DC Budget Freedom Amendment Would Give Residents Greater Control Over Local Tax Dollars

For more information contact: James Jones, Communications Director
202.462.6000 x12 office / 202.557.4864 mobile / jjones@dcvote.org

October 2, 2012

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson will proposed legislation Tuesday to amend the DC Home Rule Charter that would allow the District to craft and pass a budget on its own schedule and spend local tax dollars following a 35-day Congressional review period. The legislation – developed by DC Vote and DC Appleseed – puts the issue of DC’s budget freedom before the people of the District by ordering a referendum.

“Today, our fight for greater DC democracy is being led by leaders elected by the people of the District of Columbia,” said Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of DC Vote. “Despite solid majorities in Congress in support of greater democracy for DC, our efforts have repeatedly been blocked on Capitol Hill by a determined minority,“ Zherka said.

“This is an affirmative step toward self-determination that the District can and should pursue,” said DC Appleseed Executive Director Walter Smith. “The legislation and the referendum represent a real opportunity for District residents to show their support for budget autonomy and adopt legislation moving democracy forward.”

The Charter referendum creates a two-track strategy for winning greater DC budget autonomy. Chairman Mendelson’s bill complements ongoing efforts on Capitol Hill to pass DC budget autonomy legislation. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has successfully forged a bi-partisan coalition in support of DC budget autonomy, an effort also led by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). A bipartisan Senate DC Budget Autonomy bill is being pushed by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Susan Collins (R-WA).

Under current law, the District cannot spend local tax revenues without an affirmative approval by Congress. The District routinely passes a local budget, but time and time again partisan wrangling in Congress has prevented the city from implementing that budget for months. The District is also required to adopt a federal fiscal year – a requirement that leaves the District at risk of a costly shutdown if the Congress fails to enact a federal budget. Spending local dollars under a District-determined fiscal year will mean DC government budget priorities will not be stalled by gridlock in Congress. The proposed Charter Amendment would allow the District to better address pressing needs and to spend tax dollars in line with revenue projections.

“Locally-elected leaders control local tax revenues in every other jurisdiction in America,” Zherka said. “District residents have been denied this fundamental right for far too long, and the Charter Amendment is a step towards correcting this inequality.”

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