B. The Home Rule Act Grants the District Autonomy Over Its Own Affairs, Including Control of MPD.
39.
After a century of struggle, and amid increasing recognition of District residents’ right to local autonomy, Congress finally passed the Home Rule Act in 1973. See Home Rule Act,
D.C. Code §§ 1-201.01 to 1-207.71.
40.
Through the Home Rule Act, Congress “grant[ed] to the inhabitants of the District of Columbia powers of local self-government.” D.C. Code § 1-201.02(a). Quoting President Nixon, the drafters described the “spirit of home rule,” stating that a “pressing goal[] for this Nation is to place local functions under local control, and to equip local governments with the authority and the resources they need in order to serve their communities well.” S. Rep. No. 219, S. 1435, 93d Cong., 1st Sess. 2 (1973) (quoting President Nixon, 1971 message to Congress).
41. The Home Rule Act created an elected legislative body, the Council of the District of Columbia, and granted it “legislative power,” subject to limited restrictions. D.C. Code § 1- 206.02. The Council’s powers and duties are comparable to those held by state legislatures, including the authority to adopt laws; to approve the annual budget; and to create, abolish, and define the powers and responsibilities of District agencies and instrumentalities, id. § 1-204.04(b). 42. The Home Rule Act “vest[s]” the “executive power of the District” in an elected Mayor, who serves as the “chief executive officer of the District government.” D.C. Code § 1-204.22. The Act makes the Mayor responsible for, among other things, overseeing the District’s local police force, MPD. Id. § 1-204.22(4); see also id. § 5-105.01(a).
43.
Under District law, the Mayor appoints the Chief of Police, who in turn supervises MPD officers. See D.C. Code §§ 5-105.01(a-1), 5-127.03. The Chief is “subject to any orders, rules, and regulations as may from time to time be issued by the Mayor or Council of the District of Columbia,” and is “responsible for the proper and efficient conduct, control, and discipline of
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
