District of Columbia Statehood Bill

H.R. 51, introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C., (a member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus).

The bill passed the House for the first time in history in June 2020, and again in April 2021. The bill would give nearly 700,000 D.C. residents — who have all the obligations of citizenship, including paying federal taxes and serving in the armed forces — voting representation in Congress and full local self-government denied for more than 220 years. FFRF Action Fund strongly endorses this bill, which is supported by a majority of FFRF members. 

Congress can overturn most laws that have been passed by the DC Council. A conservative Congress often tries to usurp the rights of the DC Council, especially on issues that pertain to the separation of state and church, such as school vouchers, medical-aid-in-dying, abortion, or LGBTQ equality.