Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING o n Bill 23-489, "Intra-District Transfer Limitation Amendment Act of 2019" Unfunded Spending Initiatives and Deficiency Spending o n Wednesday, March 4, 2020 10:00 a.m.. Room 120, John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004 Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces the scheduling of a public hearing of the Committee of Whole on Bill 23-489, the "Intra-District Transfer Limitation Amendment Act of 2019" and the related issue of "Unfunded Budget Initiatives and Deficiency Spending." The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The stated purpose of Bill 23-489 is to amend District law to clarify that intra-District transfers shall not be used to establish new programs or to change allocations that were specifically denied, limited, or increased by the Council in a budget act or its accompanying budget report or mark-up sheets. This issue arose, for example, when the Council rejected the Mayor's budget proposal to shift funding from the Metropolitan Police Department to the District Department of Transportation for photo traffic enforcement. In addition, the hearing will consider a number of budgetary actions taken over the last year regarding the Council's intent for the budget. For example, through the Fiscal Year 2019 Revised Local Budget adopted by the Council in June 2019, the Council rescinded funding that was intended to provide free circulator service for the remainder of FY 2019; however, the free service continued until the end of the Fiscal Year. The Executive has used a number of tools to implement programs or initiatives that were previously neither authorized nor budgeted by the Council. Such initiatives include $10 million in CCTV cameras through a contingency cash draw at the end of FY 2019, establishment of a new Office of Creative Affairs through reprogrammings; and a subsidized for-hire vehicle program through vague statutory authorization. Those who wish to testify are asked to email the Committee of the Whole at cow@dccouncil.us, or call Evan Cash at (202) 724-7002, and to provide your name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Monday, March 2, 2020. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled.  Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony. If submitted by the close of business on March 2,2020 the testimony will be distributed to Counciimembers before the roundtable. Witnesses should limit their testimony to four minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. Copies of the legislation can be obtained through the Legislative Services Division of the Secretary of the Council's office or on http://lims.dccouncil.us. Roundtable materials, including a draft witness list, can be accessed at http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/circulation, 24 hours in advance of the roundtable. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Written statements should be submitted to the Committee of the Whole, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 410 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on March 18, 2020.