(4) He shall administer the personnel functions of the District covering employees of all District departments, boards, commissions, offices, and agencies, except as otherwise provided by this Act. Personnel legislation enacted by Congress, prior to or after the effective date of this section, including, without limitation, legislation relating to appointments, promotions, discipline, separations, pay, unemployment compensation, health, disability and death benefits, leave, retirement, insurance, and veteran's preference, applicable to employees of the District government, as set forth in section 1002 (c), shall continue to be applicable until such time as the Council shall, pursuant to this section, provide similar or comparable coverage under a District government merit system or systems. The District government merit system or systems shall be established by legislation of the Council. The system or systems may provide for continued participation in all or part of the Federal Civil Service system and shall provide for persons employed by the District government immediately preceding the effective date of such system or systems personnel benefits, including but not limited to pay, tenure, leave, retirement, health and life insurance, and employee disability and death benefits, all at least equal to those provided by legislation enacted by Congress and applicable to such officers and employees immediately prior to the effective date of the system or systems established pursuant to this Act. The District government merit system or systems shall take effect not earlier than one year or later than five years after the effective date of this section.

(5) He shall, through the heads of administrative boards, offices, and agencies, supervise and direct the activities of such boards, offices, and agencies.

(6) He shall, at the end of each fiscal year, prepare reports for such year of (a) the finances of the District, and (b) the administrative activities of the executive office of the Mayor and the executive departments of the District. He shall submit such reports to the Council within ninety days after the close of the fiscal year.

(7) He shall keep the Council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the District and make such recommendations to the Council as may seems to him desirable.

(8) He may submit drafts of acts to the Council.

(9) He shall perform such other duties as the Council, consistent with the provisions of this Act, may direct.

(10) He may delegate any of his functions (other than the function of approving or disapproving acts passed by the Council or the function of approving contracts between the District and the Federal Government under section 901) to any officer, employee, or agency of the executive office of the Mayor, or to any director of an executive department who may, with the approval of the Mayor, make a further delegation of all or a part of such functions to subordinates under his jurisdiction. (11) The Mayor or the Council may propose to the executive or legislative branches of the United States Government legislation or other action dealing with any subject not falling within the authority of the District government, as defined in this Act.

(12) As custodian he shall use and authenticate the corporate seal of the District in accordance with law.

(13) He shall have the right, under the rules to be adopted by the Council, to be heard by the Council or any of its committees.

(14) He is authorized to issue and enforce such administrative orders, not inconsistent with any Act of the Congress or any act of the Council, as are necessary to carry out his functions and duties.

TITLE V-THE DISTRICT BUDGET

FISCAL YEAR

SEC. 501. The fiscal year of the District of Columbia shall begin on the 1st day of July and shall end on the 30th day of June of the succeeding calendar year. Such fiscal year shall also constitute the budget and accounting year.

BUDGETARY DETAILS FIXED BY DISTRICT COUNCIL

SEC. 502. (a) The Mayor shall prepare and submit, not later than April 1, to the District Council, in such form as the Council shall approve, the annual budget estimates of the District and the budget message.

(b) The Mayor shall, in consultation with the Council, take whatever action may be necessary to achieve, insofar as is possible, (1) consistency in accounting

and budget classifications, (2) synchronization between accounting and budget classifications and organizational structure, and (3) support of the budget justifications by information on performance and program costs as shown by the accounts.

ADOPTION OF BUDGET

SEC. 503. The Council shall by act adopt a budget for each fiscal year not later than May 15, except that the Council may, by resolution, extend the period for its adoption. The effective date of the budget shall be July 1 of the same calendar year.

BUDGET ESTABLISHES APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 504. The adoption of the budget by the Council shall operate to appropriate and to make available for expenditure, for the purposes therein named, the several amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures, subject to the provisions of section 702.

SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 505. The Council may at any time adopt an act by vote of a majority of its members rescinding previously appropriated funds which are then available for expenditure, or appropriating funds in addition to those theretofore appropriated to the extent unappropriated funds are available; and for such purpose unappropriated funds may include those borrowed in accordance with the provisions of section 621.

TITLE VI-BORROWING

PART 1-BORROWING FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

BORROWING POWER; DEBT LIMITATIONS

SEC. 601. The District may incur indebtedness by issuing its bonds in either coupon or registered form to fund or refund indebtedness of the District at any time outstanding and to pay the cost of constructing or acquiring any capital projects requiring an expenditure greater than the amount of taxes or other revenues allowed for such capital projects by the annual budget: Provided, That no bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, other than bonds to fund or refund outstanding indebtedness shall be issued in an amount which, together with indebtedness of the District to the Treasury of the United States pursuant to existing law, shall cause the aggregate of indebtedness of the District to exceed 12 per centum of the average of the aggregate of the assessed values (as of the first day of July of the ten most recent fiscal years for which such assessed values are available) of (1) the taxable real and tangible personal property located in the District and (2) the real and tangible personal property referred to in paragraphs (A) and (B) of section 741 (a) of this Act, the values of which shall be computed in accordance with the applicable provisions of section 741 of this Act, nor shall such bonds or other evidences of indebtedness issued for purposes other than the construction or acquisition of capital projects connected with highway, water and sanitary sewage works purposes, or any revenue-producing capital projects which are determined by the Council to be self-liquidating exceed 6 per centum of such average assessed value. Bonds or other evidences of indebtedness may be issued by the District pursuant to an act of the Council from time to time in amounts in the aggregate at any time outstanding not exceeding 2 per centum of said assessed value, exclusive of indebtedness owing to the United States on the effective date of this title. All other bonds or evidence of indebtedness, other than bonds to fund or refund outstanding indebtedness, shall be issued only with the assent of a majority of the qualified voters of said District voting at an election on the proposition of issuing such bonds. In determining the amount of indebtedness within all of the aforesaid limitation at any time outstanding there shall be deducted from the aggregate of such indebtedness the amount of the then current tax levy for the payment of the principal of the outstanding bonded indebtedness of the District and any other moneys set aside into any sinking fund and irrevocably dedicated to the payment of such bonded indebtedness. The Council shall make provision for the payment of any bonds issued pursuant to this title, in the manner provided in section 631 hereof.

CONTENTS OF BORROWING LEGISLATION; REFERENDUM ON BOND ISSUE

SEC. 602. (a) An Act authorizing the issuance of bonds may be enacted by a majority of the Council members at any meeting of the Council subsequent to the meeting at which such act was introduced, and shall contain at least the following provisions:

(1) A brief description of each purpose for which indebtedness is proposed to be incurred;

(2) The maximum amount of the principal of the indebtedness which may be incurred for each such purpose;

(3) The maximum rate of interest to be paid on such indebtedness; and (4) In the event the Council is required by this part, or it is determined by the Council in its discretion, to submit the question of issuing such bonds to a vote of the qualified voters of the District, the manner of holding such election, the manner of voting for or against the incurring of such indebtedness, and the form of ballot to be used at such election. The ballot shall be in such form as to permit the voters to vote separately for or against the incurring of indebtedness for each of the purposes for which indebtedness is proposed to be incurred.

(b) The Council shall cause the proposition of issuing such bonds to be submitted by the Board of Elections to the qualified voters at the first general election to be held in the District not less than forty days after the date of enactment of the act authorizing such bonds, or upon a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the Council, the Council may call a special election for the purpose of voting upon the issuance of said bonds, such election to be held by the Board of Elections at any date set by the Council not less than forty days after the enactment of such act.

(c) The Board of Elections is authorized and directed to prescribe the manner of registration and the polling places and to name the judges and clerks of election and to make such other rules and regulations for the conduct of such elections as are not specifically provided by the Council as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this section, including provisions for the publication of a notice of such election stating briefly the proposition or propositions to be voted on and the designated polling places in the various precincts and wards in the District. The said notice shall be published at least once a week for four consecutive calendar weeks on any day of the week, the first publication thereof to be not less than thirty nor more than forty days prior to the date fixed by the Council for the election. The Board of Elections shall canvas the votes cast at such election and certify the results thereof to the Council in the manner prescribed for the canvass and certification of the results of general elections. The certification of the result of the election shall be published once by the Board of Elections within three days following the date of the election.

PUBLICATION OF BORROWING LEGISLATION

SEC. 603. The Mayor shall publish any act authorizing the issuance of bonds at least once within five days after the enactment thereof, together with a notice of the enactment thereof in substantially the following form:

"NOTICE

"The following act authorizing the issuance of bonds published herewith has become effective, and the time within which a suit, action, or proceeding questioning the validity of such bonds can be commenced as provided in the District of Columbia Charter Act will expire twenty days from the date of the first publication of this notice (or in the event the proposition of issuing the proposed bonds is to be submitted to the qualified voters, twenty days after the date of publication of the promulgation of the results of the election ordered by said act to be held).

SHORT PERIOD OF LIMITATION

"MAYOR."

SEC. 604. Upon the expiration of twenty days from and after the date of publication of the notice of the enactment of an act authorizing the issuance of bonds without the submission of the proposition for the issuance thereof to

the qualified voters, or upon the expiration of twenty days from the date of publication of the promulgation of the results of an election upon the proposition of issuing bonds, as the case may be, all as provided in section 603—

(1) any recitals or statements of fact contained in such act or in the preambles or the titles thereof or in the results of the election of any proceedings in connection with the calling, holding, or conducting of election upon the issuance of such bonds shall be deemed to be true for the purpose of determining the validity of the bonds thereby authorized, and the District and all others interested shall thereafter be estopped from denying same; (2) such act and all proceedings in connection with the authorization of the issuance of such bonds shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly and regularly taken, passed, and done by the District and the Board of Elections in full compliance with the provisions of this Act and of all laws applicable thereto;

(3) the validity of such act and said proceedings shall not thereafter be questioned by either a party plaintiff or a party defendant, and no court shall have jurisdiction in any suit, action, or proceeding questioning the validity of same, except in a suit, action, or proceeding commenced prior to the expiration of such twenty days.

