Bill for creating 51st state of US

  • House and Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state of the USA. 
  • The measure was reintroduced in the House by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia.
BACKGROUND
  • After the United States became independent from British rule, it was decided that the new national capital would be founded on a federal district, and not be a part of any state. 
  • In 1802, Congress granted Washington its first city government, providing for a mayor (to be appointed by the president). 
  • In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution was passed, giving D.C. residents the right to vote for president starting in 1964.
  • In 2016, in an Obama era referendum, 85% residents voted in favour of becoming a state.
  • In 2020, the statehood question again came to the fore after Black Lives Matter protests rocked US. 
  • In Washington D.C., African Americans are the largest ethnic group, making up just less than half of the city’s 68 lakh population.
  • In June, 2020 the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a law that would shrink the District of Columbia to only include key federal government buildings. 
  • It would convert the rest of the current District into a 51st US state, which would be named after the leading 19th-century slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
  • However, the bill didn't pass in Senate.
RECENT EVENTS
  • The newly introduced bill could pass again in the House of Representatives, which remains in Democratic control.
  • However, chances of clearing the Senate are low even though Democrats control the Senate by virtue of tie-breaking vote. 
  • This is because 60 votes in the Senate are required for the legislation to pass, which is termed as 'filibuster'.

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