>> In case you missed this story in the Washington Post this morning, it seems another one of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s favorite long-term projects, expanding the District’s Home Rule Charter to give the District budget and legislative autonomy, is actually getting some play up on the Hill. We can’t even count how many times she’s introduced bills like the two currently before the House, but it’s been at least 15 years since Congress…

The House Judiciary Committee today endorsed legislation granting the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, setting the measure on track for a full vote by the end of the month. Though legal scholars debated the constitutionality of the measure in a hearing before the committee yesterday and a number of amendments were considered today, the legislation easily gained the approval of the Democratic-led committee, 21-13. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rep. Chris…

How many times have we written this headline, only to be disappointed as another roadblock gets thrown in the way of District voting rights? Far too many times. But we’re a little more optimistic these days. The Post is reporting that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today endorsed the legislation that would finally grant the District a voting representative in the House of Representatives. The vote was 24-5. The legislation is set…

Amidst tough questions in an early afternoon press conference today on the loss of the House, the war in Iraq, and the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush faced a question he wasn’t expecting — on District voting rights. A reporter asked Bush on whether he would support legislation currently moving through Congress that would grant the District one voting seat in the House of Representatives and may come to…

Sometimes the lede to another publication’s story is so subtly great that we just can’t bear to mess with it. Take it away, NBC4: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to know what is causing some male fish to acquire female sexual characteristics in the Potomac River and its tributaries. We’ll bet they do! This past week has seen more than its fair share of sexual degeneracy on Capitol Hill. The midterms are nearly here, and…

Step by step, inch by inch. That’s how legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives is proceeding, but at least it’s going somewhere. The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing today on the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act, a legislative proposal put forth by Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton that would finally give the District a full…

It was mid-May when we found out that a bill that would grant the District a voting seat in the U.S. House of Representatives was finally moving forward, having met with the approval of the House Government Reform Committee. Yesterday news came through that the legislation — known as the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act — may soon overcome another obstacle, putting the District one step closer to voting representation in the…

Ahhh, Thursday. First day of the weekend. And a good day to play hooky and watch Trinidad and Tobago (powered by Howard alum Shaka Hislop) take on England at noon. And the news for the day: Controversy Over Terrorism Funds Continues: Local officials feel they were cheated of valuable federal anti-terrorism funds. Federal officials claim that local requests of funds for anti-terror program were ineffective at best. Who should we believe? The Post is…

When it comes to fighting for District voting rights, activists face two main challengers — the U.S. Congress and themselves. Members of Congress just either don’t care much about whether or not the District’s 600,000 residents have voting representation, or believe its a constitutional mandate written in stone that they shouldn’t. They can be swayed. But many District-based voting right activists differ sharply on what the best approach to gaining voting rights is — some…

Are the stars aligning? We’re slow to trust Tom Davis after he toyed with our heart last week, saying first that a vote for D.C. was a sure thing, then warning us that the road was still quite long and fraught with danger. One thing’s for sure, however. Davis is doing his damnedest to build momentum (Tomentum?) for the bipartisan bill, and he’s close to convincing us it’s a real possibility. Yesterday, with District officials…