Norton Announces D.C. Statehood Bill Has Been Placed on Senate Floor Calendar for First Time in History

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that the House-passed District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51) has been placed on the Senate Calendar of Business, which makes the bill available for floor consideration. This is the first time in history the D.C. statehood bill has been placed on the calendar. While placement on the calendar does not guarantee floor consideration, Senate Democrats initiated the procedural process to bypass committee consideration of the bill and place the bill directly on the calendar to demonstrate the importance of H.R. 51 to the Senate Democratic Caucus and the nation. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) is the lead Senate sponsor of the D.C. statehood bill.

"Senator Carper has led tremendous progress in getting Senate cosponsors of our D.C. statehood bill, and Democrats placing the bill on the Senate calendar is a historic milestone," Norton said. "Coming so soon after House passage of our D.C. statehood bill, placement on the Senate calendar is a first that moves the District closer to statehood. As momentum for D.C. statehood builds in the country, we see pressure building on Republicans in the Senate."

On June 26, 2020, the House passed H.R. 51 by a vote of 232-180, which was the first time in history a chamber of Congress has passed the D.C. statehood bill.

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