Evening star., 1949-03-23
Kefauver Offers
Home Ru|eBi
Monday
SimpIified Measure
Asks Elected Council,
D. c. Reorganization
By Don S. Warren

seven other members OF the Sen
ate District Committee, Senator
Kefauver, Democrat, of Tennes-
see today introduced a new WASH
ington home rule bill for an elected
and reorganized city government.
Public hearings on the new
draft, a simplif1ed and shortened
version Of early city suffrage
measures. are to be held next
Monday before the Senate Home
Rule Subcommittee, headed by
the Tennesseean.
It would provide for a city
council of nine members and an
elected Board of Education Of
seven members, with a city mana
ger to take charge of all city
administration.
IL Main Departments.
The "topsy-groVn" District
Government would be stream
lined into IL main departments,
with schools under separate ad-
ministration of the school board.
The council would be empowered
not only to make local ordinances
and adopt city budgets but also
would have power to propose city
Legislation to Congress that would
become law, unless disapproved
within go days by the House or
Senate, or vetoed within 10 ad-
ditional days by the President.
The new draft contains one sur
prise: 1t omits any statement Of
what should be the size of the
Federal payment to the National
Capital. All earlier bills have
called for some formula or some
minimum payment as a means Of
assuring some fairness or continu-
ity in the Federal share.
May Insert Provision.
Senator Kefauver said this has
been left out of the present draft
because Chairman McGrath Of
the full District Committee has
proposed separate legislation con-
cerning the Federal payment. He
added that, after the bill has been
analyzed at next Mondays hear.
ings a Federal payment provision
might be inserted In the charter
measure.
Senator McGrath recently in
troduced a bill calling for an
extra $18,6 100000 Federal grant to
the District for the next fiscal
year. This would be in addition
to the present $12,000.000 annual
lump sum. Senator McGrath In
troduced this bill after the House
rejected the first 1850 tax bill for
the District.
Under the new home rule bill,
the whole plan would be sub
ject to approval in an official
referendum next November is.
The first elections would be held
on March 7. 1850. and the elected
council and school board would
take Office on April l, 1850.
Control by Congress.
While the plan would give broad
law-making powers to the council,
these would be subject to possible
overriding control by Congress.
Congress still would retain all
of its present, final legislative au-
thority. Each member Of the
House and Senate could intro
duce District bills, as at present.
and Congress might choose to
enact District legislation on any
subject. even those on which Or
dinance making or legislative
powers would be conferred on the
council.
This reservation of Congress
sional authority is stated in q
section reading:
1.-The Congress Of the United
States reserves the right at any
time to exercise its Constitutional
authority as legislature for the
District of Columbia by enacting
legislation for the District on any
subject, whether within or without
the scope of legislative power
granted to the District council by
this act, including without limita-
ton LEGISLATION to amend or repeal
any law in force in the District
of Columbia prior to or after the
enactment of this act or any pro-
vision of this act"
Members Of the council and
the school board would be elected
for four year terms, after the
initial period, when terms would
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