Results tagged “ushouse”

Two weeks ago, we reported that an amendment granting the District a voting seat in the House might be tacked on to a defense spending bill. Now, it doesn't look like that will happen.

Of course, when Republicans heard of the rumor, they weren't pleased, arguing that D.C. voting rights has no place in a defense spending bill. Responding to those concerns, on Thursday Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) argued otherwise. "Now whether or not that will be included in the Defense bill, it is about democracy. It is about participation. It is about respect...I will tell my friend that I will continue to fight as hard as I can to try to figure out how I can bring that bill to the floor, get it to a vote, and give the people of the District of Columbia, our fellow citizens, the right to vote as the citizens in Baghdad can do, the citizens in Moscow can do, the citizens in every free country in the world except the United States of America, can do."

If there's one thing that no member of Congress wants to be accused of, it's not supporting the troops. That very fear might be the only thing that finally gets the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives.

Despite offering some lukewarm remarks last week deferring to the D.C. Council on the effort to extend full marriage benefits to same-sex couples in the District of Columbia, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton offered a statement today in support of marriage equality legislation the Council will take up next week. "Although opposition by some in the House already has been announced, I believe Congress will and should defeat opposition to gay marriage rights in the District of Columbia as enacted by the District’s own elected officials," Norton said. "Opposition to civil rights is not new. We should approach the rights of gay couples and families with the same resolution and results as we had for others who have sought their human rights in Congress and in the District."

Oh boy! If this actually succeeds, how can we not get a seat in the House? The New York Times reports today on a lawsuit that just might increase the size of the House of Representatives, and dramatically so. The lawsuit claims that the current system of apportioning seats in the House leaves some voters with more representation than others. For example, while one district in Nevada has 960,000 voters, Wyoming's single district only has 523,000. The solution? Increase the size of the House to as few as 932 or as many as 1,761 seats so that voting districts are smaller and voting power distributed more equitably. Jesus. The prospect of 1,761 members of the House and their respective staffs gives us a headache just thinking about it. On the other hand, we'd have to get at least one of those seats, right? Just out of pity? Please? But seriously, while we feel for the poor residents of Nevada's 3rd District, we'd like to point out that no one is less represented in the U.S. than District residents. Sure, there's almost a million of you out there, but at least you have a representative.

Roll Call is reporting (subscription only) that Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) -- NOT TO BE CONFUSED with Ward 8 D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry -- grossly understated the value of his Capitol Hill rowhouse on his annual financial disclosure forms.

In May, Berry filed a financial disclosure form reporting the value of the house at between $250,000 and $500,000, the same value that he has listed on his disclosure forms each year.

Continue reading "Congressman Underreports Value of His D.C. Home"

After yesterday's announcement that House leaders were shelving legislation that would grant the District a single vote in Congress, the measure appeared to be all but dead. Activists and proponents of the legislation disagreed with that assessment, though, arguing that it wasn't the proposal that was at fault -- it was merely the timing. They'd get the legislation, which would also grant Utah an additional seat in the House (at least until the next Census), back on the floor soon enough.

President Obama has a way with words. Unlike the somewhat elementary formulations of his predecessor, Obama has tackled a number of complex issues -- torture and Guantanamo Bay, relations with the Muslim world -- in recent speeches. He is keenly aware of the power his words hold, and he doesn't act like the American people are children lacking the capacity to understand and digest tough issues. It's time he stepped up and used his oratory for the sake of District voting rights.

MORE 2:28 p.m.: D.C. Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka just returned our call, and takes issue with our characterization that the D.C. House Voting Rights Act is "dead."

Grim news on the long-delayed D.C. House Voting Rights Act. Roll Call reports (subscription only) from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's regular Tuesday press conference that the congressman is pulling the bill from consideration for the foreseeable future.

