DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND REVENUE

The fiscal year 1990 recommendation is for $22,954,000 and 566 positions. This amount reflects a decrease of $113,000 and one position below the 1989 budget level.

The Office is responsible for administering and enforcing the District's tax law; conducting research on revenue sources and alternative tax systems; advising the Mayor and District Council on tax policy, programs, and revenues; and recording deeds and other written instruments affecting a person's right, title, or interest in real or personal property in the District of Columbia and providing assistance and information to taxpayers and citizens.

BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND ETHICS

The Committee's recommendation for the Board is for $2,494,000 and 34 positions. This is a decrease from fiscal year 1989 of $142,000. The Board of Elections and Ethics is charged with administering and enforcing the election laws of the District of Columbia.

OFFICE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE

The Committee recommends $1,123,000 and 14 positions for fiscal year 1990. This amount is a decrease of $6,000 below the fiscal year 1989 allowance.

The Office of Campaign Finance is responsible for independently administering and enforcing District laws pertaining to campaigns for elected officials, lobbyist activities, and conflict of interest and financial disclosure and ethical standards for public officials.

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RELATIONS BOARD

The Committee's recommendation for the board is for $302,000 and four positions, an increase of $5,000 over the fiscal year 1989 appropriation.

The Public Employees Relations Board is responsible for the impartial resolution of labor-management disputes in the District government.

OFFICE OF EMPLOYEE APPEALS

The Committee recommends $1,358,000 and 24 positions for fiscal year 1990. This is a decrease of $84,000 below fiscal year 1989.

The Office is responsible for hearing any employee appeal of a final agency decision affecting a performance rating, an adverse action, a reduction in force, the resolution of a grievance, an erroneous employee payment, a privacy and records management decision, or the classification of a position. Appeals may be heard by a three-member panel constituting a quorum. An appeal from a decision of the panel may be taken at the option of the adversely affected party either to the full five-member board or to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA RETIREMENT BOARD

The Committee recommends a total of $818,000 and 10 positions for the District's Retirement Board. This is an increase of $11,000 over fiscal year 1989.

The general fund amount will not substantially increase until total expenditures represent a 20- to 80-percent split of the net administrative cost to the total administrative cost.

The retirement board controls and manages the retirement funds for police officers, firefighters, judges, and teachers. It also certifies the contributions required of the District and Federal governments and of employees covered by the Retirement Reform Act, Public Law 96-122.

METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

The Committee recommends $383,000 for fiscal year 1990. This is an increase of $13,000 over fiscal year 1989.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is the cooperative association of the 16 major cities and counties in the metropolitan area.

ADMISSION TO STATEHOOD

The Committee recommends $150,000 for the Statehood Commission and the Statehood Compact Commission, it is the same amount as allowed by the House with no increase from the fiscal year 1989 budget.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMISSION ON BASEBALL

No request, nor recommendation, is made for the Baseball Commission in fiscal year 1990. The Commission expects that its operations will be fully supported by private contributions, as it has been in fiscal years 1988 and 1989.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION

The Committee recommends $137,913,000 for fiscal year 1990. This amount is an increase of $14,242,000 from fiscal year 1989 adjusted, 1990 base.

Following is a tabulation of the allocated funds by agency or department:

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY MAYOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Committee recommends $1,672,000 for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and 20 positions. This is the same as the budget request and the House-reported bill.

The Deputy Mayor for Economic Development was established to develop a comprehensive, cohesive, economic development program for the District and to coordinate all programs, policies, strategies, proposals, and functions related to economic and community development in the District of Columbia. The fiscal year 1990 recommendation strengthens the office's strategic planning unit. The recommendation continues support for the Office of Banking and Financial Institutions, which reports to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, and assists in the office's partnership ventures with banks and financial institutions in the design and implementation of community reinvestment initiatives, especially in the underserved areas of the city.

OFFICE OF PLANNING

The Committee recommends $3,678,000 for the Office of Planning along with 70 positions, a decrease of 16 positions below the current number of staff and $199,000 below the fiscal year 1989 appropriation. This is the same as the House bill and the budget request. The Committee's recommendation will enable the Office to continue its efforts to plan for the physical growth and development of the District of Columbia. The Office will continue to implement the comprehensive plan and process amendments and refinements to the plan, as appropriate. A major initiative of fiscal year 1990 will be to continue efforts to bring zoning into full compliance with the comprehensive plan.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

For the Department of Housing and Community Development [DHCD] the Committee recommends $14,833,000 and 77 positions. This is the same number of positions and a decrease of $4,551,000 below the fiscal year 1989 appropriation.

