The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S8002-S8004 on July 20, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I wish to rise for a few moments today before we adjourn the Senate for the weekend to speak about one of the appropriations bills that we are going to be dealing with when we return next week and that we will work on through this summer session into the fall. That appropriations bill is the District of Columbia appropriations, which I have the great honor and privilege and opportunity to serve now as Chair, along with my distinguished colleague from Ohio, Senator DeWine, the ranking member. He and I have worked together very closely for the last several months on that appropriations committee. With the change in leadership, I find myself as Chair of this important committee. I want to spend a minute talking about that role and about some of the responsibilities that I see coming along with that role.
First, let me say that Senator DeWine and I have been in close communication on many issues that are important to the District. I have great respect for the Mayor and members of the city council, and for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton for the great work she does for the District. I look forward to working with them, along with the business leaders, the community leaders, and the labor leaders in the city to help this city be all that it can be and all that it should be.
I am a supporter of home rule and am a supporter of city leaders making decisions for themselves in great measure about how this city should be run, and I have great confidence in the ability of those leaders that I just mentioned.
Particularly, I share the Mayor's vision for this city in large measure. But one of the things that Senator DeWine and I, and others, have spoken about--there are many Members of the Senate and the House, not the least of whom is the Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Robert Byrd, the Senator from Ohio, Mr. Voinovich, and the Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durbin, all of whom play a vital role in the oversight, if you will, of the District of Columbia. I have shared many of my thoughts with them about proceeding in this particular role.
I want to outline a few issues that I would like to focus on and that I will be conducting hearings on--and the many discussions with Members of Congress on some of these issues.
One is the proper role of the chief financial officer. I think it is the cornerstone of our post-Control-Board reform. The District has made tremendous progress--4 years of surpluses, 4 years of better management, and 4 years of developing policies that are helping the District to regain its financial footing.
I think it is very important for us to focus on the role of the chief financial officer to make sure that the new responsibilities he has been given--it is my understanding that about 26 weighty responsibilities for the financial operations of this District have been handed to him by the city council and by our own laws here in Congress--are matched with the proper authority and a proper power to carry out those responsibilities.
I have spent a good bit of this week reading a very excellent report by the DC Appleseed Center, entitled ``After the Control Board: The Chief Financial Officer and Financial Management of the District of Columbia,'' which is the sole focus of this report:
The DC Appleseed Center is an independent non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to making the District of Columbia and the Washington Metropolitan area a better place to live and work, focusing primarily on strengthening the financial health of the District and enhancing the performance of governmental institutions that affect the District.
I ask unanimous consent that the list of the board of directors and staff be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Board of Directors
Daniel M. Singer, Chair, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver &
JacobsonJacquelyn V. Helm, Vice-Chair, Law Office of Jacquelyn V.
HelmRoderic L. Woodson, Secretary, Holland & KnightPeter D. Ehrenhaft, Treasurer, Ablondi, Foster, Sobin &
DavidowNicholas W. Fels, Past-Chair, Covington & BurlingRobert B. Duncan, Hogan & HartsonBert Edwards, (retired), Arthur AndersenGary Epstein, Latham & WatkinsCurtis Etherly, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Bottling CompaniesRev. Graylan S. Hagler, Plymouth Congregational, United
Church of ChristJohn W. Hechinger, Sr. (retired)Richard B. Herzog, Harkins CunninghamCarolyn B. Lamm, White & CaseEdward M. Levin (retired), U.S. Department of CommerceClaudia L. McKoin, Verizon--WashingtonAlan B. Morrison, Public Citizen Litigation GroupJohn Payton, Wilmer, Cutler & PickeringAndrew Plepler, Fannie Mae FoundationGary M. Ratner, Washington Meeting FacilitatorsMichael C. Rogers, Metropolitan Washington, Council of
GovernmentsLawrence R. Walders, Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy
Affiliations listed only for purposes of identification
Staff
Joshua S. Wyner, Executive DirectorLori E. Parker, Deputy DirectorEmily Greenspan, Program/Development AssociateAdam I. Lowe, Program AssociateSara Pollock, Program Associate
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, it is an outstanding board of directors with a very able staff.
I believe the District of Columbia council and the Mayor have referred very positively to this report. I myself will use it as a guideline as I take responsibility of this committee because there are many terrific suggestions outlined here about this particular issue--about the proper authority and power of the CFO.
It is important that the financial officer who is assuming much of the responsibility of the Control Board be properly balanced between being responsive to the Mayor, the chief executive officer of this city, if you will, and his responsibility to the public generally to give independent, accurate, and timely financial information so we can continue on this road to reform. This report will serve as great guidance, and it will be the subject of much of our discussion.
Second, as I said in a public meeting last week with the Mayor and with Delegate Norton, I agree with them on the structural changes that the District needs to come to grips with that are necessary to provide long-term financial health and prosperity for the District. There are, indeed, some real problems, some structural flaws and some structural deficits that are preventing the city from gathering the tax base and the revenue base necessary to support such a strong and vibrant community. That will be subject to some of our focus.
In addition, I assure all who look to the District of our continuing push for modernization, streamlining operations of the District, and reform of regulatory operations so that we minimize regulation and maximize good results for everyone who lives and works here. That is important.
I commend the Mayor for his extraordinary vision about what the schools can be and should be in the District of Columbia. We have this challenge everywhere around the Nation--every city, large and small, every community, particularly a community with the large population of citizens who may be under the poverty line; where citizens who may be at some disadvantage economically and are struggling with how to create vibrant, well-run and well-managed schools; where teachers are highly motivated, well paid, and highly skilled; where students are getting the kind of nurturing and support they need as well as a place where time-honed values are presented to children with the right combination of discipline and nurturing for them so they can grow, develop, and be all that God intended when he created them.