It looks like Congress has once again left District residents without a resolution on voting rights. At the end of March, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he expected the D.C. House Voting Rights Act to come to a vote in some form by the end of May. But the U.S. House left town for its Memorial Day recess last night, making it now impossible for anything to happen until June at the earliest. We're also still waiting to see if the White House is going to get involved, as D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton claimed last week and the Post demanded yesterday. Rumor has it that Attorney General Eric Holder is on the job, but even a big push from him next week wouldn't yield any forward momentum from an absent Congress. We're still hoping for the best, but we're not above feeling like we're stuck in a real-life version of Groundhog Day.

The District of Columbia today gained a few more members of Congress who think they know what's best for our city. A handful of socially conservative House members gathered reporters this afternoon to introduce a bill that would define marriage in D.C. as a "union of one man and one woman," Politico reports. The effort is designed to signal opposition to recent D.C. Council action that would allow same-sex marriages legally performed in other states to be recognized in the District, as well as any further local legislation that might come this year to legalize such ceremonies in D.C.

First the issue of guns came to haunt the D.C. voting rights bill, now it seems to be haunting other pieces of legislation Democrats are looking to pass. The Politico reports today that Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has all but thrown in the towel, admitting that Republicans have effectively used amendments related to guns to either stall legislation or force conservative Democrats into tough votes. While the voting rights bill has been stuck due to an amendment that would gut the District's gun laws, legislation on credit cards will likely pass with an amendment attached that will expand gun carrying rights in national parks. Hoyer still claims that the D.C. voting rights bill will pass "one way or another."

NewsChannel 8's Bruce DePuyt has an interview with D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in which Norton drops some teasers about what's to come in the long-stalled D.C. House Voting Rights Act (h/t Loose Lips). Apparently the White House is set to get involved, though Norton won't say exactly who. And what will the final bill look like? “We think we can keep [same-sex marriage] off of it...I think I can keep some guns off.” Hmmmm. Some? We tried to get details out of voting rights activists, but no one seemed to know much right now. The last time we checked in, Norton and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer were quibbling over when the bill should be voted on. We're now half-way through May, and time is ticking away...

First there were four, then a fifth, and now one more member of Congress found to be illegally exploiting a tax break for District residents who are homeowners. Via Politico, the Kansas City Star is reporting that Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and his wife have been caught claiming the homestead exemption on their $1.6 million Georgetown home.

The Hill is reporting that D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton indicated during this morning's subcommittee hearing that she now expects the D.C. House Voting Rights Act to pass the House with a controversial amendment that would wipe out most of the District's existing gun registration laws.

“For the first time, the leaders in both houses are looking very seriously at this gun law,” Norton said a hearing this morning. “And they are aware the gun law is going to become law.”

Continue reading "Norton: Voting Rights Will Likely Pass With Gun Amendment"

An amendment attached to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act that would gut the District's gun laws has remained a point of heated debate in recent weeks, and today Police Chief Cathy Lanier heads to the Hill to testify on the dangers it would pose to the city. She is scheduled to join a number of security officials in a hearing titled, "Disaster Capacity in the National Capital Region: Experiences, Capabilities, and Weaknesses," being held by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. The subcommittee is chaired by D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and is meeting as of 10 a.m. in Room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building. You can also watch a live web cast of the hearing.

For those of you who weren't able to tune in to The Politics Hour on WAMU earlier (you can download the audio if you'd still like to listen), you missed House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in his first appearance ever on the program. Hoyer called in half way through the show to discuss the most recent developments on the D.C. House Voting Rights act, expressing his regret that he couldn't get the bill scheduled for a vote next week.

The Hill is reporting that Democratic leaders in the House have once again ruled out setting a date for a floor vote on the D.C. House Voting Rights Act. Despite hopeful speculation that the bill, derailed by efforts to add an amendment that would wipe out most of the District's gun registration regulations, would be added to the schedule next week, Democrats indicated today that they have still not been able to come to an agreement that would guarantee the bill would pass. The story frames the issue around the latest disagreement between D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who have split on whether the District should consider accepting the gun amendment in exchange for a voting member in the House.

D.C. Wire is reporting that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says he is "hoping" to get a vote by the end of next week on legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House. But what will the legislation look like? Will it have a gun law-gutting amendment, which most voting rights advocates oppose? No one's really sure. According to the Post's Mary Beth Sheridan, "Hoyer has been considering compromises on the bill that could deliver a House seat for the District but would also be acceptable to city leaders who oppose the gun amendment." D.C. Wire also reports that the special D.C. Council Committee on Statehood and Self-Representation will be meeting today at 4 p.m. in Room 502 of the Wilson Building.

The Hill's Mike Soraghan is reporting that the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, known as H.R. 157, has been pulled from tomorrow’s House legislative calendar due to concerns over a controversial amendment added to the Senate's version of the bill that would repeal the District's gun laws.

We're pretty busy following the action in the Senate as it happens, but for those who are interested, the House Judiciary Committee is marking up the House version of the D.C. Voting Rights Act right now (the hearing began at 2 p.m., but they are discussing the bill now). You can stream the hearing live here. Yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.) said he expected to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote sometime next week.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.), a longtime proponent of the D.C. Voting Rights Act, released a statement announcing that the bill should reach the House floor for a vote next week. The bill will be marked-up in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

The U.S. Senate is set to debate legislation granting the District of Columbia a voting seat in the House of Representatives on Monday, with a vote predicted for Tuesday. That would pave the way for an expected vote to endorse the legislation in the House and, at long last, something approaching voting rights for District residents. Of course, opponents of the legislation have threatened a quick legal challenge, but interestingly, The Hill reported yesterday that it doesn't seem like anyone is stepping up to the plate. Lawsuits don't file themselves, and though there are many an opponent to the measure, neither think tanks nor advocacy groups seem to be too excited to pony up the expected $750,000 to $1 million for the legal bills. Even some of the legislation's most ardent foes on the Hill seem to want to find someone else to do the heavy lifting on this one. Supporters of the legislation, on the other hand, have already started crafting a defense. Recession -- the best thing to happen to D.C. voting rights in a generation? Maybe.

With this week's congressional subcommittee hearing on legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House, we've again started what has become something of a bi-annual tradition for D.C. residents. We complain, Congress goes through the motions on a piece of legislation aimed at correcting a 200-year-old injustice that has left the city's 600,000 residents without a voting member in Congress, we become hopeful, and eventually Congress ends up not doing anything. Rinse and repeat and you've got a day in the life of a disenfranchised D.C. resident. Of course, it's a new day in Washington, and with a solidly Democratic Congress and a sympathetic president, our chances at getting something are better than ever.

OK, we had some technical issues loading the web cast there, so apologies, we ended up missing the first 30 minutes of the hearing. (Tip to Mac users: you have to download Real Player for Mac before you can stream the hearing).

You'll remember Gohmert from a memorable performance during floor debate on the bill in 2007, when he opined that D.C.'s residents don't need a representative because the 435 members of the House are already looking out for our best interests. We made him our honorary congressional representative, and readers flooded his office with constituent requests.

We're getting a strong sense of déjà vu here at DCist. Tomorrow a House subcommittee will markup legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, reconsidering a measure that narrowly failed in the Senate in 2007. Unlike in years past, though, we've got a sympathetic president and a strongly Democratic Congress, all but assuring that the measure can pass both houses. Washington is preoccupied with two wars and a tanking economy, so the remaining question is just how quickly this will happen. The hearing kicks off at 10 a.m. in 2141 Rayburn and will include testimony from Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C. National Guard Iraq war veteran Yolanda Lee and former Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh.

Well-located office that can double as living space available immediately. One half-bath, one to three potential bedrooms, no kitchen but a small refrigerator is included. Prime location with fantastic view of Capitol, just floors above a number of eating options and blocks away from a number of restaurants and bars. Orange Line Metro just a block away. No rent, no credit check, no references. You just need to get elected to the House of Representatives.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has made no secret of her desire to see the D.C. voting rights issue move, and move quickly. The Post's Mary Beth Sheridan writes today that Norton will introduce legislation granting both the District and Utah additional seats in the House (the same proposal passed the House in April 2007, though it failed in the Senate in September), while Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Ut.) will present the same measure to the Senate. In Norton's ideal world, all the debates and voting would be wrapped up by February 12, the bicentennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday.