Happy Friday, D.C. It’s sunny out, this weekend is apparently going to be gorgeous (72 degrees!), and on Thursday, the D.C. Voting Rights Act passed the House of Representatives. In order to avoid a repeat of last time, Democrats broke the voting rights measure into two bills — one that would add the extra seats in the house and the other a PAY-GO bill to fund them. They were both written so narrowly that Republicans couldn’t change them much under House rules, and both passed. Make sure to check out the live blogging we did of the debate leading up to the vote. The twin bills still have an arduous journey through the Senate, and even if they pass there, they’re likely to be vetoed by President Bush. But for all the easy naysaying we know we’ll hear in the coming months, it’s important to remember that this is the closest we’ve come to having a full representative in Congress since 1978. A lot of hard work went into passing this legislation, and we salute all the individuals and organizations who made it happen. We’ll have more on this development later on.
School Takeover Plan Gets Final Approval: Mayor Fenty won final approval from the D.C. Council yesterday to take control of D.C. Schools. The Council voted 9 to 2 to for a second time to Fenty in direct control of the school superintendent, operating budget and $2.3 billion capital program. Fenty still needs Congress to change the city’s Home Rule Charter before he can assume complete authority, but opposition to the plan on the Hill is unlikely. When he first presented the plan to the Council, the Mayor said public school students could expect to see some of the changes he plans to implement as early as this fall.
HPV Vaccine Requirement Approved: Thursday was another busy day for the D.C. Council, as it gave final approval for a mandatory vaccine that prevents HPV, a virus that causes cervical cancer, for girls entering the 6th grade. The law is similar to legislation enacted in Virginia a few weeks ago. The immunization costs $360, but a federal vaccination program for children who are uninsured and underinsured will pay the costs for girls who cannot afford the vaccine.
Briefly Noted: Senators still urge Gonzales’ resignation after testimony … Verizon Center ticket tax to go up 10 percent.
This Day in DCist: Last year we first told you about the plan to extend the Yellow Line to Ft. Totten on off-peak hours, and the year before that we still didn’t know whether Mayor Anthony Williams would seek a third term.
Photo by Eye Captain
