108-7 , formerly H.J.Res. OnFebruary 13, 2003, the House and Senate approved the conference report ( H.Rept. 108-10 ) accompanying H.J.Res. The House version of the bill included aprovision that would have allowed the District of Columbia to spend $5.8 billion in locally raisedfunds while Congress completed action on the proposed $517 million in federal contributions to theDistrict's FY2003 budget. In response to the CFO's findings andat the urging of Congress, the mayor and the city council submitted a revised budgeton September 27, 2002, aimed at addressing the budget shortfall. 108th Congress. The 107thCongress was unable to complete action on 11 appropriations bills, including theDistrict of Columbia Appropriations Act for FY2003, before adjourning. 107-229 , a continuing budget resolution, froze appropriationsfor 11 appropriations bills for FY2003 at their FY2002 budget levels. 2 , as approved by the House on January8, 2003, would have allowed the District to spend $5.8 billion in locally raised fundsfor operating expenses in accordance with the city's revised financial plan and budgetfor FY2003. During the 107th Congress, the House Appropriations Committee reported out its version of the District of Columbia Appropriations Act for FY2003, H.R. 5521 , on October 2, 2002, several days after the District submitted a revised budget forFY2003. FY2003 General Provisions, House Bill. On January 23, 2003. the Senate passed its versionof H. J. Res. On July 26, 2002, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2809 , the District of Columbia Appropriations Act for FY2003. The bill included $517million in special federal payments and contributions to the District. These funds wereto be matched by local funds. FY2003 General Provisions, Senate Bill. The actalso allows unrelated heterosexual and homosexual couples to register as domesticpartners. 2, P.L. 108-7. 2 , wasapproved by the House and Senate on February 13, 2002. The Act, which was signedby the President on February 20, 2003, appropriates $512 million in special federalpayments and contributions to the District of Columbia and associated public andprivate entities. The Act includes:
$162 million for the operation of the District of Columbia Court system;
$155 million for court services and offender supervision activities; 
$50 million federal payment to the Washington Water and Sewer Authority;
$33 million for defender services; 
$30 million for security and emergency preparedness and response activities, including $15 million for security planningactivities;
$20 million for public education, including $3 million in support of special education, and $17 million for the District's public charter schools; and
$17 million for college tuition assistance plan. The Act prohibits the use of the use of federal and District funds for:
lobbying for District statehood or voting representation in Congress;
abortion services, except in the case of rape or incest; 
a needle or syringe exchange program intended to reduce the spread of AIDS/HIV; or
legalize marijuana or the implementation of a medical marijuana initiative. The prohibition on the use of federal and District funds for a needle exchange program was first approved by Congress as Section 170 of the District of ColumbiaAppropriations Act for FY1999, P.L. Like the final conference provision, the House bill, H.R. 107-96 , includes a provision that continues to prohibit the District government from implementing theinitiative. Under the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act, which wasapproved by the city's elected leadership in 1992, an unmarried person who registersas a domestic partner of a District employee hired after 1987 may be added to theDistrict employee's health care policy for an additional charge. 108-07 , consistent with the provision included in the District's FY2002 Appropriations Act, includes a general provision that allows the use of District fundsto administer the program during FY2003. P.L.
On February 20, 2003, President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2003, P.L. 108-7 (formerly H. J. Res. 2). Division C of the act appropriates $512 million in federal fundsfor the District of Columbia. for fiscal year 2003. On February 13, 2003, the House and the Senateapproved the conference report ( H.Rept. 108-10 ) accompanying H. J. Res. 2. The Senate approvedan earlier version of H.J.Res. 2 , on January 23, 2003, that would have allowed theDistrict of Columbia to spend $5.8 billion in locally raised funds while Congress completed actionon the proposed $517 million in federal contributions to the District's FY2003 budget. The 107thCongress failed to complete action on the District's FY2003 Appropriations Act before it adjourned. As a consequence, Congress passed eight continuing budget resolutions freezing District ofColumbia and several other FY2003 appropriations bills at their FY2002 level until a budgetcompromise could be reached. during the 108th Congress.
On October 2, 2002, several days after the submission of a revised FY2003 budget by District officials, the House Appropriations Committee reported the District of Columbia Appropriations Actfor FY2003, H.R. 5521 . In response to a congressionally imposed October 1, 2002deadline, District of Columbia officials completed action on a revised budget for FY2003 onSeptember 27, 2002. Passage of an amended FY2003 budget by District officials was aimed at addressing a $323 million budget shortfall identified by the city's chief financial officer.
On July 26, 2002, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2809 , the District of Columbia Appropriations Act for FY2003. The Senate and House bills included $517million in special federal payments to the District of Columbia, which was significantly less than the$592 million requested by the District. The House and Senate bills included special federalpayments of $17 million for the District's college access program and $15 million for security andemergency preparedness activities associated with the city's status as the national capital. TheSenate bill included $15 million for capital infrastructure development while the House bill included$24 million, which was less than the $96 million requested by the District.
The House and Senate bills, as reported during the 107th Congress, would have continued to allow the District to use its local funds to administer a domestic partners health insurance actapproved by the city in 1992. Prior to the passage of the P.L. 107-96 , the District of ColumbiaAppropriations Act for FY2002, Congress prohibited the implementation of the Health Care BenefitsExpansion Act. The Act allows unmarried couples to register as domestic partners and extendshealth care benefits of city employees to unrelated individuals registered as domestic partners. P.L.108-7 , includes a provision included in the House bill prohibiting the use of local and federal fundingof a needle exchange program. The Senate bill would have allowed the use of District funds for aneedle exchange in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. In addition, the final act includeda provision found in both House and Senate bills prohibiting the use of District or federal funds toprepare a medical marijuana ballot initiative and the use of federal or District funds for abortionservices except in instance of rape or incest. This report will be updated as warranted.
Key Policy Staff
Division abbreviations: G&F = Government and Finance Division; DSP = Domestic Social Policy Division