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1 thirtieth, nineteen hundred and three, and for other pur

2 poses", approved July 1, 1902 (32 Stat. 621, 622, 628),

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as amended (D.C. Code, secs. 47-1706, 47-1707, 47–1708, 4 and 47-2101).

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(15) Sections 1 and 4 of title II of the District of Co

6 lumbia Revenue Act of 1937, approved August 17, 1937 7 (50 Stat. 675; D.C. Code, secs. 47-1801 and 47-1804).

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(16) Section 3 of the Act entitled "An Act to provide 9 for a tax on motor-vehicle fuels sold within the District of 10 Columbia, and for other purposes", approved April 23, 1924 (43 Stat. 107), as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 47-1903).

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(17) Sections 1 and 3 of the Act entitled "An Act to 13 create a revenue in the District of Columbia by levying a tax 14 upon all dogs therein, to make such dogs personal property, 15 and for other purposes", approved June 19, 1878 (20 Stat. 16 173, 174), as amended (D.C. Code, secs. 47-2001, 47-2002 17 and 47-2003).

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(18) Section 2 of the Act entitled "An Act to prevent 19 fraud at public auctions in the District of Columbia", ap20 proved September 8, 1916 (39 Stat. 846; D.C. Code, sec.

21 47-2202).

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(19) Section 138 of the District of Columbia Sales Tax

23 Act, approved May 27, 1949 (63 Stat. 113; D.C. Code,

24 sec. 47-2615).

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(20) Section 2 of the Act entitled "An Act to provide

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1 for the regulation of closing-out and fire sales in the District 2 of Columbia", approved September 1, 1959 (73 Stat. 450; 3 D.C. Code, sec. 47-3002).

4 (21) Section 1 of the Act entitled "An Act to authorize 5 associations of employees in the District of Columbia to adopt 6 a device to designate the products of the labor of their mem7 bers, to punish illegal use or imitiation of such device, and 8 for other purposes", approved February 18, 1932 (47 Stat. 9 50), as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 48-401).

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SEC. 2. The District of Columbia Council may, with re11 spect to each of the fees established by the Acts or parts of 12 Acts listed in the first section, after public hearing increase 13 or decrease such fees to such amounts as may, in the judg14 ment of the Council, be reasonable in consideration of the 15 interests of the public and the persons required to pay the 16 fee, and in consideration of the approximate cost of admin17 istering each Act or part of Act to which the fee relates.

50-436 - 70 - 7

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
Washington, D.C., March 13, 1970.

The PRESIDENT,
U.S. Senate,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: The Government of the District of Columbia has the honor to submit herewith a draft bill "To authorize the Government of the District of Columbia to fix certain fees."

The purpose of this proposed legislation was stated by the President in his April 28, 1969 message to the Congress recommending legislation for the District of Columbia, as follows:

"The Reorganization Plan which established the present [District of Columbia] government left to Congress many mundane municipal functions which are burdensome chores to it but important functions for good local government. At present, Congress must allot a portion of its legislative calendar to setting ordinances for the District of Columbia, in effect performing the duties of a local City Council for the Capital. It thus deals with matters which are of little or no importance to the nation as a whole the setting of a fee, for example, to redeem a dog from the city pound. The concerns of the District are frequently shunted aside to allow for higher-priority legislative business. ‘No policy can be worse than to mingle great and small concerns' argued Augustus Woodward, one of the founders of our city, when Congress considered establishing a territorial form of government in 1800. 'The latter become absorbed in the former; are neglected and forgotten.'

"Legislation will be proposed to transfer a number of specific authorities to the District Government-including authority to change various fees for user charges now fixed by statute, and modernize the licensing of various businesses, occupations and professions." (Emphasis and bracketed language supplied) The Government of the District of Columbia accordingly proposes that the Congress enact legislation to authorize the District of Columbia Council to change, from time to time, a number of fees specified by the Congress in twenty-one separate statutes. The fees provided by the statutes presently range from ten cents for certain notary services to $500 for licenses for pawnbrokers, private banks, and the stock exchange. The District believes that these fees, which are listed and described in the attached chart, should be examined from time to time and, if appropriate, increased or decreased to such amounts as the Council determines after public hearing to be reasonable in consideration of the interests of the public and the persons required to pay the fee, and in consideration of the approximate costs of administering each of the District's statutory duties related to the activity for which the fee is charged.

The District believes that the legislation of this nature is highly desirable, both from the standpoint of relieving the Congress of these mundane municipal feefixing functions and from the standpoint of vesting in the municipal government and people of the District of Columbia more responsibility in local matters.

The Government of the District of Columbia has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that, from the standpoint of the Administration's program, there is no objection to the submission of this legislation to the Congress and its enact ment would be consistent with the Administration's objectives.

Sincerely yours,

GRAHAM W. WATT,
Assistant to the Commissioner.
For: WALTER E. WASHINGTON,
Commissioner.

Attachments.

FEES SPECIFIED IN ACTS OF CONGRESS RELATING TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

District of Columbia Code citation Type of fee

1. 1-232.

2. 1-514.

3. 2-2005, 2-2006.

4. 29-414..

5. 29-807.

6. 29-840.

