Frederick Douglass statue in halls of Capitol a possibility

The most recent bill approved by the Senate panel this week would allow Washington D.C. to build a statue of Frederick Douglass in the halls of the Capitol...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The most recent bill approved by the Senate panel this week would allow Washington D.C. to build a statue of Frederick Douglass in the halls of the Capitol. The building of the statue of Douglass would be a big move for the city. Under the bill the statue would be placed in Statuary Hall. The Washington Post has the story:

The D.C. spending bill approved by a Senate panel this week would help the District government stay open in the event of a federal shutdown and would allow the city to place a statue of abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass in the halls of the Capitol, advancing a pair of key priorities for local leaders.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to approve the annual measure, which would give the District $676 million in federal payments for fiscal 2013 to cover the costs of the D.C. court system, a private school voucher program, security for special events and handful of other items. Unlike the Republican-authored House version of the bill, the measure in the Democratic-controlled Senate would not prohibit the city from using its own funds to pay for abortions for low-income women.

Under the bill, if there is no federal appropriations measure in force approving the District budget — as would be the case during a federal government shutdown — then the city would be permitted to spend its local funds. That would be a welcome change for city leaders, who watched worriedly as the government nearly shut down last year.

Click here for the full story.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE