Past winners of the Witter Bynner Fellowship Award will gather for an evening of poetry reading tonight at the Library of Congress.

The evening will be divided into two sessions, which will take place in the Thomas Jefferson Building’s Coolidge Auditorium from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Poets participating in the first session include Carol Muske-Dukes, Carl Phillips, David Gewanter, Campbell McGrath, Joshua Weiner and George Bilgere.

The second session will feature Major Jackson, Rebecca Wee, Dana Levin, Spencer Reece, Claudia Emerson and Martin Walls.

The Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry provides grants for poetry programs through nonprofit organizations.

The LOC’s Poetry and Literature Center presents the annual poetry and literature reading series.

For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/poetry.

Norton Introduces D.C. Budget Autonomy Act

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) is once again pushing ahead with plans to free up a large portion of the District’s budget from the Congressional appropriations process.

On Thursday, Norton, along with several House and Senate sponsors, introduced the District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2005. The bill, similar to the one she introduced two years ago, would allow the mayor and city council to enact the locally funded portion of the District’s annual budget, and after 30 calendar days of review in Congress, the budget would become effective at the start of the fiscal year.

Norton has argued that by tying up the District’s budget in the appropriations process, city agencies such as the public school system have been negatively impacted by delays caused by unrelated appropriations riders. The delays can sometimes keep city programs from being funded for several months.

While Congress could still intervene in District budget matters during the 30-day review period, Norton said in a release last week that this bill “would offer the city far greater equality that it deserves to run its own local affairs and the capacity for better fiscal and operational management.”

“Short of voting rights and complete independence from Congress, budget autonomy is the most important change Congress could make for the District,” she said.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and ranking member Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), as well as House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) and ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), joined Norton in introducing the legislation last week.

— Megan King and John McArdle