NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Panel OKs Plans for Fiscal Control Board

The House panel that oversees the District of Columbia unanimously approved legislation that would entrust the city’s finances to a presidentially appointed control board. With Congress expected to pass the measure soon, lawmakers said that they expect the city to be under new financial management by the end of April. The control board, approved by the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee’s District of Columbia subcommittee, is patterned after oversight boards that have helped cities such as New York and Philadelphia overcome fiscal crises. The five-member panel would be empowered to impose its own budget plans if city officials ignore its guidelines.