This week, the House and Senate approved the conference report for the District of Columbia spending bill. To date, the Department of Defense spending bill is the only one of the thirteen FY2005 spending bills that has been enacted into law.
Last week, Congress approved a continuing resolution (H. J. Res. 107) to fund government programs at their FY2004 levels until November 20, 2004 (see The Source, 10/1/04). The House and Senate are expected to be in session the week of November 15 to complete their work on the remaining FY2005 spending bills.
District of Columbia
On October 6, the House approved, 377-36, the conference report for the FY2005 District of Columbia spending bill (H.R. 4850). The Senate approved the conference report by unanimous consent the same day. It will now go to the White House for President Bush’s signature.
H.R. 4850 allocates $560 million for the District of Columbia in FY2005, a $15 million increase over FY2004, but $300,000 below the administration’s request.
The bill provides $190.8 million for the operation of the D.C. courts, $23 million above the FY2004 level, but $37.2 million below the administration’s request. The total includes funding for the Family Court, which handles all cases in the District pertaining to child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, adoption, and foster care.
With the goal of expanding school choice in the District of Columbia, the measure provides $14 million for private school vouchers, $13 million for the improvement of public schools, and $13 million for charter schools. In FY2004, Congress provided $13 million for all three categories.
Under the bill, $1 million is allocated for the Family Literacy Program, $1 million less than FY2004. President Bush did not request funding for the program.
H.R. 4850 provides $5 million for improvements to the District’s foster care system, $9 million below the FY2004 level. The administration’s budget request did not include funding for this purpose.
Included in the bill is a provision that prohibits the use of federal funds to implement a D.C. law that permits municipal employees to purchase health insurance benefits for their domestic partners, regardless of gender or marital status.
The bill also maintains current law with respect to the prohibition on the use of local and federal funds for abortion coverage for low-income women on Medicaid. Exceptions for abortion coverage are made in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
Finally, the measure maintains current law prohibiting the use of local and federal funds for a needle exchange program.
