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A RESOLUTION
19-721
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 4, 2012
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to enact the Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 to have the referendum on the proposed amendment to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act granting local budget autonomy to the District coincide with the April 23, 2012, special election.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the "Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012".
Sec. 2. (a) On October 2, 2012, every member of the Council co-introduced Bill 19-993, the Local Budget Autonomy Amendment Act of 2012, which amends the District Charter to grant the District budget autonomy over its local funds (“Charter amendment”).
(b) At the November 15, 2012, legislative meeting, the Council unanimously approved the Sense of the Council on Scheduling a Special Election and the Ballot Initiative for Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Resolution of 2012 (Res. 19-695), which declared that it was the sense of the Council that “the District of Columbia Board of Elections, in keeping with its mission and within the bounds of its statutory mandates, should place the initiative to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act pursuant to the Local Budget Autonomy Act of 2012, as introduced on October 2, 2012 (D.C. Bill 19-993), on the ballot used during the Special Election to fill the vacancy of former at-large Councilmember Phil Mendelson to save resources and time and to take advantage of the occurrence of a District-wide election.”
(c) On November 29, 2012, the Board of Elections (“Board”) certified a vacancy on the Council for the at-large seat, and scheduled April 23, 2013for the District-wide special election.
(d) Under the Board’s rules regarding the Charter-amendment process, the Board must certify the Charter amendment at least 90 days before the special election.
(e) Under existing rules, the latest that the Board can certify the Charter amendment in time for it to be on ballot for the April special election is January 22, 2013.
(f) Swift passage of the Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 ensures the proposed Charter amendment can be certified for the special election, and the additional cost and delay of a separate special election for the Charter amendment will be avoided.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
