Senate Mark-Up of the DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257)

The DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257) passed 9-1 in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at 10:00 AM in 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), George Voinovich (R-OH), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Carl Levin (D-MI), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Barack Obama (D-IL) and Jon Tester (D-MT) voted for the measure. The sole no vote came from Senator John Warner (R-VA). DC Vote's supporters and coalition partners played a crucial role in bringing the support of the three Republicans who voted for the bill!

Senators Thomas Carper (D-DE), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) also voted in favor of the bill by proxy (not counted toward the final vote). Senator McCaskill had been in attendance at the mark-up and spoke in favor of the bill but needed to leave before the vote. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John Sununu (R-NH) voted against the bill by proxy.

This is the first time in a generation that legislation to expand democracy for residents of the District of Columbia has come so far along the process. It was essential that Senators saw a room filled with DC Vote supporters as they cast their votes in committee. The mark-up was the last step in the legislative process as the DC House Voting Rights Act moves to the Senate Floor.

We ask that you continue to reach out to your friends in the states, so they can urge their Senators to vote for the DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 1257) as it goes to the Senate Floor. We sincerely appreciate your hard work and help toward ending taxation without representation in DC!

More information:

• Read Joint Press Release from Senators Lieberman and Collins on the Committee Vote, dated June 13, 2007 (PDF 18 kb)

For more information, visit http://www.senate.gov/~govt-aff/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Home.Home.

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