Photo by wallyg.

Responding to the threat of a proposal from Congress to dictate how the city should vet its hires, the D.C. Council is moving forward quickly on legislation related to D.C. government hiring practices.

Earlier this week, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced legislation that would establish basic standards for D.C. government hires, including background checks for senior appointees. The move angered D.C. voting rights activists and legislators, who argued that Issa’s legislation would preempt stricter legislation introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in late September and represented another assault on the city’s self-determination.

Yesterday, D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown was able to convince Issa to back off — at least temporarily — by promising him that the Council would move swiftly on similar measures. Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), chair of the Council’s Committee on Government Operations, announced yesterday that she would hold a roundtable on Cheh’s bill on November 10, with the goal of having it before the full Council before the end of the year.

Cheh’s measure would, amongst other provisions, mandate background and credit checks, and limit severance pay, relocation and travel expenses for senior government officials.