About the bill
Washington, D.C. is the only National Guard in the country not to be controlled by the highest-ranking elected official there.
Context
In all 50 U.S. states, the governor can call up their state’s National Guard during an emergency. However, because Washington, D.C. is not a state — despite having a larger population than two actual states — it does not have a governor. The mayor doesn’t control the D.C. National Guard either.
Instead, the president does. This, even though the governors of other U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands control their own National Guards.
What the legislation does
The District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act would give the Washington, D.C. mayor control of the D.C. National Guard ...
Sponsor and status
117th Congress (2021–2023)
Introduced on Feb 1, 2021
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on February 1, 2021. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
8 Cosponsors (8 Democrats)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“Norton Thanks National Coalition for Letter Endorsing Bill Giving D.C. Mayor Control Over D.C. National Guard”
—
Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC0]
(Sponsor)
on May 3, 2021
“Norton Says Army Report on Use of D.C. National Guard Helicopters Against D.C. Residents Latest Reason D.C. Should Have Control Over D.C. National Guard”
—
Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC0]
(Sponsor)
on Apr 16, 2021
“Norton Introduces Bill Requiring D.C. National Guard Commanding General to Live in D.C.”
—
Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC0]
(Sponsor)
on Apr 1, 2021
History
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Mar 17, 2011
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 1198 (112th). |
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Jun 11, 2013
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 2321 (113th). |
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Mar 2, 2015
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 1204 (114th). |
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Mar 21, 2017
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 1658 (115th). |
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Feb 7, 2019
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Earlier Version —
Introduced
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 1090 (116th). |
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Feb 1, 2021
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Introduced
Bills and resolutions are referred to committees which debate the bill before possibly sending it on to the whole chamber. |
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If this bill has further action, the following steps may occur next: | |
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Passed Committee
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Passed House
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Passed Senate
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Signed by the President
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H.R. 657 is a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number H.R. 657. This is the one from the 117th Congress.
How to cite this information.
We recommend the following MLA-formatted citation when using the information you see here in academic work:
“H.R. 657 — 117th Congress: District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act.” www.GovTrack.us. 2021. June 19, 2021 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr657>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
