presence, Norton said. These funds are particularly necessary during this transition year when D.C. will be welcoming the inauguration of a new presidential administration and a new Congress. Over the years, D.C.'s Emergency Planning & Security Fund has been used to support the inaugurations of presidents of both political parties as well as a number of national events honoring our democracy, Van Hollen said. But the Trump Administration has repeatedly diverted these funds for political stunts and refused to replenish them. These funds, which are vital to the safety and security of our nation's capital and the American people, must be restored. I urge my colleagues to back this bipartisan measure. The letter is below. November 16, 2020 The Honorable Mike Quigley The Honorable John Kennedy Chairman Chairman House Committee on Appropriations Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and General Government The Honorable Steve Womack The Honorable Christopher Coons Ranking Member Ranking Member House Committee on Appropriations Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and General Government Dear Chairmen… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-takes-on-senate-dc-appropriations-bill-cuts-riders-attacking-home | Norton Takes on Senate D.C. Appropriations Bill Cuts, Riders Attacking Home Rule | 2020-11-12 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today vowed to overcome the Senate's fiscal year 2021 (FY21) District of Columbia Appropriations bill, released this week, which would reduce funding for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG) by $30 million, from $40 million to just $10 million. Despite prior attempts by Republicans to cut DCTAG funding, Norton has been able to get $40 million for DCTAG each of the last four years, even with Republican control of Congress, enough to benefit thousands of D.C. students, and she anticipates similar success this year. The Senate bill also attacks D.C. home rule with riders that would prohibit D.C. from spending its local funds on abortions for low-income women and on commercializing recreational marijuana. It also would appropriate D.C.'s local funds, preempting the Local Budget Autonomy Act. While the bill contains some provisions Norton fought to get for D.C., including $8 million for D.C. Water, $3 million for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and an exemption for D.C. should the federal government temporarily shut down, Norton vowed to overcome the provision reducing funding for DCTAG, as she has done in the past. The Senate Appropriations Committee bill doubles down by trying to take even more funds from D.C. students going to college in all 50 states, but I will not let that happen, Norton said. It's also long past time to permit D.C. to commercialize recreational marijuana, as mor than a dozen states have done, especially considering I was able to save D.C.'s legalization of the use of recreational marijuana, which now sends D.C. residents to illegal markets to purchase. I've overcome worse bills, even in Republican-controlled Congresses, and I'm already working to overcome the anti-D.C. provisions of this bill. The House-passed FY21 D.C. Appropriations bill would provide $40 million for DCTAG and $8 million for D.C. Water, allow D.C. to spend its local funds on abortions for low-income women and on commercializing recreational marijuana… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-asks-us-army-corps-of-engineers-to-extend-comment-period-on | Norton Asks U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Extend Comment Period on Proposed Rule Restricting Access to Washington Channel, and Hold Public Meeting | 2020-11-10 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to extend the comment period on a proposed rule restricting public access to the Washington Channel in the District of Columbia and to hold a public meeting on the proposed rule during the extended comment period. Norton's Southwest Waterfront development legislation has spurred many new forms of travel and recreation in the District. The current comment period for the proposed rule is scheduled to end on November 12th. In her letter, Norton noted that D.C. residents have significant concerns with the proposed rule and that the current deadline does not allow for adequate time for public input. I've spoken to District of Columbia government officials and interested parties and I agree with them that the November 12 end to the comment period on this rule is too early to ensure that we hear concerns District residents may have about this proposed rule, Norton said. Congress passed my bill to develop the Southwest Waterfront (the Wharf), which is still in progress, and the Washington Channel is increasingly being used for water taxis and forms of recreation that also provide tax revenue for D.C., such as kayaking, sailing and river events. I'd like to at least allow time for thorough discussion of potential consequences for closing the Channel for those most affected before this rule change proceeds. The full letter is below. November 6, 2020 General Scott Spellmon 55th Chief of Engineers and Commanding General U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 441 G Street NW Washington, DC 20314 Dear General Spellmon: I write to request a 60-day extension of the comment period and a public meeting during the extended comment period on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) revised proposed rule (COE-2019-0010) restricting public access to the Washington Channel next to Fort McNair in the District of Columbia. After speaking with the District of Columbia government and other interested parties, I am concerned … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-hold-virtual-veterans-day-event-today-honoring-women-veterans | Norton to Hold Virtual Veterans Day Event Today Honoring Women Veterans from Each Branch of the Military | 2020-11-10 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual event honoring four District of Columbia women veterans from each branch of the military today, November 10, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. in honor of Veterans Day. The event will showcase what it means to be a woman in the armed services, who have received so little attention, while honoring the sacrifices of veterans from the District. D.C. veterans have fought and died in every war since the American Revolution, thus far without a full vote in Congress or the benefits of full home rule, Norton said. I'm looking forward to speaking with these distinguished women, understanding more about their experiences in the armed services, and honoring their sacrifices to our country while acknowledging the lack of recognition they receive but so richly deserve. The event will be live streamed at Facebook.com/CongresswomanNorton. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-wasting-no-time-in-gathering-dc-statehood-bill-cosponsors-for | Norton Wasting No Time in Gathering D.C. Statehood Bill Cosponsors for Next Congress | 2020-11-10 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she is wasting no time in gathering original cosponsors for her District of Columbia statehood bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the House in June, for the next Congress. Norton's goal is to break the record number 155 of original cosponsors of the D.C. statehood bill in the House, which she set this Congress, and she is on track to do so. I've already begun gathering cosponsors for our D.C. statehood bill for the next Congress, which begins in January, Norton said. I'm encouraged by the significant support that statehood got with this year's House passage of the bill and in the number of cosponsors already in before the next Congress begins. As of now, we have 128 original cosponsors and expect more will be added before the 117th Congress convenes in January. I fully expect to surpass my previous record of 155 original cosponsors of the bill by then. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-honoring-dc-veterans-who-served-their-0 | Norton Introduces Resolution Honoring D.C. Veterans Who Served Their Nation Despite Being Denied Full Voting Representation in Congress and Home Rule | 2020-11-09 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her annual Veterans Day resolution honoring the more than 30,000 D.C. veterans and their families, who served their country 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 to make D.C. veterans and other residents equal. Residents of the District of Columbia have fought and died for their country in every war since the Revolutionary War, which created our country, yet are still denied a full vote in Congress or full home rule, Norton said. My annual resolution honors their sacrifices. It also gives the most important reason for and encourages our progress on our D.C. statehood bill, which passed the House in June. Norton's resolution is below. RESOLUTION Recognizing 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 H.R. 51, particularly in light of the service of District of Columbia veterans in every American war. Whereas on November 11, our Nation observes Veterans Day, a Federal holiday commemorating the men and women who served and sacrificed for their country; Whereas the service and sacrifice of all American veterans must be recognized; Whereas the service of approximately 30,000 residents of the District of Columbia in the Armed Forces is unparalleled because they served without voting representation in Congress and full local self-government; Whereas residents of the District of Columbia fought to create the United States, fighting for the Revolutionary War slogan of no taxation without representation, and have served in every war fought by the United States since; Whereas 635 District of Columbia residents were casualti… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-writes-federal-transit-administration-asking-for-public | Norton Writes Federal Transit Administration Asking for Public Disclosure of Transit Agencies Choosing to Waive Title VI Equity Analysis | 2020-11-05 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today sent a letter to Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) K. Jane Williams asking that any transit agency choosing not to conduct a Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 equity analysis publicly report that decision. The FTA is giving agencies under its jurisdiction the option during the coronavirus of waiving this analysis, which evaluates the impacts of proposed service and fare changes on Title VI-protected and low-income populations. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is one of the agencies not conducting a Title VI equity analysis. The Title VI equity analysis is a tool required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act that protects people from discrimination based on their race, color, or national origin by any program that receives federal assistance, like public transportation programs, Norton said. I was alarmed to learn that some of these equity analyses have been waived, including for WMATA, which my constituents rely on for their daily needs. While I understand the pandemic has affected public transportation, the public should be aware of transit agencies waiving their rights under the law and why. The full letter is below. November 5, 2020 K. Jane Williams Acting Administrator Federal Transit Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 Dear Acting Administrator Williams: As Chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, it has come to my attention that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is not requiring transit agencies to conduct a Title VI equity analysis for service cuts and changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand that FTA expects all transit agencies to take reasonable measures to implement changes to services or fares equitably to prevent unintentional discrimination. However, I am concerned that waiving the Title VI equity analysis could negatively impact the very communities this legislation is designed to protect. I ask that FTA requir… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-hold-quarterly-community-meeting-with-the-national-park | Norton to Hold Quarterly Community Meeting with the National Park Service and D.C. Residents | 2020-11-02 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual community meeting open to all District of Columbia residents with representatives from the National Park Service (NPS) on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. Her quarterly community meetings have been popular with her constituents. Virtually all D.C. neighborhood parks are within NPS's jurisdiction. Our parks, allowing us to get fresh air, have been our lifelines during this pandemic. My quarterly meetings have become the most effective way for me to hear from constituents and work to resolve concerns on issues related to parks and federal land that fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, Norton said. I look forward to hearing from my constituents. To attend, email NortonEvents@mail.house.gov for the Zoom link. The event will be open to the public and to the media. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-beyer-applaud-department-of-justice-decision-they-fought-for-to | Norton, Beyer Applaud Department of Justice Decision They Fought for to Allow Local Police Who are Part of Federal Task Forces to Wear Body Cameras | 2020-10-30 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) applauded last night's Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to allow local police officers who are on federal task forces to wear body cameras. Norton and Beyer have introduced two body camera bills: The first bill, which passed the House this year, would require all uniformed federal police officers to wear body cameras and have dashboard cameras in police vehicles, and the second bill would prohibit the federal government from refusing to work with local police departments that require their officers to wear body cameras, which would essentially codifyDOJ's new policy. DOJ had prohibited local police officers on federal task forces from wearingbody cameras. In this year of increasing clashes and protests over police violence, it's particularly appropriate that the Department of Justice has taken this small step toward police accountability by allowing local police officers who are part of federal task forces to wear body cameras, Norton said. Local and federal police should always be on the same page, especially on a matter such as body cameras, whose effectiveness has been shown. This should be the first step toward full accountability, when both federal and local police officers will embrace appropriate use of body cameras. I'm glad to see that the Justice Department has reversed course after a year and a half of pursuing a backwards policy of discouraging local law enforcement from using body cameras, Beyer said. This is a step in the right direction, but it should never have been necessary and cost crucial time. Every federal officer should use body-worn cameras, and the Administration must embrace forward-thinking reforms that improve transparency and accountability of policing. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-authorized-for-federal | Norton Gets Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Authorized for Federal Construction, Leases and Renovations in D.C. | 2020-10-30 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today said the committee last month approved prospectuses for the construction, leasing and renovation of federal office space in the District of Columbia valued at up to $873 million. Keeping federal agencies and bringing others here is always one of our priorities, Norton said. The D.C. economy and our residents benefit both from federal employees spending money in the District and from the federal funds spent on construction, leasing, and maintenance of federal buildings. Construction work done in concert with federal agencies is especially beneficial during the pandemic because most of it does not involve close contact. Moreover, D.C. residents are even more likely to be employed by federal agencies when they are located in the District. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-issues-statement-acknowledging-a-republican-s-historic-leadership | Norton Issues Statement Acknowledging a Republicans Historic Leadership on D.C. Statehood | 2020-10-28 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement today regarding a Republican House Member's leadership on District of Columbia statehood before the District won home rule, after recently receiving a copy of the Congressional Record from June 16, 1971. D.C. resident Nelson F. Rimensnyder, who was on the staff of the Committee on the District of Columbia from 1975 to 1992, sent Norton a copy of the Congressional Record. As we work for passage in the Senate of our D.C. statehood bill, we want to remind the country of a major D.C. statehood bill that was introduced not by a Democrat, but by a Republican, Rep. Fred Schwengel (R-IA), in 1971, long before I was elected to Congress. Rep. Schwengel began by introducing bills providing various versions of home rule. However, he moved to D.C. statehood after concluding that his home rule bills would only extend and not fully grant the rights of citizenship to those so entitled in the District.' It is noteworthy that Rep. Schwengel's statehood bill was introduced before the District got home rule in 1973 and when the District outnumbered 11 states in population. D.C. residents, Democrats and Republicans alike, should acknowledge the Republican who led the way to where we are today with House passage of the D.C. statehood bill. I am grateful to Nelson F. Rimensnyder for sending me the Congressional Record for June 16, 1971, which contained Rep. Schwengel's statement on the introduction of his statehood bill. