Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring one of our nation's foremost liberation theologians, the Reverend Willie F. Wilson, Pastor of the Union Temple Baptist, in our nation's capital. Reverend Wilson has devoted his life and ministry to uplifting, enhancing and empowering the lives of the downtrodden and to fighting for the dignity, justice and liberation of all people. Over the years, thousands have responded to the power of Reverend Wilson's preaching and exhortation to ``unchain your mind'' through examining and reclaiming Jesus Christ, the truth of African-American history and learning to love ourselves as well as others. As a result, Union Temple's membership has grown from the initial 25 faithful members to more than 8,000. Reverend Wilson has served the Union Temple Baptist Church and the District of Columbia community faithfully for 46 years. His impact on the church is immeasurable. As he passes the torch of leadership to his daughter, Reverend Dr. Anika Wilson Brown, we welcome her and thank Reverend Wilson for his steadfast work. Reverend Wilson, born in Newport News, Virginia, received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio University. He became a D.C. resident in 1969 and received a master's degree from Howard University School of Divinity. Under his leadership, the Union Temple Baptist Church achieved an array of firsts, including the first substance abuse ministry based in a D.C. church; the first African-American church-led Rites of Passage program to support adolescents in transitioning from childhood to adulthood; the introduction of Kwanzaa Celebration as part of faith ministry; the first ordination of women into Baptist ministry regionally; and the promotion of interfaith worship between Christians and Orthodox Muslims. The church invested millions of dollars in the development of affordable housing, home ownership and financial literacy programs, as well as in youth development and health promotion activities. Social service programs have flourished at the Union Temple Baptist Church, including the Akoma project, which provides case management to individuals living with HIV/AIDS; the AYA Program, a D.C. Department of Human Services-funded program providing counseling, job development and placement services to assist people moving from welfare to work; and the Village Keepers Homeless Outreach Ministry, which provides shelter for homeless individuals in D.C.--to name only a few. The Union Temple Baptist Church has erected a home in Ghana, West Africa for its Rites of Passage programs. The church has donated over one million dollars in medical supplies to the hospital in Asankrangwa and sponsors an adopt-a-child educational program. Ordained a Wolof Priest in Gambia, Reverend Wilson's ministry and practice are African- centric, focusing on the African influence on Christianity. His most recent book, Birth of the Bible, is a commentary on ``African spiritual traditions borrowed, stolen, misappropriated and modified to produce the book that we know today as the Bible.'' Reverend Wilson's work has not gone unnoticed. In 2018, Reverend Wilson was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama. He was recognized in 1986 by USA Today ``as one of the 10 most valuable people in America.'' In 1995, he was asked to join the historic Million Man March as a national organizer, and, in 1997, he received the Presidential Service Award from President Bill Clinton. Reverend Wilson is the father of four children and is married to Reverend Mary Lewis Wilson. He has served on the board of trustees of the University of the District of Columbia. Reverend Wilson has dedicated his life to a creative, innovative ministry to uplift humanity. He has a deep abiding love for all people and is a passionate voice for truth, justice and equality for the citizens of D.C. and everywhere. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Reverend Willie F. Wilson for his dedication to freedom and justice for all, and to the well-being and faith of District of Columbia residents. We recognize him for the profound impact his vision and his work has had on others.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, to its credit, the House is demonstrating the seriousness of steps that could lead to the impeachment of a president. In my judgment, shameful breaches of conduct (and Trump has committed many), such as President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, were not impeachable because official duties were not implicated. For impeachment, the Constitution requires ``high Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' An affair with an intern is disgraceful, not criminal. The people are ahead of the Congress on impeaching this President, or at least on the inquiry we formalize, if consistent indications from polls can be counted as evidence. The House is taking the right step in ratifying the inquiry process that will lead to the necessary open hearings. As a member of the Oversight and Reform Committee, I have been sitting in on closed hearings from witnesses whose testimony is part of the prescribed process. The prosecutor, the House, is conducting an inquiry, which is like a grand jury proceeding or a U.S. Attorney investigation to determine if there has been a violation of law. These procedures are always closed to protect the innocent parties in case the decision is made that there is not enough evidence to move forward. So far, witnesses have come forward to corroborate evidence indicating that Trump used his office as president to seek ``a favor,'' an investigation of his most prominent opponent in the forthcoming election, by a foreign power who had life or death dependence on the appropriated U.S. funds. Was there an attempt made to hold security funding hostage to the president's concern about a political rival? If this question is deemed not to be worthy of the inquiry--investigation--we authorize today, it would be difficult to ever again define any conduct that deserves an impeachment inquiry.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, with the impeachment inquiry vote, the House made history today, but the Washington Nationals made unprecedented history just last night. Our D.C. Nats won the World Series for the very first time in American history. Our Nats were the underdogs throughout the series, just like their hometown, the District of Columbia, has been for 218 years. But hold on, America. We are about to make it a double: Nats' victory last night; House passage of H.R. 51, the D.C. statehood bill, during the 116th Congress. Watch for how I make my friend, Sheila Jackson Lee, pay up on our bet against the Houston Astros. Go Nats! Long live D.C. statehood!

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the McIntire- Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would amend the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act (Act) to make the District of Columbia eligible for funding. The District is treated as a state under federal programs, with a few exceptions, most of them simply oversights or failures to update. This legislation would rectify the exception in this Act, ensuring equitable treatment for the District and allowing the District to benefit from the funding opportunities available under the Act. The Act provides U.S. states and territories with formula funds to support state-designated institutions' cooperative forestry research programs. The Act defines ``State'' to include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The District's notable, but faulty, absence from this definition makes it ineligible for grant funds that would support research at the District's state-supported university, the University of the District of Columbia's (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Stability, and Environmental Science, a program that complements the city's ongoing forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land- grant university. We appreciate that Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam are included under the definition of ``State,'' even though, unlike the District of Columbia, their