Back to pending legislation, Council period 12
ENGROSSED ORIGINAL A BILL IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA To amend, on a temporary basis, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975 to require the Chairman of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission to maintain a surety bond, to require Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to submit certain documentation with quarterly financial reports and to relinquish their checkbooks to the D.C. Auditor if they fail to file 2 consecutive quarterly reports on time, and to reallocate quarterly allotments held in reserve for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in order to provide funding for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in fiscal year 1999. BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Management Control and Funding Temporary Amendment Act of 1998". Sec. 2. Section 16 of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975, effective March 26, 1976 (D.C. Law 1-58; D.C. Code §1-264), is amended as follows: (a) The second sentence of subsection 1 6(c) is amended to read as follows:
(b) Paragraph 16(j)(1) is amended to read as follows:
(c) Paragraph 16j(2) is amended to read as follows:
(d) Paragraph 16(j)(3) is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 3. The second sentence of subsection 17(b) of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975, effective March 6, 1991 (D.C. Law 8-203; D.C. Code §1-264.1(b)), is subsection 17(b) is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. The Council concludes that this legislation will have a positive fiscal impact. The legislation includes 3 provisions that will strengthen financial management and oversight of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions ("ANCs"), thereby preventing waste, fraud. and abuse while ensuring that funds are spent to benefit District neighborhoods. First, section 2(a) requires the ANC chairman to be bonded, supplementing the present statutory requirement that the ANC treasurer is bonded. This is a prudent change because subsection 16(f) of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975 states that the signature of the ANC treasurer or the chairman must appear on any expenditure an ANC makes by check. Section 3 presents an alternative to the bonding requirement, as provided in current law, by stating that if an ANC chooses to participate in the ANC Security Fund instead of maintaining a bond, that both the ANC treasurer and Chairman must agree to be personally liable to the Fund for any wrongful appropriation or loss of ANC funds. Second, section 2(b) introduces a new requirement for quarterly financial reports to include copies of canceled checks, bank statements, invoices and receipts, grant request letters, and contracts executed, along with the minutes indicating the Commission's approval of disbursements reported in the quarterly report. This information will make Commissions more accountable for documenting their expenditures and will enable the Auditor quickly to detect any financial errors or improper expenditures. Third, section 2(c) includes a provision to deter and prevent financial mismanagement by requiring Commissions that fail to file 2 consecutive quarterly reports on time to relinquish their checkbooks to the Auditor. Commissions that have failed to file 2 or more quarterly reports will not be able to make any expenditure by check without the permission of the Auditor. The legislation also includes language in section 2(d) that provides fiscal year 1999 funding for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in a fiscally neutral way. In approving the . District's fiscal year 1999 budget, Congress did not provide funding for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, but specified in the conference report on the District's budget that the District could reprogram funds for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions "so long as necessary management controls are enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia to assure that the funds are disbursed for previously reviewed and agreed upon purposes, consistent with the laws, rules, and regulations of the District of Columbia." This legislation enacts the necessary management controls and also allocates $334,790.38 for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in fiscal year 1999 by transferring that sum from a reserve fund maintained for ANCs by the Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer presently holds $596,438.38 in reserve for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions that have failed to file the quarterly financial reports required by law. Commissions can claim the funds associated with a quarterly report by filing a report meeting the standards prescribed by the D.C. Auditor. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer reports that $334,790.38 of the funds held in reserve is for allotments from fiscal years 1991 through 1997. This legislation reallocates the reserve funding of $334,790.38 for fiscal years I 99 I through 1997 for use as the fiscal year 1999 appropriation for Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. Sec. 5. Effective date. (a) This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by e Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), approval by the Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority as provided in section 203(a) of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995, approved April 17, 1995 (109 Stat. 116; D.C. Code §47-392.3(a)), a 30-day period of Congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Code §1-233(c)(1)), and publication in the District of Columbia Register. (b) This act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect. |
Send mail with questions or comments to webmaster@dcwatch.com
Web site copyright ©DCWatch (ISSN 1546-4296)