Bill > SR188

This Resolution urges members of the United States Congress to pass federal laws that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C., recognizing that its residents, numbering nearly 700,000, pay federal taxes, serve in the military, and fulfill other civic duties but lack full representation in Congress, a situation historically stemming from the Organic Act of 1801 which removed their voting rights for federal officials, though they regained the right to vote for President and Vice President in 1961. The resolution highlights that D.C.'s population is comparable to several existing states, that its residents overwhelmingly support statehood in referendums, and that other democratic nations allow their capital cities' residents full participation in national government, unlike the current situation where Congress can interfere with D.C.'s local governance and finances. It specifically references proposed legislation, H.R. 51 and S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would establish a state with two senators and at least one representative in Congress, and notes that international human rights bodies have also called for addressing this lack of political equality.