[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




AUTHORIZING STATUES IN CAPITOL FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND TERRITORIES

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                               speech of

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 15, 2010

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Capitol features statues from every 
State in our Union--statues that honor some of the most memorable and 
influential people in America's history. The people of the District of 
Columbia are part of our Union, as well: they pay federal taxes, vote 
in presidential elections, and share citizenship with us. But when it 
comes to seeing the District's most notable citizens honored here in 
the Capitol, in their own city, the people of Washington, DC have again 
been left out. That needs to change.
  This bill would give the people of the District of Columbia--along 
with the people of the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands--their 
due in the U.S. Capitol. I believe, in fact, that the District of 
Columbia deserves two statues, just like any state; but failing that, I 
believe that some recognition is better than none.
  The people of the District of Columbia have made remarkable 
contributions to America's history, its culture, and its ongoing work 
to guarantee equal rights to all--and it's time that those 
contributions are recognized here in the heart of our democracy. I urge 
my colleagues to support this bill.

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