[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3778 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3778

To provide for direct billing for water and sanitary sewer furnished to 
  Federal agencies by the District of Columbia, and direct payment by 
              those agencies to the District of Columbia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2002

 Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for direct billing for water and sanitary sewer furnished to 
  Federal agencies by the District of Columbia, and direct payment by 
              those agencies to the District of Columbia.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Government Water and 
Sanitary Sewer Billing and Collection Improvement Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. DIRECT BILLING FOR WATER AND SEWER SERVICES FURNISHED TO 
              FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Water Services.--Section 106(b) of the District of Columbia 
Public Works Act of 1954 (sec. 34-2401.25(b), D.C. Official Code) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(b)(1) Beginning with payments due October 1, 2002, the District 
of Columbia (District) shall bill directly any Department, agency or 
independent establishment of the United States Government (user agency) 
for water services furnished to such user agency.
    ``(2) In accordance with the procedures of paragraph (3) of this 
subsection, on the first day of each fiscal quarter, each user agency 
shall pay directly to the District, from funds specifically 
appropriated or otherwise available to it, one-fourth (25 percent) of 
the annual estimate prepared by the District. User agencies shall pay 
the District without further justification.
    ``(3) By April 15 of each calendar year, the District shall provide 
each user agency, for inclusion in the President's budget of the user 
agency, an estimate of the cost of service for such user agency for the 
fiscal year commencing October 1st of the following calendar year. The 
District shall provide the Office of Management and Budget with copies 
of all estimates provided to user agencies. The estimate shall provide 
the total estimated annual cost of such service and an itemized 
estimate of such costs for the user agency. The District's estimates on 
a yearly basis shall reflect such adjustments as are necessary to--
            ``(A) account for actual usage variances from the estimated 
        amounts for the fiscal year ending September 30th of the 
        calendar year preceding April 15th; and
            ``(B) reflect changes in rates charged for water and sewer 
        services resulting from public laws or rate covenants pursuant 
        to water and sewer revenue bond sales.
The District shall also provide procedures to ensure resolution of 
billing disputes between the District and user agencies.
    ``(4) The amount or time period for late payment of water charges 
involving a building, establishment, or other place owned by the 
Federal Government imposed by the District shall not be different from 
those imposed by the District on its most favored customer.
    ``(5) Not later than the 15th day of the month following each 
quarter, the inspector general of each Federal department, 
establishment, or agency receiving water services from the District 
shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate analyzing the promptness of payment 
with respect to the services furnished to such department, 
establishment, or agency.
    ``(6) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to 
transfer, from funds available to a user agency, to the United States 
Treasury account entitled `Federal Payment for Water and Sewer 
Services,' the amount necessary to cover any amounts owed by the user 
agency for services rendered by the District prior to October 1, 2002. 
The Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the District, from these 
transferred funds, any amounts owed to the District for Services 
rendered by the District to the user agency prior to October 1, 2002.
    ``(7) For services rendered to buildings leased or managed by the 
General Services Administration (GSA), the term `user agency' as used 
in this subsection shall refer to GSA.''.
    (b) Sanitary Sewer Services.--Section 212(b) of such Act (sec. 34-
2112(b), D.C. Official Code) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b)(1) Beginning with payments due October 1, 2002, the District 
of Columbia (District) shall bill directly any Department, agency or 
independent establishment of the United States Government (user agency) 
for sanitary sewer services furnished to such user agency.
    ``(2) In accordance with the procedures of paragraph (3) of this 
subsection, on the first day of each fiscal quarter, each user agency 
shall pay directly to the District, from funds specifically 
appropriated or otherwise available to it, one-fourth (25 percent) of 
the annual estimate prepared by the District. User agencies shall pay 
the District without further justification.
    ``(3) By April 15 of each calendar year, the District shall provide 
each user agency, for inclusion in the President's budget of the user 
agency, an estimate of the cost of service for such user agency for the 
fiscal year commencing October 1st of the following calendar year. The 
District shall provide the Office of Management and Budget with copies 
of all estimates provided to user agencies. The estimate shall provide 
the total estimated annual cost of such service and an itemized 
estimate of such costs for the user agency. The District's estimates on 
a yearly basis shall reflect such adjustments as are necessary to--
            ``(A) account for actual usage variances from the estimated 
        amounts for the fiscal year ending September 30th of the 
        calendar year preceding April 15th; and
            ``(B) reflect changes in rates charged for water and sewer 
        services resulting from public laws or rate covenants pursuant 
        to water and sewer revenue bond sales.
The District shall also provide procedures to ensure resolution of 
billing disputes between the District and user agencies.
    ``(4) The amount or time period for late payment of sanitary sewer 
charges involving a building, establishment, or other place owned by 
the Federal Government imposed by the District shall not be different 
from those imposed by the District on its most favored customer.
    ``(5) Not later than the 15th day of the month following each 
quarter, the inspector general of each Federal department, 
establishment, or agency receiving sanitary sewer services from the 
District shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate analyzing the promptness of 
payment with respect to the services furnished to such department, 
establishment, or agency.
    ``(6) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to 
transfer, from funds available to a user agency, to the United States 
Treasury account entitled `Federal Payment for Water and Sewer 
Services', the amount necessary to cover any amounts owed by the user 
agency for services rendered by the District prior to October 1, 2002. 
The Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the District, from these 
transferred funds, any amounts owed to the District for services 
rendered by the District to the user agency prior to October 1, 2002.
    ``(7) For services rendered to buildings leased or managed by the 
General Services Administration, the term `user agency' as used in this 
subsection shall refer to GSA.''

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect October 1, 2002.
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