H. R. 2587—28
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall take effect as
if included in the District of Columbia Appropriations Act,
1999, and shall apply to fiscal year 1999 and each fiscal year
thereafter.
(b) TIMING FOR AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS UNDER 1999 ACT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The District of Columbia Appropriations
Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681–124) is amended
in the item relating to ‘‘FEDERAL FUNDS—FEDERAL PAYMENT
FOR WATERFRONT IMPROVEMENTS’’—
(A) by striking ‘‘existing lessees’’ the first place it
appears and inserting ‘‘existing lessees of the Marina’’;
and
(B) by striking ‘‘existing lessees’’ the second place it
appears and inserting ‘‘such lessees’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall take effect as
if included in the District of Columbia Appropriations Act,
1999.
SEC. 165. It is the sense of the Congress that the District
of Columbia should not impose or take into consideration any
height, square footage, set-back, or other construction or zoning
requirements in authorizing the issuance of industrial revenue
bonds for a project of the American National Red Cross at 2025
E Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., in as much as this project
is subject to approval of the National Capital Planning Commission
and the Commission of Fine Arts pursuant to section 11 of the
joint resolution entitled ‘‘Joint Resolution to grant authority for
the erection of a permanent building for the American National
Red Cross, District of Columbia Chapter, Washington, District of
Columbia’’, approved July 1, 1947 (Public Law 100–637; 36 U.S.C.
300108 note).
SEC. 166. (a) PERMITTING COURT SERVICES
AND OFFENDER
SUPERVISION AGENCY
TO CARRY OUT SEX OFFENDER REGISTRA-
TION.—Section 11233(c) of the National Capital Revitalization and
Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (D.C. Code, sec. 24–
1233(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(5) SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION.—The Agency shall carry
out sex offender registration functions in the District of
Columbia, and shall have the authority to exercise all powers
and functions relating to sex offender registration that are
granted to the Agency under any District of Columbia law.’’.
(b) AUTHORITY DURING TRANSITION
TO FULL OPERATION
OF
AGENCY.—
(1) AUTHORITY
OF
PRETRIAL
SERVICES, PAROLE, ADULT
PROBATION
AND
OFFENDER
SUPERVISION
TRUSTEE.—Notwith-
standing section 11232(b)(1) of the National Capital Revitaliza-
tion and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (D.C. Code,
sec. 24–1232(b)(1)), the Pretrial Services, Parole, Adult Proba-
tion and Offender Supervision Trustee appointed under section
11232(a) of such Act (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Trustee’’)
shall, in accordance with section 11232 of such Act, exercise
the powers and functions of the Court Services and Offender
Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (hereafter
referred to as the ‘‘Agency’’) relating to sex offender registration
(as granted to the Agency under any District of Columbia
law) only upon the Trustee’s certification that the Trustee
is able to assume such powers and functions.
H. R. 2587—29
(2) AUTHORITY OF METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT.—
During the period that begins on the date of the enactment
of the Sex Offender Registration Emergency Act of 1999 and
ends on the date the Trustee makes the certification described
in paragraph (1), the Metropolitan Police Department of the
District of Columbia shall have the authority to carry out
any powers and functions relating to sex offender registration
that are granted to the Agency or to the Trustee under any
District of Columbia law.
SEC. 167. None of the funds contained in this Act may be
used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize
or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use,
or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802) or any tetrahydrocannabinols deriva-
tive.
SEC. 168. (a) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby transferred from
the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management
Assistance Authority (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Authority’’) to
the District of Columbia the sum of $5,000,000 for the Mayor,
in consultation with the Council of the District of Columbia, to
provide offsets against local taxes for a commercial revitalization
program, such program to be available in enterprise zones and
low and moderate income areas in the District of Columbia: Pro-
vided, That in carrying out such a program, the Mayor shall use
Federal commercial revitalization proposals introduced in Congress
as a guideline.
(b) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—The amount transferred under sub-
section (a) shall be derived from interest earned on accounts held
by the Authority on behalf of the District of Columbia.
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Mayor shall report to the Committees
on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives
on the progress made in carrying out the commercial revitalization
program.
SEC. 169. WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS. (a) IN GENERAL.—Not
later than 7 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the
National Park Service, shall—
(1) implement the notice of decision approved by the
National Capital Regional Director, dated April 7, 1999,
including the provisions of the notice of decision concerning
the issuance of right-of-way permits at market rates; and
(2) expend such sums as are necessary to carry out para-
graph (1).
