[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 842 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 842

  Recognizing the contributions of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman to the 
 nation and to the equal rights and general welfare of the citizens of 
                       the District of Columbia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 20, 2012

 Ms. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
            the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the contributions of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman to the 
 nation and to the equal rights and general welfare of the citizens of 
                       the District of Columbia.

Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has served 24 years in the Senate of the 
        United States in faithful service to the citizens of the State of 
        Connecticut, who elected him to the U.S. Senate for his fourth term in 
        2006;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman announced on January 18, 2012, that he would 
        retire from the United States Senate at the end of the 112th Congress 
        after serving four terms;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has been a champion for equal rights for all 
        Americans throughout his life and throughout his service in the United 
        States Senate;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman's service to the nation was so exceptional 
        that he was nominated for the office of Vice President of the United 
        States by the Democratic National Convention in 2000, ran with 
        Presidential Nominee Albert Gore, Jr. and together they garnered the 
        plurality of the votes of the American people;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman was the principle author of the bill that 
        created the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the September 11, 
        2001, terrorist attacks on the United States;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman rose to become chairman of the Senate 
        Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and was so 
        respected for his bipartisanship and excellent service that he was re-
        elected chairman of the committee even after becoming an Independent;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman's accomplishments on many domestic, defense, 
        and international matters of great importance to the United States have 
        been recognized and honored;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has been a tireless leader on matters that 
        have had deep and lasting effects on the District of Columbia and the 
        national capital region throughout his service in the United States 
        Senate and on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
        Committee;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has served as chairman or ranking member of 
        the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the District of Columbia 
        since 1999;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman served as the ranking member of the 
        subcommittee with jurisdiction over the District of Columbia during the 
        105th Congress;
Whereas the more than 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia have all the 
        obligations of United States citizenship, including payment of all 
        Federal taxes, but do not have full voting representation in the United 
        States Congress and do not have local autonomy free from congressional 
        interference;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has provided indispensable leadership to the 
        District of Columbia, which has no representation in the United States 
        Senate, enabling both Chambers to consider and pass important District 
        of Columbia legislation;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman was the sponsor of the District of Columbia 
        House Voting Rights Act of 2009 (S. 160; 111th Congress) to grant the 
        District a voting seat in the United States House of Representatives and 
        led the United States Senate to passage of the bill on February 26, 
        2009, by a vote of 61-37, the first such bill to be passed by the Senate 
        since 1978;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman was the sponsor of the No Taxation Without 
        Representation Act (107th, 108th, and 109th Congress) to grant the 
        District of Columbia full voting representation in the United States 
        Senate and House of Representatives, which the Committee on Governmental 
        Affairs passed on October 9, 2002, by a vote of 9-0;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman introduced the New Columbia Admission Act 
        (S. 3696; 112th Congress), to grant the District of Columbia statehood 
        in the 112th Congress and got cosponsors for the bill;
Whereas recently, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman turned his attention to budget 
        autonomy for the District of Columbia when it became the emphasis of the 
        District government, the only local government in the United States that 
        cannot obligate or expend its local funds without congressional 
        approval, and therefore incurs many operational difficulties and 
        unnecessary costs;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman sponsored the District of Columbia Local 
        Budget Autonomy Act of 2012 (S. 2345; 112th Congress), to grant the 
        District the authority to obligate and expend its local funds without 
        congressional approval and to set its own fiscal year;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has assisted in the administration of 
        justice in the District of Columbia Courts system, most recently by 
        ushering through the United States Senate legislation including the 
        District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Act of 2011 (S. 
        1379; 112th Congress), which was presented to the President on December 
        17, 2012;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has worked to eliminate barriers to full 
        equality and self-government for District of Columbia residents as an 
        original cosponsor of the Hatch Act Modernization Act of 2012 (S. 2170; 
        112th Congress), approved by the United States Senate on November 30, 
        2012, and by the United States House of Representatives on December 19, 
        2012, under which District government employees will no longer be 
        treated the same as Federal employees under the Hatch Act and instead 
        will be treated the same as other local and State government employees, 
        and the District government will operate under its own local Hatch Act, 
        already adopted by the District government;
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has strengthened the District of Columbia 
        economy, most recently by his work to get Senate passage of economic 
        development bills, including the redevelopment of the Southwest and 
        Southeast waterfronts, and by promoting the construction of the U.S. 
        Department of Homeland Security headquarters on the St. Elizabeths 
        campus in Ward 8; and
Whereas Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has supported critical education initiatives 
        in the District of Columbia, such as the District of Columbia Tuition 
        Assistance Grant Program, which significantly reduces the cost of 
        college tuition for District residents and has doubled college 
        attendance by District residents: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that Senator Joseph I. Lieberman is the 
        Senate's greatest living champion of equal rights for the 
        citizens of the District of Columbia in his pursuit of 
        statehood, equal representation and home rule for the District; 
        and
            (2) commends Senator Joseph I. Lieberman for his dedicated 
        service not only to his own State and to the United States, but 
        also for his achievements and support for equal citizenship 
        rights for the citizens of the District of Columbia, who have 
        no representation in the United States Senate.
                                 <all>