DC Vote - Event

DC Vote - Event: "House Floor Vote on the DC Voting Rights Act " Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007 Location: United States House of Representatives Time: 12:00 PM The DC Voting Rights Act (now H.R. 1905) is scheduled to return to the House Floor tomorrow, Thursday for a vote. This historic act marks the first time in a generation that the House of Representatives will vote on a bill to give tax-paying, American citizens living in the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress. For tickets, stop by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's office at Rayburn House Office Building 2136 before noon tomorrow. The bill was pulled from the House Floor last month after three legislators tried to attach a provision that would strip DC of its strict gun laws. The DC Voting Rights Act returns just days after nearly 5,000 marchers converged on the Capitol for the Voting Rights March on April 16. The March was sponsored by DC Vote, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the District Government. It was the largest such demonstration in DC’s history. "On Monday, thousands marched on a cold, windy day to demand the vote," said DC Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka. "Congress heard our message. We deserve a vote, and tomorrow we hope we will get one step closer to democracy." The DC Voting Rights Act, sponsored by Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), balances a vote for the traditionally Democratic District of Columbia with a vote for Republican-leaning Utah. It would raise the number of members in the House of Representatives from 435 to 437. The DC Voting Rights Act passed the House Judiciary Committee last month by a vote of 21-13. The bill passed in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee 24-5. The Democratic leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), have pledged their support for DC voting rights as the bill moves to the Floor.