An Illinois House majority says Washington, D.C., should be a state.

Posted on May 6, 2021
State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) is the sponsor of a resolution urging Congress to make Washington, D.C., America’s 51st state. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the Illinois House took time to kick around the idea of statehood for Washington, D.C., as a resolution. That, of course, carries no weight, nor do people at the Illinois State Capitol have the authority to decide D.C. statehood.

But State Rep. Will Guzzardi said the 700,000 District of Columbia residents need to have the full force and effect of United States citizenship.

The resolution passed on a partisan roll call, as State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said the District’s status is enshrined in the Constitution.

State Rep. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) said, yes, and so’s the idea that Blacks count as only three-fifths of a person.

As Halpin pointed out, Washington has a largely Black population.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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