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-statement-on-senate-confirmation-of-judge-amy-coney-barrett | Norton Statement on Senate Confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett | 2020-10-26 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today commented on the Senate confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States. As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus' (CBC) Judicial Nominations Task Force, Norton spent time reading Barrett's previous decisions and concluded that Judge Barrett's disregard for precedent posed considerable danger to the legitimacy of the Court and particularly to African Americans, who disproportionately rely on judicial precedents, such as those upholding the Affordable Care Act. As an attorney, former tenured professor of law, and Member of Congress, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and I believe Barrett's confirmation today poses danger to the body of laws supporting our country's founding documents, Norton said. As an African American and Chair of the CBC's Judicial Nominations Task Force, I must also call attention to the fact that communities of color disproportionately rely on the outcomes of cases about government policies that tend to be decided by the Supreme Court, like the expected decision about the Affordable Care Act this fall. Barrett's confirmation today advances neither the legitimacy of the Court nor the interests of the communities I represent. I will continue fighting for both. Norton previously sent letters with CBC Chair Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) to Senate Judiciary Committee leadership opposing confirmation of Barrett. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-to-improve-retirement-system-for-certain-workers | Norton Introduces Bill to Improve Retirement System for Certain Workers Who Used to be Under D.C. Retirement System | 2020-10-23 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a billthat would correct a retirement issue for several categories of workers who used to be under the District of Columbia retirement system. In 1997, Congress transferred several categories of workers who participated in D.C.'s defined contribution plan from 1987 to 1997 to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). However, those workers' service from 1987-1997 was not counted for purposes of creditable service or annuity amount in FERS. In 2009, an enacted Norton bill gave these employees the right to have this service counted for creditable service. Norton's new bill would allow these workers to buy into the FERS annuity amount for 1987-1997 by paying 1.3% of their base pay plus interest, essentially the employee contribution for this time. It is important that these public servants get the full retirement benefits to which they are entitled, Norton said. Employees who served the District deserve to have the entirety of their service counted when determining the amount of the annuity they receive. This is a technical correction that I hope Congress can easily pass. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bass-send-letter-to-senate-judiciary-committee-opposing-vote-on | Norton, Bass Send Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Opposing Vote on Supreme Court Nominee | 2020-10-20 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Judicial Nominations Task Force, and CBC Chair Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) sent a letter today to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) opposing the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. As chair of the CBC's Judicial Nominations Task Force, my investigation into Judge Barrett's writings and record on the Court of Appeals compel me to raise strong objections again to her nomination to the Supreme Court, Norton said. Her disregard for precedent endangers hard-won precedents that African Americans disproportionately rely upon, such as the Affordable Care Act. The letter follows. October 19, 2020 The Honorable Lindsey Graham The Honorable Dianne Feinstein Chairman Ranking Member Judiciary Committee Judiciary Committee United States Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Feinstein: Adherence to the consistent rule of law, no matter which political party is in power, and equal protection under the law, are the core tenets of our legal system and indeed of society itself. With these principles in mind, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) strongly opposes Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. Confirming Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court would violate these fundamental principles of American constitutionalism because her confirmation would break with precedent to advance the power of one political party over another. A Justice Barrett would likely abolish long-standing precedents that have protected the rights of minorities, women and the LGBTQ community for decades. That her confirmation would come within days of the presidential election is unprecedented and deeply troubling. We have written before that it is outrageous that the Senate is moving so quickly on this nominee when the Senate refused to consider President Barack Obama… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-long-list-of-bills-she-stopped-this-congress-that-sought | Norton Releases Long List of Bills She Stopped This Congress That Sought to Block D.C. Laws and Policies | 2020-10-16 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a list of bills and amendments introduced or filed this Congress that sought to block District of Columbia laws and proposed policies or to establish a unique federal crime for conduct in D.C. Norton said the repeated volume of bills in defiance of D.C. home rule is one of the many reasons she is working hard to get her House-passed D.C. statehood bill through the Senate. I am publishing this Congress' list of Republican attempts to take down D.C. laws, not because it is so long but because it is so typical, Norton said. I have pushed virtually all of them back, but I prefer to spend my time writing, not scrapping, bills. The list is below. Home Rule Abortion Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019 (S. 109/H.R. 20), which, among other things, permanently prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion, prohibits D.C. employees from providing abortions, prohibits abortion in D.C. facilities and defines D.C. as part of the federal government for purposes of abortion. The House-passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 21) prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion in FY 19. The House-passed Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 264) prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion in FY 19. The House-passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 648) prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion in FY 19. Senate Republican leadership amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 268) prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion in FY 19. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6) prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortion in FY 19. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) amendment at the House Appropriations Committee to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2020(… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/joint-statement-on-charges-filed-against-us-park-police-officers-in-the | Joint Statement on Charges Filed Against U.S. Park Police Officers in the Killing of Bijan Ghaisar | 2020-10-15 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | In response to Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announcing charges filed against the two U.S. Park Police officers for the 2017 killing of Bijan Ghaisar, U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement: | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-bills-to-thwart-dc-statehood-show-republicans-fear-statehood | Norton Says Bills to Thwart D.C. Statehood Show Republicans Fear Statehood Momentum | 2020-10-14 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | Moreover, Maryland residents, who have only one large city, Baltimore, have never indicated or voted to add another, the District of Columbia. In fact, Maryland's most senior Member, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, is not only a cosponsor of our D.C. statehood bill, he wrote a Washington Post op-ed piece strongly promoting D.C. statehood. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/tonight-norton-to-hold-virtual-hispanic-heritage-month-event-with | Tonight: Norton to Hold Virtual Hispanic Heritage Month Event with Hispanic Journalists | 2020-10-14 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual event this evening, October 14, 2020 at 7:00 PM to engage the LatinX community about how important Hispanic journalists are for telling LatinX stories. Hispanic journalists from NBC, Telemundo and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists will participate in the event, which will be live streamed at Facebook.com/CongresswomanNorton and open to the media. In my final event during Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm looking forward to hearing from Hispanic journalists themselves, Norton said. I'm especially interested in hearing how they have covered the pandemic, which has hit Hispanic workers particularly hard, and in answering any questions they have about my positions and legislation. The event will be live streamed at Facebook.com/CongresswomanNorton. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-joins-national-capital-region-delegation-statement-on-white-house | Norton Joins National Capital Region Delegation Statement on White House Coronavirus Outbreak | 2020-10-06 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and U.S. Representatives John Sarbanes (D-MD), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and David Trone (D-MD) issued the following statement today: We represent the people of the National Capital Region. We are alarmed and dismayed by the casual disregard for the health of our community, including constituents who work at the White House as staff, agents or officers of the United States Secret Service, journalists of the White House Correspondents Association, and the general public. Daily announcements of new infections among the political, press, and custodial staff show that the coronavirus outbreak at the White House is out of control. We call upon the White House Chief of Staff to take prompt steps to help control the spread of the virus among people who work for or around the President, including: An immediate commitment to total transparency with staff, press, and the public; Disclosure of the date of the President's most recent negative COVID-19 test result, which is vital for a full understanding of who might have been exposed to infection; Release of the total number of positive tests among White House personnel; Expedited contact tracing to identify and notify anyone who came into contact with the President or infected staff within the period of time when they were contagious; Cooperation with local and state health departments to assist their contact tracing efforts; Requirements that face coverings be worn by all persons inside the White House, on White House grounds, and inside executive office buildings; Requirements that all persons without exception observe social distancing, and quarantine following exposure to infected individuals; Maximal use of telework to mitigate the public health risk to staff; and Direct, regular communication with White House personnel to share new information and explain steps b… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-bop-response-to-her-concerns-about-registering-eligible | Norton Releases BOP Response to Her Concerns About Registering Eligible D.C. Inmates to Vote, Calls for Additional Coordination with D.C. | 2020-10-06 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) response to the letter [link] she sent demanding BOP work closer with the D.C. Board of Elections (BOE) to ensure D.C. inmates in BOP, who are now eligible to vote, are registered to vote. Norton wrote to BOP after learning that BOP had not provided BOE information on where inmates were housed. D.C. recently enacted legislation making incarcerated felons eligible to vote. I appreciate the response resp from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to my letter about D.C. inmate voting, Norton said. I particularly appreciate that BOP appears to be working to inform D.C. inmates about their voting rights. However, I continue to call on BOP to send the D.C. Board of Elections information on specific inmates and where they are housed, especially in future elections, as it is largely too late for the 2020 election. Because this is public information, sharing this information would not seem to violate any law. If BOP continues to refuse to release this information, I will be forced to introduce legislation to require sharing this information, which is already publicly available. BOP's response follows: October 5, 2020 The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton United States Congresswoman 90 K. Street, N.E., Suite 100 Washington, D.C. 20002-4203 Re: D.C. Inmate Voter Registration Dear Congresswoman Norton: This letter is in response to your September 30, 2020, inquiry regarding the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) cooperation with the District of Columbia Board of Elections (BOE) in advising D.C. inmates of their right to vote in the upcoming 2020 election and facilitating voter registration. In order to protect individual privacy, and in accordance with Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 513.34(b), the BOP does not release personal identifying information without explicit consent of the inmates. Therefore, in this instance, the BOP, in cooperation with the BOE, took action to disseminate D.C. voter registr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-sends-letter-to-white-house-physician-seeking-answers-on-contact | Norton Sends Letter to White House Physician Seeking Answers on Contact Tracing | 2020-10-06 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today sent a letter to Dr. Sean Conley, physician to the President and head of the White House Medical Unit, expressing concern about the failure of the White House to provide contact tracing during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak among staff, visitors, and the President himself. In her letter, Norton says that the District of Columbia has worked hard to become among the best at coronavirus containment, but the lax way the White House has responded to the outbreak and its failure to do contact tracing threaten D.C. residents. As the only representative of our nation's capital in Congress, I have worked endlessly to prevent the spread of this deadly disease and limit its effects on the people I represent, Norton said. The White House's and particularly the President's recklessness jeopardizes these last eight months of work. Many White House staffers live in the District, and the President's actions and the White House's refusal to adequately follow up with contact tracing risks the lives of D.C. residents. The letter, which follows below, asks for answers from Dr. Conley to four questions by October 13, 2020. Dr. Sean Conley Physician to the President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Dr. Conley: I write with urgent concern regarding the White House's apparently failure to conduct adequate contact tracing for the coronavirus for White House staff and visitors, many of whom work and live in D.C., following the recent outbreak that has impacted numerous White House staff and visitors and the president. The District of Columbia has done a much better job containing the coronavirus than many places in the United States, but this recent outbreak puts D.C.'s relative success at risk. Many White House staffers live in the District, and it is imperative that their D.C. neighbors are aware of the risks associated with this ongoing outbreak at the White House. When a D.C. resident tests positive in D.C. from their health … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-critiques-republican-constitutional-amendment-that-purports-to | Norton Critiques Republican Constitutional Amendment that Purports to Limit Size of Senate, Prohibit Future D.C. Senators | 2020-10-05 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a former tenured professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, today released the following statement on the constitutional amendment introduced by Congressman Mark Walker (R-NC) regarding Senate representation. The amendment would state, The Senate of the United States shall be composed of Senators who are from States admitted to the Union prior to the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress. (The 116th Congress, the current Congress, ends in January 2021.) Congressman Walker's proposed constitutional amendment, which makes no sense on its face, shows that opponents of District of Columbia statehood are afraid of the overwhelming support our D.C. statehood bill received, even from House Members from red states, when it passed this year. This proposed constitutional amendment shows that Republicans are finally conceding that D.C. statehood is constitutional, inevitable and only a constitutional amendment can stop it. He also understands that to change the way new states have always been admittedby simple legislationwould require a constitutional amendment. That would require a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. The last constitutional amendment was ratified over a quarter of a century ago. Walker's amendment is incoherent because it ignores, and does not even try to repeal, the requirement in Article V of the Constitution that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.' This, of course, means that every state is entitled to two Senators unless, incomprehensibly, they agree not to have them. Walker's amendment purports to block the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth from having equal representation in the Senate, yet it does not repeal this Article V provision. All of this, though, is merely constitutional speculation because, unlike D.C. statehood, this amendment is going nowhere. The D.C. statehood bill passed the House earlier this summer wi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/press-release-norton-celebrates-national-park-service-s-50-year-lease | PRESS RELEASE: Norton Celebrates National Park Services 50-Year Lease with National Links Trust for D.C.s Historic Golf Courses | 2020-10-05 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who has sought long-term investment to maintain the three public golf courses in the District of Columbia, today celebrated the announcement that the National Park Service (NPS) has signed a 50-year lease with National Links Trust (NLT) to operate the three historic golf courses here, which are all owned by NPS. NLT will begin management of the East Potomac, Langston and Rock Creek golf courses today. With the signing of the lease, we have finally achieved the public-private partnership that will infuse desperately needed capital into these golf courses to maintain and preserve their historic features while making them fully available to the public, Norton said. Congress created the first of these golf courses in the 1920s, but never allocated the necessary funding to maintain them. I introduced legislation in 2014 for the public-private partnership announced today to increase use by our residents and our many tourists. For the three golf courses, NLT will: Provide affordable opportunities to golf at East Potomac, Langston and Rock Creek golf courses. Expand opportunities for underserved communities, including seniors, veterans, individuals with disabilities and those new to golf. Promote youth education and support youth golf programs in collaboration with local and national youth golf organizations. Share the history of the three golf courses. Restore historically and architecturally significant elements of the properties. Enhance and provide additional access to the natural environment to benefit both golfers and the general community. Provide new full-time, seasonal and youth-specific employment opportunities. Address deferred maintenance needs across all three courses. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passed-updated-heroes-act-provides-retroactive-and-equal-funding | House-Passed Updated Heroes Act Provides Retroactive and Equal Funding for D.C. | 2020-10-02 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her District of Columbia priorities were included in the updated Heroes Act, which the House passed yesterday. The $2.2 trillion bill includes provisions uniquely vital to the District, including state-, city-, and county-level fiscal relief for the District, since D.C. provides each level of service; $755 million in retroactive CARES Act fiscal relief to fix D.C.'s treatment as a territory instead of a state in the CARES Act, considering that D.C. is almost always treated as a state for federal funding; and authorization for D.C. to participate in the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility. These three D.C. provisions were also included in the original House-passed Heroes Act. In addition to the D.C. provisions, the updated Heroes Act contains many priorities Norton pressed for, including direct payments of $1,200 per family member, $600 per week in unemployment compensation, rental assistance, and increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. While this bill is over a trillion dollars less than the original Heroes Act, I was able to get equal funding and treatment for the District of Columbia, as was the case in the original Heroes Act, Norton said.Democrats have compromised well beyond what is needed in order to provide at least some desperately needed funds. Individuals and families across the country are struggling to keep their heads above water. There is no logic in the Senate further delaying this bill. I have no doubt that the President would sign this bill if the Senate passed it. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-norton-s-women-who-worked-on-the-home-front-world-war-ii | House Passes Nortons Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act | 2020-10-02 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she was especially pleased that the House yesterday passed her Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act. During the debate on the bill, Norton paid tribute to her constituent Raya Kenney, who was a student when she brought the idea to Norton and is now set to raise funds to establish the memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia. In her floor remarks, Norton said, in part: A 17-year old constituent of mine, Raya Kenney, the founder of the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation -- yes, her own foundation came up with the idea to honor the women on the home front who supported the World War II effort. Raya wondered why the women on the home front, whose efforts were so instrumental in maintaining the stability of the country during World War II, have not received much recognition for their contributions compared to the men who fought bravely in World War II. This bill would authorize the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to establish a memorial to honor these women. The memorial is designed to be interactive and to educate visitors on the important roles women played during World War II. No Federal funds would be required. Between 1940 and 1945, the percentage of women in the workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent. And by 1945, 1-in-4 married women worked outside the home. The work done by woman on the home front opened doors for women in the workplace generally and had a profound effect on the job market going forward, and even up to today. As a result of their efforts, women on the home front redefined many occupations that were especially considered men's work. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-to-permanently-remove-statue-of-confederate-general-albert | Norton Bill to Permanently Remove Statue of Confederate General Albert Pike Passes in Committee | 2020-10-02 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked Chairman Ral Grijalva and the House Natural Resources Committee for passing her bill to permanently remove the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike from federal land near Judiciary Square in the District of Columbia. This is the final legislative step before House floor consideration of the bill. Norton introduced the bill on July 30, 2019. The statue was authorized in 1898 by Congress, not the District, at a time when D.C. lacked home rule. Norton testified at a hearing on the bill in July 2020, following the statue's extrajudicial removal by demonstrators the prior month. Her bill gives congressional backing to the clear will of D.C. residents. It is important to note that I met with the Freemasons, who donated the statue to the federal government in 1898 in honor of Albert Pike, who was a member, and that the freemasons now themselves support the removal of the statue due to its divisive nature, Norton said. Albert Pike stained this nation's history. Pike was the least deserving of a statue, particularly in the nation's capital. He was forced to resign in disgrace, his soldiers were found to have mutilated the bodies of Union soldiers, and he was ultimately imprisoned after his fellow officers reported that he had been misappropriating funds. This statue belongs in a museum where historical context can be provided, not in the everyday space of D.C. residents. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-on-national-children-s-museum-passes-in-committee-0 | Norton Bill on National Childrens Museum Passes in Committee | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that one of her top priorities, her National Children's Museum Act (H.R. 5919), passed in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure yesterday. The bill would provide rent-free space to the National Children's Museum (NCM) for the duration of its lease in the federally owned Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in the District of Columbia. Because the bill passed unanimously, Norton is optimistic about getting it through the House and Senate and signed into law. NCM is the only congressionally-designated museum that pays rent in a federal building. NCM, which is the nation's first combination children's museum and science center, must charge admission to offset expenses. The coronavirus health and economic crisis has put NCM in danger of closing. Norton worked hard to get the museum's lifesaver bill through committee to save the NCM from folding. "For far too long, D.C. has been one of the only major U.S. cities without a children's museum, Norton said. The National Children's Museum will bring visitors to D.C. from throughout the U.S. and the world with money to spend here. The bill's passage in committee today is a victory for the Museum, the nation's capital, and especially for our children. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-cbc-send-letter-to-senate-leadership-opposing-consideration-of | Norton, CBC Send Letter to Senate Leadership Opposing Consideration of SCOTUS Nominee Before Inauguration | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Judicial Nomination Task Force, and CBC Chair Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), today released a letter they sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) opposing the consideration of any nominee to the Supreme Court before the next president is inaugurated. We must protect the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, Norton said. If the Senate rushes to consider a nominee at this point after voting this year has already started it risks calling that legitimacy into question, Norton said. Moreover, as a Member of Congress representing one of the largest Black constituencies in the country and a member of the CBC, it's critically important to me to have the time required to do due diligence on any nominee's record on racial justice. The letter follows. September 30, 2020 The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles Schumer Majority Leader Minority Leader United States Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer: We write to express our strong opposition to considering Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination, or any nomination, to the Supreme Court with 34 days left until election day on November 3, 2020. As African American Members of Congress, we are in the process of studying Judge Barrett's opinions and writings on issues affecting people of color, but we write now in opposition to considering any nominee to the Supreme Court until after the next president is inaugurated. To consider any nominee so close to a presidential election while voting is occurring raises questions of legitimacy for the nominee and the Supreme Court itself. The process of confirming a judicial nominee to a lifetime appointment on the nation's highest court should be carefully evaluated, and not rushed through so close to a national election. As members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), a prima… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/today-norton-to-hold-virtual-hispanic-heritage-month-event-on-listening | Today: Norton to Hold Virtual Hispanic Heritage Month Event on Listening & Learning from Leaders in the Latino Community | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual event today, October 1, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. on listening and learning from leaders in the Latino community. Eleven members of Norton's Congressional Latino Council (CLC), which is comprised of prominent Latino leaders from organizations throughout the District of Columbia, will participate. "We're now in Hispanic Heritage Month, which makes it an especially appropriate time to hear from Latino leaders in D.C.," Norton said. "I'm looking forward to a productive discussion with my CLC, which I started in 2009 to draw a more coherent and extensive agenda to serve my Hispanic constituents, who come from many backgrounds and have diverse needs. I'm very grateful to the distinguished members of our CLC for their willingness to serve and look forward to hearing from them this afternoon." The event will be live streamed at Facebook.com/CongresswomanNorton. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-on-national-children-s-museum-passes-in-committee | Norton Bill on National Childrens Museum Passes in Committee | 2020-09-30 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that one of her top priorities, her National Children's Museum Act (H.R. 5919), passed in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today. The bill would provide rent-free space to the National Children's Museum (NCM) for the duration of its lease in the federally owned Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in the District of Columbia. Because the bill passed unanimously, Norton is optimistic about getting it through the House and Senate and signed into law. NCM is the only congressionally-designated museum that pays rent in a federal building. NCM, which is the nation's first combination children's museum and science center, must charge admission to offset expenses. The coronavirus health and economic crisis has put NCM in danger of closing. Norton worked hard to get the museum's lifesaver bill through committee to save the NCM from folding. "For far too long, D.C. has been one of the only major U.S. cities without a children's museum, Norton said. The National Children's Museum will bring visitors to D.C. from throughout the U.S. and the world with money to spend here. The bill's passage in committee today is a victory for the Museum, the nation's capital, and especially for our children. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-calls-on-federal-bureau-of-prisons-to-share-information-with-dc | Norton Calls on Federal Bureau of Prisons to Share Information with D.C. to Make It Easier for Inmates to Vote | 2020-09-30 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the letter she sent today calling on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to share information with the District of Columbia Board of Elections (BOE) to make it easier for inmates to register to vote and to receive their ballots. D.C. recently enacted legislation making incarcerated felons eligible to vote. However, according to public reporting, BOP has not provided BOE information on where inmates are housed, which would help BOE send inmates registration forms and ballots. The District of Columbia has made it clear through its law that all inmates should be allowed to vote, Norton said. It is imperative that the Federal Bureau of Prisons provide the D.C. Board of Elections the information it needs to send voter registration forms and allots to incarcerated individuals for the November and future elections. Norton's letter follows: September 30, 2020 Michael Carvajal Director Federal Bureau of Prisons 320 First Street NW Washington, DC 20534 Dear Director Carvajal: As you know, the District of Columbia recently enacted legislation making incarcerated felons eligible to vote. I write with concern about the apparent lack of cooperation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in carrying out that law. I understand from public reporting that the D.C. Board of Elections (BOE) has requested from BOP a list of prisoners' names and where they are housed, but has only received from BOP a list of facilities housing D.C. residents, not prisoners' names. BOP has apparently informed BOE it can only share information on specific prisoners for law enforcement purposes, not for voting. This is very disturbing as D.C. residents, including D.C. Code felons, are housed in BOP facilities across the country, and BOE must be able to reach each of them to inform them of their right to vote. Moreover, the name and location of inmates is public information and is posted on BOP's website, though it does not include their home jurisdiction. There is no reason the na… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-compares-trump-tax-revelations-to-taxes-paid-by-dc-the-nation-s | Norton Compares Trump Tax Revelations to Taxes Paid by D.C., the Nations Highest | 2020-09-28 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a statement responding to the revelations about how little President Trump paid in federal income taxes in recent years. The news about President Trump's taxes yesterday he paid a total of $750 in federal income taxes during his first year in office despite repeatedly bragging that he is a billionaire makeshis attacks on District of Columbia statehood even more outrageous, Norton said. At its core, the argument for D.C. statehood, which overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives in June, is the rallying cry of the Revolutionary War: No taxation without representation.' D.C. residents pay the highest taxes per capita in the nation, yet President Trump has repeatedly attacked the idea that the residents of our nation's capital deserve a vote in Congress. Yesterday's revelations further expose the hypocrisy of the man who currently holds the highest office in the country. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-reintroduces-mary-church-terrell-day-resolution-honoring-the-0 | Norton Reintroduces Mary Church Terrell Day Resolution, Honoring the Life of Civil Rights Activist and Suffragette | 2020-09-28 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced a resolution that would designate September 23rd as Mary Church Terrell Day, recognizing Mary Church Terrell's lasting contributions to the civil rights and women's rights movements. Mary Church Terrell, the daughter of freed slaves, moved to the District of Columbia in 1887 to become a teacher at M Street Colored High School, later known as Dunbar High School (Norton's alma mater). Terrell'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 she spent her life working to advance the status of African American women as a civil rights activist and suffragette. 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 littered with the accomplishment of men, but not enough of women who, like Mary Church Terrell, have worked to change the world. The text of the resolution is below. Expressing support for the designation of September 23, 2020, as Mary Church Terrell Day, and calling on Congress to recognize Mary Church Terrell's lasting contributions to the civil rights and women's rights movements. Whereas Mary Church Terrell was born on September 23, 1863, in Memphis, Tennessee, to former slaves; Whereas Mary Church Terrell's father, Robert Reed Church, was a successful businessman and one of the South's first African-American millionaires; Whereas Mary Church Terrell attended the Antioch College laboratory school and Oberlin College; Whereas Mary Church Terrell was one of the first African-American women to attend college; Whereas Mary Chur… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/tomorrow-norton-to-hold-virtual-event-on-importance-of-the-latinx-vote | Tomorrow: Norton to Hold Virtual Event on Importance of the Latinx Vote in 2020 | 2020-09-28 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual event tomorrow, September 29, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. with representatives from the advocacy groups Voto Latino and Unidos U.S. and from the D.C. Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs on the importance of the Latinx vote in 2020. The event will feature a conversation on the topic of voting. The power to vote is important for all Americans, Norton said. In democracy, the vote is how we speak up. It is how we make the change we need. I'm looking forward to hearing from Latinx leaders on this important topic tomorrow. The event will be live streamed on Norton's Facebook page at Facebook.com/CongresswomanNorton. