The DC Resident's Home Rule Handbook

Fellow DC residents, are you tired of our city having so many problems?  Are you fed up with the corruption, waste and woke policies of the mayor and city council?  Do you wish there was someone who could intervene and set things right?

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There is!  Congress.

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Washington, DC is the only Constitutionally created city in America.  We have a special place in the United States as the seat of federal power, and as such we have a special relationship with Congress who has complete legislative authority over the District.

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The Home Rule Act of 1973 established the locally elected DC government we know today: the mayor, city council and the advisory neighborhood commissioners. It did not absolve Congress of its duty to oversee the District, and to act as a check and balance on local DC government.  Congress has a Constitutional duty to ensure the rights of residents are protected and the best practices of government are implemented in DC.

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While states have a governor and state legislature to oversee local governance, DC has Congress.  Think of it as having not one governor, but 535.  That means there are 535 opportunities for oversight over DC city policies and practices.  We in the District actually have a pretty sweet system, IF we know how to use it.

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This short handbook is a guide to engaging the oversight of Congress as a DC resident to get problems addressed in our city.  Like any other city, we will always have problems, and Congress is not a cure all for local bad governance.  But Congress can be an immensely powerful ally of the residents of DC in their desire for a better city through proper Congressional oversight.

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WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD OF THIS?

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Many residents of DC know that the Home Rule Act exists, but are not aware that the act stipulates a specific continued role for Congress in the governance of DC.  It may come as no surprise that city leaders have downplayed the role of Congress to residents, often claiming that we have no power in Congress without statehood.  Quite the opposite, Congress has direct authority over the District, though District residents do not elect the members of Congress with the exception of a 'non voting delegate'.  

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Though we do not elect the members of Congress, we can in fact engage and use the members of Congress to address issues and grievances with DC government.  This is why local government officials have held a palpable public disdain for Congress.  In the Constitutional scope of things, Congress is their boss.

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The concept is simple: the Home Rule Act retains Congress's role in overseeing DC government.  If you want problems solved with the DC government, you have to take those problems to Congress.

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HOW TO USE HOME RULE 

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Step 1 - Identify and describe the problem.

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The first step in getting a problem solved is defining the problem itself.  Whether it is issues of corruption, poor management, public endangerment...whatever the issue is, you need to define in a clear and concise manner in order to present the problem to Congress.

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Write down all your thoughts and information about an issue on a piece of paper. Write down what you see is wrong with the situation.  Then write down what you would like Congress to do about it.  You may want them to visit a poorly run homeless shelter.  You may want them to audit a corrupt DC agency.  You may even want them to pass a law rectifying the issue the city government neglected.  Write it down.

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Now circle the main problem and the most possible solution.  Keep in mind that in order to get results, you want to keep your requests as simple as possible.  Sometimes all a problem needs is a little bit of Congressionally wielded media attention to get the wheels of better local government in motion.  Or a strongly worded Congressional letter.  Remember, you can always ask for more intervention if a minor one is not effective.  The point is to have a specific and doable "ask" or request for Congress as well as a one or two sentence description of the problem.

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Take the issue of red light cameras, for example.  We would describe the problem with a sentence like this, "The red light cameras in the District are unconstitutional and a financial burden on the population.  The city is just using them to make money off of hard working residents."  We would describe our request like this, "We are asking Congressman So and So to draft a bill declaring the cameras unconstitutional and ordering the city to cease the use of these cameras."  Three simple sentences to solve a big problem.

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Step 2 - Pick your Congresspersons

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The next step is to decide which Congress person or committee you will target your message to.  The House Oversight Committee is always a good place to start, especially with Republican members who do not have any loyalty to local DC Democrats.  Other committees that have specific oversight in the area of the issue at hand are the next place to focus, such as the Transportation Committee or the Judiciary Committee using the red light camera example above.

 

You might also choose a Congressperson that is not on a relevant committee, but has some other connection or influence on an issue.  A Congressperson who was a teacher to address city school issues for example.  Or you might choose one based on their previous actions showing them to be willing to stand up for unknown or unpopular issues.  Or you might choose all of the above.  It never hurts to make several members of Congress aware of an issue when seeking Congressional action.

