[House Document 106-36]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]






106th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 106-36
-----------------------------------------------------------------------



 
EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE 
                               INTERIOR

                               __________

                              COMMUNICATON

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

    A REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY FUNDS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE DISTRICT OF 
 COLUMBIA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, PURSUANT TO PUB. L. 105-
                                  277




March 8, 1999.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered 
                             to be printed

                               --------

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE                    
69-011                     WASHINGTON : 1999




                                           The White House,
                                         Washington, March 5, 1999.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
    Sir: In accordance with provisions of P.L. 105-277, the 
Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations 
Act, 1999, I hereby request the following:
District of Columbia
     Federal support for economic development and 
management reforms in the District: $61,800,000.
    These funds will support the District of Columbia's Year 
2000 (Y2K) compliance efforts, and would be transferred from 
the Information Technology Systems and Related Expenses 
account.
Department of the Interior
     United States Geological Survey, Surveys, 
investigations, and research: $1,000,000.
     United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Construction: $25,000,000.
     National Park Service, Construction: $10,000,000.
    These funds will help repair damage caused by natural 
disasters, including Hurricane Georges, in Alabama, Florida, 
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, 
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 
Islands.
    I hereby designate all of the above requests as emergency 
requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced 
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
    In addition, Estimate Number 3 for the 106th Congress, 1st 
Session, transmitted on February 3rd, 1999, regarding Y2K 
compliance, is amended as follows:
United States Holocaust Memorial Council
     Holocaust Memorial Council: $220,000.
    The details of these actions are set forth in the enclosed 
letter from the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget. I concur with his comments and observations.
            Sincerely,
                                                William J. Clinton.
    Enclosure.


               [Estimate No. 10, 106th Cong., 1st Sess.]

                 Executive Office of the President,
                           Office of Management and Budget,
                                     Washington, DC, March 5, 1999.
The President,
The White House.
    Submitted for your consideration is a request to transfer 
$61.8 million from the Information Technology Systems and 
Related Expenses Account for Year 2000 (Y2K) compliance to the 
District of Columbia, and requests to make available $36.0 
million in previously appropriated emergency funding for the 
Department of the Interior to repair damage caused by natural 
disasters, including Hurricane Georges.

                          d.c. y2k compliance

    This is the fourth allocation of contingent emergency 
funding for Y2K from funds appropriated in P.L. 105-277, the 
Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations 
Act, 1999. On November 6, 1998, you allocated $891 million; on 
December 8, 1998, you allocated $338 million; and, on February 
3, 1999, you allocated $240 million. In addition, $30 million 
in emergency funding was released to the Legislative and 
Judicial Branches when you signed P.L. 105-277 on October 21, 
1998.
    The contingent emergency funding provided in P.L. 105-277--
$1.1 billion for defense-related activities and $2.25 billion 
for non-defense activities--has enabled Federal agencies to 
respond effectively to unanticipated Y2K-related issues. With 
this release of funds, a total of $670 million remains in the 
contingent emergency reserve for non-defense activities.
    The requested transfer will support a range of activities 
to ensure that the District of Columbia's important computer 
systems will operate smoothly through the Year 2000 and beyond. 
The Administration has been working with the District's Y2K 
team and District officials since November 1998 to determine 
the appropriate level of Federal funding to assist the District 
in addressing its Y2K problem. The $61.8 million included in 
this transmittal will help the District to repair, test, and 
validate its mission critical systems to avoid disruption in 
vital services such as public safety, transportation, and 
social services on January 1, 2000, and shortly thereafter. The 
District is subject to the same reporting requirements as 
Federal agencies that receive funding from the Y2K contingency 
fund and will continue to report to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) on its progress toward achieving Y2K 
compliance.
    In addition, this transmittal contains a technical 
correction to the Y2K materials transmitted on February 3, 
1999.

                        natural disasters repair

    P.L. 105-277 provided $36 million in emergency funding to 
the Department of the Interior (DOI), contingent upon the 
President submitting a budget request to the Congress and 
designating the entire amount requested as an emergency 
requirement. None of these funds have yet been designated as an 
emergency requirement and made available.
    The requests in this transmittal would make the entire $36 
million available to DOI to repair damage to roads, trails, and 
other facilities caused by natural disasters, including 
Hurricane Georges, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, 
Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
    I recommend that you designate the amounts listed on the 
enclosure as emergency requirements in accordance with section 
251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
Control Act of 1985, as amended. No further congressional 
action will be required. Pursuant to P.L. 105-277, the funds to 
be transferred to the District of Columbia will be made 
available 15 days after this designation is forwarded to 
Congress. The DOI funds will be available immediately upon 
transmittal.
    I have carefully reviewed these proposals and am satisfied 
that they are necessary at this time. Therefore, I recommend 
that you make the requested funds available by signing the 
enclosed letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
            Sincerely,
                                              Jacob J. Lew,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

Emergency Appropriations: Amounts Previously Appropriated Made Available 
                            by the President

Year 2000 (Y2K) Conversion

District of Columbia:
    Federal support for economic development and 
      management reforms in the District................     $61,800,000

    The funds made available will enable the District of 
Columbia to address the Y2K problem by supporting remediation 
for information technology systems, testing to ensure that 
those systems are Y2K compliant, and creation and verification 
of continuity of operations and contingency plans for city 
agencies. These funds will be transferred from the Information 
Technology Systems and Related Expenses account, the contingent 
emergency reserve for Y2K compliance.

Hurricane Georges repair

Department of the Interior:
    United States Geological Survey: Survey, 
      investigations, and research......................      $1,000,000
    United States Fish and Wildlife Service: 
      Construction......................................      25,000,000
    National Park Service: Construction.................      10,000,000

    Public Law 105-277, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act, FY 1999, provided $36 million 
in emergency funding to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service to 
repair damage due to hurricanes, floods, and other acts of 
nature. The availability of these funds was made contingent 
upon the President submitting a budget request to the Congress 
and designating the entire amount as an emergency requirement. 
None of these funds have yet been designated as an emergency 
requirement and made available.
    At this time, the entire amount is required to repair 
damage to roads, trails, and other facilities caused by natural 
disasters, including Hurricane Georges, in Alabama, Florida, 
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, 
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 
Islands.

                                
