Norton Introduces Bills to Give Mayor Authority Over D.C. National Guard and Give Ed Grants to Guard

Norton Introduces Bills to Give Mayor Additional Authority Over D.C. National Guard and to Provide Educational Grants to D.C. National Guard Members

March 17, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will introduce two D.C. National Guard bills to enhance the District's home-rule authority over the Guard and strengthen the Guard itself. The bill would give the mayor of the District of Columbia authority to deploy the D.C. National Guard during local emergencies, including natural disasters and civil disturbances unrelated to national or homeland security, after consultation with the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard. The President of the United States would retain final authority over the D.C. National Guard.

"Should D.C. face a local emergency, the mayor of this city should have the same authority that governors exercise over the National Guard in their states," said Norton. "Presently, the President and the Commanding General have the authority to deploy the D.C. National Guard for national and local purposes, respectively. The mayor knows the District better than any federal official and what to do in the event of a hurricane or a neighborhood disturbance in the District."

Norton earlier succeeded in getting authority for the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, rather than only the President, to deploy the Guard in order to avoid the federal bureaucracy necessary to call up the D.C. National Guard. She believes that in light of the special status of the D.C. National Guard, which operates under the President, her bill will have a better chance of passage if it provides for the mayor to consult with the Commanding General.

Norton will also introduce the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Act, to permanently authorize funding for a program that provides grants for higher education tuition to members of the D.C. National Guard. The Congresswoman said, "The D.C. National Guard needs the same incentives to attract the best soldiers as state Guard units, which offer these higher education grants. We have been able to get funds for the program from our appropriators, but given the new majority in the House, it is risky to go further without the permanent authority we have sought for several years."