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HR 51 · 119th CongressIn Committee
Washington, D.C. Admission Act
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, Armed Services, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor
Eleanor Norton
Introduced
January 3, 2025
Latest action
January 3, 2025
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Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, Armed Services, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Plain-Language Summary
AI GeneratedWashington, D.C. currently operates as a federal district under the exclusive legislative authority of Congress, governed by a locally elected mayor and city council but lacking voting representation in Congress and full sovereignty over its territory. The district's residents cannot vote for President or Vice President in federal elections, and Congress retains power to overturn local laws. D.C. has no senators and only a non-voting delegate in the House. This arrangement stems from the Constitution's designation of a federal seat of government, which has historically been interpreted to exclude the district from statehood.
The Washington, D.C. Admission Act requires the President to issue a proclamation admitting the District as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth upon certification that elections for two senators and one representative have been held. The bill establishes that the new state shall consist of all current D.C. territory except for a federally retained "Capital" area—defined through a metes-and-bounds survey to be completed within 180 days—which remains the seat of government. The House of Representatives is permanently expanded from 435 to 436 members to accommodate the new state's initial representative. The bill directs the Mayor to conduct primary and general elections within 30 days of receiving presidential certification, with results certified to the President, who then has 90 days to issue the admission proclamation.
Implementation begins immediately upon enactment, with the survey and elections occurring within months. The new state's senators and representative assume their seats in Congress upon admission. Existing federal employee benefits, court systems, and federal agency operations in the district continue under federal responsibility. The bill permits D.C. residents to vote in federal elections in their state of most recent domicile rather than as residents of the capital. A Statehood Transition Commission coordinates the administrative shift. The bill includes provisions allowing expedited consideration of a constitutional amendment to repeal the 23rd Amendment, which currently grants D.C. electoral votes, and repeals the Office of D.C. Delegate and related presidential election provisions once statehood takes effect.
Key Provisions
- 1Admit the District of Columbia as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth upon presidential proclamation, with the new state consisting of all current D.C. territory except a federally retained Capital area defined by survey.
- 2Expand the House of Representatives from 435 to 436 members permanently, with the new state initially entitled to one representative until the next decennial apportionment following admission.
- 3Direct the Mayor to conduct elections for two senators and one representative within 30 days of presidential certification, with results certified to the President who must issue an admission proclamation within 90 days.
- 4Retain federal jurisdiction over a defined Capital area as the seat of government, with the President conducting a metes-and-bounds survey within 180 days to establish precise boundaries between state and federal territory.
- 5Permit residents of the new state to vote in federal elections in their state of most recent domicile rather than as district residents, and repeal the D.C. Delegate office and 23rd Amendment electoral vote provisions upon statehood.
★ Why this matters
D.C. residents would gain full congressional representation with voting senators and a representative, the ability to vote in presidential elections as state residents, and state-level sovereignty over local affairs. The House would permanently expand to 436 members. Federal operations and the capital building complex would remain under exclusive federal control in a retained Capital zone. Existing federal employee benefits, court systems, and agency responsibilities would continue unchanged.
● Who this affects
D.C. residents (approximately 700,000 people currently without voting congressional representation), Members of Congress (House size increases by one seat), federal employees working in D.C. (benefits and employment status continue under federal law), the President (must conduct survey and issue proclamation), and the National Capital Planning Commission (consulted on Capital boundary survey). Federal agencies operating in the district and residents of other states (representation shifts with new state apportionment after the next census) are also affected.
Bill Text
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<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 51
To provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the
Union.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Ms. Norton (for herself, Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Mr.
Aguilar, Ms. Adams, Mr. Amo, Ms. Balint, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Beatty, Mr.
Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bishop, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania,
Ms. Brown, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Carson, Mr.
Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Casar, Mr. Case, Mr. Casten, Ms. Castor of
Florida, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Chu, Ms.
Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly,
Mr. Costa, Ms. Craig, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Crow, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr.
Davis of Illinois, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DeGette, Ms. DeLauro,
Ms. DelBene, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Doggett,
Ms. Escobar, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Foster, Mrs.
Foushee, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garamendi, Mr.
Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr.
Goldman of New York, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr.
Himes, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Hoyer, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Mr.
Huffman, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Jayapal,
Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Keating, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr.
Landsman, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Lee
of Pennsylvania, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lynch,
Mr. Magaziner, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McBath, Ms. McClellan, Ms. McCollum,
Mr. McGarvey, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Menendez, Ms.
Meng, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moskowitz,
Mr. Moulton, Mr. Mrvan, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Neal, Mr. Neguse,
Mr. Norcross, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Omar, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Panetta,
Mr. Peters, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Pressley, Mr.
Quigley, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Ross, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Ryan, Ms.
Salinas, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Schrier, Mr.
Schneider, Ms. Scholten, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Scott of
Virginia, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr.
Sorensen, Mr. Soto, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Stevens, Ms.
Strickland, Mr. Swalwell, Mrs. Sykes, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thanedar, Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Torres
of California, Mr. Torres of New York, Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Underwood, Mr.
Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Watson
Coleman, Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on R…