20 1 SEC. 202. (a) Subsection (10) (b) (ii) of section 35 2 of chapter III of the Life Insurance Act of the District of 3 Columbia (48 Stat. 1145) as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 4 35-535 (10) (b) (ii)), is amended by striking out the fig5 ure "$300,000" and inserting in lieu thereof the figure 6 "$1,500,000”. 7 (b) Subsection (15) (ii) of section 35 of chapter III 8 of such Act, as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 35-535 (15) (ii)), 9 is amended by striking out the figure "$300,000" and in10 serting in lieu thereof the figure "$1,500,000". 11 SEC. 203. This title shall take effect thirty days after 12 its enactment. 13 TITLE III—AMENDMENT OF THE LIFE INSURANCE ACT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14 15 16 17 TO INCREASE GROUP TERM LIFE INSUR- SEC. 301. Sections 10(1) (d), 10(3) (d), 10 (4) (d), 18 10 (6) (d), and 10(9) (d) of chapter V of the Life In19 surance Act (48 Stat. 1145), as amended (D.C. Code, 20 secs. 35-710 (1) (d), (3) (d), (4) (d), (6) (d), and 21 (9) (d)), are amended (1) by striking out the figure 22 "$20,000" and inserting in lieu thereof the figure 23 "$25,000"; (2) by striking out the figure "$40,000" and 24 inserting in lieu thereof the figure "$75,000"; and (3) by 25 striking out the figure "150" and inserting in lieu thereof 26 the figure "300". 21 1 TITLE IV-AMENDMENT OF THE FIRE AND 2 3 4 5 CASUALTY ACT REGULATING THE BUSI NESS OF FIRE, MARINE, AND CASUALTY IN- SEC. 401. Sections 13 and 14 of chapter II of the Fire 6 and Casualty Act (54 Stat. 1070) as amended (D.C. Code, 7 secs. 35-1316 and 35-1317), are amended to read as 8 follows: 9 "§ 13. Minimum Capital and Surplus Requirement. 10 "Every stock company authorized to do business in the 11 District shall have and shall at all times maintain a paid 12 up capital stock of not less than $300,000, and a surplus 13 of not less than $300,000. Every domestic mutual company 14 and every domestic reciprocal company shall have and 15 shall at all times maintain a surplus of not less than 16 $300,000, and every foreign or alien mutual company and 17 every foreign or alien reciprocal company shall have and 18 shall at all times maintain a surplus of not less than $400,000. 19 " 14. Corporations Heretofore Formed. 20 "No company shall be exempt from the provisions of 21 this subsection by reason of its having been incorporated in 22 the District or elsewhere prior to the effective date of this 23 subsection, except that, in the case of companies authorized 24 in the District on the date of approval of this subsection and 25 continuously thereafter without any increase of authority, 22 1 the minimum capital and surplus required of a stock company, 2 and the minimum surplus required of a mutual or reciprocal 3 company, or of a Lloyd's organization by the laws of the Dis4 trict heretofore applicable shall not be increased by this sub5 section, and provided also that in the case of such continuously 6 authorized companies the provisions of section 24 relating 7 to the names of companies, and the provisions of section 25 8 relating to the amount of surplus necessary to the issuance 9 of policies having no provision for contingent liability, shall 10 not be applicable." 11 SEC. 402. Section 25 of chapter II of the Fire and 12 Casualty Act (54 Stat. 1070; D.C. Code, sec. 35-1329) is 13 amended by striking out the figure "$300,000" and inserting 14 in lieu thereof the figure "$600,000". 15 TITLE V-AMENDMENT OF AMOUNT OF CONTRACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DIS 16 17 18 TRICT OF COLUMBIA FOR WHICH A SURETY 19 SEC. 501. The Act approved June 28, 1906 (34 Stat. 20 546), as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 1-805), is amended by 21 striking out the figure "$2,000" wherever it appears therein 22 and inserting in lieu thereof the figure "$10,000”. Senator STEVENSON. The first witness will be Mr. Graham Watt, Deputy Mayor-Commissioner of the District of Columbia. STATEMENT OF GRAHAM W. WATT, DEPUTY MAYOR-COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Mr. WATT. Good morning, Senator. Mr. Chairman, if I may, before beginning my prepared statement, I would like to take this opportunity to express once again, at this time, publicly, the very great appreciation that we of the District government have of the concern which you have shown to our numerous legislative proposals affecting the District of Columbia. You and other members of this committee are certainly to be commended for your efforts, and we do commend you for your work on behalf of your other constituency, if I may so refer to the citizens of the District of Columbia. We also express our appreciation to the very competent staff of the Senate committee, and to those members of your personal staff, who have concerned themselves with District affairs, because of the number of bills which are before you this morning. Now, I have intentionally made my prepared remarks very brief. Should you have questions as we proceed, I have representatives of a number of District departments and agencies who can respond to your questions on the varying bills. In each case my statement is accompanied by additional appended material which I would like to, at the appropriate time, submit for the record and for the use of the committee. S. 1363 I will begin with S. 1363, which is the proposed District of Columbia Licensing Procedures Act. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear today to testify on S. 1363, the proposed District of Columbia Licensing Procedures Act. The bill is identical to legislation submitted to the Congress by the Commissioner on January 29, 1971, and I would ask that a copy of the Commissioner's transmittal letter and related material be included in the record. Senator STEVENSON. It will be so entered. The PRESIDENT, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, D.C., January 29, 1971. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: The Commissioner of the District of Columbia has the honor to submit for the consideration of the Congress a draft bill "To revise and modernize the licensing by the District of Columbia of persons engaged in certain occupations, professions, businesses, trades, and callings, and for other purposes." A section-by-section analysis and a statement of purpose and justification of the provisions of the bill are also included. The purpose of this proposed legislation was stated by the President April 28, 1969 in his message to the Congress, recommending legislation for the District of Columbia, as follows: "The Reorganization Plan which established the present government [of the District of Columbia] 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 modernize the licensing of various businesses, occupations and professions." (Emphasis and bracketed language supplied) The Commissioner of the District of Columbia accordingly proposes that the Congress enact legislation to vest in the District of Columbia Council authority to make regulations from time to time, as appropriate, upgrading the qualification requirements for a number of licenses, modernizing procedures and making such procedures as uniform as possible, modifying the grounds for suspension or revocation of these licenses, and increasing or decreasing fees connected with the issuance of such licenses. The Commissioner strongly urges favorable consideration of this legislation, not only in order to relieve the Congress of the chore of involving itself in the details of the licensing of the various professions, occupations, businesses, trades, and callings affected by the bill, but also in order to vest in the municipal government of the District of Columbia more responsibility in local matters. The District of Columbia Council has expressed its support for this legislation. Sincerely yours, GRAHAM W. WATT, Assistant to the Commissioner (For Walter E. Washington, Commissioner). SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS The bill consists of two titles. The first title (which by its first section, is denominated the "District of Columbia Licensing Procedures Act") provides for the revision and modernization of the twenty-one Acts of Congress specified in section 104 of the title. The second section of this title is a declaration of policy stating that the Congress finds it desirable that the District revise and modernize procedures relating to the licensing of persons engaged in certain occupations, professions, businesses, trades, and callings, and that such licensing procedures shall be made as nearly uniform as may be feasible. The third section of the title authorizes the kinds of action the District may take in connection with the revision and modernization of these Acts. The fourth section of the title lists the twenty-one Acts of Congress which the District is empowered to revise and modernize. The fifth section of the title has the effect of transferring to the District from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia the function of denying, suspending, or revoking licenses issued under the authority of four specified Acts of Congress. Finally, a sixth section of the title provides that prosecutions for the violation of any of the Acts of Congress or parts of Acts specified in section 104, except the Healing Arts Practice Act, shall be conducted in the name of the District of Columbia by the Corporation Counsel. Prosecutions for violations of the Healing Arts Practice Act would continue to be conducted by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, in view of the fact that the third and subsequent violations of such Act, are felonies. Title II amends existing law, provides a saving clause, and establishes the effective date of the bill. The title's first section amends the Act of June 5, 1953, authorizing the District to fix certain licensing and registration fees, so as to permit the District to take necessary action to revise and modernize the fee schedule applicable to services or functions which the District of Columbia may perform in connection with the administration of the Acts of Congress specified in section 104 of the bill. Section 201 authorizes the District, where appropriate, to increase or decrease fees to such amounts as the Council determines after 71-472 0-72- -5 |