CONTENTS Page Dellums, Hon. Ronald V., a U.S. Representative in Congress from the State Diggs, Hon. Charles C., Jr., Chairman, Committee on the District of Co- 121, 124 Duncan, Hon. John B., Former Commissioner of the District of Columbia__ Fraser, Hon. Donald M., a U.S. Representative in Congress from the State Fuqua, Hon. Don, a U.S. Representative in Congress from the State of McIntyre, James J., former member of the Nelsen Commission___ Nelsen, Hon. Ancher, a U.S. Representative in Congress from the State of Minnesota; accompanied by Hon. Don Fuqua, a U.S. Representative in in Congress from the State of Florida; and John Hogan, Esq., Executive Assistant and Director of the Commission on the Organization of the Government of the District of Columbia---- Tucker, Sterling, Chairman, Metropolitan Coalition of Self-Determination for the District of Columbia; accompanied by Delano Lewis, Sturgis Warner, Jim Devall, Kenneth Kennedy, Craig Bamberger, and Jason Washington, Hon. Walter E., Mayor, District of Columbia; accompanied by Hon. John A. Nevius, Chairman, District of Columbia City Council; Ben Gilbert, General Assistant to the Mayor; Comer S. Coppie, Special Assistant to the Mayor for Budget and Financial Management; Joseph Yeldell, Director, Department of Human Resources; and other Depart- Church, United Presbyterian in the U.S.A: memo to Government Opera- Genné, Mrs. William H., National Board of the Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A.: letter to Congressman Adams, dated April 12, Hechinger, John W., Democratic National Committeeman for the District of Columbia: statement to the Government Operations Subcommittee of Martin, Ms. Wilma C., president, League of Women Voters of the District 200 Trask, Alfred S., member of the American University Park Citizen's As- sociation statement to the Government Operations Subcommittee of the REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND HOME RULE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1973 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS OF THE Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, in room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, at 10:15 a.m., Hon. Brock Adams (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Adams (chairman of the subcommittee), Diggs, Fauntroy, Nelsen, Landgrebe and Mazzoli. Also present: Dorothy E. Quarker, Chief of Staff; Robert B. Washington, Chief Counsel; Dale MacIver, Counsel; James Clark, Legal Consultant; John Hogan, Minority Counsel; Jacques DePuy, Subcommittee Counsel; and Anne Darneille, Subcommittee Staff. Mr. ADAMS. The subcommittee will come to order. This morning hearings start on the organization of the District of Columbia government. Before I go any further with the statement as to some of the things that we may want to do during the course of these hearings, I would like to welcome the panel that will appear before us this morning, our colleagues, Congressman Ancher Nelsen of Minnesota and Congressman Don Fuqua of Florida, both of whom were members of the Commission that studied the organization of the District of Columbia within the past 2 years; and John Hogan, who has been minority counsel to this committee and who has also worked with the Commission as executive assistant. Before going any further, I would like to yield to the Chairman of the Full Committee, Hon. Charles Diggs of Michigan. Mr. Chairman. STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES C. DIGGS, JR., CHAIRMAN, The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we start the work of the new Congress with a new committee on the District of Columbia, we will be charting new paths for a relationship between Congress and the Government of the Nation's Capital. It is my goal and the goal of the other members of this committee to help in every way we can to make this city an example of how congested urban areas can be made livable again and responsive to the needs of the people who live and work there. The problems of (1) Washington, D.C. are the problems of large cities everywhere. The solutions to these problems we may find here in this city can be invaluable in helping other large cities meet the challanges they face. This Congress will struggle with the problems facing our large cities in many aspects and I am hopeful that the House District. Committee can make a significant contribution toward solving urban problems everywhere by concentrating available manpower and brainpower and other resources to find solutions here in Washington, D.C. We can use this as an "urban laboratory" to demonstrate that cities can be productive, can be attractive centers of culture, commerce and family life. Now, the Nelsen Commission Report which we received today is a very important tool for this committee of Congress to use in this effort. It is a landmark study, it turns a bright spotlight on the Government of our Nation's Capital. It brings out the strengths and weaknesses in the present state of things and it uncovers duplication and overlapping authority and makes recommendations for tightening up and streamlining areas of our city government. This committee is fortunate to have this report fresh at hand as we start the awesome task of raising the status and stature of this great city. We owe a great deal to Congressman Ancher Nelsen, the ranking member of this committee on the Minority side because it is he who was the original author of the Little Hoover Commission Bill that created this Commission. It was Ancher Nelsen who served as Chairman of the Commission during these past 2 years and who has guided and directed this investigation and the work of the nine advisory committees of experts, and the 15 task forces and the staff that drew up this far-reaching and voluminous report. There were 14 of us who cosponsored Congressman Nelsen's bill in 1969 but it was Ancher's project all the way and we are indebted to him for this monumental work. Enacting the Nelsen Commission Report into law is one of the major tasks facing Congress in 1973. It will be both a challenge and an opportunity. It will be a chance for Congress to sort out the complicated morass of independent bodies and conflicting authorities built into the District Government by acts of Congress adopted in years gone by. The problems to a large extent are the result of congressional action and now Congress must untangle and reform the organization of the government of this city. We must enact laws that will place responsibility in conjunction with the resources needed to carry out the job and we must enable the centers of power in our municipal government to make consistent policies and to have authority to carry them out. We must fashion government to enable it to contribute to equal opportunity and to the economic health of this community and keep it from being a hindrance to individual growth and betterment. The task for Congress guided by this impressive report is to change city government so that a citizen knows where to turn and how to be heard and what services are available to him. We will be changing the organization chart of our city government not just to fit the computers, but to fit people. Our emphasis must be on service, on service to children needing education and rec |