Press Release: Norton Sends D.C. Guide to New Members of Congress
News Release — DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton
December 10, 2020
Contact: Sharon Eliza Nichols
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to new Members of Congress, welcoming them to the District of Columbia and offering them assistance with any difficulties they might have moving, at least part-time, to the area to begin in the 117th Congress in January. In the letter, Norton provides an overview of the city’s neighborhoods and transportation options and guidance on “the only local jurisdiction on the Congressional agenda” because, until enactment of the D.C statehood bill, many of D.C.’s affairs are considered by Congress. In addition, Norton tells new Members to reach out to her office if they ever have an issue with or need assistance from the local government, and notes as a delightful example that she once helped obtain a marriage license for a fellow Member of Congress.
“Most of the country looks to Members of Congress for leadership, but Members are also people who are sacrificing a more predictable way of life to move to a new city half of each month,” Norton said. “In my letter, I try to provide these new Members with key pieces of information about living in D.C. that will make them feel welcome and make their transition smoother.”
Additionally, Norton uses the opportunity to make sure new Members are aware of her D.C. statehood bill, which already has 188 original cosponsors in the House for the 117th Congress, including representatives-elect Cori Bush (D-MO), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Norma Torres (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).
The letter is below.
A Guide on the District of Columbia for New Members of Congress
Dear Representative-elect:
Congratulations on your election to the 117th Congress! Your election to the House or Senate means that you will now spend more time in the District of Columbia than in your home district. As the only Member of Congress who represents the host city of the Congress and the federal government, I write to offer a special welcome and my assistance. We want you to have important information about the District you will need and about this city’s unique relationship to the federal government because legislation affecting the District may come before Congress.
District Neighborhoods and Housing
The District is a growing, lovely, livable and hospitable city of more than 700,000 Americans with world-class dining, entertainment and sports, many forms of public transportation and breathtaking national and local monuments and sites that your constituents will ask you about and want to enjoy. We invite you to consider living in D.C., like many Members who have decided to live here rather than fight the formidable traffic to and from the suburbs. D.C. has it all – houses, condos and apartments located in sophisticated urban communities, suburban-like neighborhoods, mixed-use developments, a vibrant downtown and nearby communities, such as Capitol Hill (where I live). If you are considering living in the District, feel free to contact me personally or our office if you could use some advice or guidance. I am a third-generation Washingtonian, but more importantly, I can put you in touch with the experts and assistance that you may need on housing.
Help with Public and Private Services in D.C.
Whether or not you live in the District, you may encounter an occasional issue or have questions about the city’s public and private sectors, including for yourself, your family or your constituents. Many of your constituents will come to Washington to visit and consult with you. The District is one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations.
However, if you have a question related to District services, please be in touch with me or my office. For example, transportation, trash, recycling, water, pothole and similar issues inevitably arise in every jurisdiction. My office has had Members inquire concerning every kind of service, even a Member who needed a marriage license (we loved that). Rather than trying to figure out where to turn to in the District or District government, please call me or my office first. If you have a service need or problem, call me personally at 202-225-8050 or have your staff call my Chief of Staff, Raven Reeder, at 202-225-8050. We will either pursue the matter on your behalf or put you in direct contact with a specific individual in the appropriate District agency who will be helpful until the matter is resolved. If for any reason a problem is not completely resolved, we will continue to help until it is.
Parking Tickets
By federal statute, Members of Congress may park their vehicles at any available curb space in the District when the vehicle is being used by the Member on official business and the vehicle is displaying the Member’s congressional tag. The vehicle is exempt from tickets by statute if it is not parked in violation of a loading zone, rush hour, firehouse or fire hydrant limitation.
The Only Local Jurisdiction on the Congressional Agenda
You will need to know a little something about the District as a hometown jurisdiction because, regretfully, some of your time may be spent voting on purely local and justifiably unfamiliar D.C. matters, unrelated to federal affairs. I hope you will cosponsor our D.C. statehood bill to take D.C. off of the congressional agenda entirely. Under the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, Congress created a locally elected chief executive (Mayor Muriel Bowser) and legislature (Council), and gave the District government state-like powers, with limited exceptions. We hope you agree that, despite Congress’ constitutional authority over the District, there is no justification in the 21st century for Congress to legislate on purely local matters anywhere. Restrictions on basic democracy are discredited holdovers from our history, but democratic local self-government is respected by every American and every jurisdiction today. Polls show that Americans of every background believe D.C. residents should have equal representation and treatment in Congress. As you can imagine, although occasionally District matters may come to the floor or committee, D.C. residents, like your own constituents, feel strongly that local decisions must be respected, and residents object strongly to interference from Congress, which is unaccountable to them, in local D.C. laws and spending.
Like every large city, the District has more poverty and crime than suburban communities, but it is a prosperous city dominated by a diverse, majority middle class. Analysts, congressional leaders and residents alike agree that the District has had great success in attracting residents and businesses. The District government has been well managed for years and has one of the largest budget surpluses of any U.S. jurisdiction. You will find the residents of the District to be dedicated and accomplished Americans.
Taxation Without Representation
D.C. residents pay the highest federal taxes per capita in the United States. They are the only U.S. citizens who pay full federal taxes but do not have full representation in the House and none in the Senate. I have virtually all the rights and privileges of a Member of the House, including a vote in committee, and I chair a subcommittee. I also have a vote on the House floor in the Committee of the Whole but not on final passage of legislation.
In June, the House passed H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would grant statehood to the over 700,000 residents who live in the nation’s capital. This was the first time either chamber has passed the D.C. statehood bill. The Senate placed the bill on the floor calendar. I will reintroduce the bill in the 117th Congress and hope you will cosponsor it.
The District is one of the world’s most beautiful and pleasant cities. Cabinet members, agency heads and officials, many Members of Congress, and major news media figures live in our neighborhoods with local citizens, and if you have not decided on a permanent congressional residence, we would welcome you to live in the nation’s capital. However, whether living in the District or only doing your most important work here, you will find D.C. officials, residents and businesses ready to help you enjoy the city, and my office and I are at your disposal.
I look forward to meeting and working with you in the 117th Congress.
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