Bill > PR26-0211

This resolution addresses an urgent budgetary situation for the District of Columbia in Fiscal Year 2025, where Congress unexpectedly restricted the city's ability to spend its locally generated revenue. Specifically, Congress passed a continuing appropriations act that effectively limited the District's spending to Fiscal Year 2024 levels, which would prevent the city from spending approximately $1.1 billion of its own locally generated funds. To mitigate this impact, the resolution seeks to utilize Section 817 of the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which allows the District to increase appropriations by up to 25% for special-purpose revenue funds and 6% for other funds when such increases are consistent with revenue collections. The resolution declares an emergency to enable the District to quickly adjust its budget, maintain critical public services like public safety, education, and human services, and ensure a balanced budget for the fiscal year. By declaring these circumstances an emergency, the Council can adopt the necessary budget adjustments after a single reading, allowing for rapid implementation of budget modifications and continued government operations.