Marty Walsh: “Mr. Speaker, this evening we have before the House the conference agreement on H.R. 2546, the District of Columbia…”

“Mr. Speaker, this evening we have before the House the conference agreement on H.R. 2546, the District of Columbia Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1996. The bill passed the other body on September 22, and passed this House on November 2. We had five meetings with our Senate counterparts, including one at 10 o'clock this morning, as well as numerous other meetings in our efforts to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of this bill. In the meantime, we provided funding to the District government through continuing resolutions under which a portion of the Federal payment was paid to the city. Under these CR's, $441 million of the $660 million annual Federal payment has been disbursed. These funds were placed in the Control Board's hands with half of the money going back to the U.S. Treasury to repay last year's loan to the District. On January 3, I introduced a CR that allows the District to continue operating through September 30 using its own local funds.”