Washington, DC

(Washington, DC) – This evening at 6 pm and tomorrow at 9 am, the New Columbia Statehood Commission will host the final sessions of the Constitutional Convention. Meet the Press moderator and political analyst Chuck Todd will moderate tonight’s session, which will include a public discussion on the executive branch and Articles IV and V of the draft Constitution, while tomorrow’s session covers the judicial branch and Articles VII and VIII of the draft Constitution. The next convenings follow Monday’s introductory session that addressed the legislative branch of government and the Bill of Rights for the state of New Columbia.

On April 26, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented A Bold Path to Statehood during the monthly Mayor-Council Breakfast. As part of this bold path, The New Columbia Statehood Commission Group is hosting a three-day DC Statehood Convening.  The United States is the only nation in the world with a representative and a democratic constitution that denies voting representation in the national legislature to citizens of the capital. In addition to paying federal taxes, District residents pay local taxes and bear all the responsibilities associated with citizenship. There are two states (Vermont and Wyoming) that have populations that are smaller than the District of Columbia, yet they have full representation in Congress and control over their own local affairs. The District’s population is comparable to other States including Delaware, Alaska, and several others.

The New Columbia Statehood Commission will continue to accept comments on the draft constitution until midnight on Saturday, June 18. To learn more about A Bold Path to Statehood, to share your comments about the draft constitution, and to get involved, visit www.statehood.dc.gov.

WHEN:
Friday, June 17 at 6 pm and
Saturday, June 18 at am

WHO:
Friday:

• Mayor Muriel Bowser
• Chairman Phil Mendelson
• Senator Michael Brown
• Senator Paul Strauss
• Representative Franklin Garcia
• Chuck Todd (Moderator)
• Jamie Raskin, Maryland State Representative
• George Vradenburg, Contributor, Republican National Senatorial Campaign Committee
• Omarosa Manigault, Empowerment Personality

Saturday:

• Mayor Muriel Bowser
• Chairman Phil Mendelson
• Senator Michael Brown
• Senator Paul Strauss
• Representative Franklin Garcia
• Attorney General Karl Racine
• Walter Smith, Executive Director, DC Appleseed
• Keith Andrew Perry, Executive Director, National Bar Association
• Kim M. Keenan, President and CEO, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC)
• Luis Torres, Director of Policy and Legislation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

  
WHERE:
Woodrow Wilson High School
3950 Chesapeake Street, NW

*Closest Metro: Tenleytown - AU Station*
*Closest Bus: NW Fort Drive & NW Albemarle Street – Tenleytown*

Press interested in attending the event are asked to RSVP to [email protected].