CONFERENCE PASSES $4.7 BILLION DC BUDGET

WASHINGTON - A House-Senate conference committee on Wednesday
approved the erection of cellular phone towers in a popular park in
the nation's capital and told its local government not to fund needle
exchanges for drug addicts to combat AIDS.

Both measures were included in a bill establishing a $4.7 billion
budget for the city government for the fiscal year 2000, which begins
Oct. 1. The legislation returns to both chambers for a final vote
before going to President Clinton, who has threatened to veto it over
the needle exchange issue.

Under the bill, the federal government would provide $429 million of
the capital city's budget. The balance would come from local taxes and
fees.

The bill requires the National Park Service to implement an earlier
decision to allow the cellular towers to be built in Rock Creek Park
despite objections from Mayor Anthony Williams, other district leaders
and environmentalists.

Clinton also has problems with the cell phone towers because the
National Capital Planning Commission's authority to review the project
was bypassed.

The Senate conferees agreed to the House position prohibiting the
legalization of marijuana for medical uses in the district.

A provision added to last year's budget prohibits votes from a Nov. 3
referendum on a medical marijuana initiative from being counted. They
can be counted at the end of the fiscal year, but the new amendment
prohibits the use of medical marijuana no matter which how the count
goes.