DC Voting Rights Act Passes House of Representatives
| Date: |
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 |
| Location: |
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U.S. House Chamber |
DC Voting Rights Act Passes the House, Bill Moves to Senate
Passage Viewed as the Greatest Victory in a Generation
The DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 1905) passed the House of Representatives today. This historic act marks the first time in a generation that the House of Representatives passed a bill to give the nearly 600,000 tax-paying American citizens living in the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress.
The bill was pulled from the House Floor last month after three legislators tried to attach a provision that would strip DC of its gun laws. The DC Voting Rights Act returned for passage just days after nearly 5,000 marchers converged on the Capitol for the Voting Rights March on April 16.
The following is a statement by Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of DC Vote, the organization leading the advocacy effort for the DC Voting Rights Act. The statement can be quoted in part or in full:
"Thousands of us turned out this week to demand the vote, and Congress listened. We have had an uphill battle, and DC's struggle with Congress has often felt like David vs. Goliath.
"Today we celebrate a hard-fought victory and roll up our sleeves for the Senate. We will have a battle in the Senate, but we have democracy on our side."
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