LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION urging the New York State Congressional deleg-
ation to strongly consider the District of Columbia for statehood

WHEREAS, This nation is founded on the principled belief that all people
are endowed with certain inalienable rights and that to secure these
rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed; and
WHEREAS, The rights of the residents of the District of Columbia are
abridged when the U.S. Congress imposes its will on local matters and
denies the taxpaying residents of the District of Columbia voting repre-
sentation on federal issues in both houses of the U.S. Congress; and
WHEREAS, The people of the District of Columbia pay federal taxes in
Washington, DC and pay over three billion dollars in annual taxes to the
Federal Treasury -- more, per capita, than the residents of all but one
state; and
WHEREAS, The people of the District of Columbia, per capita, have
fought in wars to protect the liberties and rights of all American
people and democracies across the world more than any other state; and
WHEREAS, The District of Columbia is the only U.S. jurisdiction not
permitted to spend its own local tax dollars without approval by
Congress; and
WHEREAS, The people of the District of Columbia serve on federal
juries; and
WHEREAS, The people of the District of Columbia are subject to the
rule of law of the United States; and
WHEREAS, The people of the District of Columbia are the only Americans
who still bear all of the responsibilities of citizenship, but who do
not enjoy all of the rights of citizenship, including local sovereignty
and representation in both houses of Congress, making the District, in
effect, a colony under Congressional jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, Statehood will ensure that residents of the District of
Columbia enjoy full sovereign rights in local matters and voting repre-
sentation in both houses of the U.S. Congress just as every other citi-
zen of the United States of America, and is a matter of simple justice;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the New York State Congressional delegation be and
hereby is respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to strongly
consider the District of Columbia for statehood; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to each member of the Congressional delegation from the State of
New York.