House Democrats to vote next week on DC statehood
By Mike Lillis - 06/16/20 11:02 AM EDT
House Democratic leaders are racing ahead with legislation to grant statehood to Washington, D.C., scheduling a June 26 vote on the historic — and highly controversial — bill, which will arrive amid the heightened calls for black empowerment that have followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
In February, the House Oversight and Reform Committee had approved the proposal, marking the first time a D.C. statehood bill had won committee passage since 1993.
Democratic leaders are now seeking to tap into the undercurrent of national unrest that's followed the death of Floyd — an unarmed African American man killed last month at the hands of Minneapolis police — to pass a series of long sought reforms designed to combat racial disparities across a swath of cultural sectors.
Most immediately, Democrats are seeking to move criminal justice reforms aimed at reining in racial profiling and police brutality, a package also scheduled for a floor vote next week.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/502922-house-democrats-to-vote-next-week-on-dc-statehood
