From the Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) met with the Chief Postal Inspector for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Gary Barksdale, to discuss mail theft in the District of Columbia and across the country. Read More

photo by Fritz Myer

Almost exactly a year ago we posted “Any idea why the Capitol Stones have been blocked off?”

Looks like there is finally some action, Bloomberg Government reported:

“Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said the Capitol stones, removed from the East Portico in 1958-62 renovations, should be turned into a more formal exhibit in Rock Creek Park, where they were dumped likely in the 1970s. Norton said she’s heard from constituents who like taking their kids to the stones, which have turned into an unsanctioned attraction a short distance from a walking trail in the park.”

From the Office of Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today requested a joint meeting with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to discuss removal of the Capitol Stones, which were part of the original Capitol building, from Rock Creek Park. NPS recently requested the removal of the stones for safety and preservation, and some are currently being stored in an AOC facility in Ft. Meade without public access. Read More

photo by atherahsan

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus and a member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, announced that a trial helicopter noise reporting system is now operational in the National Capital Region (NCR). The trial system is run by the Eastern Region Helicopter Council and the Helicopter Association International. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will evaluate the results of the trial system. Read More

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the response she received from the United States Postal Service (USPS) to her April 28, 2022, letter about undelivered and delayed mail throughout the District of Columbia and her office’s difficulty in receiving timely responses from USPS. In its response, USPS apologized for the delays in responding to her office and said D.C. postal officials recently implemented new procedures to avoid future delays in responding, including a new platform to track congressional inquiries. The response also noted that USPS in D.C. recently made a push to substantially reduce the number of outstanding congressional cases, bringing them nearly current.

“I am pleased USPS responded to my letter on mail delivery issues and my office’s difficulties in getting responses to cases we opened on behalf of constituents,” Norton said. “When I sent the letter, my office had approximately 130 mail cases open, many of which had been open for nearly a year. We have been able to resolve and close nearly 75% of those, bringing the current total down to 26 open cases. I will be watching to ensure that USPS maintains this level of responsiveness.”

The USPS response letter follows. Read More

Photo by Eric P.

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus and a member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, today announced that she will introduce a bill that would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to submit recommendations to Congress on how to reduce helicopter noise in the District of Columbia. This will be the third bill Norton has introduced this Congress to combat helicopter noise in D.C.

“Even though the District of Columbia has the most restricted airspace in the country, I hear from D.C. residents almost daily about the negative impact of helicopter noise on their lives,” Norton said. “The noise can harm health and quality of life, and helicopters can even harm the structural integrity of homes. While I recognize the need for helicopters in D.C., the Federal Aviation Administration and Congress must do more to mitigate the harm to D.C. residents. I will continue to work with federal agencies that fly helicopters in D.C. and on legislation to reduce helicopter noise in D.C.”

In making its recommendations, the bill would require the FAA to consider altitude, frequency of flights, flight paths, flight timing, types of helicopters, operating procedures, and pilot training, among other factors. The bill would require the FAA to submit its recommendations to Congress not later than 180 days after enactment.

Norton has taken several steps to combat helicopter noise in D.C., including: Read More

Photo by Eric P.

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus and a member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, today announced that she will introduce a bill that would require helicopters in District of Columbia airspace to fly at the maximum altitude permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration, with limited exceptions. The exceptions would include active law enforcement investigations, transporting the president and vice president, and safety.

“I hear from D.C. residents almost daily about helicopter noise,” Norton said. “Helicopters can harm health, quality of life and structural integrity of homes. I am pursuing a multipronged approach to combat helicopter noise in D.C., from working with federal agencies that fly helicopters in D.C. airspace to pursuing legislation.”

Norton has taken a number of steps to combat helicopter noise in D.C., including: Read More

From Congresswoman Norton’s Office:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today condemned Representative Andrew Clyde’s (R-GA) attacks on the District of Columbia today, including his statements that he is “actively working” on a bill to repeal the D.C. Home Rule Act and that D.C. has been a “reign of terror” since passage of the Home Rule Act in 1973. Clyde, who is a member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has jurisdiction over D.C., is contemplating action and using rhetoric not seen with respect to D.C. from Republicans since the early and mid-1990s.

“Representative Clyde literally wants the federal government to resume running D.C. as a colony,” Norton said. “He wants to take away the limited self-government the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are minorities, have had for the last 50 years and give absolute power over D.C. to Congress and, presumably, to congressionally or presidentially appointed administrators. At a time when we are having unprecedented success on our D.C. statehood bill, we will continue to move forward, not go back. We will defeat his anti-democratic efforts.” Read More

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Last week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote the Director of the National Park Service, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the General Manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to request a meeting to discuss the discovery of an unexploded ordinance on the Fort Totten Trail in the District of Columbia. Read More

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that the District of Columbia will score a historic victory for equality with the states on February 28, 2022, when D.C.’s second statue in the U.S. Capitol will be unveiled in a ceremony with congressional leaders. D.C. will join each of the 50 states in having two statues in the Capitol. The statue is of Pierre L’Enfant, which D.C. commissioned more than a decade ago with the hope that it would one day be displayed in the Capitol. Read More

From Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Office:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she would defeat the effort by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to block a bill recently passed by the Council of the District of Columbia that requires students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Cruz, who yesterday announced his intention to introduce a bill to block the mandate, is the fourth member of Congress to try to block a D.C. vaccine policy this Congress. Read More