Norton Wants Full House to Vote on Her Amendments to Apply Republican Local Control Principles to D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that the House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider amendments to the fiscal year 2018 District of Columbia Appropriations bill, including Norton’s amendments to strike all four anti-home-rule riders from the bill, during a markup tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6, 2017, in H-312 (U.S. Capitol). Norton’s amendments would strike the riders that prohibit D.C. from spending its local funds on marijuana commercialization and on abortions for low-income women, as well as those that repeal D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law, the Death with Dignity Act, and budget autonomy referendum.

Norton’s marijuana amendment has bipartisan support with Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as a cosponsor, along with Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Blumenauer are cosponsors of her medical aid-in-dying amendment, and Lee is a cosponsor of her abortion amendment. The Committee will also consider Representative Gary Palmer’s (R-AL) amendment to block the District from spending its local funds to enforce a local anti-discrimination law, the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees, their spouses and dependents based on their reproductive health decisions. The Committee, which is controlled by House Republican leadership, has complete discretion to decide which amendments will be allowed to be offered on the floor. All four of Norton’s D.C. amendments comply with House rules.

“I am demanding the opportunity to subject these D.C. riders to a full House vote,” Norton said. “Let states rights Republicans go on the record on whether Congress should undemocratically interfere with D.C.’s local affairs.”

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