[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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