Sponsors (44)
Official title: Provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Christopher Van Hollen · Last progress January 9, 2025
The bill delivers full federal representation and a structured transition for District residents while preserving federal control over key national assets, but it imposes fiscal limits on the new State, administrative burdens, and legal risks that could constrain state sovereignty and complicate the transition.
Residents of the District (future State) gain full federal representation — they will elect two U.S. Senators and at least one U.S. Representative, restoring voice and voting power in Congress.
Key federal sites (White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, monuments and other federal tracts) remain a separate federal Capital under U.S. title/jurisdiction, preserving federal control over national assets and functions.
Existing D.C. laws, contracts, and ongoing legal proceedings largely continue and many statutory references are updated, reducing legal disruption and administrative ambiguity during the transition.
The new State is barred from taxing federal property and must disclaim title to federal lands not granted to it, limiting local revenue options and foreclosing claims to federal property.
The new State faces sizable near‑term fiscal and administrative burdens — it must assume employer contributions and other obligations, and must certify revenue sufficiency for five years, constraining budgets and raising costs for residents.
A nonseverability clause risks voiding the entire Act if one provision is struck down, creating major legal uncertainty that could undo the transition and leave residents without anticipated protections or representation.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Admits the District of Columbia as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, sets initial election and representation rules, reserves certain federal lands, and preserves federal benefits.
Creates a new State from the District of Columbia called the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and sets rules for its admission, initial elections, and congressional representation. The bill preserves federal benefits and obligations for affected employees and retirees, reserves certain federal defense/Coast Guard lands to federal control, adjusts residency and naming provisions in federal judicial statutes, and establishes a temporary 18-member Statehood Transition Commission to manage the move to statehood.