[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H4618-H4619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOME RULE AMENDMENT ACT

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2080) to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule 
Act to conform the District charter to revisions made by the Council of 
the District of Columbia relating to public education.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2080

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONFORMING DISTRICT CHARTER TO COUNCIL AMENDMENTS 
                   RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION.

       (a) In General.--The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking section 452 (sec. 1--204.52, D.C. Official 
     Code); and
       (2) by striking section 495 (sec. 1--204.95, D.C. Official 
     Code).
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act 
     is amended by striking the item relating to section 452 and 
     the item relating to section 495.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, may I offer my thanks to the chairman of the 
subcommittee, particularly for the very expeditious way in which he has 
moved my request for early consideration of the matter before us now.
  I rise to request passage of H.R. 2080, a bill to amend the District 
of Columbia Home Rule Act in keeping with District public school 
charter revisions proposed by Mayor Adrian Fenty and passed by the 
Council of the District of Columbia.
  I very much appreciate that Chairman Henry Waxman and Chairman Danny 
Davis considered this bill expeditiously, and the leadership has kindly 
granted our request for early consideration of the bill on the House 
floor on the suspension calendar in light of the fact that the matter 
before the House is not controversial.
  The bill supports the District in moving on its own to correct 
problems in its local school system.
  In fact, H.R. 2080 is before the Congress only because the current 
Home Rule Act now in the process of being revised requires that certain 
changes to the District's charter be made by Federal legislation. I 
stress that the underlying school reorganization involves no Federal 
funds and is entirely a local school issue.
  However, H.R. 2080 is of major importance to the District of 
Columbia. And if it were possible, the city would have made these 
revisions effective immediately. Therefore, I am grateful to the 
Federal Workforce chair, Mr. Danny Davis, and Oversight and Government 
Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman for moving this bill as soon as 
possible in committee, and the subsequent movement to the House floor 
the very next week, the week in which we now find ourselves.
  The school structure change in particular puts a heavy and 
unprecedented burden on the administration of a new mayor, Mayor Adrian 
Fenty. Many in the Congress have over the years urged changes in the 
D.C. public schools; and therefore, I know that the last thing Congress 
wants to do is get in the way or slow a difficult local school reform 
process.
  The extra congressional level of procedure for a local school 
restructuring is not within the expertise of a national legislative 
body whose agenda is packed with urgent national concerns.

                              {time}  1715

  The necessity for a Member of Congress to introduce a bill for a 
self-governing city is an anachronism neither the Congress nor the 
District deserves or can afford today. I promise the Congress I will 
try to make this the last time the House or the Senate is requested to 
pass a charter bill of no concern and of little interest to the 
Congress of the United States.
  I strongly ask that all Members support the swift passage of this 
bill today.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 2080 which will implement the 
District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007. The 
legislation was passed by a 9-2 vote by the city council on April 19 
and was signed by Mayor Fenty on April 23. Because the local bill 
includes amendments to the Home Rule Act, Congress must pass this bill 
for it to be effective. I make a special note that this legislation 
relies solely on local funds.
  Before approving the bill, the city council held over 70 hours of 
hearings. I commend Mayor Fenty for proposing this bold change in 
governance and the city council for its careful deliberation and 
amendments to the original proposal.
  Key elements of the local bill include streamlined educational 
responsibility, spending controls and consolidation of functions. The 
legislation is also intended to resolve issues that have festered 
between the D.C. public school system and charter schools.
  Every city and county is entitled to govern its own school system as 
it sees

[[Page H4619]]

fit, and the District of Columbia ought not to be an exception.
  The challenges that have faced the city's public schools are well-
known and extensively documented. Congress needs to pass this 
legislation promptly to ensure these reforms can be in place before 
school begins again next August. Changes in educational procurement are 
particularly important. Recent reports of failing boilers and high 
levels of lead in school water fountains lend a sense of urgency to 
this bill.
  I wish the mayor and the city council well as they assume enhanced 
responsibility for public education. They have asked through this 
legislation to be held to a much higher level of accountability, and I 
commend them for stepping up to the plate on this core function of 
local government.
  This does not obviate the continuing need to provide an alternative 
to underperforming neighborhood schools. That is why the D.C. 
Opportunity Scholarship Program is so vital. Today, the program gives 
approximately 1,800 low-income students access to schools of their 
choice. Reauthorization of this excellent program, which will be 
required by 2008, is necessary as part of our vision to expand and 
improve opportunities for D.C. students.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to close.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2080 repeals sections 452 and 495 of the District 
of Columbia Home Rule Act and permits the District of Columbia Council 
to establish the District of Columbia public schools as a Cabinet-level 
agency.
  Under H.R. 2080, the mayor and the council will be held accountable 
for the management of the District's public schools. Section 452 
describes the role and responsibilities of the mayor and council with 
respect to the annual budget process for the District of Columbia 
public school system. Section 452 provides the mayor and the council 
authority to establish the maximum amount of funds which will be 
allocated to the District of Columbia's Board of Education, but they 
are not allowed to change how the funds are used for educational 
programs.
  H.R. 2080 will eliminate section 452 and allow the mayor and council 
to determine the level of funding allocations that each program 
receives. The money for this budget is entirely local money.
  Section 495 established the D.C. Board of Education. H.R. 2080 would 
repeal the powers of the board and gives the mayor and council 
authority over the District's public schools. Mayor Fenty has been 
seeking the authority to reform the D.C. public school system since 
earlier this year.
  On January 5, 2007, the mayor submitted the District of Columbia 
Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007, the act, to the D.C. 
council for their consideration. The act transfers management and 
oversight authority for D.C.'s public schools to the mayor.
  It transfers all State education agency responsibilities from the 
Board of Education to the State education office; creates an 
Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission; 
establishes an Office of Ombudsman for public education; and a Public 
Education Facilities Management and Construction Authority.
  The D.C. council has held over 70 hours of hearings and heard the 
testimonies of residents, teachers, students, parents and leading 
educational experts on the mayor's proposal. The mayor believes that 
giving him control of D.C. public schools will lead to a dramatic 
improvement in the District's school system.
  The District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 
2007 passed the District of Columbia council on April 19, 2007, by a 
vote of 9-2. H.R. 2080 will allow the mayor to implement his 
initiatives to reform D.C. public schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton 
and ranking minority member, Representative Tom Davis, for introducing 
this legislation. It is important to note that if D.C. had home rule, 
this legislation would not be necessary.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation because, in 
effect, what we are really doing is giving certification, in a sense, 
to actions that have been taken by the District of Columbia's city 
council and giving them the authority to exercise responsibility for 
their own public school system, which is obviously the right thing to 
do.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would urge passage of this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2080.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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