Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-10
-Four Important
D. {. Bills Go
To White House
Include Repeal
Of Alley Dwelling
Occupancy Bon
By Don S. Warren

Four important District bills
today were being prepared for
the expected signature of Pres
ident Eisenhower and a fifth,
also passed by the House in q
sudden rush of business late yes
terday, goes back to the Senate
with amendments.
Those clearing final congress
sional hurdles would:
/. Provide for official and reg
ulated primaries here for the
election of District delegates to
the national political conven-
tons;
2. Repeal the 40-year -old, but
never enforced, law banning use
of alley dwellings for human
occupancy-without inclusion Of
the Mcmillan rider to permit the
rebuilding of gas station at
Wisconsin and Massachusetts,
avenues NV.
This action brought great signs
OF relief from owners and buy
erS of alley homes which have
been remodeled or rebuilt at con-
siderable cost.
Opens Arrest Records.
3. Require Washington police
to maintain open records of all
arrests. a practice long followed
but not now required by law, and
4. Revise and strengthen the
District Traffic Act in numerous
respects, including four new
reasons for mandatory revoca-
ton of operator permits. These
are homicide by automobile,
leaving the scene of accident in
volving bodily injury, reckless
driving involving bodily injury,
and any felony involving use Of
an automobile.
Sent back to the Senate for
consideration of amendments
was bill liberalizing the District
unemployment compensation
program. Both houses now have
agreed to raise the maximum
benefit level from $40 to $50 q
week, but there are major differ
ences as to waiting time and
duration of benefits.
The Senate had approved an
amendment by Senator Morse.
independent, of Oregon to make
this a fiat six weeks, without
any charge against the maximum
duration. The House called for
continuation of the variable"
four-to-nine weeks, with the
time to be charged against the
maximum duration.
26 or 20 Weeks.
The House limited payments
to % weeks. The Senate had ap-
proved a maximum of 26 weeks.
Both are subject to 80 per cent
Of the wages the eligible jobless
person received during his base
year employment.
Apparently, this bill will have
to be sent to a House-Senate
conference. There have been
some reports that House Dis
trict leaders would refuse to
compromise and wanted to send
the bill back to the Senate on q
take-it-or- leave-it basis.
! One reason given was that q
Labor Department official is said
to have told Representative
Tale, Republican, of Iowa. sub
committee chairman. that he
was ..derelict" in his duty for
not Cat that time) acting on the
Senate bill.
Resistance developed over that.
however, was said to have been
quoted. At any rate. the House
Committee brought out its own
bill, and yesterday an avenue
for compromise was left open by
Mr.. Tale.
After the House had approved
his committees version of the
bill he brought up the Senate
measure, preserving its number
and title, but inserting the
House language for the Senate's.
Had this not been done, the
separate Senate and House bills
would have passed each other
like two ships in the night"
with little chance that either
house would yield completely to
the other. The Senate now IL
expected to ask the House for
a conference to settle differ
ences.