Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Adopts Norton Amendment Including D.C. in “State” Definition

February 11, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – In today’s Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Full Committee markup, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) offered an amendment to a the Smart Space Act, which the Committee adopted, to define the term “State” to include the District of Columbia. The bill directs the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to convene consultation meetings with State real estate experts to identify alternative financing solutions that will reduce costs to the federal government for the construction of new public buildings. “The amendment in the nature of a substitute to the Smart Space Act of 2026 did not define the term ‘State,’ which could have been interpreted to exclude the District of Columbia,” Norton said. “D.C. has the highest concentration of federal buildings of any large city in the nation. D.C. real estate experts should be included in the consultation meetings GSA is required to convene to identify alternative financing for the disposal, construction or renovation of federal buildings. I’m pleased the Committee adopted my amendment, which fixed the issue by defining ‘State’ to include D.C.” Failing to include D.C. in the definition of “State” creates ambiguity and can lead to disputes over the interpretation of enacted laws. ###