Upcoming Legislative Agenda

October means the end of the summer—and it also means the beginning of a busy time for legislators on Capitol Hill and the District of Columbia Council.

On September 21, the US Senate Appropriations Committee passed the DC Appropriations Act. Senator Mike DeWine deserves our gratitude for the bill that he shepherded through the committee. He responded to virtually every priority that the city identified, including important funding for a new forensics laboratory, the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, public transportation, child welfare programs, and K-12 education. The committee also acted to remove some anti-Home Rule social riders.

I am delighted to be working closely with Senator DeWine toward our mutual goals of making the nation's capital a model for the entire country. He and Senator Mary Landrieu are ensuring that the members of the Appropriations Committee are true partners in our efforts.

Furthermore, DC Councilmembers returned from recess last week, and I look forward to working with them on a full legislative calendar for the remainder of the year. I am working with the Council to approve a couple dozen bills before the Council adjourns in December.

These bills include:

  • The reform of the Youth Services Administration—including one to elevate YSA to a cabinet level position

  • Completion of work on the Juvenile Justice bill

  • Health Care Liability Reform Act—while I know everyone is focusing on the most politically controversial element of this bill-tort reform—I hope that the entire bill, including elements on patient safety, doctor quality and good Samaritan rules, can receive a full public vetting

  • The Children and Youth Safety and Health Omnibus Act, which includes important provisions, such as background checks and drug testing for people who work with children and youth

High Speed Ground Transportation

On September 14, I brought greetings on behalf of the District of Columbia to the 21st annual meeting of the High Speed Ground Transportation Association. The Association membership is made up of engineers, designers, representatives of the financial community, labor, and construction industry, consulting organizations, suppliers to the rail industry, state and local Departments of Transportation, state authorities, academia, and service providers.

One of our city's assets is its excellent transportation infrastructure. To that end, we are fortunate to have a great talent in our Director of Transportation Dan Tangherlini, who oversees our transportation needs.

As Mayor, I am very aware of how critical efficient transportation is to the economic welfare of any city. That said, I am a huge proponent of both high-speed rail and Maglev. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Maglev project, in January 2001, the Federal Railroad Administration's Maglev Deployment Program named the Baltimore-Washington corridor one of two finalists for future development of magnetic levitation technology.

Maglev Technology is a completely new mode of transportation to most Americans. A Maglev train is operated by a non-contact electromagnetic system that actually lifts, guides and propels the vehicle forward at speeds up to 300 miles per hour. This 40-mile-long project would link downtown Baltimore and Baltimore-Washington International Airport with Washington, DC.

Air pollution in our region is one reason I have joined with my colleague, Baltimore's Mayor Martin O'Malley, to support the Baltimore-Washington Maglev project. Together, we are working with the US Conference of Mayors to push for transportation legislation that will provide more funding for high-speed rail and Maglev.