Latest news with #D.C.LocalFundsAct
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House to vote on repealing DC local laws on noncitizen voting, policing, immigration enforcement
The Brief House Republicans are voting on three bills that would override D.C. laws on noncitizen voting rights, limiting police powers, and restricting immigration enforcement cooperation. One bill, HR 884, repeals D.C.'s 2022 law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections. HR 2056 would dismantle D.C.'s sanctuary city protections by mandating cooperation with federal immigration authorities. WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives are voting Tuesday on three Republican-backed bills that would override several local D.C. laws. The bills would roll back D.C. efforts expand voting rights for non-citizens, restrict police and force the District to work with immigration enforcement efforts on a federal level. D.C. passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act in 2022, granting noncitizens in D.C. the right to vote in local elections. That includes mayoral races, D.C. Council positions, attorney general, ANC members, attorney general and D.C. ballot measures. Noncitizens can also run for elected office in the D.C. government. HR 884 would repeal the act, removing voting powers from noncitizens. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton released a statement, pushing back at Congress' power of local D.C. matters. "Last Congress, Republicans introduced 14 bills or amendments to prohibit noncitizens from voting in D.C. or to repeal, nullify or prohibit the carrying out of D.C.'s law that permits noncitizens to vote," said Norton. "Yet, Republicans refuse to make the only election law change D.C. residents have asked Congress to make, which is the right to hold elections for voting members of the House and Senate." The Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act, would dismantle parts of D.C.'s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. HR 2096 would allow D.C. police officers to negotiate disciplinary matters through collective bargaining. It would also restore a statute of limitation for claims against the Metropolitan Police Department. "This bill was introduced three days after House Republicans passed a continuing resolution that cut D.C.'s local budget by one billion dollars. That act of fiscal sabotage, which did not save the federal government any money, has led to a freeze on overtime, hiring and pay raises, and furloughs or layoffs may be next," said Norton. "Nine weeks ago today, the Senate passed the D.C. Local Funds Act to reverse the cut. The D.C. Local Funds Act is just sitting in the House. Like President Trump and the National Fraternal Order of Police, I call on the House to pass immediately the D.C. Local Funds Act." READ MORE: Congress' spending bill error leaves DC scrambling to cut $400M from budget HR 2056 would strike down D.C. policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. It would prohibit DC officials from "sending, receiving, maintaining, or exchanging with any Federal, State, or local government entity information regarding the citizenship or immigration status (lawful or unlawful) of any individual." The bill would effectively dismantle D.C.'s sanctuary city policies. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser made moves to quietly overturn a law that prevents local police from cooperating with ICE, including it in a provision of her 2026 budget proposal. Big picture view The D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973 allows the city to elect its own mayor and council. It's also allowed for D.C. to choose Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners to handle community concerns. Congress still maintains control over D.C., including the ability to review all local legislation and appoint the city's judges. D.C. has no voting member in Congress, though it has a nonvoting Delegate. In February, legislators from Utah and Tennessee introduced a bill to strip D.C. of its ability to govern itself. The bill is named after D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser – the "Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident (BOWSER) Act." The bill would eliminate D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973 and would place D.C. under the full control of Congress. The Source This story includes information from the US House of Representatives, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DC mayor sends letter to Congress to increase District budget by 6%
WASHINGTON () — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is sending a notification to Congress to increase its budget by 6% to address a potential $1.1 billion budget shortfall. This comes after the House failed to pass a measure in the continuing resolution that would keep D.C.'s budget intact. US still won't say whether it will return mistakenly deported man, despite Supreme Court decision Bowser said the position the House has left the District in is frustrating because her office is having to find other ways to allow the District to use its own funds. 'We need Congress to act,' Bowser said. 'What we are doing is a stopgap. It doesn't address the issue.' Bowser said she is scrambling to prevent the District from taking an even bigger hit. 'Congress created this problem,' Alex Dodds with Free DC, an organization dedicated to D.C. home rule, said. 'This is a problem that Congress created. It does not benefit anyone that we are in this financial shortfall right now.' The current continuing resolution passed by the House treats D.C. as a federal agency, forcing it to revert to 2024 spending levels. 'It's hard to call it a cut because the money is available,' Bowser said. 'It's like we're talking about cutting services because we didn't have the money. We do have the money, but we have to have an approved appropriation from Congress to spend our own money.' Maryland EMTs have new arsenal in fentanyl overdose battle The House failed to pass the D.C. Local Funds Act that would fix the problem and allow the District to spend at fiscal year 2025 levels. Bowser has not said what services would see cuts first, but is warning of spending freezes, furloughs and possible layoffs. 'It's not a complete solution, so we do need the House to come back into session,' Dodds said. 'When they come back, they need to pass the D.C. Local Funds Act.' DC News Now reached out to the House Committee of Appropriations and did not hear back in time for publication. The House is expected to come back from recess on April 28. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
