The DC Democrats' Statehood Committee shared several updates this week. See below for the latest and how to get involved.
UPDATE: State support for DC Statehood
Thanks to the hard work of the DC Statehood Compact, statehood resolutions are spreading across state legislatures! So far, for the 2023 legislative session:
8 states have introduced supportive D.C. statehood resolutions (5 of which were filed this week): DE, MO, NH, NJ, NM OK, SC, and VA
The Delaware Senate fully passed their resolution yesterday 13-6-1
The New Hampshire House of Representatives held a committee hearing on their resolution (with thanks to those from this group who submitted testimony!)
Multiple other states are still drafting their resolutions; dozens more may be filed in the next several weeks
We will share when there are new opportunities to submit testimony or otherwise support these resolutions!
UPDATE: DC Statehood bills introduced
The House introduced the DC Statehood bill (H.R.51 - Washington, D.C. Admission Act) with 165 original cosponsors on January 9th. It is up to 176 cosponsors now.
The Senate introduced the DC Statehood bill (S.51 - Washington, D.C. Admission Act) with 43 original cosponsors on January 24th.
The Senate bill includes new Senators Fetterman (D-PA) and Welch (D-VT). Previous cosponsors Sens. Rosen, Gillibrand, and Tester are not on the bill yet, but are expected to be in future. The four Senators who caucus Democrat but have not signed on in past remain: Kelly (D-AZ), Sinema (I-AZ), King (I-ME), and Manchin (D-WV).
We will be discussing actions to support these bills at our February meeting!
Volunteer leads needed
We are gearing up for an action-packed 2023 to defend DC autonomy and accelerate our push for equal voting rights and DC Statehood. We need help. If you're interested in taking a lead or coordinating role, please reach out! Some opportunity areas:
GOTV / "No Donation Without Representation"
Democratic Party engagement (eg, State House resolutions)
DC-based actions
Communications and outreach
Email statehood@dcdemocraticparty.org to connect and learn more. Thank you to those who have already signed on!