Councilmember Carol Schwartz
Councilmember Jack Evans
Chairman Linda Cropp
A BILL IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Councilmember Carol Schwartz introduced the following bill, which was referred to the
Committee on Finance and Revenue
To provide incentives for District of
Columbia government agencies that collect fees and fines to become more efficient in these
functions, by requiring that a limited amount of surplus funds collected by an agency over
the revenues projected to be collected in that year’s appropriated budget be returned to
that agency’s budget for its operations by deposit in a newly created Fee Collection
Incentive Fund.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as
the "Fee Collection Incentive Act of 2001 ".
Sec. 2. Definitions.
For the purposes of this act, the term:
(1) "Agency" means any District agency involved in the collection of fees or
fines on behalf of the District.
(2) "Base year" means the fiscal year in which supplementary revenue is
collected by an agency.
(3) "Credit" means the
return of a certain percentage of supplementary revenue collected by an agency to the
operating budget of that agency.
(4) "Dispersal year" means the second fiscal year after the base year, in
which a percentage of the supplementary revenue collected by an agency is dispersed to
that agency after first being deposited in the Fee Collection Incentive Fund.
(5) "District" means the District of Columbia government.
(6) "Supplementary revenue" means all monies, from whatever source derived,
which in fact exceed an agency’s revenue estimates from fees and fines as those estimates
were projected for the current fiscal year appropriations budget.
Sec. 3. Establishment of the Fee Collection Incentive Fund.
(a) There is established a "Fee Collection Incentive Fund" ("Fund")
to be operated by the Chief Financial Officer of the District.
(b) The monies in the Fund shall not be a part of, nor lapse into, the General Fund of
the District, except as provided in section 5 of this act.
(c) As of October 1, 2001, 5 percent of all supplementary revenue collected by a
District agency over the revenue amount projected in that agency’s base year appropriated
budget shall be earmarked for credit to the agency and transferred to the Fund on an
annual basis at the beginning of the dispersal year.
Sec. 4. Return of supplementary revenue.
(a) The Mayor shall credit to an agency 5 percent of all supplemental revenue collected
by the agency over its estimated revenue projection for use in the agency’s base year
appropriations operations budget, provided, however, that such supplemental revenue shall
not be used by the agency for employee bonuses, and any expenditure of funds shall
directly enhance the agency’s efficiency.
(b) Such a credit shall be made to the Fee Collection Incentive Fund.
Sec. 5. Transfer of excess cash.
If, at the end of the dispersal year, the balance of monies in the Fee Collection
Incentive Fund exceeds the amount required by the agency or is otherwise unexpended by the
agency, the excess funds shall be transferred, in cash, to the General Fund of the
District.
Sec. 6. Fiscal impact.
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
impact statement required by section 602(c)(3) of the District of Columbia Self-Government
and Governmental Reorganization Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Code
§ 1233(c)(3)).
Sec. 5. Effective date.
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by
the 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)), and 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.