Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Rider-Free Bill Thanks to Work of D.C. Coalition
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Rider-Free Bill Thanks to Work of D.C. Coalition September 15, 2011 WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked DC Vote, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Center for Reproductive Rights and others from the coalition of 100 organizations for helping her achieve a Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill free of all anti-home-rule riders at today's Senate Appropriations Committee markup. The Congresswoman said she was particularly grateful to Chairmen Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) and Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) for protecting the District of Columbia's home rule. The bill includes $122.6 million for the D.C. government, of which $90 million is for education and school improvement, including for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), and $65 million for General Services Administration construction and acquisition projects, which Norton worked with appropriators to secure. Earlier this year, the Congresswoman personally briefed Chairman Inouye on the Department of Homeland Security headquarters construction project at St. Elizabeths in Ward 8 and on DCTAG. "The thousands of calls and emails that were made to the Appropriations Committee by the supporters of DC Vote, pro-choice groups, and many others among the 100-organization coalition paid off," said Norton. "We will have to remain steadfast in our efforts to make sure anti-home-rule riders do not come up on the Senate floor, and steadfast in removing during conference the anti-choice rider placed on D.C.'s budget in the House." |