DC voting rights bill likely on hiatus for now

According to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the DC voting rights bill has been removed from the legislative calendar. The removal was credited in large part to the bill becoming mired in a battle over a tacked-on weapons amendment, which would drastically lift gun control restrictions in DC, allowing gun owners to carry guns in the District without a permit - measures that many advocates of voting rights for DC cannot support.

The bill would have increased full House membership from 435 to 437, giving District residents a vote while adding a temporary at-large seat for Republican-leaning Utah, which narrowly missed out on getting an extra seat after the 2000 census.

Currently, DC residents have no voting representative in either the House or the Senate.

Below are quotes from supporters of DCVote.org, an organization working to get representation for DC residents.

"It saddens me whenever I read "contact your representative" about a cause or issue I want to support. Every time it stings a little to be reminded I don't have a representative in congress."
— Kathryn

"DC is the heart of American democracy. It's a travesty that American promotes democracy worldwide but refuses to give it to residents of our own capitol. We are entitled to the same rights as all other Americans--including the right to representation. Our nation's leaders need to focus more on the moral importance of giving all Americans the right to vote and less on petty concerns about how we will vote." — Andrew

"I pay federal income tax, but cannot have a say in how my money is spent because my congressional representative does not have a vote. Arggh!" — Kathleen

For more, go to CBS.