District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006
Latest action. subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) Hearings Held.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006 - (Sec. 3) Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives.
Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members.
Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District.
Makes conforming amendments to federal law regarding the Armed Forces (appointments to service academies).
(Sec. 4) Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members beginning with the 110th Congress and each succeeding Congress.
Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase.
Prescribes a procedure for identifying the additional Representative to which a state other than the District of Columbia shall be entitled under this Act. Requires election at large of such additional Representative.
Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955.
(Sec. 5) Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House without amendment, Part I" stage on July 24, 2006. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 14, 2006: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
THOMAS DAVIS (R-VA) introduced it on May 16, 2006, and 43 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 29 Democrats, 13 Republicans, 1 independent.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 16, 2006, 7469 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7348 days ago, on September 14, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers