WeatherFanatics: PHOTOS: DC residents flock to Capitol Hill for first legal sledding in decades

Sunday, January 24, 2016

PHOTOS: DC residents flock to Capitol Hill for first legal sledding in decades

By Katy Galimberti, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 24,2016; 6:58PM,EST

Just in time for the blizzard that dumped more than 2 feet of snow across the mid-Atlantic, kids and adults took their sleds to Capitol Hill, legally, for the first time in more than 140 years.
In a provision from December's spending bill, Capitol Police will halt their enforcement of the sledding ban as long as conditions are safe.
Hundreds of people took advantage of the newly changed policy during the record-breaking blizzard on Saturday. The Hill was quickly populated with sleds, inflatable mattresses, inner tubes and other creative forms of transport.

Hundreds sled on Capitol Hill on Saturday

"It took an act of Congress, but children are finally welcome to sled down on #CapitolHill," Speaker of the House Paul Ryan tweeted on Saturday.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a press release on Thursday citing her work to include the provision for non-enforcement of the 19th century law in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus bill.
"Capitol Hill is this city's iconic snow sledding hill, and Congress got out of the way, allowing our kids to freely enjoy what promises to be one of the best snowfalls in years," Norton said.
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Person uses air mattress to sled down Capitol Hill