The House passed a bill last year to make the District of Columbia the 51
st state and another floor vote next week is expected to send the measure to the Senate for the second time.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser stands on the rooftop of the Hay Adams Hotel near the White House on June 5, 2020. (Executive Office of the Mayor/Khalid Naji-Allah via AP)
WASHINGTON (CN) — A House committee on Wednesday advanced a bill granting statehood to Washington, D.C., during a hearing filled with the same partisan division that encompassed debate on the measure last year.
The issue has smoldered for many years but was rekindled in 2016, when 83% of residents in the nation’s capital voted for a referendum to petition Congress for statehood, alongside District Council approval to draft a state constitution and draw new boundaries.