Last week, several members of the League of Women Voters of DC had the honor of thanking Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for her many years of leadership and service to the city, by presenting her with the Linda Beebe Award for Making Democracy Work.
Each year, LWVDC presents the Beebe Award to an exceptional individual or organization working to improve democracy within Washington, DC. It is named for Linda Beebe, President of LWVDC from 2015-2018, to honor her dedication to the League’s mission of engaging and educating voters, improving elections, and defending democracy within DC. The award recognizes active engagement in keeping our city strong, fair, vibrant, and livable.
With this year’s Beebe Award, LWVDC seeks to recognize Congresswoman Norton’s steadfast commitment to advocating for full rights for the people of Washington, DC and working meticulously to strengthen our liberty to govern ourselves.
Congresswoman Norton with LWVDC’s Georgia Chisolm, Abby Rives,
Esther Mackintosh, Anne Stauffer, and Pam Wessling.
Congresswoman Norton will be retiring at the end of this term, after serving 18 terms in Congress. As we reflect back on her long tenure, there is a lot to remember. Merely a few examples:
- She has introduced a statehood bill in every session of Congress since she was elected and provided the leadership to get it passed in the House in 2020 and 2021.
- The Home Rule Act originally required that DC wait to enact its laws until Congress approved the measures passed by DC elected officials. Congresswoman Norton sought to change that requirement. In our current system, there are specific lay-over periods when our laws are subject to disapproval resolutions, but if lay-over periods expire without disapprovals, then DC laws automatically go into effect.
- The Congresswoman has also arranged for DC to continue to stay open during federal government shutdowns, getting annual shutdown exemptions enacted every year since 2013.
- Congresswoman Norton has brought other economic benefits to the District – including funds for DC students to attend college, homebuyer tax credits, business tax incentives, and federal construction projects.
These are just a few examples of what Congresswoman Norton accomplished to make the lives of the people of DC easier. Even though she has never had the vote on the House floor – she has used her strong voice to stand up for our rights, support our dignity, and call out the injustices of our second-class citizenship.
LWVDC is delighted to honor Congresswoman Norton and thank her for her many contributions to our city!
LWVDC members outside Congresswoman Norton’s office.