residents do not pay federal income taxes. It would be particularly troubling if the District, whose residents pay the highest amount per capita in federal taxes, which support farm and other federal programs, were to continue to be excluded. It has been argued that the District should be excluded because of its lack of local timber production. However, the Act says, ``[i]n making such apportionments, consideration shall be given to pertinent factors including'' local timber production. Proximity to timber is, therefore, only one in a non-exclusive list of factors that are part of the larger analysis regarding the apportionments. Excluding the District from the definition of ``State'' merely because it is not located in an area with a timber industry runs counter to the intent of the Act. While timber production can be a factor in determining the amount of state allocations, there is no reason that the District should be excluded from the Act. We believe, therefore, that the omission of the District must have been the result of an oversight during the original drafting of the Act. However, as you can imagine, this omission has serious consequences for the District, rendering UDC ineligible for these formula grant funds. Passage of this bill would allow students and researchers in the nation's capital to take part in this important forestry program. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Dave Chappelle for receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this year. On October 27, 2019, Dave Chappelle will be the recipient of the 22nd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He will be the first District of Columbia-born recipient of this award, making D.C. residents exceedingly proud of his recognition. Chappelle, who graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Duke Ellington), the city's premier performing arts high school, attributes a great deal of his success to his upbringing in the Nation's Capital and to Duke Ellington. At Duke Ellington, he was inspired by his older peers to do better and take risks in artistic expression. After graduating from Duke Ellington, Chappelle committed to standup comedy. He later went on to produce and star in his own show, ``the Dave Chappelle Show,'' and earn an Emmy for his performance on Saturday Night Live. His collection of awards now includes two Emmys and two Grammys. Chappelle has never forgotten D.C. as his home. He has gone back to Duke Ellington to speak and inspire students, often reflecting on his own time at the school. He graciously gave the school his Emmy in 2017, impressing on the students that fighting the odds is possible. He is an advocate for equal rights for D.C. residents, and D.C. residents returned the love in 2017 when Chappelle was painted, alongside other well-known African American Washingtonians, on the wall of Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street. The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an annual award given to individuals who have impacted society in ways similar to 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Like Mark Twain, Chappelle is an intense observer of society. I could not agree more with Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter when she said, ``Dave is the embodiment of Mark Twain's observation that `against the assault of humor, nothing can stand.' '' As a recipient ofthe Mark Twain Prize, Chappelle follows in the footsteps of America's best comedians, most recently, Julia Louis- Dreyfus, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy and Jay Leno. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to honor Dave Chappelle for his contributions to the art of humor, for his contributions to the District of Columbia through his comedy and advocacy, and for receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to recognize and honor Children's National Hospital Board Chair Michael J. Williams for his leadership and dedication to the health and well-being of children and families in the District of Columbia and the national capital region. Mr. Williams' service to Children's National and the children and families of the District of Columbia, the national capital region and beyond has been notable and profound. During his five years as Chair, Children's National has served 22,000 patients in its hospital and 650,000 through its clinics. Through his leadership, Children's National has continued to achieve and improve its ranking by US News & World Report as one of the Top 10 Pediatric Hospitals in the country and for three years in a row it has been ranked as the country's No. 1 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Further, Children's National achieved Magnet designation for Outstanding Nursing Care during Mr. Williams' last year as Chair. During Mr. Williams' tenure as Chair, Children's National launched the creation of the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus at the former Walter Reed Medical Center. This will be the first of its kind in the nation to focus on pediatric research and innovation. It will also be the home to JLABS @ Washington, DC, a collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, providing incubation space for companies that are seeking to advance the development of new drugs and medical devices, including applications in pediatrics. Children's National also entered into another key partnership aimed at improving access to health care for a unique patient population when it integrated with the HSC Health System. Even though Mr. Williams retired as Chair of the Board on October 1, 2019, I am pleased that he will continue his service to children by remaining on the Children's National Board through June 2020. In addition, he will be a Director on the board of the HSC Foundation. As Chair, Mr. Williams has skillfully and successfully guided Children's National through a period of significant change. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to honor Michael J. Williams for his leadership and service to Children's National, and for the exceptionally valuable contributions he has made to the health and welfare of children and families of the District of Columbia and the national capital region.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate D.C.'s own Washington Nationals for winning the National League Championship to advance to the World Series--sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight games, no less. The Nationals will now face the Houston Astros to compete for the team's first World Series title. The Nation's Capital has been on a roll lately. Last year, the Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup, and earlier this month, the Washington Mystics won their first WNBA championship. But, Madam Speaker, I also rise today to issue a challenge to Houston Representative and, yes, my friend, Sheila Jackson Lee. I challenge my colleague that, if the Nats win the World Series--I should say, when the Nats win the World Series--she and her staff will wear, for a full day at least, and take a photo in D.C. statehood T-shirts to help us further nationalize the fight for D.C. statehood in Texas. Although the Nats are underdogs, who doesn't love an underdog story? Go Nats.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Combating Implicit Bias in Education Act. My bill would create a $30 million grant program for schools to train teachers, principals and other personnel on implicit bias with respect to actual or perceived race, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. This year, a report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that students of color with disabilities received far more severe and frequent punishment than their white counterparts. In December, the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos eliminated the Obama Administration's guidance seeking to curb exclusionary discipline, undermining key steps toward dismantling discriminatory discipline practices in classrooms. In 2017, the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality released a report finding that people disproportionately think of Black girls as more adult-like and less innocent compared to their white peers. This bias has been linked to harsher treatment of Black girls in schools. Students experiencing implicit bias and even outright discrimination face far greater expulsion and suspension rates, fueling the school-to- prison pipeline and widening the student achievement gap. This bill aims to reduce the effect of implicit bias on school discipline, academic achievement and academic attainment through research-based training for education personnel, and provides teachers with necessary tools to provide equal educational and constructive behavioral feedback. Under my bill, the Institute of Education Sciences under the Department of Education would be tasked with evaluating and reporting on the effectiveness of the training. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. At times like these, my good friend who chaired the Oversight and Reform Committee, on which I also serve, was compelled to be a strong leader, but that is who Elijah was anyway. Elijah Cummings was known for calling out his Republican colleagues on countless issues, from the Census to the treatment of children coming across the border. Yet, Chairman Cummings always took a principled stand whenever he saw the strong against the weak. Elijah Cummings' strong sense of principle was reinforced by his commanding presence, booming voice, and convincing sense of rectitude. Yet, the presence of the passing of Chairman Cummings drew widespread sympathy and comment from the very Republicans in this House he most opposed. It is Republicans who give the best witness to Chairman Cummings' resolute fairness. Even as he held the gavel, he always let his adversaries have their say. Afterward, of course, he took them all to the cleaners. Tragically, we have lost Elijah Cummings when this House perhaps most needed his principled leadership. Our Committee on Oversight and Reform, which he chaired, is one of the committees deeply involved in the impeachment inquiry. Almost every day, Republicans and Democrats are sitting in to hear testimony and ask questions of witnesses during this investigation stage of the impeachment inquiry. Elijah Cummings' legendary evenhandedness will be most missed and sought after by all who are looking for a role model and for best practices for the rare impeachment inquiry and, for that matter, hereafter. Let us always remember our good friend, Elijah Cummings.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing The Washington Blade on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. On October 5, 1969, Richard M. Nixon was President, John W. McCormick was Speaker of the House, Richard Russell, Jr. was Senate President pro tempore, Americans were listening to ``Sugar Sugar'' by The Archies, and the 91st Congress was in weekend recess. However, a few LGBTQ Washingtonians read the first edition of The Gay Blade, created by Nancy Tucker and Lilli Vincenz. The Gay Blade survived controversy, epidemic and bankruptcy to thrive as America's LGBTQ newspaper of record, The Washington Blade. On October 18, 2019, The Blade celebrates its 50th anniversary with a gala at the Wharf. Since its inception, The Blade continued as a monthly one-sheet newsletter until it expanded to four pages in June 1972. By April 1974, it grew to eight legal-sized sheets, and in July of the following year, The Gay Blade moved to newsprint. During the 1970s, The Gay Blade changed its name to The Blade. Don Michaels became the editor. Michaels took The Blade out of the closet by prohibiting pen names, and he increased its frequency to biweekly. By the decade's end, the newspaper added ``Washington'' to its masthead. The Washington Blade entered the 1980s with headline, ``Rare, Fatal Pneumonia Hits Gay Men,'' one of the earliest newspaper articles on the disease that became AIDS. The Blade promoted Don Michaels to publisher, a position he held for two decades. By the decade's end, the newspaper adopted computer layout that led to its online edition in 1995. Window Media, LLC purchased The Blade in 2001. The paper's staff unionized, and in 2008, The Blade published the first interview ever given by a Republican presidential candidate to an LGBTQ newspaper. The Blade grew steadily until November 16, 2009. That Monday, Window Media filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The Blade's staff found its offices locked. Former staff volunteered to produce a new publication, DC Agenda, by the following Friday. Publisher Lynne Brown, editor Kevin Naff, sales executive Brian Pitts and other former Blade staff members pooled their resources to form Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia. This company published DC Agenda weekly until April 2010, when it acquired The Blade's assets from the bankruptcy court. Like a phoenix, The Washington Blade rose from the ashes on April 30, 2010. The Blade remains, for many in our nation's capital, including me, a weekly must-read. It continues, according to The New York Times, to be ``one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience.'' In closing, I remind the House of Representatives that the 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia have yet to read, and The Blade, despite its many scoops and breaking news stories, has yet to publish the banner ``Washington, D.C. the 51st State.'' Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating The Washington Blade on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, it is my honor and pleasure to rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing my friend, Ward 6 neighbor and Washington institution Louis M. Chibbaro, Jr. Chibbaro is the Senior News Reporter for our nation's LGBTQ newspaper of record, The Washington Blade. Washington, D.C. contains one of the largest LGBTQ communities in the United States. Among the thousands of LGBTQ Washingtonians, two names stand out: the late Dr. Franklin Kameny, who made the headlines, and Lou Chibbaro, Jr., who wrote the bylines. Chibbaro is a native New Yorker who came to D.C. in 1971 as a college student with the State University of New York at Brockport Washington Semester Program. Upon graduation, he returned to work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He continued his studies at American University before beginning his career as a reporter for several Washington-based independent newsletters, Environment Report, Energy Today and Science Trends. Chibbaro became a public information representative for the American Public Power Association in 1975. Chibbaro volunteered as a freelance news writer and co-host for the then D.C. gay radio program ``Friends.'' He soon began freelancing for The Washington Blade. The Blade hired him in 1982 part-time and later promoted him to full-time staff in 1984. Chibbaro pounds the LGBTQ beat. He has covered the panoply of national and local LGBTQ interests of social, religious, and governmental institutions: the White House, Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, the military, law enforcement agencies and the Catholic Church. Chibbaro began reporting on D.C. local politics with the 1978 mayoral and council elections. He commenced his chronicles of the Democratic and Republican conventions as a credentialed reporter in 1984. Chibbaro has covered HIV and AIDS since the 1980s. He reported on the Matthew Shepherd trial from Laramie, Wyoming. Chibbaro filed radio news repo1ts on LGBTQ developments for the Sirius XM Radio Network's ``OutQ News'' program from 2013 to 2019. Chibbaro has received accolades for his contributions to journalism. The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia presented him with the 1998 Justice for Victims of Crime Award. The Office cited his ``outstanding service to crime victims and their families'' through his news reporting. His colleagues at Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Professional Chapter (SJP D.C. Pro) have awarded Chibbaro several Dateline Awards for Excellence in Local Journalism, most recently in 2016. Chibbaro became the first out-LGBTQ inductee to SJP D.C. Pro's Hall of Fame, where he joined such journalistic greats as Nina Totenberg and Bob Woodward. This Friday, October 18th, The Washington Blade celebrates its 50th anniversary with a gala at Washington's Wharf. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Lou Chibbarro's accomplishments and his contributions to journalism, The Blade and our Nation's Capital.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating five District of Columbia schools recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools. For the past 37 years, the Department of Education has recognized schools for overall academic excellence or for reducing achievement gaps. Since 1982, over 40 schools in the District have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. This year, Alice Deal Middle School, Blessed Sacrament Elementary School, John W. Ross Elementary School, KIPP DC Heights Academy and St. Peter School were selected as National Blue Ribbon Schools. Alice Deal Middle School, located in Northwest DC, was established in 1982 and serves 1,506 students. As an International Baccalaureate School, the committed staff and teachers promote a global learning environment. Students study one of three languages--Chinese, French or Spanish--and have the opportunity to go abroad in 8th grade. I applaud Alice Deal for developing and encouraging students to be global citizens and for its recognition this year as a National Blue Ribbon School. Located in Chevy Chase, DC, Blessed Sacrament strives to provide quality Catholic education through a caring community that promotes academic excellence and a life of service. This is the second time Blessed Sacrament has been named a National Blue Ribbon School. In 2012, Blessed Sacrament was also recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School under the category of Exemplary High Performing Schools. I applaud Blessed Sacrament for its recognition this year as a National Blue Ribbon School. John W. Ross Elementary School, located in the heart of Dupont Circle, has shown commitment to hiring excellent teachers who care deeply about their students. With its school motto, ``Embraced for who you are and Empowered to be more,'' John W. Ross Elementary School promotes and values students in a holistic way. I applaud John W. Ross for its recognition this year as a National Blue Ribbon School. KIPP DC Heights Academy, located in Southeast DC, is known for the importance it places on achievement, community and persistence. Well deserving of this award, KIPP has closed achievement gaps among student subgroups, raising the academic playing field for all. Their strong culture of collaboration and excellence motivates teachers and students alike to work together and become stronger thinkers, readers, writers and mathematicians. I applaud KIPP DC Heights Academy for its recognition this year as a National Blue Ribbon School. St. Peter School, located in my own Capitol Hill neighborhood, was founded in 1868 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross for the purposes of taking a holistic approach in order to educate the whole child. St. Peter School is committed to cultivating a dedicated team of faculty and staff in one of the oldest continuously operating Catholic elementary schools in Washington, DC. I applaud St. Peter School for its recognition this year as a National Blue Ribbon School. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Alice Deal Middle School, Blessed Sacrament Elementary School, John W. Ross Elementary School, KIPP DC Heights Academy and St. Peter School for their recognition as National Blue Ribbon Schools.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the life and work of Pamela Wilhoite Stroman on the occasion of her 100th birthday. Stroman was born in Rapidan, Virginia on October 22, 1919. She was the second of three children. In her early teens, she moved to Washington, DC, where she attended Garnett Patterson Jr. High School and Armstrong High School. After passing the government worker's entrance exam, Stroman worked for 35 years at the Federal Bureau of Engraving and Printing as a final assembler of paper money. She retired in 1974. As an avid sports lover, she calls herself Tiger Wood's grandmother and coaches him, and the Washington football team, from her living room. She wears T-shirts for good luck and knows all the scores, statistics, players and officials by name. Stroman is a resident of Ward 5 in the Stronghold community, where she is one of the oldest neighbors. She was one of 15 original residents in the ``White Hat Patrol'', a group of residents who monitored security in the neighborhood. She is the mother of two daughters, Tayloria and India, and the wife of David Stroman. Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the life and work of Pamela Wilhoite Stroman on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Juror Pay Parity Act to require that DC Superior Court jurors receive the same pay as federal jurors. Currently, Superior Court jurors are paid $40 per day, and, under the Home Rule Act, only the DC courts and Congress have the authority to increase Superior Court juror pay. My bill would require that Superior Court jurors receive the same pay as federal jurors. In the fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, Congress increased federal juror pay to $50 per day, the first increase to federal juror pay in 28 years. My bill would give Superior Court jurors the same pay. Under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105-33), Congress took responsibility for paying for the DC courts and other state-like functions provide by DC. The DC courts, however, have always been under the control of Congress, even when they were funded by the District. The Home Rule Act prohibits the District government from enacting any law relating to Title 11 of the DC Code. Title 11 provides that the Board of Judges of the Superior Court sets juror pay, but that the pay may not exceed the pay of federal jurors. Therefore, this bill, or action by the DC courts, is necessary to increase Superior Court juror pay. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the National Commission to Combat Workplace Sexual Harassment Act to establish a national commission to examine and combat sexual harassment in the U.S. workplace. I have modeled this bill on legislation Congress has passed to address other national problems considered to be serious, such as gambling. The almost daily exposure of allegations of sexual harassment, many not denied, more than qualifies sexual harassment for national attention and priority. This bill would create a national commission to focus on sexual harassment in major industries and workplaces throughout the United States. Congress recently adopted a bill that addresses harassment in the congressional workplace. It requires Members of the House and Senate to be personally liable for settlements and awards resulting from harassment and retaliation claims, removes the mandatory counseling, mediation and ``cooling off'' periods for accusers that is currently required, mandates publicly reporting awards and settlements and covers unpaid staff as well. This is a step in the right direction beginning where Congress should--right here in the Congress itself. However, nothing equivalent has been done for sexual harassment that affects the American people. We have largely neglected our own constituents, despite the increasing number of troubling reports in the news of sexual harassment claims. A national commission would assure the American people that Congress takes sexual harassment affecting them--the typical worker--seriously, beyond the high-profile examples, such as allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and the Congress itself, that have garnered the headlines. Most importantly, the commission would hear from a cross section of the public--from office and factory workers to retail and food service employees--whose experiences with sexual harassment have received almost no national attention. The commission could travel or invite witnesses to Washington from throughout the country to recommend changes in laws or regulations and best practices on preventing, training, investigating, responding to and penalizing sexual harassment in the private and public sectors. Our constituents expect Congress, which represents every sector, to take on the problem of sexual harassment throughout our national economy, including private and public (federal, state and local) workplaces. A national commission could help reach and reduce sexual harassment, a form of gender discrimination, where the average American works. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Protecting Federal Agencies and Employees from Political Interference Act, which would require an act of Congress before any federal agency headquarters may be moved out of the National Capital Region (NCR). My bill would require that the headquarters of any agency located in the NCR on the date of the introduction of this bill remain in the NCR absent subsequent legislation. This bill is cosponsored by Representatives Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin. The Trump administration has already begun moving agencies out of the NCR to the detriment of federal employees, their families and the work of these agencies. Employees who work in agency headquarters fulfill the indispensable role of keeping Congress and the president informed of agency activities. Congress cannot do its work to write laws and engage in vital oversight without the unvarnished facts that nonpartisan agencies provide. In fact, we have already seen the negative impacts of these relocation efforts. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that it will be moving its headquarters staff to Grand Junction, Colorado, where agency staff will share office space with a Chevron corporate office, a state oil and gas association and an independent natural gas exploration company. As for the Department of Agriculture's relocation efforts, two-thirds of impacted highly specialized employees will not relocate to Kansas City, retiring early or quitting instead. Preliminary reports suggest similarly low retention rates for BLM staffers asked to relocate west. While agency leadership touts these moves as cost effective, the work of the agency suffers when experienced personnel leave and relocation efforts appear to favor special interests. Unless measures like the Protecting Federal Agencies and Employees from Political Interference Act are taken to stop agencies from relocating, the federal government will lose more employees and agencies will be unable to perform critical tasks, like assisting Congress in vital oversight. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2019, which would help provide financial relief for federal employees who have a short-term injury or disability, become pregnant, or develop a pregnancy-related illness. This bill would offer federal employees short-term disability insurance at no cost to the federal government. Employees would be responsible for 100 percent of the premiums and be able to receive disability insurance benefits for up to one year, which would replace a portion of their lost income due to a non-work-related injury or illness or pregnancy. These benefits would be particularly advantageous to ensure that our federal employees, who do not yet enjoy paid maternity leave, are able to utilize the 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave permitted by federal law while continuing to pay their bills, buy groceries and make their mortgage, car and other loan payments without depleting their retirement or other savings accounts. Too many federal employees do not take advantage of the full amount of federal unpaid maternity leave they and their newborn need because they have no way to replace the lost income. I decided to investigate how we could provide short-term disability insurance for federal employees after learning that many of them already buy short-term disability insurance as individuals in the private market at high individual rates. Although federal employees have good health insurance, federal health benefits do not replace lost income if employees are unable to work. Moreover, while federal employees may have available sick or annual leave days, they may not have enough such days to pay the bills if they have to be out of work for an extended period, such as following surgery. Although there are long-term disability options for federal employees who become permanently disabled, federal employees do not qualify for such benefits until they have worked for the federal government for at least 18 months. My bill does no more than put federal employees in the same position as many oftheir private-sector counterparts, who often have access to disability insurance through an employer at group rates, an option unavailable to federal employees. This bill would not allow participating insurance companies to exclude persons based on preexisting conditions. Because of the federal government's purchasing power, this bill would provide these benefits at a more competitive rate than is available for employees purchasing as individuals, as many do. Under the bill, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management would contract with private carriers to provide this coverage, essentially providing the equivalent of group coverage available to workers in the private sector. According to the Social Security Administration, a 20-year-old worker has a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled by retirement age. The majority of disabilities are not caused by major accidents, but by injury or illnesses, such as back injuries or cancer, according to the Council for Disability Awareness. There is every reason to allow our federal employees to take advantage of the federal government's group rates to obtain the most reasonable price if they choose to purchase short-term disability coverage on their own at no cost to the federal government. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act. This bill recognizes one of the first influential African-American poets in American literature and benefits the Dunbar Alumni Federation, the alumni association for the Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, which is historic for being the first public high school for African Americans in the United States. I myself am a proud graduate of Dunbar, a storied African-American high school in our country. Paul Laurence Dunbar was born June 27, 1872, to freed slaves, and went on to pen such classics as Majors and Minors and Lyrics of Lowly Life. He also composed the lyrics to In Dahomey, the first all-African- American musical produced on Broadway. By the late 1890s, Dunbar had become a prominent author, having had his poems published in major national newspapers, including The New York Times. Dunbar died February 9, 1906, at age 33. Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School was established in the District of Columbia in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. It was the first college preparatory high school for African- American children in the United States. The school was renamed for Dunbar in 1916. The Dunbar Alumni Federation was organized in 2002 to provide scholarships and other financial support to students and graduates of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. The Federation has alumni from more than 35 graduating classes, and supports the school through its scholarship efforts, community activities and other endeavors. This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 50,000 five-dollar coins, 400,000 one-dollar coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins, with a surcharge on each coin. The surcharges will benefit the scholarships and similar activities of the Dunbar Alumni Federation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, on September 11, 2019, I was unable to attend a vote because I was attending to official business. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 523.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I reintroduce the United States Commission on an Open Society with Security Act, expressing an idea I began working on when the first signs of the closing of parts of our open society appeared after the Oklahoma City bombing tragedy, well before 9/11. This bill has grown more urgent as increasing varieties of security throughout the country have proliferated without any thought about their effect on common freedoms and ordinary access. The bill I introduce today would begin a systematic investigation that takes full account of the importance of maintaining our democratic traditions while responding adequately to the real and substantial threats posed by terrorism. To be useful in accomplishing its difficult mission, the commission would be composed not only of military and security experts, but for the first time, they would be at the same table with experts from such fields as business, architecture, technology, law, city planning, art, engineering, philosophy, history, sociology and psychology. To date, questions of security often have been left almost exclusively to security and military experts. They are indispensable participants, but these experts cannot alone resolve all the new and unprecedented issues raised by terrorism in an open society. In order to strike the balance required by our democratic traditions, a diverse group needs to be working together at the same table. For years now, before our eyes, parts of our open society have gradually been closed down because of terrorism and fear of terrorism, even when there are no alerts, without regard to their effects on privacy or on an open society. Particularly following the unprecedented 9/11 terrorist attack on our country, Americans have a right to expect additional and increased security adequate to protect citizens against this new frightening threat. However, people expect government to be committed and smart enough to undertake this awesome new responsibility without depriving them of their personal liberty. These years in our history will long be remembered by the rise of terrorism in the world and in this country. As a result, American society faces new and unprecedented challenges. We must provide ever-higher levels of security for our people and public spaces while maintaining a free and open democratic society. As yet, our country has no systematic process or strategy for meeting these challenges. When we have been faced with unprecedented and perplexing issues in the past, we have had the good sense to investigate them deeply and to move to resolve them. Examples include the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (also known as the Silberman Robb Commission) and the Kerner Commission following riots that swept American cities in the 1960s. The important difference in the commission proposed by this bill is that it seeks to act before a crisis in basic freedoms gradually takes hold and becomes entrenched. Because global terrorism is likely to be long-lasting, we cannot afford to allow the proliferation of security that most often requires no advance civilian oversight or analysis of alternatives and repercussions on freedom and commerce. With only existing tools and thinking, we have been left to muddle through, using blunt 19th century approaches, such as crude blockades and other denials of access, or risking the right to privacy using applications of the latest technology with little attention to privacy. The threat of terrorism to our democratic society is too serious to be left to ad hoc problem-solving. Such approaches are often as inadequate as they are menacing. We can do better, but only if we recognize and then come to grips with the complexities associated with maintaining a society of free and open access in a world characterized by unprecedented terrorism. The place to begin is with a high-level presidential commission of wise men and women expert in a broad spectrum of disciplines who can help chart the new course that will be required to protect both our people and our precious democratic institutions and traditions.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce a bill that would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters to remain in the National Capital Region (NCR). My bill would require BLM's headquarters, as well as positions already located in the NCR on the date of the enactment of the bill, to remain located in the NCR. The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Anthony Brown, Gerald Connolly, Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, David Trone and Jennifer Wexton. My bill should not be needed, as more than 95 percent of BLM staff already work outside of the NCR, undoubtedly because of where land under BLM jurisdiction is located. The small number of employees at headquarters serve the indispensable role of keeping Congress and the president informed of its activities. Congress cannot do its work to write laws and engage in vital oversight without the unvarnished facts that nonpartisan agencies, like BLM, provide. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration's plans to relocate most of the BLM's D.C. workforce outside of the NCR will impact roughly 300 employees. The administration's attempt to move BLM employees mirrors attempts by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to illegally move two of its agencies from the NCR to Kansas City. In July, reports emerged that employees are deserting these two USDA agencies in high numbers, devastating parts of these agencies. Unless measures are taken to stop the reorganization of BLM, the same outcome could await this agency. Losses of BLM headquarters staff would directly hurt public lands and impact hundreds of federal employees and their families. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor this afternoon because of the importance of a coming date. It will be known as a historic date in the Congress of the United States, Thursday, September 19, which is the day that, prerequisite to coming to the floor, the Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold the first hearing on D.C. statehood, H.R. 51, in 26 years. That will be a historic hearing. This is not an informational hearing to let us know about statehood. It is a jurisdictional hearing, the prerequisite to going to the House floor. The residents of the District of Columbia, who are number one--mark that fact--number one in taxes paid to support the Government of the United States, do not have full rights, the same rights, as other Americans. Yes, I can come to the House floor to speak any time I want to, and yes, with Democrats in power, I have reclaimed the Committee of the Whole vote, which means that when the committee is gathered here in the House voting on at least some matters, I get to vote. But, Madam Speaker, on final votes, I cannot vote, even though, as you have heard, the people I represent contribute more Federal taxes than any people in the United States, more per capita than New York and California and Florida. You name the State, you will be talking about a State where, per capita, its residents contribute less to support the very government that is ours and theirs than the people of the District of Columbia. So, yes, I have introduced the D.C. statehood bill. Let me predict right now that that bill will pass. It has virtually enough cosponsors to pass. Most bills come to this House floor without many cosponsors, and yet we know they will pass. Well, when you have almost enough cosponsors to pass the bill, Madam Speaker, I say to my good friends who are not on the bill, this is the time to get on the bill so that they will be part of history. I do believe this bill will, in fact, pass the House of Representatives. There has already been a forecast that that will happen. That forecast was in H.R. 1, which has already passed the House. Every Democratic Member voted for H.R. 1. H.R. 1 contains findings for D.C. statehood. It found that District residents pay the highest taxes per capita, that residents of your Nation's Capital have fulfilled all the obligations of statehood, fighting in all of the Nation's wars, including the war that gave rise to the United States of America itself. It found that there were no historical, constitutional, financial, or economic reasons why the 700,000 residents of your Nation's Capital