D.C. Council Committee rejects mayor’s proposal to extend bar hours

On Wednesday, a D.C. Council committee defeated Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s proposal to extend bar hours by one hour, leaving a $3.2 million hole in the next fiscal year’s budget, which some members hope to stop by raising taxes on beer, liquor, and wine sales. The Human Services Committee, in a 3-2 vote, stripped the proposal to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4 a.m. on weekends from the budget. “This committee is under an obligation to vote its principles,” said Committee Chairman Jim Graham, D-Ward 1, whose panel has oversight over alcohol issues. “We wanted to protect the neighborhoods that are in entertainment areas.”

After rejecting the mayor’s proposal, the committee was left with a $347 million budget for human services that a majority of its members could neither entirely fund nor support. Members now reportedly worry that Gray’s fiscal 2012 budget could cut $5 million in assistance for needy families and $7 million for homeless services. The committee, unable to fathom the cuts, but short of revenue, then voted 4-1 against Gray’s social services budget, which left a reconsideration of extending bar hours later this month. “The mayor fully supports his approach,” said Gray’s spokesman, Pedro Ribeiro. “No new taxes. No new fees. A lot can still happen. . . . We think it’s the right approach.”