| | This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please add more appropriate citations from reliable sources. (February 2008) | 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. [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 its Committees on the District of Columbia. [edit] Composition 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 [edit] Current members [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
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