should not become part of a state. These are findings in H.R. 1 that every Democrat has already voted for. These were findings for statehood for the District of Columbia. It found that the District is in one of the strongest fiscal positions in the United States: a $14.6 billion budget, a surplus of $2.8 billion, total personal income higher than that of seven States, per capita personal consumption expenditures higher than those of any State, and total personal consumption expenditures greater than those of seven States. We are not talking about an entity not worthy of statehood. The qualifications are clear, and there are qualifications to become a state. How do you become a state? You get voted a state by a majority vote in this House. It is hard to become a state, but those qualifications have been met. Let us compare the District of Columbia to States that are already States. Let's take two States of the Union, Vermont and Wyoming. I begrudge them nothing, except to say they have voting Members of the House and the Senate, yet they don't have as many residents as the District of Columbia. This graph goes only to 600,000. Now, we are at 700,000 D.C. residents. Moreover, it should be said that there are seven States in the Union about the same size, less than a million voters, yet they have two Senators and a voting Member of the House. There just is no reason to deny that same right to the residents of your Nation's Capital. The authorities that indicate that our bill is constitutional are the ones we always look to, to find out whether a bill is constitutional. Congressional Research Service has found that H.R. 51 is constitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union, the foremost authority on constitutional rights, has done a study and has found that H.R. 51 is constitutional. Importantly, Viet Dinh, a conservative legal scholar who served as the highest ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration, because he was Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy, Viet Dinh has done a study and found that H.R. 51 is constitutional. Do note that 51, that has real meaning, because the District would become the 51st state. The findings mean that this House has already voted for H.R. 51 because it has voted for all the findings that are necessary for the District to become a state. There is a Senate version of H.R. 1, but the Senate version doesn't have all the many propositions that H.R. 1 has. H.R. 1, yes, has findings saying essentially that the District should be the 51st state, but H.R. 1 has a lot of other things in it. H.R. 1 says that to enhance democracy--and that is what it is, it is an omnibus democracy-enhancing bill. That is why our findings for D.C. statehood are in that bill, but it has things in it, like it wants paper ballots to protect the infrastructure, which sometimes goes down if there is, for example, a cyberattack; it has donor disclosure requirements; expanding early voting; no gerrymandering; the President and Vice President would have to disclose their tax returns. Those are seen as democracy enhancing, and I fully endorse them. But compare that to the findings endorsing statehood, which would mean that 700,000 American citizens would have the same rights as every other citizen, and you will see why H.R. 1 is very important to the District of Columbia and why we predict that H.R. 51, the D.C. statehood bill, will pass the Congress, the House of Representatives. I do want to stress the full qualifications, and one of the most important is service in the Armed Forces. Not only do the residents of the District of Columbia pay the highest taxes per capita in the United States--Federal taxes--but the residents of the Nation's Capital have served in every war, including the war that gave rise to the Nation itself. This is a particularly poignant poster because it shows the major wars, the World War wars. And notice what the losses have been of residents of the Nation's Capital who fought and died for their country without the same rights as others in their country: World War I, 635 casualties from the District, more than from three States; The Korean war, more casualties than from eight States; World War II, more casualties than from four States; And, of course, Vietnam, more casualties than from 10 States. The casualties of war perhaps speak loudest to our struggle for equality. There is a war memorial, the only war memorial on The Mall, and it is there because the District lost so many men, and it didn't have home rule at all. What is home rule? Home rule is simply a government with a legislature and an executive. The District was ruled from this place, from the Capitol. So to commemorate our war dead after World War I, the Congress placed a pristine, beautiful monument, the only monument to a single jurisdiction you will find on The Mall. People sometimes go there to get married. They go there because it is beautiful and not terribly elaborate. It is called the D.C. War Memorial. There are 400 or so names of men and women who died in World War I actually carved out in that memorial. That is why our service in the armed services is so important to bring before the House today. There is something that I think the average person also doesn't know. This was a segregated city, and Congress did not allow it to denounce and get rid of racial segregation. Buses and streetcars weren't segregated, but public accommodations were segregated. And yet, during the very years of segregation, we have some very distinguished members of the Armed Forces who were African Americans who stand out, still, in American history: The first African American general, born and raised in the District of Columbia; The first African American Air Force general, this is in the entire country, born and raised in the District of Columbia; The first African American Naval Academy graduate, born and raised in the District of Columbia; The first African American Air Force graduate, born and raised in the District of Columbia. What a history of distinguished citizens, particularly these citizens who served so illustriously in our Armed Forces, reaching the highest ranks but, nevertheless, who came home with fewer rights or far fewer rights than any other Americans. If there is to be a statehood provision that, as I have predicted, will become law in this House and make its way to the Senate, will there still be a Capital? I should indicate some of the issues that may occur to the average citizen. Yes, because our bill preserves Federal control over the national capital area, and that is the Federal enclave. That is right here. That is where the so-called Federal complex, the Federal monuments, the Federal buildings, The National Mall, all that Federal jurisdiction is maintained. The 51st State gives the District control only over the neighborhoods where the residents and the businesses are to be found. So there is not much that is upset or will appear very different, frankly, when visitors come to what is now known as Washington, D.C. By the way, it will still be called Washington, D.C., but D.C. will stand for Douglass Commonwealth. Where did D.C. get that notion? That notion comes from Frederick Douglass' own home here in the District of Columbia, that icon of American history. It should be noted that, while he is remembered foremost for his work against slavery in the United States, he was a very energetic proponent of full equality for all the residents of the District of Columbia. To this day, we have been able, through a bill I got passed in this House, to have a statue of Frederick Douglass. We are the only city-- that is what we are at the moment--that has a statue. Each State has two statues. We expect to get another statue, although I won't say that until it is announced formally, but then we will be the only non-State to have two statues. The statue of Frederick Douglass can be seen right here in the Capitol, and it acknowledges that it was contributed by the residents of the District of Columbia. Now, as ardent as we have been in pursuing statehood, we are determined to get full equality any way we can. So I have