On September 14, the House passed, 217-207, the FY2001 District of Columbia (D.C.) appropriations bill (H.R. 4942). The House began consideration of the measure prior to the August recess; however, the measure was pulled when it appeared that there would not be enough votes to pass the bill (see The Source, 7/31/00, p. 5).
As in past years, the bill would maintain current law with respect to the prohibition on the use of federal and District funds for abortion coverage for low-income women on Medicaid, implementation of a voter referendum approving the medicinal use of marijuana, and implementation of health benefits for domestic partners of D.C. employees. Exceptions on abortion coverage would be made in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
The bill, as drafted by the House Appropriations Committee, would have prohibited the use of federal funds for needle exchange programs and did not include the current requirement that any group conducting needle exchange programs account for those funds separately from public funds. In July, the House completed debate on an amendment by Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) that would prohibit the use of both federal and local funds for needle exchange programs. A final vote was postponed until September 14, when the House voted, 239-181, to accept the amendment.
As drafted by the House Appropriations Committee, the bill would have prohibited the District from implementing a D.C. Council bill to require health insurance plans that provide coverage for city employees to cover contraceptives if they also cover other prescription drugs, unless the bill was rewritten to include a conscience clause that would provide an exemption based on religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Prior to the August recess, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) offered an amendment to strike the section that specifies that the D.C. Council bill cannot take effect. A vote on the amendment was postponed at that time due to controversy over whether D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams would pocket veto the bill in order to work out a compromise with the D.C. Council.
Since that time, the Mayor pocket vetoed the D.C. Council bill, making the language in the D.C. appropriations bill unnecessary. For that reason, the Norton amendment was adopted, by voice vote, on September 14. The bill retains the language directing the D.C. Council to rewrite the bill to include a conscience clause.
During debate on September 14, the House accepted several other amendments. One amendment, offered by Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), would prohibit the possession of tobacco by minors. The amendment was adopted, 265-155.
The other amendment, offered by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), would ban the distribution of needles in conjunction with a needle exchange program within 1,000 feet of a public or private day care center, elementary school, vocational school, secondary school, junior college, college, university, public housing project, swimming pool, park, playground, video arcade, or youth center, or an event sponsored by any such entity. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Senate Action
On September 13, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 27-1, its version of the FY2001 D.C. appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered). While the Senate bill would contain roughly half the policy riders that the House bill contains, the Senate bill retains current law with respect to abortion coverage, needle exchange programs, and health coverage for domestic partners. The Senate bill does not include language regarding the D.C. Council contraceptive coverage bill.
