Dear Members and Friends,
Last week, a bill was introduced in the Senate to grant DC Statehood. We had a record 30 Senators supporting Statehood last session. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a new statehood bill on the first day of the new Congress (H.R. 51) with a record 155 cosponsors, representing 38 States and 3 territories. This is the largest number of House members who have ever cosponsored a statehood bill. On January 4, 2019, Speaker Pelosi issued a statement in support od statehood. Support for statehood was also included in H.R. 1, the Democratic caucus’s landmark democracy reform bill.
If the Democrats take the Senate in November 2020, there is a very good chance Congress might approve statehood for the residential and commercial parts of the District with the federal enclave in the center remaining the District of Columbia, the seat of government of the United States.
The Citizens Federation in collaboration with the Civic Federation will hold a panel discussion on the issues statehood will pose for the residents of our city. We believe the pros and cons of statehood should be discussed. The panel will be held on March 26 at 441 4th Street NW from 6:30 PM till 8:30 PM. The meeting is open to the public. Please distribute this invitation widely.
Best Regards,
Earl Williams
President
dccitizensfederation.org