Evening star., 1944-11-26
Worthwhile Reform

Regardless OF It's benef1tS In other
spheres, a reorganization of con-
gressional committee membership
and procedure would work wonders
in handling District of Columbia
legislation.
A joint legislative committee on
the District of Columbia would avoid
much of the wasted time and effort
lost in duplicated consideration Of
local bills by separate House and
Senate committees. A joint COM
nittee would tend more definitely
to fix responsibility, sometimes so
hopelessly divided between the two
committees in the absence of effec-
tive pressure from voting constitu-
ents.
Former Senator King Of Utah, for
many years a chairman of the Sen
ate District Committee, was an ad-
vocate of the Joint committee plan.
1t was used to advantage In pre-
pairing the Districts liquor law after
repeal of prohibition, when the two
committees met jointly for hearings
and reached agreement on identical
bills for House and Senate consid-
Grafton. The sessions were held on
the House side, and the committee
members were pleased with the rela-
tive simplicity of the arrangement.
There are many weaknesses in
herent in the present system. We
have, for instance, the occasional
spectacle of last weeks Senate Dis
trict Committee meeting, when, in
a brief session, an accumulation of
seventeen bills was disposed of in a
manner that made a farce of serious
committee consideration. The old
practice of voting by proxy, which
is not confined to the District
Committee, encourages absenteeism.
When Chairman Bilbo is able to
produce eight votes out of his pocket
and cast them all in favor or against
some local legislation, the exclusive
control exercised by Congress over
the District is robbed of its dignity
and meaning.
Offsetting this informal If expedi-
tious consideration of local legisla-
ton by one committee, after the
other has acted, Is the interminable
delay and confusion resulting when
one committee adopts one policy
on legislation while the other takes
another course. Efforts to work for
slum reclamation bill were in effect
blocked when it became apparent
that the long, exhaustive hearings
conducted by Senate subcommittee
were to be repeated on the House
side. Five separate bills for build
ing a stadium have been intro
duced-one in the Senate, which has
been favorably reported from the
Senate District Committee, and four
in the House, which will be the sub
ject of hearings. How much more
logical and advantageous it would
be If the stadium project were han
died by Joint committee or a sub
committee representing both COM
mittees.
A still greater reform would re-
suit if the joint committee were
given the power of recommending
appropriations, in addition to legis-
lation. This would be peculiarly
appropriate for the District Of Co.
lumbia, where the money appro-
priated is for the most part derived
from local taxes. Many of our short
comings Is municipality today are
the result of short-sighted appro-
priations policies and legislative
riders on appropriation bills con-
Trajectory to the spirit and the letter
of substantive law.
Congress may in time be forced
in self-protection to reorganize its
committee processes. When that
happens, the District of Columbia
will be beneficiary.