HOUSE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2007 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 1433 MARCH 14, 2007 Serial No. 110-7 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov 33-993 PDF U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California MAXINE WATERS, California MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts ROBERT WEXLER, Florida LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California STEVE COHEN, Tennessee HANK JOHNSON, Georgia LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois BRAD SHERMAN, California ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida LAMAR SMITH, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., Wisconsin HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia PERRY APELBAUM, Staff Director and Chief Counsel JOSEPH GIBSON, Minority Chief Counsel (II) CONTENTS TEXT OF BILL Page The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary The Honorable Lamar Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD Prepared Statement of the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas, and Member, Committee on the Prepared Statement of the Honorable Steve Cohen, a Representative in Con- gress from the State of Tennessee, and Member, Committee on the Judici- Material for the hearing record submitted by Bruce V. Spiva, Partner, Spiva Survey entitled, "U.S. Public Opinion on DC Voting Rights," conducted for DC Vote by KRC Research, January 2005 Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organiza- "Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions," Chapter III of the Washington, DC Declaration of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly and Reso- lutions Adopted at the Fourteenth Annual Session Report by the United Nations Human Rights Committee Letter from Twenty-Five Legal Scholars Supporting the Constitutionality 134 172 206 212 Material for the hearing record submitted by the Honorable John Conyers, Page Congressional Research Service (CRS) Memo, Subject: Constitionality of 226 230 233 Letter from the League of Women Voters 234 Letter from People for the American Way 235 Letter from the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) 236 Letter from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) 237 238 Letter from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Article published in Roll Call entitled "Too Clever by Half: the Uncon- Article published in Roll Call entitled "Democracy for D.C.: Allow Article published in The National Review entitled "Hammering to Fit,” Article published in The Washington Post entitled "Statehood: The Best CRS Report for Congress entitled "District of Columbia Voting Represen- CRS Report for Congress entitled "The Constitutionality of Awarding Letter from DC for Democracy Letter from Democracy for Utah 240 242 244 246 249 251 253 279 302 304 Letter from the American Bar Association (ABA) 306 Additional Material submitted by Richard P. Bress, Partner, Latham & Watkins, LLP 310 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m. in Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. Present: Representatives Conyers, Berman, Nadler, Scott, Jackson Lee, Cohen, Johnson, Gutierrez, Ellison, Smith, Sensenbrenner, Coble, Gallegly, Goodlatte, Chabot, Lungren, Cannon, Keller, Issa, Pence, Forbes, King, Feeney, Franks, Gohmert and Jordan. Staff Present: Perry Apelbaum, Chief Counsel and Staff Director; Kanya Bennett, Counsel; Joseph Gibson, Chief Minority Counsel; and Paul Taylor, Minority Counsel. [The bill, H.R. 1433, follows:] 110TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1433 I To provide for the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. NORTON (for herself, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. HOYER, Mr. ISSA, Mr. NADLER, Mr. PORTER, and Mr. MATHESON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide for the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, and for other purposes. |