The District of Columbia is a lot like many college students: it may raise some of its own money, but at the end of the day (or fiscal year), it still relies on mom and dad to bail it out with funds. In the case of the District, that aid comes from Congress, in the form of the District of Columbia Omnibus Authorization Act.
Under the Home Rule Act of 1973, the District government is in a perpetual state of adolescence; it has just enough independence from the Federal Government to be in a state of constant conflict with Congress, which has the final say over District rules. D.C.’s fights for more autonomy are stymied by the fact that they must crawl back to Congress regularly for supplemental funds.
This year’s D.C. omnibus bill will quietly give the District a leg up on these conflicts and a greater degree of autonomy by giving the city authorization to spend local funds without the need for Congress to approve of every single appropriation.
Since home rule began, the Federal Government has relied on manipulating the District like a puppet by holding tight the purse strings of the government.
Granting the city the ability to control its financial future to a greater degree is important practically, but is also symbolic of its maturation into a truly independent jurisdiction. This makes for important policy discussion, but has on its face little to no relevance to your average college student.
Luckily, this year’s omnibus bill has something of real-world relevance for those less immersed in federalism debates: thanks to an amendment by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), taxicabs within the District will be required to switch from the current fare-by-zone system to a metered system.
For the many automobile-less students in the District, this has the potential to be a positive change. Does this change mean you’ll pay more for your ride? Pay less?
It’s unclear and will probably vary. What is clear is that the current zone system is anything but.
Far too many students have spent long minutes squinting at the nonsensical map before giving up and waiting to be surprised by the total fare at the destination.
A metered system provides coherence to the system, now that riders will know what to expect.
The only loud objections to the metered system come from the taxicab drivers themselves, angry at the cost to them in switching their fleet of vehicles to metering machines.
Tough luck, but this is a welcome change to the many confused travelers in the District.
The bill is still awaiting signature at the President’s desk.
There is always the possibility that he may exercise the second veto of his career on this uncontroversial bill, but in all likelihood, this year’s authorization bill has just made life for the District and its residents just a little easier.
