Evening star., 1922-05-08
BILL TO PROL0NG
! LIFE Of RENT ACT
GIVEN APPROVAL
House Committee Formally
+; Votes to. Report Out
T Measure Tomorrow.
DOUBT IN APPOINTMENT
OF PRESENT COMMISSION
Realtor Invited to Confer Declares
He Has Been Advised Acts
| Will Not Stand.

Will Not Stand.
The House District committee. with
b quorum present, formally voted to-
day to report out a rent bill to con-
tinue the life of the Rent Commission
after the present law expires May %.
The committee expects to make its
report tomorrow. In the meantime
the bill already passed by the SEN
hte will be changed by number OF
amendments, a representative OF the
Legislative drafting bureau sitting
with the committee in rewriting the
bill The vote in favor of reporting
n rent bill was IL to 1.
Serious question as to whether there
is now de facto Rent Commission
was raised at the meeting today. F.
Il. Lee of the legislative drafting bu-
reau, who was called into conference.
said that there was a grave doubt
as to the validity of the appointment
of the present commission.
Believes Act Illegal
George r. Linkins, a Washington
real estate dealer. who was also in
itSo " SohiCi with lhS
told the committee that he believed,
and had legal advice on this point,
that no act of the Rent Commission
performed since October % would
stand in court, and that they were not
de facto officers.
Mr.. Lee also emphasized the neces-
sity. in rewriting the bill. of making
clear when the life of the present
commission ends, and when the pro-
bers shall begin to function, and also
a provision for covering the gar. in
time which will probably elapse be-
tween the expiration of the present
law and the time that the new COM
, mission begins to assume Jurisdiction;
also Iegalizing what the present COM
mission has done.
Bill Is at Stake.
There were only eight members
present at 1880 o'clock. Representa-
bill is too important ~4s~be reportsa'
TO the House without consideration
by a quorum. Representative Zibl-
man Of Maryland emphasized that the
matter is of great Importance to the
District.
Representative Wheeler Of Illinois
ruled that the committee could not
transact any business until the quo
rum was established, so the eight
members present sat around waiting
until II o'clock before a quorum was
present.
A Leftwich Sinclair, chairman Of
tho Rent Commission; w. F. GUIDE,
Mrs. Clara Sears Taylor, other men,
bers of the Rent Commission, and
Chaplin Brown, attorney for the Rent
Commission, were present.
Representative Lampert OF Wiscon-
sin said the first question to be set
tied was whether the committee in
was on his motion that the commit
Zee voted to report a new rent bill.
Mr.. Lee Of the legislative drafting
bureau explained the work of the
bureau as being merely an instru-
1nent to advise the committee and
to put into proper legal form the
decisions of the committee, having
no suggestions of its own to offer.
He discussed first the Caraway
amendment in regard to hotel prop
erty and it was the decision Of the
committee that this Senate amend
n,ent should be stricken out and that
the definition Of rented property
should be rewritten. He pointed out
also that the present bill places the
enforcement Of at least part Of the
proposed new act in the District
Commissioners instead of in the Rent
Commission and pointed out other
discrepancies which the committee
said should be corrected.
New Commission Seen.
1t seemed the opinion Of the COM
mittee today that the new bill shall
be so drawn as to direct the Presi-
dent to appoint an entirely new COM
mission of five members and specific
ally writing into the law that the
powers of the present three rent
commissioners shall expire as soon
es the new five commissioners have
been qualified.
Representative Millspaugh Of Mis-
souri,. who has been fighting the ex-
tension bill, said today that he would
be willing to compromise on, the bill
prepared by Levy David. Washing
ton attorney, and offered to the COM
,nittee by George r. Linkins. which
would give original Jurisdiction in
all rent cases to the Municipal Court
to