Norton Says House D.C. Appropriations Bill Much Like Last Year’s, with Path to Restore Funding in Senate

Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said the House's draft fiscal year 2015 District of Columbia Appropriations bill, which will be marked up tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, by the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, was mostly good news with a couple of exceptions that she thinks she can fix. The bill provides only $20 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program (DCTAG), a $10 million cut from the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and a $20 million cut from the President's fiscal year 2015 budget request. DCTAG was put in jeopardy when the Council passed the Promise bill, a college access program, despite warnings from Congress that it could risk DCTAG funding. However, Norton wrote the President and got a $10 million increase for DCTAG in his fiscal year 2015 budget request after the D.C. Promise bill passed in order to shore up DCTAG funding. "The decision by the Council and the Mayor not to fund the Promise bill in fiscal year 2015 helped us preserve some funding for DCTAG in the House bill, and will help us with our efforts to restore full funding in the Senate, as we did in fiscal year 2014," Norton said.

Norton said that she was elated by the provision in the bill that prevents the District government from shutting down if the federal government shuts down in fiscal year 2016. She got the same provision enacted into law for fiscal year 2015, which, for the first time ever, removed the threat of a D.C. government shutdown for an entire fiscal year. The bill has more good news in not overturning the budget autonomy referendum approved by D.C. voters in 2013, which a federal district court recently ruled was invalid. Norton is committed to preventing any efforts by Congress to block or overturn the budget autonomy referendum pending a final court decision.

Norton also is grateful that the bill continues to provide an extra $5 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C., one of her priorities, the same amount as the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and in the President's fiscal year 2015 budget request, and $375,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program for tuition for D.C. National Guard soldiers, which is the same as the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.

Norton will make every effort to restore funding for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) for ongoing work to fix D.C.'s federally constructed sewer system and clean up the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek. The bill zeroes out the entire enacted fiscal year 2014 level of $14 million and the President's fiscal year 2015 budget request of $16 million at a time when flooding in Ward 5 shows the urgency of redoubling efforts and funding for DC Water. The bill provides $15 million each for D.C. public schools and public charter schools, a cut of $1 million each from the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $5 million below the President's fiscal year 2015 budget request for each.

Norton said that while she is pleased the bill does not contain any new anti-home-rule riders, she and her allies will need to fight hard to remove the D.C. abortion rider and be vigilant against amendments as the bill moves forward. Today, the D.C. home-rule coalition, comprising 41 national and local groups, sent a letter to Members of Congress urging them to respect D.C.'s home rule during consideration of the D.C. Appropriations bill. In May, Norton held a "Save D.C. Home Rule" press conference on efforts to protect D.C. home rule during the appropriations process. At the press conference, a letter was released informing Members that their constituents would be informed if they tried to interfere in D.C.'s local affairs. The letter was sent by NARAL Pro-Choice America, Human Rights Campaign, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, AIDS United and DC Vote.

Published: June 17, 2014