Talking Points on the 'No Taxation Without Representation Act'

October 3, 2002

Chairman Lieberman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee plans to hold a markup next week on a modified version of the "No Taxation Without Representation Act" (originally S. 603/H.R. 1193). The bill would provide District of Columbia residents with full, meaningful representation in both chambers of Congress.

D.C. residents are currently the only U.S. citizens today who pay federal income taxes yet are denied any effective voice in Congress - and they pay these taxes at the second highest per capita rate in the nation. It is vital that Committee members attend the markup and speak out for American citizens who are being prevented from speaking up for themselves.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights has designated the passage of this bill as a national civil rights priority, and is paying careful attention to where Members of Congress stand on the issue. The LCCR - along with a large majority of the general public nationwide ? has long believed that it is fundamentally unfair to have two distinct classes of citizens in our country, one which enjoys the right to full civic participation and the other which does not.
The new version of the "No Taxation Without Representation Act" has been modified in response to concerns about the text of the original bill. It no longer exempts D.C. residents from paying taxes until they obtain Congressional representation, thus putting to rest any fears that the District would turn into a haven for tax-dodgers from other states. It only sets out to achieve what has always been the ultimate purpose of the bill: provide D.C. residents with a voice in Congress.
The "No Taxation Without Representation Act" does not address the issue of statehood for the District of Columbia. It simply provides residents of D.C. with the same representation in Congress enjoyed by residents of any other state: two Senators and, with the current D.C. population, one Member of the House.