Council of the District of Columbia

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Type
Council of the District of Columbia

Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Chairman of the Council	Vincent C. Gray, (D) since January 2, 2007
Structure
Members	13
Political groups	Democratic Party Independents Republican Party
Election
Last election	November 7, 2006
Meeting place

John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004
Web site
www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us

The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of Washington, D.C. Because the United States Constitution places the District of Columbia under the sole control of Congress, all acts of the council are subject to congressional override, and thus the council has less power than most city councils in the United States. However, because the District is not part of any state, Congress has devolved many powers normally exercised by state governments to the District's government; thus, the council considers many matters that would fall to county and state legislatures elsewhere in the United States.

1 History
2 Composition
3 Committees
4 Officers of the council
5 Council periods
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The council was created by the passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act by Congress in 1973. This act gave D.C. residents the right to elect a local government with limited authority with its acts subject to the approval of Congress, and was an important achievement of the effort for District of Columbia home rule. Previously, D.C. had been governed directly by Congress through the Committees on the District of Columbia.

[edit] Composition

The council, as of August 2007. Standing (left to right): Jim Graham, Muriel Bowser, Harry Thomas Jr., Tommy Wells, Yvette Alexander, Marion Barry, Phil Mendelson, Mary Cheh. Seated (left to right): David Catania, Carol Schwartz, Vincent C. Gray, Jack Evans, Kwame R. Brown

The council is composed of thirteen members, each elected by District residents to a four-year term.^[1] The members fall into the following categories:

The chairman of the council, elected by the electorate of the District as a whole.^[1]
Eight members, each of whom is elected from one of the District's eight wards.^[1]
Four at-large members representing the District as a whole.^[1] The terms of the at-large members are staggered so that two are elected every two years, and each D.C. resident has two votes in the at-large election. The two at-large members elected cannot be from the same party; thus, if the top two vote getters in an election come from Party A and the third-place candidate is from Party B, the first- and third-place candidates would be the winners. In practice, District politics are almost completely dominated by the Democratic Party, and the only non-Democratic council members are at-large members.

[edit] Requirements for office

resident of the District of Columbia for at least one year prior to the general election^[1]
registered voter ^[1]
if running for a particular ward, then must be a resident of that ward^[1]
hold no other public office for which compensation beyond expenses is received^[1]

[edit] Current party affiliations

Affiliation		Members
	Democratic Party	11
	Republican Party	1
	Independent	1
Total		13

[edit] Current members

Name	Position	Party	Took office	Up for reelection
Vincent C. Gray	Chairman	Democratic	2007	2010
Carol Schwartz	At-large	Republican	1997	2008
David Catania	At-large	Independent	1997	2010
Phil Mendelson	At-large	Democratic	1999	2010
Kwame R. Brown	At-large	Democratic	2005	2008
Jim Graham	Ward 1	Democratic	1999	2010
Jack Evans	Ward 2	Democratic	1991	2008
Mary Cheh	Ward 3	Democratic	2007	2010
Muriel Bowser	Ward 4	Democratic	2007	2008
Harry Thomas, Jr.	Ward 5	Democratic	2007	2010
Tommy Wells	Ward 6	Democratic	2007	2010
Yvette Alexander	Ward 7	Democratic	2007	2008
Marion Barry	Ward 8	Democratic	2005	2008

[edit] Committees

The council has the following standing committees:^[2]

Committee of the Whole
Committee on Economic Development
Committee on Finance and Revenue
Committee on Health
Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs
Committee on Human Services
Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation
Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary
Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs
Committee on Public Works and the Environment
Committee on Workforce Development and Government Operations

[edit] Officers of the council

Council officers are recommended by the council chairman and are approved by a majority of the council.^[1] The following positions are officers of the council.

General counsel
- acts as chief parliamentarian of the council
- provides advice to the council on legislative policy
- represents the council in legal actions
- assists council members in drafting legislation

Secretary to the council
- chief administrative officer
- keeps the legislative records
- makes information available to the public

Budget director
- reviews the proposed annual operating budget
- analyzes the fiscal impact of all legislation and contracts

[edit] Council periods

Council of the District of Columbia Period 16 2005-2006
Council of the District of Columbia Period 15 2003-2004
Council of the District of Columbia Period 14 2001-2002
Council of the District of Columbia Period 13 1999-2000
Council of the District of Columbia Period 12 1997-1998

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Organizational Structure". Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
^ Council Period 17 Appointment of Chairperson Pro Tempore, Committee Chairpersons, and Committee and Membership Resolution of 2007.

[edit] External links

Council of the District of Columbia, official site

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