 

Step 3 - Make that Call

 

As a DC resident, you cannot use the Congress.gov website to email members of Congress as of post COVID policy.  You must live in the district of a representative or in the state of a Senator in order to email them through the official site.  So we can either send a regular letter through the mail, send a fax (which is easier than it sounds) or make a phone call.

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When making phone calls to Congress, start by writing down your problem sentences and your ask or request sentence.  In front of your sentences, write "I am (your name), and I am a DC Resident.  I am asking Congressperson (their name) to address a DC problem in accordance with the DC Home Rule Act."  After your sentences, write "thank you for your time" or some such as a reminder to thank the person on the phone.

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Now you are ready to make that call.  Look up the relevant phone number, and dial.  If a staffer answers, politely introduce yourself as you wrote above, explain your problem and request in your 3 or 4 sentences, and thank the individual for their time.

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If you are interested in a personal response from the Congressperson, ask the staffer if you can leave your email address to get a response about the issue.  The staffer may be nice about that or not so nice, but it is your prerogative to request a response, so don't be afraid to be politely assertive.

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If you are interested in setting up a meeting with a Congressperson to address a particularly important or egregious issue, you will want to request the email address for the Congressperson's scheduler.  This is the staffer that sets priorities and meetings with the Congressperson and their chief of staff.  Often it is very productive to meet with a sympathetic staff member, sometimes more so than the Congressperson, because the staffer becomes like an in office advocate for your cause.  

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MEETING WITH CONGRESS

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Because we are local to Congress, the first hurdle of meeting with members of Congress directly is already surmounted.  We live here, so we don't need to come here.  The second hurdle is having an issue Congress cares enough to meet with you about.  Since we are not directly represented by any members of Congress, we will need to be respectful of any time we are given to address DC issues with Congress people.

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Have a clearly written up statement of the issue and the desired solution to give to the Congress person.  Have a prepared short statement, and be prepared to ask a few questions of the staff or Congressperson.  What is their position?  How do they think the problem could be better addressed?  Congress people and their staff are best motivated to act when they are included in the solutions.

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Do not overstay your meeting, and do not be late.  Respect the time of the Congressperson or staff.  At the end of the meeting, thank them for their time, reiterate what you are asking for, and let them know you will be following up with them on their efforts to resolve your issue.

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GOING DOOR TO DOOR IN CONGRESS

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We DC residents can also go directly to Congressional offices and make our requests for oversight that way.

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Write up a page on the problem and suggested remedy, much like your simple call script.  In can be in the form of a letter, a statement, an article, a informational list with links to more info, whatever best communicates the issue.  Print out as many as you plan to drop off.

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You do not always want or need to go to every Congressional office.  Make a list of relevant committee members or other targeted Congress people who may focus on the issue.  You can then research office locations in order to make an efficient plan for going from office to office.

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The Congressional office buildings are large, spread out and confusing. do not try to just go and wing it, you will get lost and exhausted.  Take the time to do a little research as to where the offices are you plan to go to so as to reduce getting lost or doubling over covered ground.

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Once you have a plan, set a day and go engage Congress.  It's actually quite fun, good exercise, and there are plenty of good cafeterias if you need to grab lunch.

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WRITING LETTER AND FAXES

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Writing letters or sending faxes to Congress is not much harder than making calls.  Using your same problem sentences and request sentences, form a short and succinct letter addressed to the Congressperson you are seeking help from.  

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Sending a fax is very similar to a letter, with the difference being that most email programs can now send faxes.  If your email program does not, you can save your letter as a PDF after you typed it into email or a word processing software like Wordpad.  You can then use a variety of free fax sites to send those PDFs.

 

The website FaxZero.com allows you to fax congressional representatives with no fee or signup at THIS LINK.

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NOW GET OUT THERE AND USE HOME RULE

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So we've shown you all the reasons as to why Home Rule is a vital tool for DC residents, and what role Congress plays in DC.  We've shown you how to call Congress, write Congress and visit Congress.  So the only thing that is left is to go out there and do it.