Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I want to thank the chairman of the full committee for his generosity. I want to thank my friends on both sides of the…”

“I want to thank the chairman of the full committee for his generosity. I want to thank my friends on both sides of the committee for their assistance with H.R. 3902, especially the chairman of the full committee, my good friend, Mr. Issa, and the chair of the subcommittee, Mr. Gowdy, for working closely with us on this bill. I also want to thank my good friends on our side, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Cummings, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Davis, for their considerable support and assistance. Mr. Chairman, like you, I will be brief because you and I are the only ones here who have a vote in committee on this matter. The District of Columbia Special Election Reform Act is similar to the legislation I introduced last Congress, which, with the help of the chairman, was passed without objection by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and, with his help, quickly got to the full House for a vote. Final enactment of the bill was prevented not by this House, but by an anonymous hold in the Senate, which fortunately no longer allows such holds in that Chamber. This bill is of great importance to the District of Columbia, particularly now that the city council is faced with an example of a vacancy that this bill was designed to address--and had the bill been passed by the Senate, could have been addressed.…”