Opposition Grows To Undemocratic Disapproval Resolutions on DC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 21st, 2023
PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]
Washington, DC – Today, DC Vote along with over 120 allied organizations, sent a letter to the United States Senate arguing against the two undemocratic disapproval resolutions heading to the full Senate for a vote that is attempting to overturn legislation lawfully passed by the DC Council. When DC Vote sent the first letter to the House of Representatives ahead of the February 9th vote, there were 115 signatories. But today, because of the attacks on Washington, DC’s autonomy and sovereignty, that number has grown to over 120 signatories. In light of these positive developments, DC Vote’s communications director Patrice Snow released the following statement:
“As I have said from the very beginning of this undemocratic practice happening to the people of DC, passing these two disapproval resolutions to overturn pieces of legislation that were passed lawfully by the DC Council is yet another attempt to undermine our District’s will, thwart the DC Statehood movement, and repeal the Home Rule Act. Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty, who resides in Gallatin, Tennessee, is apparently leading the charge in the Senate to overturn legislation without scheduling one hearing where a DC resident or a DC elected official will be allowed to speak on the merits of revising the criminal code or allowing all residents, regardless of their immigrant status, to participate in only local elections.”
Snow finished, “Over 120 groups have joined us in calling for autonomy and self-governance for the people of DC. These groups have signed a letter addressed to Senate leadership and copied to all members of the United States Senate because the never-ending attacks on our local government is not just unacceptable, it’s unsustainable and dangerous to any nation that calls itself a representative democracy. Only DC’s 700,000 tax paying residents and their locally-elected leadership should decide what is best for the District of Columbia.”
The letter reads:
Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Cc: United States Senators
Dear Senate Leadership:
We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of Americans from across the country, are concerned about H.J. Resolution 24, “Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022” and H.J. Resolution 26, “Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022,” recently transmitted from the House for agreement by the United States Senate.
These two measures unjustly undermine critical local decisions made by the people of the District of Columbia and their elected leadership. Policy disagreement between the legislative and executive branches of the local District government should not give license to Congress to continue the paternalistic intrusion through disapproval resolutions. The people of the District, like the people of the States, maintain the ability to both choose their local leadership and hold them accountable through local elections. No State is subject to an additional layer of review and consent to local decisions and the additional burden here serves no legitimate Federal purpose.
The Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 and the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 were passed through the District’s legislative process via regular order. The Council held hearings and heard from witnesses on each bill and they were voted on and approved by the Council.
H.J Res 24 and H.J Res 26, on the other hand, did not receive hearings in the House of Representatives and no residents of the District of Columbia were allowed to testify in favor or in opposition to either measure. With no representation in the United States Senate, the people of DC will be excluded from the consideration of these measures once again should they not go through the regular Senate process.
We, the undersigned, urge the Senate to reject the referred H.J. Res 24 and H.J. Res 26 and preserve the self-governance of the 700,000 people of Washington, DC.
Sincerely,
DC Vote
Alliance for Justice
All Souls Church Unitarian
American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union of DC
American Ethical Union
American Family Voices
American Federation of Government Employees
Anacostia Coordinating Council
Arab American Institute
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Brookland Huddle for the Future
Broward for Progress
CapitalBop, Inc.
Capital Stonewall Democrats
Center for Common Ground
Center for Disability Rights
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Popular Democracy
Church World Service
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Clean Elections Texas
Common Cause
CommonDefense.us
Concerned Citizens Demanding Change Inc. (DC)
Council for Court Excellence
DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
DC Democratic State Committee
DC Developmental Disabilities Council
DC Environmental Network
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
DC for Democracy
DC Jobs With Justice
DC Justice Lab
DC Statehood Coalition
DC Statehood Green Party
DC Voters for Animals
Death with Dignity
Declaration for American Democracy
Defending Rights & Dissent
DemCast USA
Democracy Amendments Coalition Inc.
Democracy for America Advocacy Fund
Democratic Messaging Project
Demos
Drug Policy Alliance
Economic Policy Institute
Endangered Species Coalition
Faith in Action for Social Justice
Family Values @ Work
Federation of Community Associations
Friends of the Earth US
FWD.us
GLSEN
Greenpeace USA
GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic
Harriets Wildest Dreams
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Indivisible
Indivisible Chicago Alliance
Indivisible Marin
Indivisible Northern Nevada
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Justice Policy Institute
Lake Research Partners
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia
League of Women Voters of the United States
Legal Aid DC
Long Live GoGo
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
Maryland/DC State Council of Machinists, IAMAW
Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
More Than Our Crimes
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Employment Law Project
National Women’s Law Center
Neighbors United for DC Statehood
Netroots Nation
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
NextGen America
Oregonizers
Our Revolution
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC
Public Citizen
Public Justice Center
Rachel Carson Council
Reale Justice Network
SEIU 32BJ
Sierra Club
Sojourners
SPACEs In Action
Stand Up America
Statehood4DC
Take on Wall Street, a project of Americans for Financial Reform
TakeItBack.Org
The Action Lab at the Center for Health Policy and Law
The Hub Project
The Workers Circle
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
United Nations Association of the National Capital Area
Venice Resistance
Voices for Progress
Washington AIDS Partnership
Washington Ethical Society
Washington, D.C. Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society
Washington Parks & People
Who Speaks For Me?
Woman’s National Democratic Club
Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia
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