Hawaii AG Supports Statehood For DC
Twenty state attorneys general in all are backing the District of Columbia’s desire to join the union.
Attorney General Clare E. Connors on Tuesday joined District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine and 19 other state attorneys general in supporting statehood for the District of Columbia.
The AGs want the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.
The bill was introduced by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
The announcement was made on April 16, which is Emancipation Day.
The attorneys general write:
“The District’s over 700,000 residents work hard, raise families, and pay the highest federal taxes per capita, and yet they are deprived of the fundamental right to participate meaningfully in our representative democracy. The District of Columbia deserves a voice in this country’s legislature and should be able to govern itself like any other state.
“The District’s residents deserve equal voting rights and autonomy under the law. We support Statehood for the District of Columbia and urge passage of H.R. 51 to accomplish this goal.”
“The ability to vote is fundamental to our democracy,” said Attorney General Connors in a press release. “Hawaii stands with the District of Columbia because of our common interest in ensuring that these important principles are perpetuated.”
