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.

February 14, 2002

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

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.

END