[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LEGISLATIVE AUTONOMY ACT OF 2002

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2002

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia 
Legislative Autonomy Act of 2002, to eliminate the congressional review 
period of 30 days and 60 days respectively, for civil and criminal acts 
passed by the D.C. City Council. This bill is the fraternal twin of 
H.R. 2995, the District of Columbia Fiscal Integrity Act of 2001, which 
would allow the District's budget to become law upon enactment by the 
District government. Under the current system, all acts of the Council 
are subjected to this Congressional layover period, and the District's 
budget cannot become law without congressional approval. Experience 
demonstrates that these are unnecessary and undemocratic requirements 
that add nothing except an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to an 
already overburdened city government and to Congress and its processes.
  Since the adoption of the Home Rule Act in 1973, over 2000 acts have 
been passed by the council and signed into law by the Mayor. Only 43 
acts have been challenged by a congressional disapproval resolution. 
Only three of those resolutions ever passed the Congress and two 
involved a distinct federal interest. Bills to correct for any federal 
interest, rather than placing a hold on 2000 bills, would have saved 
considerable time and money for the District and the Congress.
  It is important to emphasize that this bill does not prevent review 
of District laws by Congress. The D.C. Subcommittee could continue to 
scrutinize every piece of legislation passed by the City Council if it 
desired, and to change or strike legislation under the plenary 
authority over the District that the Constitution affords to the 
Congress. My bill merely eliminates the automatic hold placed on local 
legislation and the need to pass emergency and temporary legislation to 
keep the District functioning.
  The hold on legislation forces the City Council to pass most 
legislation using a cumbersome and complicated process in which bills 
are passed concurrently on an emergency, temporary, and permanent basis 
to ensure that the large, rapidly changing city remains running. The 
Legislative Autonomy bill would eliminate the need for the District to 
engage in the byzantine process of enacting emergency and temporary 
legislation concurrently with permanent legislation. The Home Rule 
Charter contemplates that if the District needs to pass legislation 
while Congress is out of session, it may do so if two-thirds of the 
Council determines that an emergency exists, a majority of the Council 
approves the law and the Mayor signs it. Emergency legislation, 
however, lasts for only 90 days, which would (in theory) force the 
Council to the pass permanent legislation by undergoing the usual 
congressional review process when Congress returns. Similarly, the Home 
Rule Charter contemplates that the Council may pass temporary 
legislation lasting 120 days without being subjected to the 
congressional review process, but must endure the congressional layover 
period for that legislation to become law.
  I ask my colleagues, who are urging the District government to pursue 
greater efficiency and savings, to do their part in giving the city the 
tools to cut through the bureaucratic maze the Congress itself has 
imposed upon the District. Congress has been clear that it wants to see 
the D.C. government taken apart and put back together again in an 
effort to eliminate redundancy and inefficiency. Much of that work is 
in progress or has been accomplished, and Congress has taken note of 
improvements which eliminate such inefficiency in the D.C. government. 
Congress should therefore eliminate that part of the bureaucracy that 
for which Congress is solely responsible by granting the city budgetary 
and legislative autonomy. Eliminating the hold on D.C.'s budget and 
legislation would save scarce D.C. taxpayer revenue and simultaneously 
eliminate the advance congressional review that helps depress the 
city's bond rating. At the same time, Congress would give up none of 
its plenary power because under Article III, Section 8 of the 
Constitution, the Congress can intervene into any District matter at 
any time.
  The limited legislative autonomy granted in this bill would allow the 
District to realize a greater measure of meaningful self-government and 
Home Rule. This goal can be achieved without prejudice to congressional 
authority. I urge my colleagues to pass this important measure.

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