Evening star., 1941-04-26
Special Rule
Weighed for
0verton Bill
Randolph Considers
Calling Up Fiscal
Plan Monday Instead

Chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee will decide today
whether to ask the House Monday to
consider the Senate-approved Over
ton bill containing a formula for
measuring the amount of the annual
Federal payment toward municipal
expenses here.
Endorsed by Mr.. Randolph's COM
mittee by al to vote at special
meeting Thursday, the measure is
now on the House calendar, ready
for consideration Monday, the
second District day of the month. A
suggestion has been made, however,
that in view of the Importance of
the proposed legislation, a special
rule be sought to give it a preferred
status. Such a move might delay
House action for week or more.
Hunter Suggests Special Rule.
A special rule was suggested by
Representative Hunter, Democrat, of
Ohio, chairman of the Fiscal Affairs
Subcommittee of the District Com
mittee, who sponsored the Overton
bill in the House. He fears the
House might not give it proper"
consideration if called up Monday
together with other proposed local
legislation on the calendar. One
of the bills definitely scheduled to
be called up at that time would au-
thorize the Commissioners to con-
duct series of experimental black
outs here with the approval and CO.
operation of the War Department.
The committees report on the bill
was filed with the House yesterday
"a report which stressed that adop-
ton of the Overton formula would
finally "rest" the troublesome fiscal
relations problem between the Fed
eral and District governments on "a
stable basis, free of uncertainty, Bit
ter controversy and ceaseless wran-
gle"
Before ordering a favorable re-
port on the bill, the committee
adopted an amendment suggested
by President Roosevelt which would
require that the appropriations ear
marked each year for Capital i'm
provement at least equal the amount
of the Federal payment.
Would Increase Present Sum.
Adoption of the Overton formula
would fix the Federal share of
municipal expenses on the basis OF
the ratio of tax exempt acreage here
to the total land area. Its applica-
ton would raise the present S6,000,-
900 annual lump sum Federal pay
ment to approximately 100000 in
the coming fiscal year beginning
July l.
The text of the committees re-
port to the House on the bill, fol-
lows:
THE committee on the District
of Columbia, to whom was referred
the bill (H. r. 3490 to fix the
amount of the annual payment by
the United States toward defraying
the expenses of the government OF
the District of Columbia, having
considered the same, report favor
ably thereon with an amendment
and recommend that the bill as
amended do pass.
"The amendment is as follows:
Provided, That out of the total
amount appropriated by the regular
annual District of Columbia appro-
priation bill for each fiscal year
there shall be made available for
capital expenditures an amount at
least equal to the amount herein
required to be appropriated by such
bill as the annual payment of the
United States for such fiscal year.
THE purpose of the bill is to
establish definite plan of Federal
payment toward the upkeep and
expenses of the National Capital.
This plan is represented by a for
mula. The formula is that the an
nual payment of the United States
to the District of Columbia will bear
the same ratio to the total general
fund appropriations as the land
owned by the United States in the
District bears to the entire land
area of the District.
Provides Deductions.
'"The land owned by the United
States in the District is defined by
the bill as being the total number
of acres of United States land
within the District as of the first
day of July of the preceding fiscal
year after making the following
deductions:
"O Any of such land embraced
within the boundaries of streets,
avenues, roads and alleys;
go Fifty-six per cent of any
such land which is embraced within
the park areas of the District; and
"(3 ANY such land used exclu-
sively by the District of Columbia
government.
"The reason for deducting from
the United States land the areas of
streets. avenues, roads and alleys is
because all municipalities have
streets, avenues, ETC., and it is
proper to credit the United States
with such lands. A deduction for
park area is proper because all mu-
inequalities have park areas; but
the District of Columbia has an
excessive park area over that of
other comparable cities. The excess
park area is A per cent and, there
fore, there is deducted from the
United States land 56 per cent of
the park area. In other words, the
Federal Government is credited
with the average park area and
charged only with the excess park
area. All park areas in the District
are owned by the Federal Govern
rnent. The deduction from the
United States land of all such land
used exclusively by the District of
Columbia is self-explanatory.
Cites Fund Exceptions.
~The Federal payment is limited
to the total general-fund appropria-
tions, mainly because historically
the Federal payment has always
been In relation to the general-fund