Norton Gives Strong Support to Lieberman – Collins -- Akaka D.C. Budget Autonomy Bill Introduced Tuesday
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she was enormously grateful for the bipartisan District of Columbia budget autonomy bill introduced by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (which has jurisdiction over the District), and Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia. "I am deeply appreciative to Senators Lieberman, Collins and Akaka, who have been longtime supporters of D.C. budget autonomy, for introducing the bill at this critical time," Norton said. The three senators bring key and indispensable support to the increasingly bright D.C. budget autonomy picture. The bill is very similar to Norton's pending budget autonomy bill, as well as to Chairman Issa's budget autonomy proposal, indicating that leaders of both parties are seeing the issue similarly. Norton noted that Senator Collins was the first member of Congress to give attention to budget autonomy when she led the committee with jurisdiction over the District several years ago.
Last November, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (which has jurisdiction over D.C.), announced his support for D.C. budget autonomy. Earlier this year, two more Republican leaders, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA) and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, indicated their support, and President Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget called on Congress to pass a budget autonomy bill. A new poll conducted by Purple Insights, a bipartisan polling organization, reveals that more than 7 in 10 Americans across the country support granting the District budget autonomy, with more than 70% of Democrats and Republicans, across all geographic and demographic lines, each supporting D.C. budget autonomy. The poll was commissioned by DC Vote.
Read the News Release from Sens. Lieberman, Collins, and Akaka here: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/majority-media/give-dc-local-budget-control
Published: April 24, 2012