Lawmakers on Capitol Hill debated a bill Thursday that would ban late-term abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy (except in instances where the mother's life is in danger) in the District.
This is the same bill, “The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” that was defeated by the House last summer.
But this time around, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), said he plans to expand the scope of the bill to apply to the entire country.
This move, according to the Washington Post, means the bill is less of a rallying cry for the District.
Last summer, District. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and other District advocates accused Republicans of once again using the city to experiment with social policies opposed by D.C. residents. She was not allowed to testify at the previous hearing.
For the latest hearing, Norton did not even attend and declined to testify.
Frank says he expects the bill to get a floor vote.
IN OTHER NEWS:
* D.C.’s “Smallest Tiniest Dinkiest House” -- 252 square feet in Northeast -- is on Craigslist to rent for $1,200 a month. (Washington City Paper)
* Vice President Joe Biden accidently referred to Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy as Gov. Martin O’Malley. (Washington Times)
* The Montgomery County Council officially gave final approval to its $4.8 billion operation budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. (Washington Post)
* Former Democratic Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder sent an ambiguous tweet saying that gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and his GOP running mates “aim to maintain and foster a ‘Commonwealth of Opportunity’.” He later clarified that he wasn’t endorsing anybody and that an aide sent out the tweet, which has since been deleted. (Washington Post)
* Black officials in the Virginia Democratic party are speaking out against GOP nominee for lieutenant governor E.W. Jackson for promoting what they call political hate speech against fellow African Americans in the guise of religion. (Roanoke Times)
* Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is being criticized by Republicans for flip-flopping his position on offshore drilling for oil and gas. (Virginian-Pilot)
* The director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Richard Koshalek, resigned from his post, effective at the end of this year, following an inconclusive vote by the Hirshhorn's Board of Trustees on his vision for an inflatable architectural pavilion for the museum. (Washington City Paper)
