Photo by Matt.Dunn

Yesterday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced the proposal of legislation that would dictate D.C. government hiring practices. But it appears as if a little outreach from D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown has convinced Issa to reverse course.

According to the Washington Post, Brown spoke with Issa and convinced the Representative to drop his bill:

Brown said he called Issa Tuesday morning to urge him to stand down so the council could move forward with it’s own proposal to address concerns about the city’s vetting process. In exchange for Brown pledging to move forward with the council proposal, he said Issa agreed to withdraw his proposal on Capitol Hill.

Issa was not immediately available to comment, but Brown said the agreement shows the two bodies can work to find common ground.

The bill would have required, among other things, criminal background checks for certain senior D.C. officials and for the District to meet federal standards when it comes to hiring all government employees. Local leaders decried the bill immediately after its introduction; D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton dubbed it a “brazen attack on the city’s autonomy,” and Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) strongly asserted that Issa’s law was simply a watered-down version of a bill she proposed in September.

DCist’s Martin Austermuhle is currently reporting on this morning’s Council goings-on; as soon as we can get a reaction from Brown himself, we’ll update this post.