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Norton Poised to Defend D.C. Council-Passed Budget During Upcoming Congressional Review Period

May 31, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C.—After the District of Columbia Council today passed its fiscal year 2017 local budget, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she is poised to take action to keep the budget from being overturned by a disapproval resolution during the congressional review period. Under the Local Budget Autonomy Act of 2012 (BAA), for the first time since passage of the Home Rule Act of 1973, the D.C. Council adopted the local portion of D.C.’s budget and, once it is signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, will submit it directly to Congress, rather than having the President submit the budget to Congress for approval. Instead, the budget will be transmitted to Congress like all other D.C. legislation and will undergo a 30-legislative-day review period before it takes effect.

“Despite the circus show in the House last week to overturn D.C.’s budget autonomy referendum, budget autonomy is still the law of the land, and I am preparing a vigorous defense of D.C.’s local budget when it arrives to Congress,” Norton said. “Congressional Republicans should know by now that if they undemocratically target our local laws, especially budget autonomy, we will not go away quietly.”