SJR 6-WASHINGTON D.C. STATEHOOD  3:48:16 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI announced the consideration of SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 6 Supporting the admittance of Washington, D.C., into the Union as a state of the United States of America. 3:48:57 PM MAGGIE GRENIER, Staff, Senator Loki Tobin, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, co-introduced SJR 6 on behalf of the sponsor as follows: [Original punctuation provided.] Senate Joint Resolution 6 seeks to put the Alaska State Legislature on record supporting admitting Washington, D.C. as a new state. • Specifically, SJR 6 calls on the President and Congress to enact legislation granting statehood to the people of Washington, D.C. • The goal is for that legislation to shrink the size of the current federal District of Columbia to only include federal lands and buildings. • That would include the main symbols of our shared democracy, including the White House, the Capital Building, the Supreme Court, and the National Mall. • The new state that is envisioned by SJR 6 would include the residential areas of Washington, D.C. that includes a population of around 712,000. The current situation by the residents of Washington, D.C. is similar to the situation faced by the people of Alaska prior to statehood. • To highlight this similarity, I would like to read a quote from a letter of support in your packet from the League of Women Voters of Alaska. • From 1884 to 1912 Alaska was organized as the District of Alaska. "Because Alaska's own campaign for statehood is relatively recent, and we still have citizens who remember our territorial status before 1959, when we had federal rule and no voting representation in Congress, it seems appropriate that Alaskans and the Alaska State Legislature should speak up in support of statehood for the citizens of the District of Columbia, who pay federal income taxes and serve in the US military without full representation in Congress." Excerpt from a letter of support from the League of Women Voters Alaska 3:51:02 PM MIKE MASON, Staff, Senator Loki Tobin, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, co-introduced SJR 6 on behalf of the sponsor as follows: [Original punctuation provided.] The District of Columbia Elections Act that was approved by Congress in 1970 gave the Washington, D.C. area to send a delegate to the House of Representatives. • The delegate can participate in debates but cannot vote. • Additionally, the Washington, D.C. area is not represented in the U.S. Senate. MR. MASON stated that the District of Columbia is currently represented by an elected 13-member council and elected mayor, with limited powers of local self-government granted in 1973 to ease the burden on Congress. He said Congress and the President have frequently interfered with D.C.'s self-government by disapproving, amending, or repealing actions taken by the local council and mayor. He stated that on multiple occasions, a majority of Washington D.C. voters have expressed support for statehood through initiatives and referrals. The U.S. Government is facing a lot of challenges and there is little attention paid to the needs and the rights of the residents of Washington, D. C. • Statehood would give those residents the right of self-determination that is currently lacking under exclusive federal control. 3:54:54 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI [opened public testimony on SJR 6.] 3:55:07 PM SUE SHERIF, Board Member, League of Women Voters of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, testified in support of SJR 6. She offered the following testimony: [Original punctuation provided.] Although Washington, DC is a large city by Alaska standards, the population of the District itself is only 689.5 thousand people, which would place it as a state between Alaska and Vermont amongst the five smallest states. It would join the seven states-- Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Delaware that have only one delegate in the House of Representatives. (The district currently has a non-voting representative in the House who can draft legislation but cannot vote.) The League is nonpartisan and does not support or oppose candidates or parties, but it does take positions on issues after reaching a consensus based on careful study. The League of Women Voters US position states: "The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that citizens of the District of Columbia should be afforded the same rights of self-government and full voting representation in Congress as are all other citizens of the United States." 3:58:33 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI stated that the District of Columbia would be the smallest state geographically and asked how the state would generate revenue to function. 3:58:48 PM MR. MASON answered that the residents of Washington D.C. pay more in federal taxes per capita than any other state. He said Washington D.C has a strong tax base. He stated that Washington D.C. is a major metropolitan area with a large population of visitors, which supports the idea that Washington D.C. would generate enough revenue to sustain itself as a state. 3:59:27 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI asked if Washington D.C. were to become the 51st state would there be concerns about the imbalance in the United States Senate. 3:59:45 PM MR. MASON responded that expanding the number of members in Congress and the Senate is a significant policy decision. He stated there are a lot of good arguments how more representation is beneficial, especially for underrepresented populations. He stated that Washington D.C. currently has a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont. 4:00:28 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked how many states have sent resolutions supporting Washington D.C.'s statehood. 4:00:43 PM MR. MASON answered that over the past few years, around 100 resolutions have been filed, with approximately 35 states involved. He emphasized that no other democracy denies the people of its national capital the right to vote in its national legislature. He stated that 700,000 residents of Washington D.C. currently lack a vote in Congress, which is unique among major democracies. 4:01:36 PM SENATOR YUNDT asked whether the country has a plan for establishing a new seat of government if Washington, D.C. were to become its own state. 4:01:51 PM MR. MASON answered that the seat of government would stay where it is, the District of Columbia would be reduced to include only federal infrastructure, while the new state would encompass the residential areas currently part of Washington D.C. SENATOR YUNDT stated his concern that it would defeat the purpose of why Washington D.C. was set up in the first place. MR. MASON stated that there have been concerns to enact the statehood for Washington D.C., the United States would have to have a constitutional amendment because of the 23rd Amendment. He said legal experts suggest that while a federal district can't be enlarged, it can be shrunk. He said the District of Columbia has been reduced before, so the district would be resized to include only federal infrastructure, while the new state would cover the residential areas, giving representation to those currently unrepresented. 4:03:56 PM CHAIR KAWASAKI held SJR 6 in committee.