WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Norton Holmes Norton (D-D.C) announced that her bill to amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) to include the District of Columbia in the definition of a coastal state, which would make D.C. eligible for federal coastal zone management funding, passed the House last week.
This is Norton’s fourth bill to pass the House this year. Norton’s bill, the District of Columbia Flood Prevention Act, would give the District oversight for federally issued permits, facilities, and actions that affect the coastal waters of the District.
Norton said she believes the District’s omission from the CZMA was an unintentional oversight, as the CZMA was passed in 1972 – before the District achieved home rule – and the territories have been eligible along with states. Norton’s bill was included in a larger bill, the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act.
Norton has passed four bills in the House this year, along with three bills passed in committee. Norton was ranked the most effective House Democrat in the last Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking based on her “proven ability to advance a member’s agenda items through the legislative process and into law.” See other articles in Congresswoman Norton’s 2019 Year-End Newsletter at https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGCQTdDkMWPDnBPmKKRZlvFBzr
