U.S. House Vote Attacks Local Democracy, Says ACLU of D.C.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today passed H.R.9720, the D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act, which would block D.C.’s elected officials from changing local taxes and fees without the explicit approval of Congress. The American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. denounced the move as a “tyrannical and nonsensical power grab.”

Currently under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, changes to local D.C. taxes and fees go into effect after a passive 30-day Congressional review period, during which Congress can move to block the changes. H.R. 9720 instead would require active Congressional approval within 60 days, without which the changes would not go into effect.

In response, Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of D.C., said:

“This bill is a tyrannical and nonsensical power grab. The families who live in our nation’s capital are like people in any other state, but we face the reality of federal taxation without representation every day. We pay federal taxes but have no vote in Congress. Now, members of Congress – never elected by D.C. voters – want to erode our local representation and expand federal control over our local tax dollars.

Generations of working families and veterans have long called D.C. home. It would be unthinkable for Congress to have to approve local tax and fee codes in any other state, both because it’s clear federal overreach and because it’s totally impractical. What sense does it make for Congress to have to approve a local tax cut or contributions to a pre-tax college savings account? Voters did not elect their members of Congress to micromanage and dictate tax codes that will never affect a single voter or constituent in their state.

This bill is further proof that federal attacks on local D.C. democracy have become untenable for our nation. There is no other capital in the democratic world where residents do not have political rights equal to their fellow citizens. It’s time to make D.C. the 51st state.”