New York, NY. - December 06, 2006 - National Urban League President Marc H. Morial is urging the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush to do the right thing by enacting this week - before the 109th Congress adjourns - the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act (H.R.5388).

During a late-night special session Monday, the Utah legislature approved new congressional district lines, adding a fourth seat in the state, a key component of an agreement to give the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress. Now, the U.S. Congress must act.

"All the pieces are in place to get this done this year," said Morial. "Let's not keep the residents of the District of Columbia waiting one minute longer to bring them on par with every other tax-paying citizen in this country," Morial said. "Let's pass this strong bipartisan bill and provide Washingtonians with a voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the very first time."

The National Urban League believes that D.C. residents have waited far too long for the D.C. Voting Rights Act (DCVRA) to have it stall and delayed even further into next year. The DCVRA is a crucial step towards bringing full voting representation in Congress to residents of D.C. - a right enjoyed by all other Americans but long overdue for citizens who reside in our nation's capital.

D.C. residents pay taxes, serve on juries, and place their lives on the line by defending our nation during times of war. Our nation can no longer tolerate being the only democratic country in the world that denies voting representation to citizens of the nation's capital. Democracy begins at home. "Let's make our country whole and get this voting rights bill finally signed into law this year," Morial said.

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