April 14, 2005: FAR REACHING BUDGET AUTONOMY BILL WITH POWERFUL SENATE AND HOUSE SPONSORS

Washington, DC--The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME), Ranking Member Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA), and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) have joined her in introducing legislation to give the District of Columbia's elected officials authority to approve the city’s locally raised budget with greatly curtailed oversight.

The District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2005, H.R. 1629, would allow the Mayor and City Council to enact the locally funded portion of the District's annual budget, and after 30 calendar days of review in the Congress, the budget would become effective at the start of the fiscal year.

Under the inefficient existing process, the District's budget often has been tied up in disputes over unrelated appropriations riders, forcing large and costly delays in city programs. The average delay has been three months, and sometimes the city has gone without a budget for almost six months. Foster care, public schools and compensation for police and firefighters are among the programs and services that have been most severely affected.

Unlike other city governments, the District of Columbiacannot significantly reallocate funds to meet the city's changing needs without an act of Congress. Typically, for example, District residents have been seriously hurt by delays caused by the need to reallocate funds to support such action as the movement of children from foster care to adoption. Locally raised funds for the D.C. stadium are still in the Congress awaiting passage of the D.C. supplemental.

"Short of voting rights and complete independence from Congress, budget autonomy is the most important change Congress could make for the District," Norton said. "With this one bill Congress would offer the city far greater equality that it deserves to run its own local affairs and the capacity for better fiscal and operational management while making an important step toward streamlining congressional appropriation procedures, as well."