Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my friend for yielding. There is a reason that this bill is H.R. 1. It shows that we are not there yet in…”

“I thank my friend for yielding. There is a reason that this bill is H.R. 1. It shows that we are not there yet in building a more perfect democracy. Nothing illustrates that better than H.R. 1's findings on D.C. statehood. These findings document the District's long adherence to all the qualifications for statehood. Since the founding of the Republic, serving in all the Nation's wars, paying Federal income taxes--in fact, leading the country, per capita, in Federal income taxes paid today--if anything, H.R. 1's findings show that the District is overqualified for statehood--witness the $2.8 billion surplus and its population larger than that of two States. Yesterday marked 200 cosponsors for our D.C. statehood bill. Today, passage of H.R. 1 would set a historic milestone, marking the first vote for the necessity for D.C. statehood in the 218 years the District has been the capital of the Nation.”