Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-17
Budget Hearing Set
Monday in Senate
Bid to Restore
Cuts Expected
By Postore Unit
BY JAMES G. DEANE
Star Staff Writer

tSoAiA6o oIaA OlllS llCAI NULluhy
on the House passed S23T, 1885,
liz District appropriation bill
for the next fiscal year which
beGins july /.
The hearings will be before
IA subcommittee headed by
Senator Pastore, Democrat OF
Rhode Island. The unit an
nounced that spokesman for
civic organizations will be
heard at d Sessio, set for 7
pm. Wednesday. The sessions
will be in Room 1874 Of the
New Senate Office Building.
Senate floor action is not
expected until after the Easter
recess.
Open Hearings Set
The District Commissioners
are expected to ask for a num-
Der of reservations OF cuts made
by the House, but details on
this point have not yet been
disclosed. All of the hearings
will b. open to the public.
The House yesterday APP
proved without Charge the city's
spending eStima les recon-
menGed by its Appropriations
Committee. Alcnf with the
spending items, sos million
short of the city S request, went
a proposed S25 million Federal
payment. The city had asked
$32 million.
Representative Rabaut, DEM
ocrat of Michigan. chairman Of
the subcommittee which rec
commended the House approved
figures. 'ook the District to task
before yesterdays uncontested
House action.
He charged that the District
seems to want to rely solely
on Uncle Sam for the solution
to its fiscal problems" and COM
planned that the city had not
shown enough initiative and
responsibility"
Defends Payment
The Michigan legislator also
supported the fairness of the
: SIS million Federal payment
. figure. which city leaders are
! expected to ask the Senate to
increase. Mr.. Rabaut said the
!, Inquire is a significant" SIS mil
0 lion more than Congress has
e eranted in the past.
c Rather than being pleased
E with this increase. the press
and other individuals comment
about tie reduction of 81 mill
lion from the authorization"
he complained to the House.
He added that the appropria-
tons unit considered Congress
in no way bound by this au-
thorizatiol.
Congress authorized the S32
million figure last year but so
Tar has appropriated only $40
million for this fiscal year, al
though request for a So mil
hon increase is pending.
The Appropriations Committee
often ignores authorizations for
Federal agencies as we'll as the
District Mr.. Rabaut pointed
out.
The recommended budget in
cludes an unusual SIG million
deficit which the committee
proposed as an apparent lever
to force the city to raise prop
erty taxes. City officials say
the deficit actually will ex-
coed So million.
Action Defended
Mr.. Rabaut and other com.
mittee members strongly de.
Tended the deficit action. The
Michigan legislator cited a
Census Bureau study which he
said showed the District rank
ing 46th Oil its tax burden per
$500 of personal income. Only
Ohio, Missouri and Delaware
have lesser tax burdens accord
ing to this study. he asserted.
The city could cancel out the
SIG million deficit, Mr.. Rabaut
said. by raising its realty tax
rate, now $3.50 to $2.37. He
also said. as an alternative.
that the deficit could be met
by abolishing the present
separate motor vehicle parking
fund and applying the fund to
other needs. This fund will
have a $2.6 million surplus on
June 80, he said.
Inc committee deleted from
the budget a proposed SIS mil
lion parking garage for which
the city was asking to use about
ST million of the parking fund,
fed by meters, in the next year.
City officials have indicated
strong reluctance to abandon
this project. however.
Representative Rhodes, Re-
publican of Arizona, a member
of the Rabaut unit, proposed
to the House that Congress
should use the theoretical prop
erty tax liability of the Federal
Government as a formula for
figuring the annual Federal
payments.
Representative Jones, Demo-
crat of Missouri, one of a hand
full of noncommittee members
present during the floor discus
sion and vote. seconded the
Rabaut unit in criticizing Dis
trict taxpayers.
Some people in this Con-
greSS aren't doing their job.
They're not making these peo-
pie in the District pay their
fair share" he said.
Mr. Jones informed his coll
leagues he had wasted" SIX
years as a member of the House
District Committee urging tax
raises and finally left in dis
gust"