[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RESOLUTION TO GRANT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AUTHORITY OVER ITS OWN LOCALLY 
                             RAISED REVENUE

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                        of district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 28, 1995

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a continuing 
resolution which would give the District the authority to obligate only 
District revenues to carry out activities authorized in fiscal year 
1995 at a rate of operations capped at $4.994 billion, the spending 
level agreed to by conferees on the fiscal year 1996 D.C. appropriation 
bill. Specific oversight by the Financial Authority to monitor 
obligations and spending would also be required.
  In the midst of a serious financial crisis, the District has been 
particularly damaged by the Federal Government shutdown and would 
continue to be destabilized by a series of short-term continuing 
resolutions. Short-term CR's would place the CFO in a particularly 
untenable position. He is required to avoid over-obligation at the same 
time that he would have to apportion obligations in small amounts to 
fit very limited continuing resolution authority. Faced with unfunded 
Federal mandates, for example, AFDC, Medicaid, and the complexity of 
payments that a city must make, a series of short-term CR's would only 
lead to disarray. I am particularly concerned that hard-hit District 
residents, who have endured this serious fiscal crisis, will be put 
through additional hardship because of a struggle within the Federal 
Government. It has already become difficult to hold on to D.C. 
taxpayers.
  With an already crippling fiscal crisis, the last thing the Congress 
should do is to make it worse. Passing a continuing resolution for D.C. 
is the appropriate thing for Congress to do.

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