District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007
Floor Speech
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2007
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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the District of Columbia Voting Rights Act of 2007, which corrects a 200-year-old oversight by restoring to the citizens of the District of Columbia the right to elect a Member of the House of Representatives who has the same voting rights as all other Members of the House of Representatives.
Residents of the District of Columbia serve in the military. They are dying and being wounded on the streets of Iraq. They pay billions of dollars in Federal taxes each year and assume all of the responsibilities of United States citizenship. Yet they are denied the basic right of full representation in the United States House of Representatives.
Now, a compromise has been reached by both sides of the aisle, but there are some who would deny the people of Washington, D.C., a right that they themselves enjoy.
The District of Columbia was created to prevent any State from unduly influencing the operations of the Federal Government due to the Federal Government's being located within the confines of a particular State. However, there is simply no evidence that the Framers of the Constitution thought it was necessary to keep residents of this District from being represented in the United States House of Representatives by a voting Member.
Now, there are those who would argue that Congress lacks the power to extend this right of full voter representation to the citizens of the District of Columbia. However, article I, section 8, clause 17 of the Constitution provides Congress with the legislative authority to give the District of Columbia true representation in Congress. I quote: The Congress shall have power ``to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding 10 miles square) .....''
So let us stand with the thousands who marched down Pennsylvania Avenue Monday for one thing, full representation by Members of the House of Representatives for the District of Columbia.
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