I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 51
To provide for the admission of the State of New Columbia into the Union.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 5, 1993
Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the District of Columbia
A BILL
To provide for the admission of the State of New Columbia
into the Union.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New Columbia Admis-
sion Act’’.
SEC. 2. ADMISSION INTO THE UNION.
Subject to the provisions of this Act, and upon issu-
ance of the proclamation required by section 7(d)(1) of
this Act, the State of New Columbia (hereinafter referred
to as ‘‘the State’’) is declared to be a State of the United
States of America, is declared admitted into the Union
on an equal footing with the other States in all respects
whatever, and the constitution adopted by the Council of
the District of Columbia in the Constitution for the State
of New Columbia Approval Act of 1987 (D.C. Law 7–8),
subject to ratification by a majority of the registered quali-
fied electors of the District of Columbia, is found to be
republican in form and in conformity with the Constitu-
tion of the United States and the principles of the Dec-
laration of Independence and is accepted, ratified, and
confirmed.
SEC. 3. CONSTITUTION.
The constitution of the State of New Columbia shall
always be republican in form and shall not be repugnant
to the Constitution of the United States and the principles
of the Declaration of Independence.
SEC. 4. TERRITORIES AND BOUNDARIES.
(a) Subject to the provisions of this section, the State
of New Columbia shall consist of all of the territory, to-
gether with the territorial waters, of the District of Colum-
bia. The State of New Columbia shall not include the Na-
tional Capital Service Area of the District of Columbia,
which is described in subsection (b). As of the date of ad-
mission of New Columbia into the Union, the District of
Columbia shall consist of the National Capital Service
Area.
(b) The National Capital Service Area, subject to the
provisions of section 16, is comprised of the principal Fed-
eral monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building,
the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Fed-
eral executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings lo-
cated adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec-
tion or of section 16, the boundaries of the State of New
Columbia shall include the District Building.
SEC. 5. COMPACT WITH UNITED STATES; CLAIMS TO FED-
ERAL LANDS AND PROPERTY.
(a) As a compact with the United States, the State
and its people disclaim all right and title to any lands or
other property not granted or confirmed to the State or
its political subdivisions by or under the authority of this
Act, the right or title to which is held by the United States
or subject to disposition by the United States.
(b)(1) Nothing contained in this Act shall recognize,
deny, enlarge, impair, or otherwise affect any claim
against the United States, and any such claim shall be
governed by applicable laws of the United States.
(2) Nothing in this Act is intended or shall be con-
strued as a finding, interpretation, or construction by the
Congress that any applicable law authorizes, establishes,
recognizes, or confirms the validity or invalidity of any
such claim, and the determination of the applicability or
effect of any law to any such claim shall be unaffected
by anything in this Act.
(c) No taxes shall be imposed by the State upon any
lands or other property now owned or hereafter acquired
by the United States, except to the extent as Congress
may permit.
(d)(1) Upon the admission of the State of New Co-
lumbia into the Union, the annual Federal payment au-
thorized to be appropriated to the District of Columbia
shall be authorized to be appropriated to the State of New
Columbia. Nothing in this Act is intended to alter the
basis for the Federal payment to the District of Columbia
or the State of New Columbia.
(2) Not later than 7 months before the beginning of
each fiscal year, the Governor shall submit a report to
Congress on the effects of the presence of the seat of the
Federal Government within or adjacent to the State on
the revenues and expenditures of the State, and shall in-
clude in the report information relating to—
(A) services rendered to the Federal Govern-
ment and services rendered because of the State’s
proximity to the seat of the Federal Government,
and the cost to the State of providing such services;