Norton Introduces Bill to Make D.C. Eligible for Federal Forestry Funds

Statement

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) this week introduced a bill, the McIntire-Stennis District of Columbia Equality Act, to make the District of Columbia eligible for federal forestry funds. The McIntire-Stennis Act currently provides U.S. states and territories with formula funds to support state-designated institutions' cooperative forestry research programs but omits D.C. from eligibility. Norton said that the District is treated as a state under virtually all federal programs and that the District's omission from the legislation was likely an oversight from before the District had home rule or a Member of Congress.

Norton said her bill would make D.C. eligible for funding that is necessary to support research at the University of the District of Columbia's (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Stability, and Environmental Science, a program that complements the city's ongoing forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land-grant university. Norton got her provision to enable UDC to receive federal funding for forestry research under the McIntire-Stennis Act included in the Senate-passed 2013 Farm Bill.

"Six years ago, my provision for UDC to receive forestry research funding was included in the Senate version of the Farm Bill," Norton said. "That should be no surprise, as D.C. residents pay the highest taxes per capita in the nation and, for the most part, D.C. is eligible for the programs states qualify for, including these critical federal forestry funds. UDC, our urban land-grant university, needs funds for their programs in the District. I have already gotten D.C. treated as a state for virtually all federal funding. This legislation is no different."

Norton's full introductory statement is below.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act

October 28, 2019

Ms. Norton. Madam Speaker.

Today, I rise to introduce the McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would amend the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act (Act) to make the District of Columbia eligible for funding. The District is treated as a state under federal programs, with a few exceptions, most of them simply oversights or failures to update. This legislation would rectify the exception in this Act, ensuring equitable treatment for the District and allowing the District to benefit from the funding opportunities available under the Act.

The Act provides U.S. states and territories with formula funds to support state-designated institutions' cooperative forestry research programs. The Act defines "State" to include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The District's notable, but faulty, absence from this definition makes it ineligible for grant funds that would support research at the District's state-supported university, the University of the District of Columbia's (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Stability, and Environmental Science, a program that complements the city's ongoing forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land-grant university.

We appreciate that Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam are included under the definition of "State," even though, unlike the District of Columbia, their residents do not pay federal income taxes. It would be particularly troubling if the District, whose residents pay the highest amount per capita in federal taxes, which support farm and other federal programs, were to continue to be excluded.

It has been argued that the District should be excluded because of its lack of local timber production. However, the Act says, "[i]n making such apportionments, consideration shall be given to pertinent factors including" local timber production. Proximity to timber is, therefore, only one in a non-exclusive list of factors that are part of the larger analysis regarding the apportionments. Excluding the District from the definition of "State" merely because it is not located in an area with a timber industry runs counter to the intent of the Act. While timber production can be a factor in determining the amount of state allocations, there is no reason that the District should be excluded from the Act.

We believe, therefore, that the omission of the District must have been the result of an oversight during the original drafting of the Act. However, as you can imagine, this omission has serious consequences for the District, rendering UDC ineligible for these formula grant funds. Passage of this bill would allow students and researchers in the nation's capital to take part in this important forestry program.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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