Mr. Speaker, D.C. residents have all the obligations of American citizenship, including paying Federal taxes, serving on juries, and registering with the Selective Service, yet Congress denies them full local self-government and voting representation in Congress. {time} 1440 The only solution to this undemocratic treatment is to grant D.C. statehood. I include in the Record a letter from leading constitutional scholars explaining why the D.C. statehood bill is constitutional. May 22, 2021. Re Washington, D.C. Admission Act, H.R. 51 and S. 51 (the "D.C. Admission Act"). Hon. Nancy P.
H.R. 51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
Introduced Jan 3, 2025207 cosponsors
Sponsor
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Bill Progress
IntroducedJan 3
Committee
Pass House
Pass Senate
Signed
Law
Latest Action · Jan 3, 2025
1/3
Referred to 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. for review
700,000 D.C. residents have no vote in Congress
5 min readLast updated July 4, 2026
Why it matters
More than 700,000 people live in Washington, D.C. — more than live in Wyoming or Vermont — yet they have no voting senators and no voting House member. H.R. 51 would admit most of the District as the 51st state, with 2 senators and 1 representative, while a shrunken federal capital stays under federal control.
H.R. 51 would admit most of present-day Washington, D.C. as a new state called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth — named for the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in the District. A smaller federal capital would stay under federal control: the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the monuments, and the federal buildings around the National Mall.
The bill is unusually specific about timing. Within 60 days of becoming law, the President must certify that it passed. The Mayor then has 30 days to call the first election for 2 senators and 1 House member. Within 90 days of the certified results, the President formally announces them.
This is not only a representation bill — it is a transition bill. Federal prosecutors, parole supervision, court funding, D.C.'s college aid programs, and the District's Medicaid match would keep running until the new state certifies it has its own replacements, so nothing goes dark overnight.
The bill also handles the awkward parts of shrinking the federal district. The old D.C. city hall, the John A. Wilson Building, would sit outside the federal capital and could become the new statehouse. People still living inside the federal capital could vote in federal elections through the last state they lived in. And Congress would use fast-track procedures to consider repealing the 23rd Amendment, which currently gives the District its own electoral votes for president.
H.R. 51 Bill Summary
What H.R. 51 actually does.
1
D.C. gets 2 senators and 1 House member
The bill would admit Washington, Douglass Commonwealth to the Union with full congressional representation: 2 senators and 1 representative. The House would temporarily expand from 435 to 436 members until the next census-based reapportionment.
2
Statehood moves on a fast clock
The President would have 60 days to certify the law to the Mayor. The Mayor would then have 30 days to call the first elections, and the President would have 90 days after receiving the results to issue a proclamation announcing them.
3
A smaller federal capital stays in place
Most of D.C. would become the new state, but a reduced federal capital would remain the seat of the U.S. government, covering the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and federal buildings near the Mall. The old D.C. city hall, the John A. Wilson Building, would fall outside it.
4
Courts, prosecutions, and parole keep running during the handoff
Federal criminal prosecutions, parole supervision, and court funding would continue until the new state certifies it has its own replacement systems. That is meant to avoid a break in public safety and court operations during the transition.
5
College aid and Medicaid do not end overnight
The bill keeps D.C.-specific college aid, private-school scholarship support, and the District's Medicaid match in place until the new state certifies it can provide similar support or absorb the funding change.
6
The 23rd Amendment goes on a fast track
The bill sets up expedited procedures for Congress to consider a constitutional amendment repealing the 23rd Amendment, which currently gives the District three electoral votes for president. Without a repeal, the tiny remaining federal capital would still hold those votes.
Who benefits from H.R. 51?
More than 700,000 D.C. residents
They would gain full voting representation in Congress through 2 senators and 1 House member. For a population currently living under federal law without any voting members, that is the bill's central change.
Families relying on D.C. schools, college aid, and Medicaid
The bill keeps major support systems running during the transition instead of forcing the new state to replace them immediately. That includes college aid, private-school scholarships, and the District's current Medicaid match.
Longtime D.C. government employees
Workers first employed by the District before October 1, 1987 would keep their federal retirement and civil service protections. That covers employees who built careers under the District's older federal personnel system.
People moving through D.C.'s courts and criminal justice system
Federal prosecutors, parole supervision, and court funding would continue until the new state certifies it can take over, keeping cases and supervision from stalling mid-transition.
Who is affected by H.R. 51?
Residents inside the remaining federal capital
They would live in the smaller federal enclave rather than the new state. For federal elections, the bill lets them vote in the state where they most recently lived.
Congress
The House would temporarily grow to 436 members, and the Senate would gain 2 members from the new state. Congress would also be asked to fast-track a constitutional amendment repealing the 23rd Amendment.
Federal police and agencies in the capital area
The Capitol Police, Park Police, and Secret Service Uniformed Division could not enforce state law inside the new state without its permission. The bill draws a new line between federal authority and state authority.
Officials running the transition
The President, the Mayor, an 18-member transition commission, the courts, and agency leaders would face a compressed schedule. Elections, boundary surveys, certifications, and service transfers would begin almost immediately after enactment.
On the Record
What Congress Is Saying
25 legislators have weighed in on H.R. 51 — 10 Democrats, 15 Republicans.