simultaneously introduced a bill that uses another strategy, and that is because the District doesn't even have full, what we call, home rule to make sure, at the very same time that we are pursuing statehood-- because it will take us a little more time to get through the Senate-- that we pursue a strategy that would enhance our home rule so that we would get many of the same authorities that would come through our statehood bill. Those are on a dual track, and let me indicate what some of them are. For example, every bill that the D.C. Council passes has to come over here. It is never touched. So it has to lie over here for 30 days. What nonsense is that? One of the home rule bills to enhance home rule would simply get rid of that. You don't need to be a State to have a local prosecutor. Why is the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, the street crimes here in the District of Columbia, appointed by the President of the United States? Virtually all of her jurisdiction is on police crime here in the District of Columbia. She should be appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. At the same time we are going for statehood, we will have a bill on this floor for a local prosecutor. We will have a bill allowing the Mayor to deploy the National Guard. We see what is happening with climate change, and every jurisdiction is on the lookout to prepare itself for whatever may come. The D.C. National Guard would be our last refuge. Unlike the Guard in the States and even in the territories, the District's Mayor or chief executive has no authority to call out the National Guard if there is a hurricane or if there is a flood, so she has got to somehow find her way up the chain of command to the President to say: ``Please, Mr. President, can I call out my own National Guard?'' The National Guard of the District of Columbia helps us in a multitude of ways; but in the way that could count most, there would be a delay because the District doesn't have the authority to call out its own National Guard. We want that even before statehood. We want that now. We don't have control over our local courts. These courts don't have anything to do with the Federal Government. That authority should be with the D.C. Council. There are many more. But to point out the ridiculous nature of not, in fact, having even rights that Americans take for granted--leave aside, if you will, the right to vote on this House floor, the right to Senate representation--but matters about which Congress knows nothing and wants to know nothing, like a local prosecutor, like the right to deploy members of the National Guard, you can see why I am on dual tracks. One is statehood, which is absolute and pure equality with other Americans, but, in the meantime, we are unwilling to pass up what we could get incrementally, and that is simply control over all of our local matters, or as many of them as we can. There are many reasons why D.C. statehood is ripe. Denying statehood to the Nation's Capital is a violation of international law, and that has been noted. Our country, in 1977--that is before I came to Congress--signed what is called the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations has twice indicated that the United States, by denying the residents of its Nation's Capital equal rights with other parts of the country, is in violation of international law. The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, said that the United Nations `` . . . remains concerned that the residents of the District of Columbia do not enjoy full representation in Congress, a restriction which does not seem to be compatible with article 25 of the covenant.'' That is the article we signed in 1977. And, thus, we have been found in violation of international law. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining?

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, we are very pleased at the large number-- now over 100 organizations--that have endorsed D.C. statehood. That is important to us because they themselves have millions of constituents. One of our greatest problems has been nationalizing this issue. In fact, the residents are frustrated that people come to the Nation's Capital and they think that the residents of their capital have the same rights they have. We simply don't have a national pulpit every day that informs them. So these 100-plus national organizations spreading the word, cascading it, is very important to us. I am not going to name all 100, but to give you an idea of how broad their constituency is, they include people like Common Cause, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the Sierra Club, People for the American Way, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. There are unions there. There are good government organizations there. There are organizations of every kind, and that is one of the reasons that we are sure this bill is ultimately going to pass the Senate, as well. We draw to the attention of the House that democracy has always been an aspiration of our country. Look at who we are. When our country was created, only White men could vote. It took 132 years for White women to be able to vote. They had to sit down in the streets. They had to go to the old Lorton prison, the prison for the District of Columbia. They chained themselves to the White House gates. If you want to know why we are undaunted when we see that half the population had to go through much that we have experienced and finally attain the vote, we cannot afford to be pessimistic. But we remind those who come to this floor and say how proud they are of what a democracy we are; that H.R. 1 has democracy-enhancing provisions because we are not a democracy yet. The worst blow to democracy is that the Nation's Capital does not have full democracy because it does not have the same rights, including full voting rights in the Congress itself. The Framers understood that they were creating an imperfect democracy. Remember, our Constitution is a set of compromises. They had to get the Constitution done. They had to abide by three-fifths of a man. That was the compromise for not counting the Black slaves. There were many who signed the bill who opposed that in every way, but when you have a democracy with as many different factions as ours did then, and have now, those are the compromises you make. You will be faulted only if, over time, you do not correct those inadequacies. I am grateful that we had barely come into session--we have been in session now only since January with Democrats in control of the House-- that the Speaker issued a very powerful statement endorsing statehood; that our Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has endorsed the bill. And, yes, I believe that we are coming to the end of an era, an era for 218 years where the residents of our Nation's Capital have been second-class citizens. That is a term normally applied to African Americans, but every citizen of the United States will tell you second-class citizen knew no color. It meant every resident of the District of Columbia. We are closing this era in the House of Representatives during the 116th Congress. I am predicting, based on the number of cosponsors, that this bill will pass the House. It will be a historic day. It will buoy this bill to the other side of this House so that the District becomes the 51st State of the United States. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, September 19, the Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a historic hearing on D.C. statehood. It will be the first hearing on H.R. 51 in 26 years. This is not an informational hearing, Madam Speaker. This is a jurisdictional hearing in every meaning of that word. The State will still be called Washington, D.C., but D.C. will stand for Douglass Commonwealth after the immortal Frederick Douglass, who championed equal rights for D.C. citizens. D.C. residents pay the highest Federal taxes per capita in the United States. No wonder this bill has almost enough cosponsors to pass right now. It is not too late to cosponsor. Don't let H.R. 51 go to the House floor without you.