[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 189 (Wednesday, November 29, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
       INTRODUCTION OF THE WASHINGTON, DC, FISCAL PROTECTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ganske). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms. Norton] is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, this is day 17 of the countdown to December 
15. I am here every morning to try to see to it that if you shut down 
Federal agencies on that date, you do not shut down an entire city, the 
District of Columbia.
  This, of course, was one of the all-time unintended consequences of 
the last shutdown. If we shut Federal agencies, the District of 
Columbia automatically shuts down. Mr. Speaker, these are apples and 
oranges. The District is a living, breathing city that delivers vital 
frontline services. A Federal agency is a creature of the Federal 
Government that delivers services that local communities find important 
but not vital to their day-to-day survival. Please, let us delink these 
two entities.
  I have yesterday introduced an independent CR for the District of 
Columbia, so that if on December 15 another shutdown should occur, the 
District would be free from it. I have spoken to the Speaker, who 
appeared to be sympathetic to my concerns; the chair of the 
subcommittee, the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Tom Davis, has 
cosponsored this special CR for the District of Columbia.
  The shutdown of the District of Columbia was particularly galling and 
unnecessary, because 85 percent of the money in our appropriation was 
raised in the District of Columbia from District taxpayers. It should 
not be up here in the first place. But if it happens to be up here and 
caught in a shutdown, the very least that the Congress can do, in all 
decency, is to say, ``Here, District of Columbia, you are entitled to 
spend your own money to keep your own city open.'' That is all I am 
asking. As to the Federal payment, some of it would remain, of course, 
locked up here, and yet we need that cash very much. Bear in mind that 
the Federal payment is a PILOT, a payment in lieu of taxes, thank you, 
no gift from the Federal Government, but a payment owed us. 
Nevertheless, that would be treated in the normal way.
  Remember the city which I represent. It is second per capita in taxes 
paid to the Federal Government, yet it is the only jurisdiction that 
flies the American flag that does not have full home rule and full 
self-government.
  All of you, make up and read the morning papers. You know about the 
condition of the District of Columbia. You know it now has a control 
board just to borrow, and that it is virtually insolvent. Surely the 
Congress does not mean to do more damage to the capital city of the 
United States. What is that damage? Imagine, the District of Columbia 
of course, has to pay employees even though they do not work, because 
they are forced onto administrative leave. There is that lost 
productivity, some of it completely irrecoverable.
  These 3- or 4-week CR's do not allow a complicated city to operate, 
because a city cannot overobligate. If you are obligating on a basis of 
one-fourteenth, because you have a 14-day CR, and yet you have unfunded 
mandates like Medicaid or AFDC, you are put in an untenable position. 
And of course, if the District were overobligated, as we have seen, the 
Congress would be the very first to object and to criticize.
  The District of Columbia has taken its hits and it knows it deserves 
its licks for what it has not done to keep its city in good shape. The 
very least the Congress, which has been profuse in its criticism, 
should do is to make sure it does no further harm to the District.
  I have a D.C. Fiscal Protection Act, in addition to the CR for 
December 15, that would mean that whenever we get to the end of a 
fiscal year, the District could spend its own money until an 
appropriation cleared the Congress. Our appropriation is stuck up here 
on provisions added undemocratically by Members unaccountable to the 
voters of the District of Columbia. We may not be able to get it out 
for weeks and weeks.
  Do not hold the District hostage. I represent a lot of innocent 
bystanders. Whatever you think of the Mayor or the city council or the 
delegate, remember these high taxpaying citizens who deserve a whole 
lot better. The last time the District got lost in the shuffle, even 
though the District was right here ``in your face.'' This time, you 
will not be able to miss us, because I will be here every day on the 
countdown until December 15.

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