Washington, D.C. Admission Act

This bill would make most of Washington, D.C. a new state called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. A smaller federal area—the Capital—would remain the seat of the U.S. government and include places like the Capitol, White House, Supreme Court, and the National Mall. The new state would elect two U.S. Senators and one voting U.S. Representative, and the current nonvoting D.C. Delegate would be eliminated . People who live in the Capital would vote for federal offices by absentee ballot in the state where they last lived before moving to the Capital.

Current D.C. laws, contracts, and court cases would carry over to the new state, which becomes D.C.’s legal successor. The state could not tax federal property, and the federal government would keep control of military lands located there. Some programs would continue during a transition and then move to the new state. For example, D.C.-level Medicaid funding and college tuition help programs would keep going at first, and then phase out after the state sets up similar aid . Parts of the justice system—like parole, pretrial services, and public defense—would remain under federal agencies until the state is ready to take over . The bill also sets up a fast-track for Congress to consider repealing the 23rd Amendment (the amendment dealing with presidential electors for the federal district).

• Who is affected: People living in D.C. (who would become residents of the new state), people living inside the small federal Capital, D.C. students using tuition help, and residents involved in D.C.’s justice system .
• What changes: Full voting representation in Congress for the new state; no state taxes on federal property; Capital residents vote absentee in their former state; existing D.C. laws and cases continue; key programs and services shift from federal to state over time .
• When: Most changes begin once the new state is officially admitted; some parts end after the state certifies it has the needed laws and funding to take over .