(b) ANTENNA APPLICATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the receipt
of an application, a Federal agency that receives an application
submitted after the enactment of this Act to locate a wireless
communications antenna on Federal property in the District
of Columbia or surrounding area over which the Federal agency
exercises control shall take final action on the application,
including action on the issuance of right-of-way permits at
market rates.
(2) EXISTING
LAW.—Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to affect the applicability of existing laws regarding:
H. R. 2587—30
(A) judicial review under chapter 7 of title 5, United
States Code (the Administrative Procedure Act), and the
Communications Act of 1934;
(B) the National Environmental Policy Act, the
National Historic Preservation Act and other applicable
Federal statutes; and
(C) the authority of a State or local government or
instrumentality thereof, including the District of Columbia,
in the placement, construction, and modification of personal
wireless service facilities.
SEC. 170. (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The District of Columbia has recently witnessed a spate
of senseless killings of innocent citizens caught in the crossfire
of shootings. A Justice Department crime victimization survey
found that while the city saw a decline in the homicide rate
between 1996 and 1997, the rate was the highest among a
dozen cities and more than double the second highest city.
(2) The District of Columbia has not made adequate funding
available to fight drug abuse in recent years, and the city
has not deployed its resources as effectively as possible. In
fiscal year 1998, $20,900,000 was spent on publicly funded
drug treatment in the District compared to $29,000,000 in
fiscal year 1993. The District’s Addiction and Prevention and
Recovery Agency currently has only 2,200 treatment slots, a
50 percent drop from 1994, with more than 1,100 people on
waiting lists.
(3) The District of Columbia has seen a rash of inmate
escapes from halfway houses. According to Department of
Corrections records, between October 21, 1998 and January
19, 1999, 376 of the 1,125 inmates assigned to halfway houses
walked away. Nearly 280 of the 376 escapees were awaiting
trial including two charged with murder.
(4) The District of Columbia public schools system faces
serious challenges in correcting chronic problems, particularly
long-standing deficiencies in providing special education serv-
ices to the 1 in 10 District students needing program benefits,
including backlogged assessments, and repeated failure to meet
a compliance agreement on special education reached with the
Department of Education.
(5) Deficiencies in the delivery of basic public services
from cleaning streets to waiting time at Department of Motor
Vehicles to a rat population estimated earlier this year to
exceed the human population have generated considerable
public frustration.
(6) Last year, the District of Columbia forfeited millions
of dollars in Federal grants after Federal auditors determined
that several agencies exceeded grant restrictions and in other
instances, failed to spend funds before the grants expired.
(7) Findings of a 1999 report by the Annie E. Casey Founda-
tion that measured the well-being of children reflected that,
with one exception, the District ranked worst in the United
States in every category from infant mortality to the rate
of teenage births to statistics chronicling child poverty.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Congress
that in considering the District of Columbia’s fiscal year 2001
budget, the Congress will take into consideration progress or lack
of progress in addressing the following issues:
H. R. 2587—31
(1) Crime, including the homicide rate, implementation
of community policing, the number of police officers on local
beats, and the closing down of open-air drug markets.
(2) Access to drug abuse treatment, including the number
of treatment slots, the number of people served, the number
of people on waiting lists, and the effectiveness of treatment
programs.
(3) Management of parolees and pretrial violent offenders,
including the number of halfway house escapes and steps taken
to improve monitoring and supervision of halfway house resi-
dents to reduce the number of escapes.
(4) Education, including access to special education services
and student achievement.
(5) Improvement in basic city services, including rat control
and abatement.
(6) Application for and management of Federal grants.
(7) Indicators of child well-being.
SEC. 171. The Mayor, prior to using Federal Medicaid payments
to Disproportionate Share Hospitals to serve a small number of
childless adults, should consider the recommendations of the Health
Care Development Commission that has been appointed by the
Council of the District of Columbia to review this program, and
consult and report to Congress on the use of these funds.
SEC. 172. GAO STUDY OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall—
(1) conduct a study of the law enforcement, court, prison,
probation, parole, and other components of the criminal justice
system of the District of Columbia, in order to identify the
components most in need of additional resources, including
financial, personnel, and management resources; and
(2) submit to Congress a report on the results of the study
under paragraph (1).
This title may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia Appropria-
tions Act, 2000’’.
TITLE II—TAX REDUCTION
SEC. 201. COMMENDING REDUCTION OF TAXES BY DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA.
Congress commends the District of Columbia for its action
to reduce taxes, and ratifies D.C. Act 13–111 (commonly known
as the Service Improvement and Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Support
Act of 1999).
H. R. 2587—32
SEC. 202. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this title may be construed to limit the ability
of the Council of the District of Columbia to amend or repeal
any provision of law described in this title.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.