Subcommittee Moves To End Restrictions on District

A House appropriations subcommittee approved a bill today that would lift prohibitions that prevent the District from using funds for domestic partnership registration and needle exchange programs. It also eliminates bans on using local funds for abortion and holding a referendum on use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Ending the restrictions could prove controversial as the bill moves through Congress.
Rep. José E. Serrano (D-NY), chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, said in a statement that the bill takes "steps toward reducing undue congressional interference in local affairs."

States do not have such restrictions and the bill would put the city on par with the rest of the country, he said.

The bill also provides $768 million to the city for various programs, including HIV/AIDS education and ending homelessness.

Nikita Stewart