Norton Protects Budget Autonomy Referendum, RHNDA, and Other D.C. Priorities in Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has protected the District of Columbia’s budget autonomy referendum from being overturned in the fiscal year 2017 continuing resolution (CR), released yesterday, which funds the federal government until April 28, 2017, and is expected to pass the House of Representatives and Senate this week. Norton also won a hard-fought battle against House Republicans and outside groups to protect D.C.’s Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA), which prohibits employers in D.C. from discriminating against employees, their spouses or their dependents based on their reproductive health decisions. The House-passed fiscal year 2017 D.C. appropriations bill would have overturned the budget autonomy referendum and blocked RHNDA. The CR contains a $19.995 million federal payment to D.C. to cover the costs associated with the upcoming presidential inauguration. The $19.995 million federal payment included in the CR allows D.C. to avoid reallocating and using its local funds to pay for inauguration-related expenses. If the District finds that more funds are necessary for the inauguration, Norton believes she will be able to get them. Norton was able to maintain D.C.’s marijuana reform law as she continues to struggle to remove the rider blocking D.C. from regulating and taxing marijuana.

“Negotiating with a Republican Senate and House, we were able to preserve the District’s budget autonomy referendum in the continuing resolution despite repeated attempts by House Republicans to overturn it,” Norton said. “District workers can also take comfort in knowing that they will continue to be protected from being discriminated against based on their reproductive health decisions or those of their spouses and dependents. The continuing resolution may not end these fights. We are alert to possible attempts in the next Congress to repeal D.C. budget autonomy and block RHNDA.”

The CR appropriates D.C.’s fiscal year 2017 local funds for the duration of the CR, likely superseding D.C.’s locally-passed budget until April 28, 2017, but it leaves the budget autonomy referendum itself in place. Pursuant to the budget autonomy referendum, for the first time since the Home Rule Act of 1973, the local budget passed by the D.C. Council became law this year without congressional approval, after a 30-day congressional review period. Although the Council-passed fiscal year 2017 local budget became law in July, the city’s fiscal year aligns with the federal government’s fiscal year. Since federal law is supreme to state and local law, the CR likely supersedes the Council-passed local budget until April 28, 2017.