House Oversight and Reform Committee to hold DC statehood hearing March 22

WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has rescheduled a hearing on statehood for D.C. for March 22, according to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

The hearing was initially scheduled for March 11.

Last year, the same committee passed a bill for D.C. statehood, sending it to the House floor for the first time since 1993.

The House of Representatives adopted the bill, but it stalled out once it reached the Senate.

Bill introduced to make DC the 51st state

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has introduced a bill to make the District the 51st state.

Norton re-introduced the bill in January, with 202 co-sponsors. The bill’s co-sponsor number has since swelled to 212.

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D.C. officials advocating for statehood point out that residents in the nation’s capital pay federal taxes, but lack a voting representative in Congress, which has the final say in local affairs.

According to Norton, some national polls show an uptick in support for D.C. statehood to "around 50%."

D.C. statehood has support from a number of representatives, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have announced they will bring the bill to the floor again.

Delaware Senator Tom Carper has also re-introduced the bill in the Senate, where it has 40 co-sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.