Logosm.gif (1927 bytes)
navlinks.gif (4688 bytes)
Hruler04.gif (5511 bytes)

Back to Voting Rights, Statehood, and Retrocession main page

To Provide for Full Voting Representation in Congress for the Citizens of the District of Columbia
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
S. 617

March 13, 2003

Home

Bibliography

Calendar

Columns
Dorothy Brizill
Bonnie Cain
Jim Dougherty
Gary Imhoff
Phil Mendelson
Mark David Richards
Sandra Seegars

DCPSWatch

DCWatch Archives
Council Period 12
Council Period 13
Council Period 14

Election 1998
Election 2000
Election 2002

Elections
Election 2004
Election 2006

Government and People
ANC's
Anacostia Waterfront Corporation
Auditor
Boards and Com
BusRegRefCom
Campaign Finance
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Management Officer
City Council
Congress
Control Board
Corporation Counsel
Courts
DC2000
DC Agenda
Elections and Ethics
Fire Department
FOI Officers
Inspector General
Health
Housing and Community Dev.
Human Services
Legislation
Mayor's Office
Mental Health
Motor Vehicles
Neighborhood Action
National Capital Revitalization Corp.
Planning and Econ. Dev.
Planning, Office of
Police Department
Property Management
Public Advocate
Public Libraries
Public Schools
Public Service Commission
Public Works
Regional Mobility Panel
Sports and Entertainment Com.
Taxi Commission
Telephone Directory
University of DC
Water and Sewer Administration
Youth Rehabilitation Services
Zoning Commission

Issues in DC Politics

Budget issues
DC Flag
DC General, PBC
Gun issues
Health issues
Housing initiatives
Mayor’s mansion
Public Benefit Corporation
Regional Mobility
Reservation 13
Tax Rev Comm
Term limits repeal
Voting rights, statehood
Williams’s Fundraising Scandals

Links

Organizations
Appleseed Center
Cardozo Shaw Neigh.Assoc.
Committee of 100
Fed of Citizens Assocs
League of Women Voters
Parents United
Shaw Coalition

Photos

Search

What Is DCWatch?

themail archives

S 617 IS

108th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 617

To provide for full voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 13, 2003

Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. DODD, Ms. LANDRIEU, and Mr. KERRY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To provide for full voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The residents of the District of Columbia are the only Americans who pay Federal income taxes but are denied voting representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

(2) The residents of the District of Columbia suffer the very injustice against which our Founding Fathers fought, because they do not have voting representation as other taxpaying Americans do and are nevertheless required to pay Federal income taxes unlike the Americans who live in the territories.

(3) The principle of one person, one vote requires that residents of the District of Columbia are afforded full voting representation in the House and the Senate.

(4) Despite the denial of voting representation, Americans in the Nation's Capital are second among residents of all States in per capita income taxes paid to the Federal Government.

(5) Unequal voting representation in our representative democracy is inconsistent with the founding principles of the Nation and the strongly held principles of the American people today.

SEC. 3. REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

For the purposes of congressional representation, the District of Columbia, constituting the seat of government of the United States, shall be treated as a State, such that its residents shall be entitled to elect and be represented by 2 Senators in the United States Senate, and as many Representatives in the House of Representatives as a similarly populous State would be entitled to under the law.

SEC. 4. ELECTIONS.

(a) FIRST ELECTIONS-

(1) PROCLAMATION- Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall issue a proclamation for elections to be held to fill the 2 Senate seats and the seat in the House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia in Congress.

(2) MANNER OF ELECTIONS- The proclamation of the Mayor of the District of Columbia required by paragraph (1) shall provide for the holding of a primary election and a general election and at such elections the officers to be elected shall be chosen by a popular vote of the residents of the District of Columbia. The manner in which such elections shall be held and the qualification of voters shall be the same as those for local elections, as prescribed by the District of Columbia.

(3) CLASSIFICATION OF SENATORS- In the first election of Senators from the District of Columbia, the 2 senatorial offices shall be separately identified and designated, and no person may be a candidate for both offices. No such identification or designation of either of the 2 senatorial offices shall refer to or be taken to refer to the terms of such offices, or in any way impair the privilege of the Senate to determine the class to which each of the Senators elected shall be assigned.

(b) CERTIFICATION OF ELECTION- The results of an election for the Senators and Representative from the District of Columbia shall be certified by the Mayor of the District of Columbia in the manner required by law. The Senators and Representative elected shall be entitled to be admitted to seats in Congress and to all the rights and privileges of Senators and Representatives of the States in the Congress of the United States.

SEC. 5. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MEMBERSHIP.

(a) IN GENERAL- Upon the date of enactment of this Act, the District of Columbia shall be entitled to 1 Representative until the taking effect of the next reapportionment. Such Representative shall be in addition to the membership of the House of Representatives as now prescribed by law.

(b) INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES- Upon the date of enactment of this Act, the permanent membership of the House of Representatives shall increase by 1 seat for the purpose of future reapportionment of Representatives.

(c) REAPPORTIONMENT- Upon reapportionment, the District of Columbia shall be entitled to as many seats in the House of Representatives as a similarly populous State would be entitled to under the law.

(d) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DELEGATE- Until the first Representative from the District of Columbia is seated in the House of Representatives, the Delegate in Congress from the District of Columbia shall continue to discharge the duties of his or her office.

Back to top of page


Send mail with questions or comments to webmaster@dcwatch.com
Web site copyright ©DCWatch (ISSN 1546-4296)