The D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, grants D.C. residents full local self-government and voting representation in Congress. H.R. 51 reduces the size of the Federal District from 68 square miles to 2 square miles, consisting of the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, The National Mall and remaining under the control of Congress. The new State consists of the residential and commercial areas of D.C. The new State has a larger population than two States, pays more Federal taxes per capita than any State, and pays more total Federal taxes than 21 States.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. McIver). Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with deep concern for our Nation's Capital, also known as chocolate city. The four Republican bills on the floor this week are a direct attack on the people of this city, particularly the Black and Brown communities who have called D.C. home for generations. These are residents who have built thriving small businesses, who have received an education from the D.C.
Mr. Speaker, the D.C. statehood bill, H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, grants D.C. residents full local self- government and voting representation in Congress. H.R. 51 reduces the size of the Federal district from 68 square miles to 2 square miles, consisting of the White House, Capitol, the Supreme Court, and The National Mall and remaining under the control of Congress. The new State consists of the residential and commercial areas of D.C.
H.R. 51 also appeared in 4 more House floor references and 24 routine cosponsor filings.
HR51 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jan 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.
About the Sponsor
Eleanor Norton
Democrat, The District of Columbia · 35 years in Congress
Committees: Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform
View full profile →
Cosponsors (207)
No new cosponsors in 75 days — momentum stalled
All 207 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 37 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 34 more.
207Democrats·37 states
Hakeem Jeffries
Democrat · NY
Katherine Clark
Democrat · MA
Pete Aguilar
Democrat · CA
Alma Adams
Democrat · NC
Gabe Amo
Democrat · RI
Becca Balint
Democrat · VT
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Joyce Beatty
Democrat · OH
Ami Bera
Democrat · CA
Donald Beyer
Democrat · VA
Sanford Bishop
Democrat · GA
Suzanne Bonamici
Democrat · OR
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Commerce Committee
24D30R
|24 signed30 not yet24 of 54 committee members cosponsored
Judiciary Committee
19D24R1I
|19 signed25 not yet19 of 44 committee members cosponsored
Armed Services Committee
27D30R
|23 signed34 not yet23 of 57 committee members cosponsored
Rules Committee
4D9R
|4 signed9 not yet4 of 13 committee members cosponsored
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
21D26R
|20 signed27 not yet20 of 47 committee members cosponsored
5 Democrats across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 51 change?
20 changes
Sections Amended
Section 545(a) of such title
striking the first sentence and inserting ``Each United States attorney shall reside in the district for which he or she is appointed, except that those officers of the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York may reside within 20 miles thereof
Section 751(c) of such title
striking ``the District of Columbia and''
Section 88 of table of sections for chapter 5 of such title
read as follows: ``88
Section 49 of such title
striking ``District of Columbia'' each place it appears and inserting ``Capital''
Section 2343 of such title
striking ``the District of Columbia Circuit'' and inserting ``the Capital Circuit''
Section 1346(e) of such title
striking ``the District of Columbia'' and inserting ``Washington, Douglass Commonwealth and the Capital''
H.R. 51 Quick Facts
Cosponsors
207
- Committee
- Energy and Commerce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Government Operations and Politics
- Introduced
- Jan 3, 2025
Referred to 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. for review
Jan 3, 2025
Official Sources
H.R. 51 on Congress.gov
Official bill page with text, actions, cosponsors, and status for the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.
U.S. Constitution, 23rd Amendment on Congress.gov
The bill includes expedited procedures related to repealing the 23rd Amendment, which currently gives the District electoral votes for president and vice president.
District of Columbia Home Rule Act on Congress.gov
This official page provides the foundational federal law governing D.C.'s local government, which is directly relevant to how statehood would alter the District's legal structure.
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Section 314 covers designation of felons to Bureau of Prisons facilities, so the Bureau's official site is relevant to the criminal justice transition provisions.
U.S. Parole Commission
The bill continues federal parole supervision until the new state certifies its own replacement system; the U.S. Parole Commission handles parole for D.C. Code offenders.
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency
This federal agency supervises adults on probation, parole, and supervised release in D.C.; its functions are among those the bill would transition to the new state once it certifies its own replacement systems.
H.R. 51 Common Questions
Would H.R. 51 make Washington, D.C. a state?
Yes. It would admit most of present-day D.C. as a new state, Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, while keeping a smaller federal capital under federal control.
How many senators and House members would D.C. get?
Two senators and one representative. The House would temporarily grow from 435 to 436 seats until the next census-based reapportionment.
Why would the new state be called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth?
The name honors Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist who lived in D.C. Using "Douglass Commonwealth" also lets the new state keep the familiar initials "D.C."
How fast would D.C. statehood happen if the bill passed?
Fast. The President would have 60 days to certify the law, and the Mayor would then have 30 days to call the first election for 2 senators and 1 representative.
Would any part of D.C. stay under federal control?
Yes. A smaller federal capital would remain the seat of government, covering the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and federal buildings near the National Mall. Most of current D.C. becomes the new state.
What happens to people who live in the remaining federal capital?
They would stay outside the new state. For federal elections, the bill lets them vote in the state where they most recently lived before moving into the capital.
Would courts and criminal prosecutions keep running during the transition?
Yes. Federal prosecutors, parole supervision, and court funding would continue until the new state certifies that its own systems are ready to take over.
Would D.C.'s Medicaid match and college aid continue after statehood?
For a while, yes. The bill keeps the District's Medicaid match and certain college aid and scholarship programs in place until the new state certifies it can replace or absorb them.
Based on H.R. 51 bill text
H.R. 51 Bill Text
“To provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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