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressional-black-caucus-urges-senate-not-to-consider-supreme-court | Norton, CBC Urge Senate Not to Consider Supreme Court Nominee Until Next President Inaugurated | 2020-09-25 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressional Black Caucus Judicial Nominations Task Force Chair Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) Congressional Black Caucus Chair Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) andtoday issued the following statement regarding the current Supreme Court vacancy: Along with Americans throughout the country, we are devastated by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg devoted her life first to fighting for justice and equality and then on the Court to expanding equality and devoting herself to the fair application of the law. She exhibited all of the qualities that are so desperately needed on the Court today, including sound reasoning, the ability to work with those with whom one disagrees, compassion and empathy. Her death puts our nation at a critical juncture in American history regarding the future course not only for the Supreme Court, but also for the idea of the rule of law itself in our country, perhaps for decades to come. The only sound course so close to an election is for the Senate to postpone consideration of a nominee for this open seat until after the inauguration of the next president. As members of the Congressional Black Caucus, a primary focus, given our history in this country, is always on ensuring voting rights for all of America's citizens. In the last few years, we witnessed the Supreme Court gut the Voting Rights Act and make participation in American democracy more difficult than at any time since the Jim Crow era. After the disastrous Shelby County decision, which demolished the enforcement and pre-clearance mechanisms of the Voting Rights Act, at least 14 states enacted voting restrictions for the first time in a presidential election for the 2016 election, and there were at least 868 fewer polling places in the 2016 election than in past elections. The Court's majority claimed that it was unconstitutional to maintain which states needed Department of Justice approval before changing their voting laws based on the states discriminating at the time the law… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bass-and-27-house-members-send-letter-to-federal-aviation | Norton, Bass and 27 House Members Send Letter to Federal Aviation Administration Following Inadequate Report on Aircraft Noise Mitigation Efforts | 2020-09-24 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) today released a letter they and 27 other Members of the House sent to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Stephen Dickson expressing concern about a recent FAA report regarding airplane noise metrics. Norton is a senior member of the Aviation Subcommittee and co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus. Bass is also a member of the Quiet Skies Caucus. Along with my colleagues, I find the FAA's report wholly inadequate, Norton said. I fought successfully to include provisions in the enacted 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act that mandated that the FAA evaluate alternative airplane noise metrics and provide Congress a report of its findings, but this report shows the FAA didn't evaluate those alternative metrics. The FAA must provide Congress a report that meets the standards enacted in law, and it should take care to answer the questions raised in this letter as well. The FAA's report is unacceptable,"said Rep. Karen Bass. The FAA failed to meet its mandate because it didn't evaluate alternative noise metrics, standing by standards that don't fully capture noise impacts. The FAA must go back to the drawing board and write a new report. In the meantime, I expect detailed responses to the questions raised by our constituents in this letter, and I know my colleagues want answers, too. The letter goes on to say, when the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 was passed into law, Congress sought to address community airplane noise concerns by utilizing the scientific and research arms of the FAA to substantively evaluate alternative noise metrics with an eventual eye to having those metrics inform FAA decision-making. Currently, the FAA uses the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) to measure airplane noise levels. However, as mentioned in the letter, there is widespread consensus that the DNL metric remains an inadequate measure because it averages noise over a 24-hour period, thereby understating the impact of individual no… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-leads-national-capital-region-letter-to-gao-opposing-changes-to | Norton Leads National Capital Region Letter to GAO Opposing Changes to High Density and Perimeter Rules at Reagan National | 2020-09-24 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a national capital region letter she led to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) strongly opposing changes to the current Slot and Perimeter rules that govern aircraft traffic at Reagan National Airport. GAO is conducting a study on the potential impacts of allowing exceptions to the Slot and Perimeter rules at Reagan National. Norton is a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Co-Chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, a group of Members of Congress aiming for solutions to the increasing noise pollution associated with busy airports. The letter was joined by Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-MD), Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rep. Donald S. Beyer, Jr., (D-VA), Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-MD), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. David Trone (D-MD). Norton said that while Washington Dulles International Airport was built to accommodate increases in air traffic, Reagan National is in a higher-density area with greater physical limitations that cannot function smoothly without the current Slot and Perimeter rules. The letter is below. September 22, 2020 The Honorable Gene Dodaro Comptroller General of the United States 441 G Street NW Washington, DC 20548 Dear Mr. Dodaro, We write to express strong opposition to any modification to the current High Density (Slot) and Perimeter rules and regulations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Reagan National). We understand that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is conducting a study on the potential impacts of allowing exceptions to the Slot and Perimeter rules at Reagan National. Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airports were established by the federal government and op… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-opening-statement-at-transportation-infrastructure | Norton Releases Opening Statement at Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Hearing on Disadvantaged Businesses | 2020-09-23 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) helped chair a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing titled Driving Equity: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. Norton's opening statement, as prepared for delivery, follows. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I cannot overstate the importance of this hearing on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. I thank Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and all the Members participating today for your time and attention to this critical topic. We are at a pivotal moment in our Nation's history. We are shining a long overdue light on the lived realities for people of color in this country, despite our pledge of liberty and justice for all. Over the last few months, the vulnerability of African American, Latinx, Native American, and other people of color has been unmistakably demonstrated as we ride wave after wave of crisis a global pandemic, a tanking economy, and systemic racism repeatedly manifesting as physical violence. The ways in which our Nation has failed and marginalized large populations of our citizens while unbearable to watch over and over again comes as no surprise to those of us who can feel the prevalence of racism in our bones. I have spent my entire career - in Congress, and as Chair of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission before that - fighting for equality and seeking to break down barriers so that truly all citizens have the same opportunities to participate and thrive in our economy and our society. One of the most powerful tools in the field of transportation and construction to assist people who have routinely been left out or left behind is the U.S. Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. This program, when properly administered and enforced, ensures that businesses owned by women and minorities have a fair chance to compete for federally assisted transportation contracts. The need for this… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-blasts-republicans-for-shortchanging-dc-on-emergency-planning-and | Norton Blasts Republicans for Shortchanging D.C. on Emergency Planning and Security Funds in Continuing Resolution | 2020-09-21 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today blasted Republicans for refusing to agree to the District of Columbia's request for $97.1 million in the fiscal year 2021 continuing resolution (CR) for its Emergency Planning and Security Fund (EPSF). The CR, released today, provides effectively only $17.5 million for the EPSF. The federally funded EPSF pays for the public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation's capital, such as for protests and the upcoming inauguration. Norton vowed to make the District whole in a future spending bill. This is the second time Republicans have shortchanged the District during the coronavirus health and economic crisis, when the District, like all other jurisdictions, is under extraordinary fiscal pressure. In March, Republicans insisted that the CARES Act treat D.C. as a territory instead of a state for fiscal relief, depriving D.C. of $755 million. Congress created the Emergency Planning and Security Fund because it recognized that it was unfair for the District to spend its local funds for public safety and security costs related to the federal presence in the District of Columbia, Norton said. It is particularly outrageous that the Republicans have, once again, shortchanged the District when it is facing increasing expenses and decreasing revenue due to the coronavirus. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-reintroduces-resolution-designating-september-as-national-peace | Norton Reintroduces Resolution Designating September as National Peace Month, Inspired by D.C. Second Graders | 2020-09-21 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. Today, on the International Day of Peace, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced a resolution designating September as national Peace Monthandcalling on Congress to take action to promote peace, at home and abroad, an idea that 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 help make the world a peaceful place and for all Americans to be nice, have no conflicts, and be very peaceful. I am pleased to reintroduce this resolution on International Peace Day, a day that urges nations around the world to lay down their arms and focus on peacemaking and diplomacy, Norton said. This year is unique in so many difficult ways, but for many, it has brought us closer against our common enemy, the coronavirus. I am grateful to the wise second graders who wrote to me in 2018, stressing the importance of a more peaceful America. Congress would be wise to remember 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 second-grade students for keeping Congress on its toes! Norton's resolution is below: Resolution Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as Peace Month'' and calling on Congress to take action to promote peace. Whereas the United Nations designated September 21International Day of Peace''otherwise known as Peace Day; Whereas the United Nations General Assembly declared Peace Day as a day devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples''; Whereas all United Nations member states, organizations, regional and nongovernmental organizations, and individuals are encouraged to celebrate and recognize global peace efforts on Peace Day; Whereas Peace Day represents shared hopes of an end to conflict in all forms; Wh… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-introduce-legislation-giving-dc-local-control-over-parole-and | Norton to Introduce Legislation Giving D.C. Local Control Over Parole and Supervised Release Determinations | 2020-09-21 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced she will introduce legislation to give the District of Columbia the authority to make parole and supervised release determinations beginning on November 1, 2022. Currently, the U.S. Parole Commission (Commission) makes these determinations for D.C. Code felons. The Commission's authorization, which expires on October 31, 2020, would be reauthorized for two years by the fiscal year 2021 continuing resolution the House is expected to pass this week. The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 transferred the functions of the D.C. Parole Board to the Commission. Norton's bill would give D.C. the same authority as states to make parole and supervised release determinations, including the authority to devise an adjudication system as it sees fit. Our statehood bill has passed the House, but pending statehood itself, I continue to work to give D.C. more home-rule authority over its criminal justice system, Norton said. My goal is for the District to use the next two years to develop its own system to make parole and supervised release determinations for D.C. Code felons, instead of having a federal agency make such determinations. Norton has introduced the following other bills to give D.C. greater authority over its own criminal and civil justice system. The District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act (H.R. 3092) would eliminate the president's authority to federalize the local D.C. police department. The District of Columbia Courts Home Rule Act (H.R. 2769) would give D.C. authority over the jurisdiction and organization of the local D.C. courts. The District of Columbia Clemency Home Rule Act (H.R. 1378) would give the District exclusive authority, like the states and territories, to grant clemency to offenders convicted under its local laws.Currently, this authority is exercised in D.C. by the President. The District of Columbia Local Prosecutor Home Rule Act of 2019 (H.R. 917) would allow the District… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-issues-statement-on-passing-of-longtime-friend-and-legal | Norton Issues Statement on Passing of Longtime Friend and Legal Colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | 2020-09-18 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)issued the following statement on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who Norton knew as a friend for 50 years and worked with as a lawyer: Justice Ginsburg's brilliance made her a leader on the Supreme Court even when she dissented, but she was making new law long before she was able to do so as a Justice. I introduced Justice Ginsburg at her Senate hearing when she was nominated by President Bill Clinton. There, I spoke of her historic achievements even before she served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.I was assistant legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) when Justice Ginsburg founded the ACLU Women's Rights Project, though she was not a paid member of the staff. There, she did some of her most historic work, including her successful argument before the Supreme Court that established the now axiomatic principle that the 14thAmendment's Equal Protection Clause applies to women. Although a feminist in her quest for equality for women, her principled understanding of equal treatment lead to her victory in the Supreme Court case that held that male caregivers should have the same benefits as women in that role. Justice Ginsburg's towering intellect made her a leader on the Supreme Court. Her pathbreaking work as a lawyer made her a leader in the law itself. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-census-response-to-her-inquiry-on-spanish-speaking-staff | Norton Releases Census Response to Her Inquiry on Spanish-Speaking Staff | 2020-09-18 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the response from the Census Bureau to her August 14, 2020, letter where she raised serious concerns about the lack of Spanish-speaking enumerators and Mobile Questionnaire Assistance) staff in District of Columbia for the ongoing 2020 Census. In its response, the Census Bureau noted it has hired 200 Spanish-speaking enumerators. The Census Bureau also indicated that is has already counted more than 86% of D.C. households overall. I appreciate the Census Bureau's response to my letter, indicating that they are working to have a sufficient number of Spanish-speaking staff to get an accurate Census count, Norton said. I will keep working with the Census Bureau and the community to ensure that we continue to improve our count over the last Census to ensure D.C. receives the full federal funding it deserves. The Census Bureau's response follows: September 16, 2020 The Honorable Eleanor Holmes-Norton U.S. House of Representatives 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite M-100 Washington, DC 20004 Dear Representative Holmes-Norton: Thank you for sharing your letter regarding Spanish-speaking enumerators and Mobile Questionnaire Assistance (MQA) staff in the District of Columbia (DC). Overall, we are making significant progress in DC. The Census Bureau has already enumerated more than 86 percent of the households in DC. You can monitor that progress at https://2020census.gov/en/response-rates/nrfu.html. This total progress includes self-response and the results of interviews by census takers. The Washington, DC, Area Census Office (ACO) is currently conducting the Nonresponse Follow up Operation (NRFU). So far, the office has hired 1,150 enumerators in support of NRFU, to ensure every DC resident is counted for the 2020 Census. The office has selected 200 enumerators who speak Spanish. With a recruitment goal of 9,700 applicants much higher than what is needed to complete the operation, the ACO exceeded its goal with 12,500 total applicants. Of th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-11th-annual-national-dance-day-resolution-ahead-of | Norton Introduces 11th Annual National Dance Day Resolution Ahead of Virtual Celebration, Saturday | 2020-09-17 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution marking Saturday, September 19, 2020, as National Dance Day. In 2010, Norton partnered with So You Think You Can Dance co-creator Nigel Lythgoe to launch the first National Dance Day with inaugural celebrations on the National Mall and in Los Angeles. The event, originally held in July, was moved to September to encourage schools and students to participate in expressing themselves through dance. Due to the coronavirus, this year, the American Dance Movement has created a virtual program for all to enjoy. On Saturday, September 19th, dance classes will be broadcasted on the Kennedy Center's Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KennedyCenter/) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKennedyCenter) platforms, so that the public can join for one class or dance all day. The virtual dance classes will be created by the Kennedy Center and several District of Columbia organizations, including City Dance POP!, Dance Loft on 14, Dance Place, DivaDance DC, Northeast Performing Arts Group and Washington Ballet's SE Campus at THEARC, among others. In advance of National Dance Day, instructional videos are also available on the American Dance Movement YouTube channel [insert link] featuring dance routines for all skill levels to be performed by the public on National Dance Day. I am pleased to join the American Dance Movement and. the Kennedy Center again this year to celebrate National Dance Day and to enjoy and embrace our nation's rich artistic, regional, ethnic and racial diversity, Norton said. I applaud the dancers and dance groups for keeping dance alive during this pandemic year and making this year's event safe and accessible through a virtual format. I look forward to being dazzled once again by the D.C. dance troupes. Norton's resolution is below. Resolution Expressing support for dance as a form of valuable exercise and of artistic expression, and for the designation of September 19, 2020, as National Dance Day''. Wherea… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-pushes-for-senate-passage-of-the-heroes-act-which-provides-equal | Norton Pushes for Senate Passage of the Heroes Act, which Provides Equal Funding for D.C. | 2020-09-15 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a statement today on the four-month anniversary of House passage of the Heroes Act, which contains $755 million owed to the District of Columbia and other measures vital to D.C. The Heroes Act, Democrats' sweeping fifth coronavirus response bill, was passed by the House on May 15, 2020. Republicans need to come to the table with real solutions for the continuing coronavirus health and economic crisis, as residents run out of vital benefits. It has been four months since the House passed the Heroes Act, which includes provisions vital to the District of Columbia, such as state-, city-, and county-level fiscal relief for the District; $755 million in retroactive funding to fix D.C.'s treatment as a territory instead of a state in the CARES Act for fiscal relief; and authorization for D.C. to participate in the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility. Estimates suggest that the Heroes Act would provide D.C. this year with $1.5 billion at the state level, $740 million at the city level, and $264 million at the county level for fiscal relief, for a total of $2.5 billion, to address the coronavirus health and economic crisis. In addition to the D.C. provisions, the Heroes Act contains many priorities I pressed for, including hazard pay for workers who risk their lives serving us, additional direct payments of $1,200 per family member, extended unemployment assistance, increased housing assistance, and a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit. Democrats' listened closely to the American people whose suffering mounts during this crisis, and responded accordingly with the Heroes Act, a people-first coronavirus relief package. Before the September 30th end of the fiscal year, Republican's must start listening to the people, not their party, by coming to the negotiating table to pass relief for the American people. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-statement-on-passing-of-dc-s-first-shadow-senator-florence | Norton Statement on Passing of D.C.s First Shadow Senator, Florence Pendleton | 2020-09-14 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement on the passing of Florence H. Pendleton, the District of Columbia's first shadow senator. "Senator Florence Pendleton and I were first elected at the same time. Florence was a distinguished principal in D.C. Public Schools who further distinguished herself as the District's first shadow senator, which she served as for three terms. I will always remember Florence as a friend. "Our city will remember this year, the year the House passed our D.C. statehood bill, with gratitude for Senator Pendleton's service to the District of Columbia." ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/tonight-norton-to-appear-in-shakespeare-theatre-s-annual-will-on-the | Tonight: Norton to Appear in Shakespeare Theatres Annual Will on the Hill Performance | 2020-09-14 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), an annual performer in the long-running comedic event Will on the Hill, hosted by the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC), will appear in the virtual performance tonight, September 14, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. All proceeds from the event go toward STC's artistic, education and community outreach programs. The performance will be streamed online here. Will on the Hill,' produced yearly by STC, is a favorite of mine, Norton said. Members of Congress let loose using the Bard's brilliance as the backdrop to make fun of ourselves. The bonus is that funds raised from this event assist D.C. organizations that work with our children. View the playbill for this year's show. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-commemorating-historic-escape-attempt-by | Norton Introduces Resolution Commemorating Historic Escape Attempt by Slaves in D.C. on Ship | 2020-09-11 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. After House passage of the District of Columbia statehood bill and placement of the bill on the Senate floor calendar, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution commemorating the 1848 slave escape that occurred in D.C. on the ship the Pearl. When it comes, statehood will free District residents of every race and background from constraints that deny them the freedom and equality enjoyed by other Americans, Norton said. But I see it as no accident that the single largest known slave escape in American history occurred in the District. The courage of the escapees, men and women determined to be free, reminds me of the spirit D.C. residents have always had in the fight for statehood. Remembering the story of the Pearl must inspire us to achieve the freedom that only statehood can give. The text of the resolution follows. Recognizing the historic abolitionist events surrounding the Pearl, and honoring its legacy in American history. Whereas on April 16, 1848, 77 slaves attempted to flee the District of Columbia and Alexandria, Virginia, on the Pearl, a schooner waiting for them in the Potomac River; Whereas on April 14, 1848, three White men brought the ship to the District of Columbia, and Daniel Drayton, the captain and owner of the Pearl, chartered the schooner for $100 and arranged for the slaves' travel; Whereas the escape was initiated by free Blacks Paul Jennings, who had been a slave of President James Madison and Paul Edmonson; Whereas William Chaplin, a White abolitionist, assisted in connecting the slaves with Drayton; Whereas abolitionist Gerrit Smith of New York financed the escape; Whereas 77 slaves, including men, women, and children, sailed on the Pearl down the Potomac River and then into Chesapeake Bay in pursuit of freedom; Whereas on April 17, 1848, numerous slaveholders in the District of Columbia, realizing their slaves had disappeared, sent a posse of 35 men to seek the Pearl; Whereas the posse met the Pear near Point Lookout, Maryland, and took… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-announces-dc-statehood-bill-has-been-placed-on-senate-floor | Norton Announces D.C. Statehood Bill Has Been Placed on Senate Floor Calendar for First Time in History | 2020-09-10 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that the House-passed District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51) has been placed on the Senate Calendar of Business, which makes the bill available for floor consideration. This is the first time in history the D.C. statehood bill has been placed on the calendar. While placement on the calendar does not guarantee floor consideration, Senate Democrats initiated the procedural process to bypass committee consideration of the bill and place the bill directly on the calendar to demonstrate the importance of H.R. 51 to the Senate Democratic Caucus and the nation. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) is the lead Senate sponsor of the D.C. statehood bill. Senator Carper has led tremendous progress in getting Senate cosponsors of our D.C. statehood bill, and Democrats placing the bill on the Senate calendar is a historic milestone, Norton said. Coming so soon after House passage of our D.C. statehood bill, placement on the Senate calendar is a first that moves the District closer to statehood. As momentum for D.C. statehood builds in the country, we see pressure building on Republicans in the Senate. On June 26, 2020, the House passed H.R. 51 by a vote of 232-180, which was the first time in history a chamber of Congress has passed the D.C. statehood bill. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-statement-on-senate-republicans-latest-coronavirus | Norton Releases Statement on Senate Republicans Latest Coronavirus Response Bill | 2020-09-09 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the following statement on Senate Republicans' latest coronavirus response bill. The coronavirus bill announced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was designed to give cover to vulnerable senators, not to bring badly needed relief to the American people. The bill does not provide for pressing necessities such as state, county and local funding and rental assistance, let alone retroactive funds for the District of Columbia, which, in a deviation from precedent, was treated as a territory for fiscal relief in the CARES Act, shorting the city by $755 million. The bill continues to show that Senate Republicans are out of touch with the assistance that so many in our country desperately need. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-the-constitution-does-not-allow-trump-to-unilaterally | Norton Says the Constitution Does Not Allow Trump to Unilaterally Withhold Federal Funds from D.C. | 2020-09-03 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement on President Trump's memo on withholding federal funding from the District of Columbia. The President's memo that threatens to withhold funds from named cities, including the District of Columbia, if acted upon, would unconstitutionally usurp the spending power, which lies exclusively with Congress. The Framers understood that the power of the purse could undercut the functioning of democracy itself and therefore left funding with the people, through the Congress. Note that spending bills almost always originate in the House of Representatives. The President may be able to condition funding if Congress has given him the power to do so, and a circuit court recently held he may be able to withhold policing grants from sanctuary cities, though there is a circuit spilt on this matter . But his memo's wholesale threat to withhold funds from cities is a violation of the Constitution's separation of powers, which gives the spending power exclusively to Congress. Trump is not a king. He is one of the actors in our separation of powers government. If Trump withholds funds from the District of Columbia, it will be immediately challenged, and I believe with success. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-scott-demand-support-for-local-schools-to-keep-kids-safe-and | Norton, Scott Demand Support for Local Schools to Keep Kids Safe and Learning | 2020-09-03 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) hosted apresscall for regional reporters today demanding the Senate act to support local schools and provide the resources they need to keep students safe and protect against potentially devastating cuts to state education budgets. The House passed funding to support local schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic more than 100 days ago, but the Republican-led Senate has refused to act. On today's call, the Members demanded the Senate work with the House to provide the funding experts say is needed to: safely reopen schools; make sure state and local governments can pay teachers; crush the virus with testing, tracing and treatment; and keep kids from going hungry and prevent their families from losing their homes. Without that support, manyschools across the country cannot afford to take necessary safety measures. For example, according to a recentGovernment Accountability Officereport, 4 in 10 districts need to update or replace HVAC systems in at least half of their school buildings. TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention school reopening guidance lists proper ventilation as a key consideration for schools seeking to reopen safely. Additionally, COVID-19 has devastated state and local budgets across the country, threatening possible cuts to schools that could harm their ability to educate children. Without the Heroes Act, budget shortfalls are projected to reach nearly $500 billion for state governments alone. By July, 900,000 public school employees had already lost their jobs, and the American Federation of Teachers issued a report projecting over 1.4 million public school employee layoffs without federal action. Many schools, like those in the District of Columbia, have been forced to go virtual because of the pandemic, but there is much more to education than schoolhouses," said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. The delay in passing the Heroes Act, which contains $200 billion f… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/after-norton-request-gao-adds-reagan-national-airport-to-metroplex-noise | After Norton Request, GAO Adds Reagan National Airport to Metroplex Noise Study | 2020-09-02 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Co-Chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, today received notification that, at her request, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will add Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) to its study on the FAA's consideration of community noise impacts in its implementation of NextGEN in major metropolitan areas. Considering DCA's proximity to the National Mall and the amount of airspace that is restricted for commercial use in the nation's capital, we must understand how the FAA makes decisions and communicates those decisions to my constituents, particularly those decisions that impact the community. Any change in the flight paths can dramatically affect the amount of airplane noise we hear in the District, and excessive airplane noise can have negative impacts on health and comfort. Norton wrote to GAO on August 17, 2020, describing DCA's unique circumstances and requesting that the agency include DCA in its study. Norton's letter follows. August 17, 2020 The Honorable Gene Dodaro Comptroller General of the United States 441 G Street NW Washington, DC 20548 Dear Mr. Dodaro: As a senior member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Co-Chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, I have been deeply involved with the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). I appreciate the Government Accountability Office (GAO) agreeing to study how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has considered community noise impacts while implementing NextGen in major metropolitan areas. I write to include Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in this upcoming study. It is my understanding that GAO selected Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Airport to represent the Washington, D.C. metroplex. While I understand that th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-statement-on-passing-of-john-thompson-legendary | Norton Releases Statement on Passing of John Thompson, Legendary Georgetown Basketball Coach | 2020-09-02 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement on the passing of legendary Georgetown University basketball Coach John Thompson. Norton was a tenured professor of law at Georgetown Law School. John Thompson, born and raised in Southeast D.C. when this was a legally segregated city, transformed college basketball as a game here, putting Georgetown on the map as a basketball powerhouse while setting a record for college basketball stars, including Patrick Ewing, graduating from college. Our native son will always be remembered not only for his contributions to basketball but also to education and to his hometown. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-dc-s-history-must-be-acknowledged-not-erased | Norton Says D.C.s History Must be Acknowledged, not Erased | 2020-09-02 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement on monuments and public spaces. The District's place as both a hometown and a federal city introduces unique elements into removing statues and renaming public places that reflect the Confederacy or slavery. Most important, for most of its 219 years as a city, the District has had no self-government. Unlike other jurisdictions, the residents of this city had no say in the names given or in the placement of statues. The city's history is further complicated by the compromise that placed the nation's capital below the Mason-Dixon line to preserve slavery and ultimately racial discrimination. With passage of the D.C. Statehood bill by the House of Representatives in June, it is natural for the District to want statues and public places within its boundaries to reflect its values, just as other jurisdictions are insisting. All our statues and public places, whenever they were placed, tell the story of our city. They must be preserved to assure that story and history are complete. At the same time, to forego any notation of Confederate or slave affiliation is inexcusably incomplete and ahistorical. We must acknowledge all our history, not become complicit in erasing it." ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/press-release-norton-holding-day-of-action-for-children-event-virtual | Norton Holding Day of Action for Children Event: Virtual Roundtable Discussion with D.C. Parents, Teachers, Students, Public Health Official, and School Administrators | 2020-09-02 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. At 5:00 p.m. today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold a virtual roundtable with the District of Columbia community about the difficulties of going back to school amid a pandemic; the U.S. Department of Agriculture's school meal waivers; and what Congress is doing to remedy the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on children's learning. The event features D.C. parents, teachers, students, a public health official, and school administrators. Norton, who attended D.C. public schools and has grandchildren in traditional D.C. public and charter schools, has long been an advocate for children, parents, and schools. We are having this conversation at the right time, Norton said. Students at our public schools are starting classes virtually this year, which means everyone is learning a new system for education.. I am glad that I can check in with students, parents, teachers, and school administrators in the District and learn about their concerns and update them on the status of congressional initiatives I am working on to help this school year go smoothly. Norton cosponsored the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, which would make free school meals available for all children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she introduces her universal prekindergarten bill every Congress. Video of the event will be live streamed atFacebook.com/CongresswomanNorton. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-to-strengthen-workplace-protections-for | Norton Introduces Bill to Strengthen Workplace Protections for Legislative Branch Employees | 2020-09-01 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2020, 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. Especially given ongoing reports of workplace abuses in the legislative branch, Norton said, Congress must be first in line to abide by the laws it imposes on the American people and businesses. Congress already acknowledged the importance of accountability when it passed theCongressional Accountability Act of 1995 and further confirmed itwhen 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 these issues very seriously. My bill builds on the protections in previous laws, bringing the protections for congressional employees in line with those for the rest of the American people. In 1995, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), which applied 13 civil rights, labor and workplace safety laws to Congress and legislative branch entities. 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 protections of the CAA to unpaid staff, interns and fellows. It also imposed personal liability on Members of Congress for their own violations of harassment and retaliation laws. However, more remains to be done. The CAA and the Reform Act were important first steps in making the legislative branch accountable for its employment practices, but they did not finish the job. As noted, the CAA did bring the legislative branch under 13 major civil rights, labor and workplace safety and health laws, but it omitted important substantive and admini… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-a-staff-member-of-the-1963-march-on-washington-says-marches-can-0 | Norton, a Staff Member of the 1963 March on Washington, Says Marches Can Still Bring Change | 2020-08-31 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a statement on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which she helped organize as a member of its staff. Norton, who later became the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, established by a provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, said the 1963 March paved the way for civil rights legislative victories to come. Today's march shows the continuing strength of peaceful protest as a tool to bring change. Out of the 1963 march came the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and, ultimately, the 1968 Fair Housing Act. I was among those who marched for Congress to bring change then. As a member of Congress now, I will take today's march as a mandate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-resolution-to-designate-september-as-national-campus-0 | Norton Introduces Resolution to Designate September as National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month | 2020-08-31 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced her annualresolutionto designate the month of September as National CampusSexualAssaultAwareness Month, and said that the vastly different campus class structure this year due to the pandemic should not obscure the importance of ensuring students have safe campuses to return to, both now with some students returning to campuses and after the pandemic recedes. In recent years,sexualassaults on college campuses have been on the rise. Even though many colleges are starting classes online this year, the increase insexualassaults we were seeing points up the continuing importance of ourresolutionon this issue, Norton said. Norton has introduced thisresolutionfor the past several years to highlight the problem ofsexualassaults on campuses. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the exposure of Jeffrey Epstein and the #MeToo movement, 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. Theresolutionfollows. RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as National CampusSexualAssaultAwareness Month. Whereas some colleges and universities are now receiving students in person for the academic year, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues; Whereas 19 percent of college women and 6 percent of college men will be survivors ofsexualassaultover the course of their undergraduate careers, with little or no change to this high rate annually; Whereas freshmen and sophomores in college are at a greater risk of beingsexuallyassaulted than juniors or seniors; Whereas college students are at a higher risk ofsexualassaultduring the first few months of school, with more than 50 percent of collegesexualassaults occurring in either August, September, October, or November; Whereas 3 in 4 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) college students have experiencedsexualharassment and 9 percent of LGBT college students h… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-a-staff-member-of-the-1963-march-on-washington-says-marches-can | Norton, a Staff Member of the 1963 March on Washington, Says Marches Can Still Bring Change | 2020-08-28 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) todayreleased a statement on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which she helped organize as a member of its staff. Norton, who later became the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, established by a provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, said the 1963 March paved the way for civil rights legislative victories to come. Today's march shows the continuing strength of peaceful protest as a tool to bring change. Out of the 1963 march came the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and, ultimately, the 1968 Fair Housing Act. I was among those who marched for Congress to bring change then. As a member of Congress now, I will take today's march as a mandate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-carper-announce-dc-statehood-bill-being-placed-on-senate-floor | Norton, Carper Announce D.C. Statehood Bill Being Placed on Senate Floor Calendar for First Time in History | 2020-08-25 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), the sponsors of the District of Columbia statehood bill, today announced that the Senate has begun the procedural process (Rule 14) to bypass committee consideration of the House-passed D.C. statehood bill (H.R. 51) and to place H.R. 51 directly on the Senate Calendar of Business, which makes the bill available for floor consideration. The bill will be placed on the calendar when the Senate returns to session after the August recess, marking the first time in history the D.C. statehood bill will be on the Senate calendar. While placement on the calendar does not guarantee floor consideration, Senate Democrats initiated this procedural process to demonstrate the importance of H.R. 51 to the Senate Democratic Caucus and the nation. After 219 years of Congress denying D.C. residents congressional voting rights and full local self-government, we are on the cusp of another historic first for D.C. statehood in a year of historic firsts for D.C. statehood, Norton said. Today, thanks to Senator Carper's leadership, as well as to the work of D.C. residents and local and national advocacy groups, over 90 percent of Senate Democrats are cosponsoring the D.C. statehood bill, a record by a large margin. We will take every opportunity, including using the procedural tools of the Senate, to highlight to the American public the importance of D.C. statehood. We have seen historic support for D.C. Statehood this year and for good reason. Americans living in all 50 states recognize that this is a fight for fairness and equal representation for our fellow citizens, said Senator Carper. Here in the Senate, we will use all the tools in our toolbox to keep the pressure on and continue this momentum. As always, I'm proud to be in this fight with my partner, Congresswoman Norton, and, together, we'll keep pushing for the vote that this bill deserves. On June 26, 2020, the House passed H.R. 51 by a vote of 232-180, which was the first time in histor… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-yearly-chuck-brown-day-resolution | Norton Introduces Yearly Chuck Brown Day Resolution | 2020-08-24 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C Last week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution designating Chuck Brown's birthday, August 22, 2020, as Chuck Brown Day in the District of Columbia and across the nation to honor his contributions as the Godfather of Go-Go. The District celebrated Chuck Brown's legacy on August 22nd. Chuck Brown gave our city and the nation the unforgettable Go-Go' sound, Norton said. The District loved this D.C. legend, and Chuck Brown gave back to his hometown. We will never forget his free concert in front of the Capitol for statehood and voting rights in the District. We will always celebrate his contributions on Chuck Brown Day. The full text of the resolution follows. RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of August 22, 2020, as national Chuck Brown Day and honoring his contributions to music and to the District of Columbia. Whereas Chuck Brown is known as the Godfather of Go-Go because he was the major architect of the musical genre known as go-go, a unique mix of funk, soul, and Latin party sounds; Whereas Chuck Brown, who was born on August 22, 1936, and passed away at the age of 75 on May 16, 2012, was a resident of the District of Columbia most of his life; Whereas Chuck Brown, who taught himself to play guitar, became a virtuoso singer, songwriter, guitarist, and band leader; Whereas Chuck Brown's go-go beat gave the District of Columbia a musical identity of its own and reminds the Nation that Washington, DC, has always been the hometown of talented artists, among them Duke Ellington and Marvin Gaye; Whereas Chuck Brown's musical catalogue spans 22 studio albums over 3 decades; Whereas Chuck Brown's hit Bustin' Loose, with his group, the Soul Searchers, was the top song on the Billboard Top 100 R&B Chart for 4 weeks in 1979; Whereas Chuck Brown earned a Grammy nomination in 2010 for the song Love, from his album entitled We Got This, and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2005; Whereas Chuck Brown's go-go has been… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-speaks-on-house-floor-for-funds-for-the-postal-service-and-about | Norton Speaks on House Floor for Funds for the Postal Service and about the Crisis Precipitated by the Postmaster General | 2020-08-22 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. In speaking on the House floor today in favor of a bill to restore postal services and to provide $25 billion to help the U.S. Postal Service survive, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reminded Americans that the pandemic had not kept the mail from being faithfully delivered until Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was appointed. Norton's speech on the House floor concluded a busy week working to save the Postal Service. On Tuesday, she spoke at a press conference alongside House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House and Senate members of the D.C. regional delegation about postal issues. On Thursday, she held a press conference at a post office in the District of Columbia, where she heard from postal workers and residents about their experience with mail delivery. Norton's remarks on the House floor today follow: Mr. Speaker, even during this pandemic with most agencies down, we had not heard complaints from the Postal Service until Louis Dejoy was appointed Postmaster General. On the contrary, the pandemic had not kept our mail from being faithfully delivered. Almost immediately after Dejoy assumed office, pandemonium broke out. For example, in Ward 8 of my district, there was no mail for two weeks. And the District and 46 states have been warned by the Postal Service itself that it cannot guarantee that all mail ballots will arrive in time to be counted. Mr. Dejoy did not tell the truth at the Senate hearing yesterday. We know from a July 15 memorandum directing employees explicitly to leave mail behind and to significantly cut overtime. We know that from an August 7 Postal Service action that reassigned 23 top executives with decades of institutional knowledge of postal operations in order to centralize operations in Mr. Dejoy. We know and will bring out, before the hearing is over today that the Post Office continues to be sabotaged. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hiv-progress-in-dc-accelerated-by-federal-payments-norton-secures-and | HIV Progress in D.C. Accelerated by Federal Payments Norton Secures and Her Removal of the Needle Exchange Rider | 2020-08-21 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the significant progress reported in the District of Columbia's 2019HIV, STD, Hepatitis and TB Surveillance Report, released yesterday, encourages her to continue her efforts in Congress that have been vital to D.C.'s success in combattingHIV/AIDS. No progress only increases inHIVcases was made until Norton got a deadly rider removed in 2007 that prohibited D.C. from spending its local funds on needle exchange programs, and she has kept the rider from being reimposed ever since, even though Democrats have been in the minority during some of those years. Equally important, Norton has secured millions of dollars annually, over and above other federal funding, in special federal payments forHIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in D.C., including $4 million in fiscal year 2020. The report indicated that the two leading causes of the decrease in the spread ofHIVin the District are the use of a daily prophylactic pill, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and the greater percentage of individuals withHIVwith viral loads so low it cannot be passed to others. In addition, Norton has given priority to pressing for the over $2.4 billion for the Ryan WhiteHIV/AIDS program in the House-passed FY 2021 healthcare spending bill, which helps fund PrEP. She also pressed for the $90 million in the CARES Act to help provide COVID-19-related health services for Ryan White clients. Norton said she will cite progress the District has made to help her to get Ryan White funds and millions of dollars in special federal payments annually to combatHIV/AIDS in the District, as well as to keep the deadly rider that prohibited D.C. from using its local funds for needle exchange from being reimposed. The progress in this year's report shows the effectiveness of the programs the District has used to almost eliminateHIVcases attributable to injection drug use and to reduce the number of newly diagnosedHIVcases, Norton said. Particularly important has been the removal of a needle… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-highlights-constituents-postal-workers-at-press-conference-on | Norton Highlights Constituents & Postal Workers at Press Conference on Postmaster Generals Interference in Mail Delivery | 2020-08-21 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. At apressconference today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which will hear from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday, heard from two District of Columbia residents, who also serve as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, about the personal cost of delayed or missing mail, as well as two postal union representatives about the impact of DeJoy's changes on mail service. In describing the outpouring of concern, Norton introduced the residents by saying, We won't be able to fix what has gone wrong with the U.S. Postal Service unless we hear from those most affected. Norton's full statement, as prepared for delivery, follows: I am grateful to the D.C. residents represented by our ANC Commissioners and postal workers who have come this afternoon to make sure we understand the full story, indeed the real story, of what is happening at the U.S. Postal Service. The crisis Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has created at the U.S. Postal Service set off a fury of reactions andpressconferences from Members of the House and Senate, including in our region and across the country. We have heard from almost everyone except the men and women most directly affected by the crisis at the U.S. Postal Service. What has been missing from the discussion are the voices of the people on the front lines, our elected ANC commissioners, and most pointedly, our postal workers, who have shouldered the bulk of the burden the U.S. Postal Service is facing. No wonder they have a 90% approval rating from the American people. So great has been the outpouring that the Postmaster General announced he was pulling back. However, that is not the case, not to the status quo ante. DeJoy has admitted that the harm done so far will be left in place, no replacement of sorting machines or of blue mailboxes that have been removed, and no promise for adequate overtime. We can still prevent an indelible scar on our free elections that will result from changes at the U.S.… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletters/congresswoman-eleanor-holmes-norton-s-enewsletter | Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Nortons eNewsletter | 2020-08-20 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | Norton Issues Second Demand for Answers from Secret Service About the Treatment of Two Women and Their Children on National Mall Norton sent a second letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray demanding answers regarding the detention of two African American mothers on the National Mall. Norton previously wrote to both officials demanding answers about the detention of these D.C. residents, but has not received a response to her questions. More information here. Norton Demands U.S. Census Bureau Answer Questions About Preparation to Fully Count D.C. Residents, Especially Spanish Speakers, in 2020 Census Norton, a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census, sent a letter to United States Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham asking a series of questions about an evident lack of Spanish-speaking staff to help District of Columbia residents fill out the Census. More information here. Norton Introduces District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act Norton introduced the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act, which would give the District complete authority to set the date of special elections for local offices, as other jurisdictions already have. The bill simply removes a limitation on the District that is not only inconsistent with the self-government authority otherwise granted by the Home Rule Act, but is also counterproductive. This bill would strengthen the District's home-rule authority and does not require statehood. Details here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-raises-questions-about-deliberate-steps-to-undercut-postal | Norton Raises Questions about Deliberate Steps to Undercut Postal Service During Press Conference at Postal Headquarters, Today | 2020-08-18 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. At apressconference today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which will hear from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday, indicated a number of questions she will ask DeJoy. I will want to know why D.C. and 46 states have received warnings from the Postal Service that it cannot guarantee that our mail-in ballots will arrive in time to be counted, Norton said. Norton's full statement at thepressconference, as prepared for delivery, follows: As a senior member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), I want to emphasize what I believe is the most important section of our pending bill to reform the postal service, the Delivering for America Act. The bill would bar the new USPS leadership from making the changes it is undertaking to postal operations or levels of service that were in place on January 1, 2020. This status quo pause of abrupt changes underway at the USPS is essential to avoid an indelible scar on our free elections that will feature mail-in ballots this year. The United States had a successful election even during the Civil War, but as experience from the primaries predicts, we are headed for pandemonium in the November elections that may leave lasting uncertainty. The USPS, which enjoys a 90% approval rating, was performing heroically until President Trump appointed the new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, who will appear before our committee on Monday. Since DeJoy's appointment, here in the nation's capital we have had reports of no delivery of mail for two weeks in Ward 8, and I am now engaged in a ward-by-ward investigation. These lapses in delivery, which have been experienced nationwide since DeJoy's appointment, have led the Speaker to call back the House for an emergency session on Saturday. During our hearing on Monday, I will question DeJoy about a July 15 memorandum directing employees to leave mail behind in distribution centers and to s… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-highlights-dc-postal-delivery-concerns-announces-event-with-hoyer | Norton Highlights D.C. Postal Delivery Concerns, Announces Event with Hoyer, Tomorrow | 2020-08-17 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. In advance of apressconference tomorrow on the Postal Service with members of Congress from the District of Columbia region, Congresswoman Eleanor HolmesNorton(D-DC), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform (COR), which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service, today sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. The letter raised concerns that D.C. residents, especially those in Ward 8, began receiving highly inadequate services from the Postal Service beginning when DeJoy took office. In Ward 8 particularly, residents have reported not receiving their mail for over two weeks and other concerns with the Postal Service. DeJoy will be testifying at a COR hearing on August 24, 2020. With changes in leadership at the Postal Service, we are seeing an unprecedented decline in service nationwide,Nortonsaid. Postal delivery is a constitutionally mandated right of the people. With so many people expected to vote by mail in the upcoming election, postal delivery is directly tied to democracy. We are engaged in hearings, visits to post offices and continuing oversight to see to it that Postal Service leadership fixes its ongoing, self-generated problems and begins serving the American people. Nortonalso announced that she will participate in an event with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) tomorrow to further highlight ongoing problems with the Postal Service. WHAT:Nortonparticipates in Postal Servicepressevent with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and regional members of Congress. WHEN:Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18, at 2:00 pm WHERE:USPS Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, D.C. 20260 Norton's letter follows. August 17, 2020 The Honorable Louis DeJoy Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer United States Postal Service 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW Washington, DC 20260-3500 Dear Postmaster GeneralDeJoy: I write not only as the representative for the more than 700,000 residents of the nation's capital, but also as a senior member of your oversight committee, th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-demands-us-census-bureau-answer-questions-about-preparation-to | Norton Demands U.S. Census Bureau Answer Questions About Preparation to Fully Count D.C. Residents, Especially Spanish Speakers, in 2020 Census | 2020-08-14 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census, today sent a letter to United States Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham asking a series of questions about an evident lack of Spanish-speaking staff to help District of Columbia residents fill out the Census. The Census Bureau has repeatedly showed that it is trying to avoid its mandate to ensure that everyone is counted in this Census, Norton said. Our area must have Spanish-speaking enumerators and other staff to help our large Spanish-speaking population fill out the Census and be counted. It is unacceptable and indeed unconstitutional to deliberately fail to count minorities. Previously, the Trump Administration fought to add an unnecessary question to the Census about an individual's citizenship status, which would have driven down responses from immigrants.Norton introduced legislation, the Ensuring Full Participation in the Census Act (H.R. 1734), to prohibit the Census Bureau from asking the question about citizenship status. The Administration has since abandoned its effort to ask this question after losing a lawsuit on the issue in the Supreme Court. Norton's letter follows. August 14, 2020 The Honorable Steven Dillingham Director United States Census Bureau 4600 Silver Hill Road Washington, DC 20233 Dear Director Dillingham: As a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census, I write to express grave concern regarding the apparent lack of Spanish-speaking enumerators and Mobile Questionnaire Assistance (MQA) staff in the District of Columbia. We understand from conversations with the relevant staff in the D.C. Mayor's office that there are no or, at best, virtually no Spanish-speaking enumerators or MQA staff in D.C.This is unacceptable.I ask that you provide written responses to the following questions by Friday, August … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-district-of-columbia-special-elections-home-rule-act | Norton Introduces District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act | 2020-08-12 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) yesterday introduced the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act, which would give the District complete authority to set the date of special elections for local offices, as other jurisdictions already have. The bill simply removes a limitation on the District that is not only inconsistent with the self-government authority otherwisegranted by the Home Rule Act, but is also counterproductive. This bill would strengthen the District's home-rule authority and does not require statehood. The Home Rule Act originally required the Board of Elections to hold special elections on the first Tuesday 114 days from when the vacancy occurred, Norton said. This inflexibility led to special elections being held on religious holidays and has forced the District to hold a special election separate from an upcoming general election, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra election costs.A 2012 law I authored requires the Board to hold a special election on a Tuesday occurring between 70 and 174 days after the vacancy. My new bill would provide even greater flexibility for the District. Pending statehood, Norton has introduced the following bills to expand D.C. home rule and equality this Congress. The District of Columbia Paperwork Reduction Act (H.R. 735) would eliminate the congressional review period for D.C. bills. The District of Columbia Local Prosecutor Home Rule Act (H.R. 917) would allow the District to prosecute all crimes committed under its local laws. Currently, the U.S. Attorney for the District prosecutes almost all crimes committed by adults under local D.C. law. The District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act (H.R. 1090) would give the D.C. Mayor the authority to deploy the D.C. National Guard. Unlike governors of the states, and even territories, the District's chief executive officer cannot deploy its Guard. Abill to require the Library of Congress to install the D.C. seal in the Main Reading Room of the Tho… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-issues-second-demand-for-answers-from-secret-service-about-the | Norton Issues Second Demand for Answers from Secret Service About the Treatment of Two Women and Their Children on National Mall | 2020-08-12 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today sent a second letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray demanding answers regarding the detention of two African American mothers on the National Mall. Norton previously wrote to both officials demanding answers about the detention of these D.C. residents, but has not received a response to her questions. Members of Congress are entitled to timely responses to their inquiries, Norton said. If, as DHS' statement indicates, the public reporting is wrong, a response to my inquiry will indicate how. The women were parked and taking their infants out for an afternoon near the World War II Memorial when their car was hit by a Secret Service vehicle. After the crash, an officer pointed a rifle at one of the women and the women were handcuffed and separated from their young children. Today's letter asks for a written response by Monday and is below. The original letter follows today's letter. August 12, 2020 The Honorable Chad Wolf The Honorable James M. Murray Acting Secretary Director Department of Homeland Security United States Secret Service 301 7th Street SW 245 Murray Drive SW Mail Stop 0150 Building T5 Washington, DC 20528 Washington, DC 20223 Dear Acting Secretary Wolf and Director Murray: I write to follow up on the letter I sent to you on August 4, 2020, in which I raised serious concerns, including possible constitutional violations, regarding the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division's arrest of two women, India Johnson and Yasmeen Winston, on the National Mall while they were with their young children. I asked for your response to six questions by August 11, 2020. I have not yet received a response to the questions. Your staff sent your press release on the arrests to my staff, but this does not come close to responding to questions asked by a Member of Congress. Merely stating in a press release that the claims that have been portrayed i… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-congratulates-five-dc-winners-of-congressional-black-caucus | Norton Congratulates Five D.C. Winners of Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship | 2020-08-06 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today offered hercongratulationsto five District of Columbia residents who have been awarded the 2020 Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Spouses Education Scholarship: Rajhad Burks (Catholic University of America), Mariah Haley (Columbia Law School), Alyson Jefferson (Oberlin College), Mentewab Kebede (Georgetown University), and Amari Manigault (George Washington University). Recipients are awarded $1,640 each to help advance their academiccareers. For more than 30 years, the CBC Foundation has made scholarships available to deserving Black students who reside in CBC Member districts. These scholarships support full-time students enrolled in higher education institutions across a variety of disciplines. As a senior member of the CBC, Norton annually appoints a selection committee to review scholarship applications. Norton said she is especially grateful to this year's committee, composed ofRev. Dr. Alice Greene, Reverend Debra Camphor, and Kenneth Howard. The committee determines a grade for each student based on transcripts, recommendation letters, and short-answer essays. Therigorousscholarship application process begins in February and winners are announced later in the year. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in school full time and reside in the district of a CBC member. I applaud these students for their work that enabled them to compete successfully for this stipend, Norton said. As tuition at many institutions has soared over the years, we are determined to continue these scholarship stipends toassiststudents in their academic pursuits. We recognize that $1,640 is a drop in the bucket compared to the ever-climbing costs and financial burdens facing students today. However, this scholarship represents more than the money attached to it. These students exemplify Black academic excellence in the District of Columbia, and we are proud to have them represent our city. More information about CBCF and the scholarships they offer can be foundhere. … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-calls-on-us-attorney-for-dc-to-increase-prosecution-of-hate | Norton Calls on U.S. Attorney for D.C. to Increase Prosecution of Hate Crimes | 2020-08-05 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the letter she sent today to Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Attorney Michael R. Sherwin asking him to prosecute hate crimes targeted at the LGBTQ community. Her letter follows several public meetings Norton has held to address the issue of prosecuting hate crimes. This letter is the latest in my longstanding work to ensure every member of our community is safe from attack and harassment, Norton said. We must work to protect our LGBTQ community. The U.S. Attorney for D.C., who is not elected by D.C. residents or appointed by D.C. officials, is responsible for prosecuting almost all local crimes in D.C. I have continually pressed the last several U.S. Attorneys for D.C. to prosecute hate crimes and will continue to do so. The office must work to ensure everybody can live in a safe environment. Norton's District of Columbia Local Prosecutor Home Rule Act of 2019 (H.R. 917) would give D.C. the authority to prosecute all local crimes. Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C., a federal entity, is responsible for prosecuting almost all local crimes committed by adults in the District. Norton's letter follows: August 5, 2020 The Honorable Michael R. Sherwin Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia 555 4th Street NW Washington, DC 20002 Dear Acting United States Attorney Sherwin: Given your role as the chief prosecutor, even of local felonies, for the District of Columbia, I write to bring an urgent prosecutorial issue to your attention: prosecution of hate crimes targeting members of the LGBTQ community. I worked with your predecessors to ensure that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia would take on hate crimes targeting members of the LGBTQ community in a serious manner. I am particularly interested in working with you to ensure prosecution of these hate crimes because of the absence of a local prosecutor for the District. You are responsible for protecting the LGBTQ community in both t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-to-improve-operations-of-dc-courts-making-them | Norton Introduces Bill to Improve Operations of D.C. Courts, Making Them More Efficient | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that she introduced today the District of Columbia Courts Improvement Act of 2020, which would make several important changes to improve the operations of the local D.C. Courts. Our D.C. statehood bill has passed in the House, but until Senate passage, the Home Rule Act gives Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the organization and jurisdiction of the local D.C. Courts, Norton said. In recent history, legislation to improve the operations of the D.C. Courts has been enacted into law every few years. I hope this bill will likewise be adopted in a bipartisan manner. The bill would make the following changes: Remove the consent requirement for D.C. Superior Court magistrate judges in certain situations, furthering the efficiency of the judicial process. Authorize magistrate judges to issue search and arrest warrants and give all magistrate judges contempt authority. Ties D.C. Superior Court juror pay to the pay jurors receive in federal court. Currently, Superior Court jurors are paid less than federal jurors. Modernize juror summonses by allowing potential jurors to complete the questionnaire electronically. Allow jurors who are 70 years old or older to be excused from jury service if the individual so chooses. Give the D.C. Courts and the Public Defender Service (PDS) buyout authority for employees who separate by voluntary retirement or by resignation. The D.C. Courts and PDS have this authority in fiscal year 2020 under the fiscal year 2020 District of Columbia Appropriations bill, but this bill would provide permanent authority. Increase the pay to attorneys for indigent defendants in criminal proceedings and indigent children in delinquency and need of supervision proceedings up to the amount currently allowed in federal court. The current rate in the D.C. Courts has not been updated in eight years and is $42 per hour less than the federal rate. Eliminate the $25 hourly fixed rate for D.C. Criminal Justice Act investigators. Federa… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-raskin-announce-bill-to-remove-name-of-segregationist-from-chevy | Norton, Raskin Announce Bill to Remove Name of Segregationist from Chevy Chase Circle | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) announced today that they will introduce a bill to remove the name of Francis G. Newlands, a late U.S. senator from Nevada who held racist views, from Chevy Chase Circle. The name appears on the fountain and a plaque in the circle. The circle lies partly in D.C. and partly in Maryland's 8th Congressional District, which Raskin represents, and is managed by the National Park Service. I have long called for removing statues to Confederates and segregationists and placing them in museums to help give a more complete history of our country, Norton said. However, there is no redeeming value in preserving an honorific to an avowed and unreconstructed racist. This plaque and fountain tell no story. They are meant only to honor Francis Newlands, a segregationist who argued that voting rights won for African Americans as a result of the Civil War should be repealed. Newlands belongs in the dust bins of history, not preserved on a traffic circle that symbolizes the unity between the nation's capital and the state of Maryland. Francis Newlands was a segregationist and white supremacist, and the time is long overdue to retire his name and the plaque honoring him at Chevy Chase Circle, Raskin said. This former Senator from Nevada has received more honor and attention from us than he deserves, and surely we can find a more appropriate person to honor at this heavily traveled crossroads between Maryland and Washington, D.C., two communities that pride themselves on equality, diversity and strong democracy. Newlands worked to institutionalize his beliefs in white supremacy and did what he could to increase the racism that continues to plague our country and our people. Newlands called for the repeal of the 15th Amendment, which invalidated race discrimination in voting rights; advocated racist and anti-immigrant policies; and backed efforts to deprive African Americans, Jews, and other minorities of basic human rights. Let's leave Ne… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-scores-dc-victories-in-final-house-spending-bills | Norton Scores D.C. Victories in Final House Spending Bills | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today listed major victories for the District of Columbia in the House's final - fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations bills. Norton achieved her priorities in the House-passed FY 2021 D.C. Appropriations bill, including $40 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG); prohibiting the president from federalizing the D.C. police department; $52.9 million for emergency planning and security costs related to the federal presence in D.C., including the next inauguration; and $8 million for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) for ongoing work to control flooding in the city and clean up the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek. Among other important achievements in the D.C. bill, Norton was able to defeat an amendment that would have blocked D.C. from spending its local funds on abortions for low-income women, like many jurisdictions have long done. In addition, Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD) offered an amendment that would have blocked a proposed ballot initiative to make the possession of entheogenic plants and fungi among the D.C. police department's lowest enforcement priorities. Harris withdrew the amendment after debate on it, knowing it would fail. Key Provisions in the D.C. Bill: The bill prohibits the president from federalizing the D.C. police department in FY 2021. Until the D.C. statehood bill, pending in the Senate, becomes law, the D.C. Home Rule Act permits the president to federalize the D.C. police department. In June, during largely peaceful protests in D.C., the Trump administration threatened to federalize the D.C. police department. The bill provides $40 million for DCTAG, which has been the enacted level in the last five fiscal years, paying for D.C. students to attend state colleges in all 50 states, but, with Democrats in control of the House, also repeals the provision in the enacted FY 2019 spending bill that reduced the family income eligibility limit from $750,000 to $500,000. The bill has no … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-scores-major-victory-for-a-swimmable-fishable-anacostia-river | Norton Scores Major Victory for a Swimmable, Fishable Anacostia River | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was able to include in the House's Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA), the major water infrastructure bill, which the House passed last week, a provision that would help accelerate the cleanup of harmful sediments in and around the federal navigational channel in the Anacostia River. The provision changes the parameters in terms of depth and coordinates of the federal navigation channel. The Congresswoman's provision supports the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment's (DOEE) plan to remediate the Anacostia River, a priority for Norton, by either dredging or capping toxic sediment to make the river safe for wildlife and District residents. This plan is called the Anacostia River Sediment Project. As chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I am grateful to my colleagues on another subcommittee, the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, for including this important provision for D.C. and the surrounding region in WRDA, and now to the full House for keeping it in the bill Norton said. The Anacostia River has long been a major priority for me, and this provision is necessary to continue the progress being made on cleanup of the river. This provision will allow DOEE to move forward with its plans for sediment remediation in the Anacostia River more quickly and at a lower overall cost. Due to sediment accumulation over time, many parts of the federal navigation channel in the Anacostia River do not meet the current formal depth requirements of the federal navigation channel.In the absence of a partial deauthorization, in order to move forward with its plan for sediment remediation, DOEE would have had to dredge all the way down to the full depth of 24 feet in many places, a depth that is inconsistent with existing and anticipated future uses of the Anacostia River. Extensive dredging is not necessary to restore the river and would be very time consuming and expensive and would make the overall … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-sends-letter-to-secret-service-department-of-homeland-security | Norton Sends Letter to Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security Demanding Answers After Improper Arrests of Two D.C. Residents | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray and demanding answers on the arrests of two District of Columbia residents on the National Mall. The women were parked and taking their infants out for an afternoon near the World War II Memorial when their car was hit by a Secret Service vehicle. After the crash, an officer pointed a rifle at one of the women and the women were handcuffed and separated from their children. Neither of the officers wore masks, even in the middle of the current pandemic. Such an incident must not be tolerated anywhere but it will not be tolerated in our nation's capital, Norton said. I am demanding answers to several specific questions, including why these mothers were arrested at all when it was apparent that their license plate did not match the one on the stolen car and why were they never read their Miranda rights. Norton's letter asks for a response in writing within five business days. The letter is below. August 4, 2020 The Honorable Chad Wolf The Honorable James M. Murray Acting Secretary Director Department of Homeland Security United States Secret Service 301 7th Street SW 245 Murray Drive SW Mail Stop 0150 Building T5 Washington, DC 20528 Washington, DC 20223 Dear Acting Secretary Wolf and Director Murray: I write with strong concern regarding the arrests of two District of Columbia residents by officers with the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division on the National Mall. I understand from public reporting that the parked car India Johnson and Yasmeen Winston were sitting in was crashed into by a Uniformed Division cruiser when they were misidentified. Apparently, a car loosely matching the one they were driving, but with different tags, had been stolen by two men. Ms. Johnson and Ms. Winston were stopped even though they and their young children were the only occupants of … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-thanks-100-national-and-local-groups-dc-vote-for-letter-to | Norton Thanks 100 National and Local Groups, DC Vote for Letter to Congress Calling for Equal Treatment of D.C. for Coronavirus Funding | 2020-08-04 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked 100 national and local groups for sending a letter calling on Congress to retroactively fix the treatment of the District of Columbia as a territory rather than a state for fiscal relief in the CARES Act, which deprived the District of $755 million, in the next coronavirus relief bill. The letter, led by DC Vote, was signed by leading national civil rights, labor, environmental and democracy reform groups, as well as by local D.C. groups. D.C. must be made whole and also treated as a state for future coronavirus fiscal relief, Norton said. I am deeply grateful to DC Vote and the 100 other national and local organizations for showing Congress the strong, across-the-board support for equal treatment for D.C. Collectively, these groups have millions of members and supporters in every state and congressional district, ensuring D.C. is not alone in this fight. With the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has made ensuring equal coronavirus funding for D.C. a top priority, allies in the House and Senate, led by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Tom Carper and 100 outside groups, I am increasingly optimistic D.C. will be made whole. The Republican-led Senate and White House, which primarily drafted the CARES Act, intentionally treated the District as a territory rather than as a state for fiscal relief, even though the District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding. This District is almost always treated as a state for federal funding because it pays the same federal taxes as states. In fact, the District pays more federal taxes than 22 states and pays more per capita federal taxes than any state. The House-passed Heroes Act provided the $755 million in retroactive CARES Act funding, treated D.C. as a state, city and county for fiscal relief, since D.C. operates as each level of government, and authorized D.C. to participate in the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility, which supports short-term borrowing by states, cities and c… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-amendment-prohibiting-bureau-of-prisons-from-collecting | Norton Amendment Prohibiting Bureau of Prisons from Collecting Subsistence Fees from Returning Citizens Passes House | 2020-08-03 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) amendment to prohibit the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) from collecting so-called subsistence fees in fiscal year 2021 from individuals in halfway houses or on home confinement passed the House yesterday. Her amendment was added to the fiscal year 2021 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which passed the House last week. The Department of Justice itself has recognized that these fees individuals in halfway houses and on home confinement must pay are unnecessary and counterproductive, Norton said. For returning citizens lucky enough to find jobs, especially in the midst of a national pandemic and economic crisis, charging up to 25% of their income in unnecessary fees is not only unfair, it is counterproductive. Returning citizens could far better use this money to save for future rent, child support and fines and fees associated with their conviction, such as restitution. Congress imposed subsistence fees on returning citizens in halfway houses and on home confinement supposedly to promote fiscal responsibility by requiring returning citizens to pay a portion of their housing costs. The fee is currently 25% of a returning citizen's income. The Department of Justice has recognized how counterproductive subsistence fees are, both for returning citizens and for the BOP. In a November 2016 memo, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates noted that BOP's process for collecting these subsistence fees is costly and administratively burdensome for both [halfway houses] and [BOP], and called for DOJ to develop a plan to limit the use of counterproductive subsistence' fees imposed on indigent residents. BOP already waives the fees for individuals on home confinement. In light of the pandemic, BOP has also waived the fees for individuals in halfway houses. Norton is the sponsor of a bill, the Ensuring Successful Reentry Act of 2019, that would repeal the requirement that BOP charge subsistence fees. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-thanks-obama-for-marching-orders-in-eulogy-for-lewis-to-pass-the | Norton Thanks Obama for Marching Orders in Eulogy for Lewis to Pass the D.C. Statehood Bill Now | 2020-08-03 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today expressed profound gratitude to President Barack Obama for including District of Columbia statehood among the marching orders he outlined in his moving eulogy of Congressman John Lewis. On July 30, 2020, Norton traveled with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, other congressional members, former presidents - Clinton, Bush and Obama - and many other distinguished guests to Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In his eulogy, brimming with hope, perseverance, and unity, Obama called on those remembering Lewis to take responsibility for carrying on his legacy and continuing the fight for equality and freedom for all American citizens, including D.C. residents. Obama stated, [o]nce we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching to make it even better by guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C. and in Puerto Rico. They are Americans. As the home of over 705,000 Americans, D.C. pays more federal taxes per capita than any state, pays more total federal taxes than 22 states, has a budget bigger than 12 states, has a triple-A bond rating, and has a larger population than two states. John risked his life fighting for the right to vote when we both were young people in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Norton said.It is with his courage and humility in mind that we pick up the torch to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act in the Senate. Last year, House Democrats passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, setting the stage to pass historic voting rights legislation this Congress.With passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, the House has followed through on its promises. Thank you, President Obama, for taking a moment to spotlight D.C. while remembering our hero and friend John Lewis. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-bill-to-establish-an-official-commission-on-the-social-0 | Norton Says Bill to Establish an Official Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Builds on Decades of Efforts | 2020-07-28 | 2020 | 2020-07 | Democrat | House | DC | Eleanor Norton | N000147 | norton.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today applauded House passage yesterday of the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act, which builds on her D.C. Commission on Black Men and Boys, established almost 20 years ago.The bill, which Norton cosponsored, now heads to the president's desk. Norton said that this bill takes the issues facing Black men and boys to the next level, establishing government responsibility for the first time.The bill creates a Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys within the United States Commission on Civil Rights that will have responsibility for addressing important issues, such as disparities in employment and incarceration rates for African-American men and boys. The bill mandates government action to help improve the condition of African-American men and boys for the first time, Norton said. I hope that the record of testimony from the D.C. Commission on Black Men and Boys and the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys can assist the official commission in seeking legislation.Both commissions are operating and will continue to do so. As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys along with Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), Norton has pressed Congress and the executive branch to take more responsibility for addressing disparities facing Black men and boys.The caucus has created a platform for public dialogue among leaders, legislators and individuals most impacted by the daily realities of Black males in the U.S. In 2001, Norton established the D.C. Commission on Black Men and Boys. That commission has focused the D.C. community on discussion and action on difficult and controversial issues that affect Black men, such as incarceration. The success and demand following the establishment of the D.C. Commission on Black Men and Boys led Norton to establish, along with Davis, the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys in 2013, with the aim ofbringing matters affecting African-American men and boys to the for… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
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