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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-118
COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
October 6, 2015
To celebrate and recognize political satirist John Oliver for garnering national attention to the issue of District of Columbia voting rights.
WHEREAS, unlike the capital of every other democratic nation, the District of Columbia and its citizens have no voting representation in their national legislature; the laws passed by the District’s duly elected representatives can be overridden by Congress for any reason; and Congress can even stipulate how the District can spend money raised exclusively from local taxes;
WHEREAS, the District uniquely suffers without voting rights, despite having a population greater than Wyoming or Vermont—each of whom have 2 Senators and a member of the House of Representatives;
WHEREAS, District officials and nonprofit organizations have long sought to bring national attention to our unique status as the “last colony,” suffering under taxation without representation;
WHEREAS, John Oliver, though a segment on his HBO show, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” airing August 2, 2015, managed to achieve unprecedented national attention on the District’s lack of voting rights; the video clip of his 17-minute segment on District of Columbia statehood received over a million views in less than 48 hours after appearing on YouTube and the tweeted media quickly became one of the most “favorited” and “retweeted” posts coming from the program’s Twitter account;
WHEREAS, John Oliver properly highlighted that congressional intervention has thwarted District of Columbia initiatives to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, protect women’s reproductive rights, enact gun control laws, expand access to medical marijuana for qualified patients, and reduce the number of incarcerations due to minor drug charges;
WHEREAS, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” even as a satire program, has served to educate its audience on important issues with depth and incisive analysis, covering topics ranging from our ballooning domestic prison population to the perverse incentives associated with civil asset forfeiture laws;
WHEREAS, the journalistic achievements of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” have been recognized with both a Peabody Award and a GLAAD Media Award; and
WHEREAS, the Council of the District of Columbia wishes to extend to John Oliver its sincere thanks for identifying the hypocrisy of denying the District equal representation in Congress and for doing so with his incomparable wit and wisdom.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “John Oliver Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 2. The District of Columbia thanks John Oliver for using his position as a political commentator and satirist to elevate District voting rights to the national consciousness.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