ACTS FOR ISSUANCE OF BONDS

SEC. 605. After the expiration of the twenty-day limitation period provided for in section 604 of this part, the Council may by act establish an issue of bonds as authorized pursuant to the provisions of sections 601 to 604, inclusive, hereof, An issue of bonds is hereby defined to be all or any part of an aggregate principal amount of bonds authorized pursuant to said sections, but no indebtedness shall be deemed to have been incurred within the meaning of this Act until the bonds shall have been sold, delivered, and paid for, and then only to the extent of the principal amount of bonds so sold and delivered. The bonds of any authorized issue may be issued all at one time, or from time to time in series and in such amounts as the Council shall deem advisable. The act authorizing the issuance of any series of bonds shall fix the date of the bonds of such series, and the bonds of each such series shall be payable in annual installments beginning not more than three years after the date of the bonds and ending not more than thirty years from such date. The amount of said series to be payable in each year shall be so fixed that when the annual interest is added to the principal amount payable in each year the total amount payable in each year in which part of the principal is payable shall be substantially equal. It shall be an immaterial variance if the difference between the largest and the smallest amounts of principal and interest payable annually during the term of the bonds does not exceed 3 per centum of the total authorized amount of such series. Such act shall also prescribe the form of the bonds to be issued thereunder, and of the interest coupons appertaining thereto, and the manner in which said bonds and coupons shall be executed. The bonds and coupons may be executed by the facsimile signatures of the officer or officers designated by the act authorizing the bonds, to sign the bonds, with the exception that at least one signature shall be manual. Such bonds may be issued in coupon form in the denomination of $1,000, registerable as to principal only or as to both principal and interest, and if registered as to both principal and interest may be issuable in denominations of multiples of $1,000. Such bonds and the interest thereon may be payable at such place or places within or without the District as the Council may determine.

PUBLIC SALE

SEC. 606. All bonds issued under this part shall be sold at public sale upon sealed proposals at such price or prices as shall be approved by the Council after publication of a notice of such sale at least once not less than ten days prior to the date fixed for sale in a daily newspaper carrying municipal bond notices and devoted primarily to financial news or to the subject of State and municipal bonds published in the city of New York, New York, and in a newspaper of general circulation published in the District. Such notice shall state, among other things, that no proposal shall be considered unless there is deposited with the District as a downpayment a certified check or cashier's check for an amount equal to at least 2 per centum of the par amount of bonds bid for, and the Council shall reserve the right to reject any and all bids.

PART 2 SHORT-TERM BORROWING

BORROWING TO MEET SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 621. In the absence of unappropriated available revenues to meet supplemental appropriations made pursuant to section 505, the Council may by act authorize the issuance of negotiable notes, in a total amount not to exceed 5 per centum of the total appropriations for the current fiscal year, each of which shall be designated "supplemental" and may be renewed from time to time, but all such notes and renewals thereof shall be paid not later than the close of the fiscal year following that in which such act becomes effective.

BORROWING IN ANTICIPATION OF REVENUES

SEC. 622. For any fiscal year, in anticipation of the collection or receipt of revenues of that fiscal year, the Council may by act authorize the borrowing of money by the execution of negotiable notes of the District, not to exceed in the aggregate at any time outstanding 20 per centum of the total anticipated revenue, each of which shall be designated "Revenue Note for the Fiscal Year 19 ". Such notes may be renewed from time to time, but all such notes, together with the renewals, shall mature and be paid not later than the end of the fiscal year for which the original notes have been issued.

NOTES REDEEMABLE PRIOR TO MATURITY

SEC. 623. No notes issued pursuant to this part shall be made payable on demand, but any note may be made subject to redemption prior to maturity on such notice and at such time as may be stated in the note.

SALE OF NOTES

SEC. 624. All notes issued pursuant to this part may be sold at not less than par and accrued interest at private sale without previous advertising.

PART 3-PAYMENT OF BONDS AND NOTES

SEC. 631. (a) The act of the Council authorizing the issuance of bonds pursuant to this title, shall, where necessary, provide for the levy annually of a special tax without limitation as to rate or amount upon all the taxable real and personal tangible property within the District in amounts which, together with other revenues of the District available and applicable for said purposes, will be sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on said bonds and the premium, if any, upon the redemption thereof, as the same respectively become due and payable, which tax shall be levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as other District taxes are levied and collected, and when collected shall be set aside for the purpose of paying such principal, interest, and premium.

(b) The full faith and credit of the District shall be and is hereby pledged for the payment of the principal of and the interest on all bonds and notes of the District hereafter issued pursuant to this title whether or not such pledge be stated in the bonds or notes or in the act authorizing the issuance thereof.

PART 4-TAX EXEMPTION-LEGAL INVESTMENT

TAX EXEMPTION

SEC. 641. Bonds and notes issued by the Council pursuant to this title and the interest thereon shall be exempt from all Federal and District taxation except estate, inheritance, and gift taxes.

LEGAL INVESTMENT

SEC. 642. Notwithstanding any restriction on the investment of funds by fiduciaries contained in any other law, all executors, administrators, guardians, trustees, and other fiduciaries within the District of Columbia may legally invest any sinking funds, moneys, trust funds, or other funds belonging to them or under or within their control in any bonds issued pursuant to this title, it being the purpose of this section to authorize the investment in such bonds or notes