Norton Introduces District of Columbia Full Self-Government Act
This bill is a welcome step forward as it limits the ability of Congress to meddle in our local affairs and will allow our local government to function more efficiently as the District’s local budget would no longer need approval from Congress. The Full Self-Government Act will make the DC budget planning process much more streamlined and realistic as we’ll have more time to get actual revenue projections before crafting a budget – which isn’t currently the case as the District government has to submit its budget to Congress before it has the latest projections.
It also allows for the District to make changes to the way its government operates without getting Congressional approval – so we eliminate Congressional holds on changes to the school board structure, for example.
Of course, Congress would still have power to enact laws that affect the District – so guys like Tester and Childers can still go after our local gun laws or attempt to overwrite other laws passed by our own Council. Therefore, we’d still be subject to the whims of meddling Congressmen, but their opportunities would be greatly diminished with this legislation as the appropriation process has usually been the magnet for this type of interference.
I am concerned that even if this passes, it’s not permanent. A new Congress could change the law back to the way it is now – and at the same time strike down same-sex marriage, medical marijuana, and impose new restrictions on how we spend our local tax dollars. I welcome this bill as it’s a big step forward, but until we achieve full statehood, there is always the risk of moving backwards with each new Congress.
I’ve attached Delegate Norton’s remarks below. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FULL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT — (Extensions of Remarks – July 29, 2010)
[Page: E1477]
—SPEECH OF HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2010Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the District of Columbia Full Self-Government Act. The bill would grant the District of Columbia almost complete home rule. It would mark the most significant advancement in the District’s local autonomy since Congress first created the District government’s structure and operating rules in the Home Rule Act of 1973. The bill would eliminate almost all of the requirements and limitations imposed on the District by Congress in the Home Rule Act, so that the District could structure its operations and provide services in any manner that it chooses. Aside from a statehood or voting rights bill, no bill would do more to grant the federal taxpaying citizens of the District of Columbia their equal citizenship rights.
Under the bill, the District’s government would be able to operate similarly to how most state and local governments operate. For example, the District, like every state, would be able to set its own fiscal year. Under the Home Rule Act, the District’s general government fiscal year must begin in October, while its fiscal year for schools must begin in July. In contrast, almost every state and local government’s fiscal year for all operations begins in July, enabling these jurisdictions to better plan and coordinate their operations and services.
In addition, the District would no longer have to come to Congress before it could make changes to its operations. For example, the District’s major change in school governance structure that eliminated the school board and placed responsibility for schools in the mayor was held up for weeks because it had to be enacted by Congress, which caused serious problems for the opening of schools. Recently, I had to introduce a bill to reduce the waiting period for holding special elections to fill vacancies on the D.C. City Council from 114 days to 70 days. Previously, Ward 4 and Ward 7 were left without representation because the council could not reduce the period to fill vacancies.
The bill would accomplish what I have been fighting for since I entered Congress: legislative and budget autonomy for the District. The bill, like my stand-alone budget and legislative autonomy bills, would eliminate the requirement that the city’s laws layover in Congress for 30 or 60 days before they take effect, and would eliminate the requirement that the city’s local budget be affirmatively approved by Congress before it takes effect.
The bill would not only remove Congress from the District’s legislative process, it would free the District to operate and provide services as it sees fit. The bill would eliminate all of the budget, financial management, audit and borrowing requirements imposed on the city by the Home Rule Act, and would permit the city to set the powers, organization, and procedures of the Office of the Mayor and the city council. It is important to note that the bill would have no effect on existing contractual or other financial obligations incurred by the District, on any elected or appointed District official or other District employee, or on any pending legal actions or proceedings.
Even with this bill, however, there would be two important limitations on the District’s autonomy. First, Congress would retain its ultimate legislative authority over the District under the U.S. Constitution. The only way to completely eliminate congressional authority would be to amend the Constitution or to make the District a state. Second, like the Home Rule Act, the bill specifically precludes the city council from legislating over certain matters, such as height limitations on buildings.
