Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HR468 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Meza H.R. No. 468
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6	6	R E S O L U T I O N
7	7	WHEREAS, Since the ratification of the Constitution of the
8	8	United States on June 21, 1788, the Congress of the United States
9	9	has had the power "To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases
10	10	whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as
11	11	may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of
12	12	Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States;"
13	13	and
14	14	WHEREAS, The Seat of the Government of the United States was
15	15	accepted by the Congress of the United States on July 16, 1790 and
16	16	transferred from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the District
17	17	on December 1, 1800 in accordance with the Residence Act of 1790,
18	18	and was organized into the District of Columbia under the entire
19	19	control of the Congress of the United States for every purpose of
20	20	Government on February 27, 1801 in accordance with the District of
21	21	Columbia Organic Act of 1801, through which the residents ceased to
22	22	be considered citizens of a state, no longer entitled to all the
23	23	rights, guaranties, and immunities of the Constitution of the
24	24	United States including, but not limited to: the right to appoint at
25	25	least three Electors in the Electoral College for President and
26	26	Vice President of the United States, the right to elect two Senators
27	27	and at least one Representative in the Congress of the United
28	28	States, and the right to self-govern and ratify proposed amendments
29	29	to the Constitution of the United States, despite continuing to pay
30	30	federal taxes, serve in the military, and share all other
31	31	responsibilities of citizenship of the United States; and
32	32	WHEREAS, A Twenty-Third Amendment to the Constitution of the
33	33	United States was proposed by the Congress of the United States on
34	34	June 16, 1960 and ratified by a sufficient number of states on March
35	35	29, 1961 granting "The District constituting the seat of Government
36	36	of the United States" the right to appoint "A number of electors of
37	37	President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators
38	38	and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be
39	39	entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least
40	40	populous State;" and
41	41	WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States granted a Delegate
42	42	to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia, who
43	43	"shall have a seat in the House of Representatives, with the right
44	44	of debate, but not of voting," on September 22, 1970 in accordance
45	45	with the District of Columbia Delegate Act, (after previously
46	46	establishing the position on February 21, 1871 and repealing the
47	47	position on June 20, 1874); and
48	48	WHEREAS, Enactment of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act
49	49	by the Congress of the United States on December 24, 1973 and
50	50	ratification of the Charter Referendum by a majority of the voters
51	51	of the District of Columbia on May 7, 1974, re-organized the
52	52	District of Columbia by granting limited powers of local
53	53	self-government to an elected thirteen-member Council of the
54	54	District of Columbia and an elected Mayor of the District of
55	55	Columbia to "relieve Congress of the burden of legislating upon
56	56	essentially local District matters;" however, the Congress of the
57	57	United States granted no local control over the judiciary and
58	58	reserved "the right, at any time, to exercise its constitutional
59	59	authority as legislature for the District, by enacting legislation
60	60	for the District on any subject, whether within or without the scope
61	61	of legislative power granted to the Council... including
62	62	legislation to amend or repeal any law in force in the District;"
63	63	and
64	64	WHEREAS, Historically, the Congress of the United States and
65	65	the President of the United States have interfered with the
66	66	District of Columbia's local self-government and Home Rule by
67	67	enacting resolutions disapproving, amending, and repealing actions
68	68	of the Council of the District of Columbia and the Mayor of the
69	69	District of Columbia - including cases concerning the location of
70	70	chanceries on December 20, 1979, sexual assault reform on October
71	71	1, 1981, schedule of heights on March 12, 1991, and a revised
72	72	criminal code on March 20, 2023 - and by imposing budget riders that
73	73	control and limit the use of locally-raised tax revenue - including
74	74	cases concerning reproductive health services, cannabis use, and
75	75	statehood advocacy; and
76	76	WHEREAS, On multiple occasions, a majority of the voters of
77	77	the District of Columbia have approved initiatives and referendums
78	78	expressing their desire for statehood, most recently on November 8,
79	79	2016, through which 85.69% of voters 1) agreed that the District
80	80	should be admitted to the union as the State of Washington, D.C., 2)
81	81	approved the Constitution of the State of Washington, D.C., 3)
82	82	approved the proposed boundaries between the State of Washington,
83	83	D.C. and the federal enclave, and 4) agreed that the State of
84	84	Washington, D.C. shall guarantee an elected representative form of
85	85	government; and
86	86	WHEREAS, Other state and territorial legislatures in the
87	87	United States have introduced, debated, and passed resolutions that
88	88	support admitting Washington, D.C. into the Union as a state of the
89	89	United States of America; and
90	90	WHEREAS, Despite the Constitution of the United States
91	91	establishing that "New States may be admitted by the Congress into
92	92	this Union," and despite the United States House of Representatives
93	93	passing the Washington, D.C. Admission Act on June 26, 2020 and
94	94	again on April 22, 2021, which would declare Washington, D.C. to be
95	95	"a State of the United States of America, and is declared admitted
96	96	into the Union on an equal footing with the other States in all
97	97	respects whatever," the Congress of the United States has yet to
98	98	grant full statehood to the approximately 700,000 people of
99	99	Washington, D.C.; now, therefore, be it
100	100	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
101	101	Legislature hereby support admitting Washington, D.C. into the
102	102	Union as a state of the United States of America; and, be it further
103	103	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
104	104	Legislature hereby oppose efforts by the Congress of the United
105	105	States and the President of the United States that interfere with
106	106	local self-government and Home Rule - including federal laws
107	107	disapproving, amending, and repealing actions of the Council of the
108	108	District of Columbia and the Mayor of the District of Columbia as
109	109	well as federal budget riders that control and limit the use of
110	110	locally-raised tax revenue - and calls on the Congress of the United
111	111	States and the President of the United States to enact federal
112	112	legislation granting statehood to the people of Washington, D.C.;
113	113	and, be it further
114	114	RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
115	115	President of the United States, the Vice President of the United
116	116	States in their capacity as President of the United States Senate,
117	117	the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the
118	118	members of the Texas congressional delegation.