D.C. Council member Marion Barry hoped to return to work Tuesday following his kidney transplant less than two weeks ago, but he was not present at the start of the 10 a.m. Council meeting.
His name was called twice before the meeting started, but there was no response, Kimberly Suiters reported.
The former mayor hoped to be able to attend in order to try to reverse a tuition hike at the University of the District of Columbia. He also wanted to seek to keep open enrollment at D.C.'s only public university.
His return would have come less than two weeks after undergoing a kidney transplant at Howard University Hospital.
Barry has drafted emergency legislation to force the UDC board of trustees to do a 45-day review of the effect and reason for nearly doubling tuition to $7,000 for D.C. residents who are full-time, four-year students.
The proposed resolution would also bar the university from establishing "stringent" admission requirements for its four-year program.
Right now, anyone with a high school diploma or GED can enroll in UDC.
