Lieberman To Introduce D.C. Budget Autonomy Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Joseph Lieberman plans to introduce a bill that would give the District of Columbia greater control over its municipal budget.

Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, is a longtime supporter of budget autonomy and Congressional voting rights for the district. A spokeswoman for the Senate committee that oversees the district said Tuesday that Lieberman plans to introduce the bill soon but had no further details.

District leaders have long pushed for the ability to set their own fiscal year and spend local tax dollars without Congressional approval.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., introduced such a bill last year, but district leaders rejected it because it would have barred the district from funding abortions for poor women.

Issa has pledged to keep working on a bill that is acceptable to the district.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)