Norton wants her vote restored in the Committee of the Whole.
Of course Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton would some day like to be a full member of the House of Representatives, but for now, she’s aiming for a smaller—but still noteworthy—prize when the the next Congress convenes in January.
Speaking at a news conference today in the Rayburn House Office Building, Norton, a Democrat, said she intends to ask for the 113th Congress to restore her membership in the House’s Committee of the Whole, which would permit her to cast procedural votes on big pieces of legislation, though not on their final passage. Norton was part of the committee from 1993 to 2010, but when a Republican majority took over the House in 2011, she was promptly removed.
“There is nothing more painful—or rare—than losing a vote you once had in our country,” Norton said in prepared remarks. “Rights have tended to come slowly in America, but once they came, they have been respected regardless of party.”
Norton’s vote in the Committee of the Whole was granted in House rules passed at the beginning of the 103rd Congress, when Tom Foley, a Washington Democrat, was the speaker. But when Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) took over in 2011, removing Norton’s vote from the Committee of the Whole was one of the first orders of business.
Still, Norton said she remains hopeful that the situation could be reversed when the new House convenes next month. Though the 112th Congress was historically contentious, it was not all bad for the District, she said. Among the measures Norton praised were development of the Southwest Waterfront and the recent addition of the D.C. flag to military ceremonies that feature the banners of the 50 states.
Matthew Cary, the director of D.C.’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs, was mindful of the latter bill. “If you’re a veteran in Virginia or Maryland, your state has autonomy,” he said. “Somehow with the District of Columbia there’s been a growing disconnect in Congress.”
Mayor Vince Gray spoke after Norton and endorsed her push to get the committee vote back. “This is a fight that needs to be waged consistently,” he said. “A vote in the Committee of the Whole doesn’t even interfere with the final vote.”
Gray, dealing with a head cold, pointed out D.C.’s growing population, which at roughly 632,000, exceeds those of Wyoming and Vermont. He added that the District adds roughly 1,000 every month. On top of that, there is also the $4 billion in income tax revenue that D.C. residents contribute to the federal kitty each year.
Still, any chance of Norton being restored to the Committee of the Whole hinges upon the rules the House will vote on at the beginning of the next Congress. And while Norton said that last month’s election seemed like a good omen for the District—with the preservation of a Democratic Senate majority and the re-election of a Democratic president—the House remains in Republican hands, and she still needs to talk things over with Boehner and other members of the leadership.
