[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WELCOMING MEMBERS TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor this afternoon to 
welcome all Members, especially new Members, to the 106th Congress. 
Whether one is Republican or Democrat, I am your Congresswoman away 
from home, and I want to tell you a little bit about this city and a 
little bit about the assistance I can offer you while you are here, 
because you are going to spend more time in the District of Columbia 
than you will spend in your own district.
  Some of you live here, all of you work here. Many of you will have 
your entertainment here. Matters arise in the city. If you need help, 
including help for your constituents, I hope you will call me. If you 
live in the city, there are inevitable problems that arise with your 
trash, with rodents. No tickets, please. We cannot take back tickets, 
for the most part, although there are a few instances where the 
District cannot write tickets for Members of Congress, and I suppose we 
will submit those to the District. What we really love are shortcuts to 
getting a marriage license. Since I have been in Congress, I have 
helped at least three Members get marriage licenses.
  In any case, when one is wondering where to turn when anything arises 
in this city, whether it is city services or the city at large, please 
call my office.
  On Monday, February 23, 1999, we are having a formal event called Ask 
Me About Washington. You and your staffs are invited, with a free 
lunch.
  I want to tell you about hometown Washington. Forget what you have 
heard. A revolution has occurred in this city. It has a new mayor, a 
reinvigorated city council, and a control board that operates with a 
much reduced capacity. The city is in the hands of its new mayor, Tony 
Williams, the man who helped repair the city's finances and, as a 
result, got elected mayor. I work closely with him and have great hopes 
in what he can do for this city, because he has already done a great 
deal for the city when he was chief financial officer.
  The city' problems came largely from the fact that since its 
establishment 200 years ago, it has been the only city in the United 
States that has carried State, county and municipal functions. It is a 
miracle that the District was up and standing so long carrying State 
functions, despite its big city urban problems that all of you have in 
your own States.
  Congress has relieved the city of some of its State functions, much 
to the credit of the Congress and the President. So the District has 
had three years of surpluses and is no longer even close to insolvent.
  You should also know about the city that it is a city at the very top 
in so many ways. We are fifth per capita in the United States in the 
number of residents who have a bachelor's degree. The residents keep 
this city running for the 25 million people who come here to see the 
monuments and the city every year, and we keep it running out of our 
own pocket with $5 billion raised from taxpayers in the District. We do 
this with no grant from the Federal Government, despite the fact that 
the Federal Government takes 40 percent of the land off of our tax 
rolls for Federal office space and monuments.
  We are third per capita in Federal income taxes paid to the Federal 
Treasury, and yet my folks have no representation in the Senate, and 
only me, a delegate, in the House. This is a historic anomaly, along 
with the fact that you will be asked to vote on local matters, 
occasional local matters affecting the District, and even on our 
appropriation, none of which is raised by the Federal Government. This 
is an anomaly that is impossible to justify today. All that we ask is 
that you be respectful of local government, as you insist in your own 
district and State. Congress should never intrude on the Democratic 
prerogatives of a local people, and I ask for that respect in the name 
of the people I represent.
  Please know that you are in one of the most livable and beautiful 
cities in the United States. New Members will shortly be receiving a 
letter from me about this city. Members who have been here before will 
be receiving an update. You do not need to go far to know what a 
beautiful city this is as a hometown community. Not only the 
Congresswoman, but all of the elected officials and the residents stand 
ready to help you enjoy the city.
  I want to be clear that my office is here at the disposal of Members 
of the House and the Senate. If you have a problem in the District, you 
do not have to call the District straight away to try to find out where 
and who to go to to deal with it. Call your Congresswoman away from 
home, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who proudly represents the 
more than one-half million people who have the good fortune to live in 
the Nation's Capital.

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