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Bordallo backs delegate voting rights resolution
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) issued the following statement Friday in support of House Resolution 44, a resolution that would amend the rules of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress to permit the delegates and the resident commissioner to vote in the Committee of the Whole House. The resolution was introduced by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.
The standing rules of the House of Representatives, which were adopted on Jan. 6, 2015, currently deny the delegates and resident commissioner from casting votes during proceedings of the Committee of the Whole. These rules are similar to rules adopted for the 112th and 113th Congresses when Republicans held the majority in the House. Democrats extended voting rights to the delegates and resident commissioner during proceedings of the Committee of the Whole during the 110th and 111th Congresses.
“The ability to cast a vote is the most basic of rights in our representative democracy,” said Bordallo. “Votes cast by members of Congress make us accountable to our constituents and allow them to understand our positions on important issues. It is unfortunate that the rules adopted by the 114th Congress once again deny voting rights for members from the territories and the District of Columbia. These rules make the House less transparent and less responsive to the more than four million Americans who live in the territories and D.C., and they do not recognize the many contributions our constituents have made to our nation. I thank my good friend, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, for again introducing this resolution to restore the voting rights for the delegates and resident commissioner during Committee of the Whole proceedings. It will give us parity with other members of Congress and strengthen the long-cherished values of the Congress.”
For more information on the resolution, visit Democratic Whip Hoyer’s website at www.democraticwhip.gov. (PR)
