Evening star., 1951-07-18
Senate Passage
Seen for New
|HoIne-RuIe Bill
| Plans Advocates
| Not So Sure Of
| Action in House
By Don S. Warren

ACIlOn III HOuSG
By Don S. Worren
Senate advocates of Washington
home rule today are predicting
Senate approval for a compromise
elected city government plan, now
being pushed by a bipartisan Sem
ate District Committee group.
THE prospects are bright" said
Senator Kefauver, Democrat, Of
Tennessee. Senator Case, Repub-
lican, of South Dakota, who
brought about development Of the
new local suffrage plan, said he
believes it meets many of the OBJ
jections raised against the earlier
Senate bill. now blocked in the
District Committee.
But what the House District
Committee would do If the Senate
passed the new bill was a question
raised by several Senators. They
recalled that the House committee
already has buried two different
District home rule measures.
Kefauver Hopeful.
Even on this, Senator Kefauver
was inclined to be hopeful. With
some work by House advocates.
Senator Kefauver said, Il think
we can make better progress
there"
The Home Rule Subcommittee
of the Senate District COMMITTEES
yesterday unanimously voted to
back the compromise plan, drafted
by Committee Counsel Gerhard P.
van Arkel and Robert Albrook,
aide to Senator Case.
It is broader than the Kefauver-
Taft-Neely bill and would author
ize an all-elected city council to
Ilegislate on tax as well as budget
matters without direct reference
to Congress.
Congress, of course, would re-
tain it's Constitutional overriding
authority and could step in to
repeal or modify any act Of the
council.
i Another feature would be q
lPresident-appointed Mayor. in
stead of a council-named city
manager.
: Neely Would go Along"
The substitute plan was ac-
, cepted yesterday by Senators
! Neely, Kefauver and Case with
, varying degrees Of enthusiasm.
Committee Chairman Neely said
he preferred the earlier bill
(passed in 1949 by the Senate)
but he said he will "go along" be-
lcause Senator Kefauver had ac-
lcepted the compromise.
Senator Kefauver said he thinks
the committee staff has done a
good job in its revision work. ~
II have some personal prefer
!. ences." Senator Kefauver added,
"but on the whole it is a very
satisfactory bill. In some ways
! it is an improvement"
He referred to the substitute as
"the bill of Senator Case" but
the South Dakota Senator said
\ II didn't write it." There might
be some credit for getting out an
approved bill, Senator Case said,
"but ] am much more interested
in having a home rule bill sue
ceed than I am in any personal
credit"
. There will be no hearings on
the substitute plan. Subcommittee
members agreed there have been
full hearings on the earlier bills
and that the substitute measure
grew out of those sessions. The
matter mas been sufficiently COW
cred, the compromise sponsors
agreed.
Citizens Could Comment.
+ Citizen groups will have the
| opportunity to submit comments
{ on the new plan. But in contrast
I to some earlier suggestions, the
new plan is not to be mailed out
to every witness of the earlier
3 home rule hearings.
n Full District committee action
! lis to be delayed for week or 10
t days. Committee prints of the
new plan are to be circulated
among the entire Senate member
ship to determine how many want
> to co-sponsor the substitute plan.
Responses will determine
! whether the new plan is to be in
troduced as a new bill or merely
offered as a substitute for the
..lpending measure.
One Republican Senator said
yesterday he has some doubts
about the constitutionality Of
Congress delegating to a District
council the power to levy taxes
without reference to Congress.
Another Senator said he is
withholding his views until he can
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be for favorable House action.
! Senate Passage Predicted.
On the surface. it appeared that
! home rule advocates will muster
!. enough votes in the Senate Dis
ltrict Committee to send the bill
to the Senate for action. And
the advocates seemed sure that.
when the Senate finds time to de-
bate the issue, an elected city
government bill will be passed.
Senator Butler, Republican, Of
: Maryland, one of the District
' Committee members who has
i blocked the Kefauver- Taft Nicely
eIbill, said he is inclined to support
. the substitute plan.
I Senator Kefauver said he be-
i lieves the new plan for an elected
but non-voting District delegate
in the House is an improvement.
!, Senator Nicely always has been
: outspoken against the delegate
; provision, insisting that the Dis
: trict should be granted voting rep