[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9375]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             THE CONSTITUTION AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

  (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, article I, section 2 of the 
Constitution states that ``the House of Representatives shall be 
composed of Members chosen every second year by the people of the 
several States.'' It goes on to say: ``No person shall be a 
representative who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that 
State in which he shall be chosen.''
  Mr. Speaker, in spite of the Constitution and what it says today, 
this new majority will pass a bill to provide a vote, by law, not 
constitutional amendment, a vote in this House for the delegate from 
the District of Columbia.
  Now, I support, strongly, voting rights for residents of D.C. The 
proper way to do that, the constitutional way, is to return residential 
area in the District of Columbia to Maryland. It respects the supreme 
law of the land of the Constitution. Even the Democrat chairman, Peter 
Rodino of the Judiciary Committee in the 95th Congress, said: ``If the 
citizens of the District are to have voting representation in Congress, 
a constitutional amendment is essential. Statutory action alone will 
not suffice.''
  So why would this new majority pass a law so clearly violative of the 
Constitution? Because they can. It's an arrogance and hypocrisy that 
the American people recognize, and they are watching.

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