Norton Bills Giving DC Its Own Hatch Act Jurisdiction & Another Restoring Kingman & Heritage Island

Norton Bills Giving D.C. Its Own Hatch Act Jurisdiction and Another Restoring Kingman and Heritage Islands On Way to Senate Floor

May 18, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two D.C. bills sponsored by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the D.C. Hatch Act Reform Act and the Kingman and Heritage Islands Act, yesterday passed out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and are on the way to becoming law. The Hatch Act Reform Act (H.R. 1345), which the House passed last year, allows the District of Columbia, the only local jurisdiction still under the federal Hatch Act, to enact and operate under its own local Hatch Act, eliminating confusion about application of the federal law to local D.C. matters. Norton has frequently criticized the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for inconsistently applying the federal Hatch Act to the District. The OSC, for example, has charged some Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs) running for D.C. City Council with violation of the Hatch Act, but not other ANCs, as well as some members of the current D.C. Council, who ran for the Council from ANC positions. OSC does not recognize ANC commissioners as "elected officials," although they are elected officials under D.C. law, and, of course, should be able to run for higher office in the District.

Norton said, "After repeated complaints about inconsistent decisions by OSC, which often said that legislation was necessary, my bill eliminates confusion. More important, my bill allows the District to enact its own local Hatch Act as other state and local jurisdictions have done." City Council Chairman Vincent Gray has introduced a local Hatch Act, but a local law cannot be enacted until after the Norton bill passes.

The Congresswoman's bill removes only the federal Hatch Act jurisdiction that applies solely to the District of Columbia and requires the District to enact its own local Hatch Act. The D.C. Hatch Act Reform Act will be another victory for Norton's "Free and Equal" bills to eliminate federal control of D.C. government issues.

The Kingman and Heritage Islands Act (H.R. 2092) would make Kingman and Heritage Islands, man-made islands located near RFK Stadium, a center for environmental education and recreation in the District. Congresswoman Norton last month celebrated the release of the 10-year comprehensive Anacostia River Watershed Plan, mandated by her bill to clean-up and protect the Anacostia River. "Preserving Kingman and Heritage Islands synchronizes with my Anacostia River priorities," Norton said. "Our city has fully embraced the potential of these islands for recreation, enjoyment, and preservation, of the Anacostia River and its shores. I expect that the development will serve as a model education and recreation center that will attract tourists and residents alike and engage them in preserving and restoring our natural resources." The Kingman and Heritage Islands bill passed the House in October 2009. Norton expects both bills to pass the Senate and to be signed into law this year.