I share the Mayor's vision for strengthening of the schools. I look forward to working with the new initiatives on the development of charter schools--with more flexibility and choice for parents and a stronger academic outcome. I commend him for the work he is doing.
Also, of great interest, not only to me but to many Members of the Senate, is the push for reforming the court system in the District. Unfortunately, we have had these problems everywhere in our Nation. There have been some real breakdowns in our child welfare system. We have let many children down. We have not always come to their rescue when they have cried. We have sometimes left children languishing in foster care. We have taken their only parent they knew away from them, and then failed to provide them with another one.
The system in the United States has caused a lot of pain and a lot of grief. We have not supported our courts and our social workers and our front line staffers the way we need to around this Nation. It is no different here in the District.
So I am going to work very closely with Senator DeWine, the father of eight children, who is a great leader for child welfare on the other side of the aisle, and with Delegate Norton and Congressman DeLay, who are very focused on this issue, to modernize and strengthen the courts, to create a family- and child-centered court system so we stop letting children fall through the cracks.
I read in a book recently that when we say, oh, well, the children just fall through the cracks, actually that is not true because there are no real cracks for children to fall through. What they fall through are our fingers. They fall through our hands, hands that once held them. They have fallen through. So it is our responsibility to make sure the court system at every level and the child welfare system at every level, as much as we can, are strengthened in the District.
Finally, in terms of issues, because of the great support and feedback I have gotten from a wide variety of people--elected leaders, as well as friends and neighbors of mine as a resident here in the District, and actually living on Capitol Hill--I believe in the importance of the recreational opportunities for children of the District, to enhance those recreational opportunities to be commensurate with the surrounding suburbs. In the State of Maryland and in the State of Virginia, there are outstanding facilities where children of those States are able to participate in first-class and world-class sports and recreational activities. I think that is very important for the children and families of this District. We want them to have the same kinds of opportunities that children have in this region and across the Nation.
I am pleased that the National Soccer Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--a broad bipartisan group of citizens around this city--are rallying to the cause of creating this kind of atmosphere that is not only important to children and families, but it is important to the business community. It gives children something to say yes to.
I think, as adults, we have a responsibility to not just say no to them but to give them some things to say yes to, such as outdoor activities and recreation and team sports that build character and keep children occupied at very positive activities.
So with those issues I just outlined, I want to conclude by simply expressing, again, my support for the concept of home rule, but also to recognize my role as the Chair of this subcommittee, to say that every citizen in our Nation--every citizen, from every walk of life--has a special interest in the District of Columbia. This city has to function, obviously, and be responsive to the residents who live here--
the approximately 500,000 residents--but this District has a special responsibility.
Unlike any other city--unlike New York or Philadelphia or New Orleans or San Francisco or Chicago, or smaller communities around the Nation--
this city has a particular responsibility to every citizen of the Nation because every citizen of this Nation looks to this city as the Capital. It is part of our democratic heritage that we share as a nation of citizens. So I will be trying to represent the interests of those citizens in this debate as much as my ability will allow.
Finally, in my role as chair, I also see responsibility to the Federal Government as an employer. We are the largest employer in this District. In relation to large employers anywhere--whether it is Boeing in Seattle or another large employer in another city somewhere in America--the Federal Government employs more people in the District of Columbia directly and indirectly, by far, than any other employer.
As an employer, we have an inherent interest in the financial management of the city that we are in about its daily operations, and we have standing in those discussions. So there is a balance between home rule and the Federal Government's proper and legitimate expressions, as the largest employer in this city, of how this community should operate and how it should function.
Then, thirdly, there is a place at the table for the citizens in every State and community about the District. I hope to be able to balance those three truths as carefully as I can as chair.
I want to say one more thing about large employers. If Boeing is dissatisfied with the way the city of Seattle was being run, they have tremendous leverage. They can basically pick up and move their operations. We have seen large corporations use that leverage many times. We have seen employers pick up literally 10,000, 15,000 employees, and move out of a city to another place. They vote with their feet. If they do not like the way things are run, they have that opportunity, and employers everywhere exercise that option.
But I will point out, for this discussion, the Federal Government, as an employer, does not truly have that option. We cannot move the Capital. Some Senators have tried, but the Capital is here, and it is going to stay here. We cannot move the central operation of this Nation.
So while I would not want to use the word ``hostage'' in the wrong way, we are subject to not have the same leverage that other large employers have. So in the role as chair of this committee, I take on extra responsibility to try to communicate, in as constructive a way as possible, the views of the Federal Government as an employer. Particularly in the areas of public safety and transportation, our employees who work in the District, who are employed by the Federal Government, have a legitimate standing in those debates.
So let me say, in closing, that I look forward to working with many of my colleagues. Senator Byrd, himself, the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, served for 7 years in the capacity as chair of this committee. I cannot say at this date that I will serve as chair for 7 years--for as long as Senator Byrd served--but I can promise you, it will be no less than 4 years. If I can make it 7, I may try, because it is a lot of responsibility and it is a lot of work.
But I come to this chair at a time of great promise for this city, and with a great leadership team to work with, the Mayor and the city council, and who are poised for reform, some men and women who have literally given blood, sweat, and tears to lift this District to a place that holds great promise for not only the residents who live here, including every single child who lives here today, but for families everywhere.
So I am looking forward to that with great anticipation and great enthusiasm and will, again, focus on these important issues.
I thank the Presiding Officer. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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