7. 29-844 8. 29-936.

9.29-1092.

10. 35-402. 11. 35-905. 12. 35-906.

13. 35-1113. 14, 35-1345. 15. 35-1363. 16. 40-423.

17. 47-306. 18. 47-1521.

19. 47-1564c..

20. 47-1706. 21. 47-1707.

22. 47-1708.

23. 47-1801.

24. 47-1804. 25. 47-1903.

26.47-2001. 27.47-2002. 28. 47-2003. 29, 47-2101 30.47-2202. 31. 47-2615. 32. 47-3002.

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Amount

$5 per year.
$0.10 to $1.75.

$500 for 1st year and

$250 per year thereafter.

Filing of certificate of incorporation of institution of, $25.
learning.

Filing of amendment of articles by cooperative $1.
association.

Filing of certified copy of amended articles by co-
operative association.

License of cooperative association...

Fees for licenses, filing documents, etc. by business
corporations.

Fees for filing documents and issuing certificates by
nonprofit corporations.

Various fees for life insurance companies...
Service of process on Superintendent of Insurance..
Permit to do business in District of Columbia from
Superintendent of Insurance.

Marine insurance company fees..
Various fire, casualty and marine insurance fees.
License fee for financing insurance premiums...
Service of process on District government for non-
resident motorist.

Certificate of taxes and assessments due.
Copy of income tax return furnished to taxpayer for
a year prior to 1947.

Copy of income tax return furnished to taxpayer for
1947 and any year thereafter.
Unincorporated private banks..

For business done on Washington Stock Exchange..
For note brokers.

Certificate of authority for insurance companies.
Filing of annual statement by insurance companies..
License fee for motor vehicle fuel importers..
For each dog owned or kept in the District of Colum-
bia.

Certified copy of record of payment of dog fee.
Impoundment fee for stray dogs...

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33. 48-401.

Registration of union label..

Senator EAGLETON. Mr. Kneipp.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT F. KNEIPP ON S. 3906

Mr. KNEIPP. Mr. Chairman, a considerable number of acts of Congress relating to the District of Columbia provide for the payment of specified fees in connection with the issuance of various specified fees in connection with the issuance of various permits and licenses and the performance of various services, ranging in amount from $0.10 in the case of the notary fee for a notice of protest to $500 per year for unincorporated private banks and the Washington Stock Exchange. Of the 33 different fees listed in the schedule accompanying the District's letter of transmittal to the Congress, dated March 13, 1970, which has been included in the record of the hearing, 21 are fees which are or could be less than $10 per year. Most if not all of these have been in effect for a considerable number of years, and can be said, in many cases, not to represent the cost to the District of Columbia of performing the service for which they are paid.

The existing situation could be changed in one of two ways. The Congress, by appropriate legislation, could change each of the specified fees to an amount more nearly commensurate to the present-day cost of performing the service for which the fee is paid.

The District government, however, is of the view that the better course of action is for the Congress to vest in the District of Columbia Council the authority to fix these fees at such amounts as the Council determines after public hearing is reasonable, taking into consideration the interest of the public and the persons required to pay the fee, and also taking into consideration the approximate cost of administering each of the District's statutory duties related to the activity for which the fee is charged.

Accordingly, the District government recommends that the Congress enact S. 3906 in order not only to relieve it from the performance of a mundane municipal fee-fixing function, but also to vest in the municipal government and the people of the District of Columbia additional responsibility with respect to what are essentially local

matters.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I am ready to respond to any questions which you have concerning the legislation.

Senator EAGLETON. Thank you, Mr. Kneipp. Does anyone here desire to be heard on S. 3906? If not the hearings are closed on that bill and the record will remain open for 2 weeks for additional statements if desired.

We now move to hearings on S. 3828 and H.R. 17711, bills "To amend the District of Columbia Cooperative Association Act."

The District government report on S. 3828, the House billH.R. 17711-and the House report thereon, and proposed amendments to these bills will appear in the record.

A copy of S. 3828 was placed in the record on May 13.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

Hon. JOSEPH D. TYDINGS,

EXECUTIVE OFFICE, Washington, D.C., May 13, 1970.

Chairman, Committee on the District of Columbia,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR TYDINGS: The Commissioner of the District of Columbia has for report S. 3828, a bill "To amend the District of Columbia Cooperative Association Act."

S. 3828 amends section 43 of the District of Columbia Cooperative Association Act approved June 19, 1940 (D.C. Code, title 29, chapter 8) to exempt cooperative associations formed under that Act from District of Columbia laws regulating the loaning of money and establishing the legal rate of interest. Specifically, such associations could lend money without being subject to the licensing requirements of the so-called "Loan shark law" (Act approved February 4, 1913; 36 Stat. 657; D.C. Code, secs. 26-601 through 611) and the provisions of the District usury law (D.C. Code, secs. 28-3301 through 3306), establishing at 8 percent maximum the legal rate of interest under a written contract.

The Commissioner understands that this legislation was introduced at the request of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The former cooperative association is organized under the District of Columbia Cooperative Association Act and needs exemption from the District statutes on usury and licensing of money lenders in order to make loans to its members for purposes related to rural electric system objectives within their statutory authority.

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