House Bill Would Take Budget Power Away From DC Government
Source: Associated Press
House Bill Would Take Budget Power Away From DC Government
By BEN NUCKOLS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON May 17, 2016, 4:32 PM ET
A House committee has approved a bill that would block the District of Columbia government from spending local tax dollars without approval by Congress.
The party-line vote was not a surprise after Republican leaders said the city's so-called "budget autonomy" law was an illegal attempt to take power away from Congress.
The District government has sent its budget to Congress for approval every year since the city was granted home rule in 1973. But this year, city leaders planned to skip that step. City voters approved a referendum granting freedom over the budget to the District, and a judge ruled in the city's favor after the law was challenged in court.
The House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to send the bill to the House floor.
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