On July 26, the House began its consideration of its final FY2001 appropriations bill, the District of Columbia (D.C.) spending bill (H.R. 4942). The House had planned to return to the bill on July 27, but it was pulled when it appeared that there might not be enough votes to pass it.
As in past years, the bill maintains current law with respect to the prohibition on the use of federal and District funds for abortion coverage for low-income women on Medicaid, implementation of a voter referendum approving the medicinal use of marijuana, and implementation of health benefits for domestic partners of D.C. employees. Exceptions on abortion coverage would be made in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
An amendment by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) to eliminate all riders in the bill was struck on a point of order.
The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds for needle exchange programs. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) offered an amendment to prohibit the use of any funding for needle exchange programs.
In offering his amendment, Rep. Souder stated: “The reasoning is simple: Needle exchange programs sanction and facilitate the use of the same illegal drugs we are spending billions of dollars to keep off our streets. They send the wrong message, and it simply does not work.”
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) spoke in opposition to the amendment: “The positive effects of needle exchange are proven. In communities across the country, needle exchange programs have been established and are contributing to the reduction of HIV transmission among IV drug users.” A vote on the amendment was postponed.
The bill also would prohibit D.C. from implementing a recently-passed D.C. Council bill that would require health insurance plans that provide coverage for city employees to cover contraceptives if they also cover other prescription drugs unless the bill is rewritten to include a conscience clause that would provide for an exemption based on religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Del. Norton offered an amendment to strike the section that specifies that the D.C. Council bill cannot take effect. In offering the amendment, Del. Norton explained that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has announced that he will pocket veto the bill and that he plans to work with the D.C. Council to produce a compromise conscience clause provision.
Rep. Istook stated his opposition to the Norton amendment: “What she is requesting is that we strike the part that says this proposed law shall not go into effect. Well, why? Because, she says, having been subjected to this fire storm, the mayor and the council have learned and they have made public statements that they intend to do this and the mayor has made a public statement, indeed he has done so to me in writing, that he intends to do a pocket veto of the bill…I believe him. Nevertheless, right now it is a live issue.”
Del. Norton responded: “A pocket veto from a mayor who is trying to do what you say…should be all you need when he has accepted the language that we asked him to accept and when he is working with his own Catholic Church, and they have agreed to work with him and they have agreed not to come here to ask us to do another thing, we ought to declare victory and go home. I am insulted by the fact that you would not accept my amendment by how hard my mayor and my city council have worked. You have cast aspersions on their credibility.” A vote on the amendment was postponed.