The fiscal year 1990 budget, as submitted by the District, includes reductions in several DHCD programs, as follows:

Homesteading Program is reduced by $1,400,000 below the fiscal year 1989 appropriated level, to $700,000.

Home Purchase Assistance Program is decreased by $1,584,000 from last year's level. The remaining $5,514,000 will provide for approximately 380 loans.

Rehabilitation Loan Financing Program is reduced by $369,000 below the fiscal year 1989 appropriated level, to $2,000,000.

Housing Finance for Elderly, Dependent, and Disabled Program is decreased by $873,000 from the fiscal year 1989 level to a requested total of $150,000.

Mortgage Default Prevention Program, no request is made for this program in fiscal year 1990.

Building and Site Program is reduced by $200,000 from the fiscal year 1989 level, to a requested level of $800,000 in fiscal year 1990. The Department of Housing and Community Development was established to implement the District's housing policies and to support its efforts in community development.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AND ASSISTED HOUSING

The fiscal year 1990 recommendation for the Department of Public and Assisted Housing is $29,340,000 and 78 positions. The fiscal year 1990 nonappropriated budget includes $65,049,000 and 825 positions in Federal funds and $17,910,000 in other revenue.

The Department was established by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1987 to implement the District's housing policies and to ensure the provision of safe, decent, and sanitary low-cost public and subsidized housing to those residents of the District of Columbia who are eligible for such housing. Funds and positions have been transferred in from the Department of Housing and Community Development [DHCD]. The programs transferred are the Tenant Assistant Program, the Private Unit Leasing Program, the Resident Maintenance Program, the general operating subsidy, and the public housing staff training. In addition to these funds that were transferred in, funds have been recommended to establish an Office of Fair Housing.

The nonappropriated funds are primarily from Federal and other revenue. The Federal funds include the Federal subsidy for low rent housing which represents over 52 percent of the operating budget for low rent housing and the Federal subsidy for section 8 housing.

DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

The Committee recommends $40,066,000 and 246 positions for the Department of Employment Services for fiscal year 1990. This is a decrease of $1,887,000 below the fiscal year 1990 appropriated level. The recommended amount is the same as requested in the budget and the House bill.

The Department of Employment Services provides opportunities for citizens to prepare for, find, and maintain gainful employment; provides income maintenance to mitigate the effects of unemployment; and ensures the quality of working conditions for wage earners by protecting their health, safety, rights, and benefits. In this role, the Department operates more than 30 programs with both local funds and Federal grants.

Of the amount provided $31,000,000 will support 13 job training programs and 17,880 client recipients. The Summer Youth Program will serve 6,500 youths between ages 14 to 21; the In-School Program will provide 3,250 junior and senior high school students

with work experience after school and on weekends; and the Outof-School Program will provide year-round work experience for 570 youths between the ages of 16 and 24.

Project Success provides job placement or employment training to graduating high school seniors in need of that assistance. In fiscal year 1990 it is estimated that 500 such seniors will participate in the program.

OFFICE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Office of Business and Economic Development is responsible for stimulating, creating, and attracting new employment opportunities; undertaking industrial development initiatives to provide employment centers; developing commercial projects in neighborhood commercial corridors and in the central business district that can benefit from revitalization efforts. The Office is also charged with attracting and retaining business; promoting tourism and delivering management and technical assistance to small business on behalf of the District of Columbia.

For these activities the Committee recommends $5,463,000 and 42 positions in fiscal year 1990, the same as the budget request and the House allowance. The recommended amount reflects a reduction below the fiscal year 1989 level of $1,497,000 and five positions.

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The Committee recommends $497,000 and seven positions for the Office of International Business. This is the same as the House allowance and the budget estimate, and is $7,000 below and two positions above the fiscal year 1989 appropriated amounts.

The Office of International Business is responsible for promoting Washington, DC, as an ideal city for international business in order to encourage and attract international firms and governments as well as national firms to locate or expand their international trade operations in the District. The Office also encourages the utilization of manpower resources of the District, thereby increasing vital employment opportunities for District citizens. The activities of the Office support the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in their efforts to promote the local economy, attract new businesses, expand the employment opportunities for District residents, and increase the District's tax base.

MINORITY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

No funds are recommended for the Minority Business Opportunity Commission in fiscal year 1990. The responsibilities of the Commission are transferred to the new Department of Human Rights and Minority Business under the Human Support Services appropriation account.

D.C. HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY

The Committee recommends $2,167,000 and 20 positions for the Housing Finance Agency. This amount is the same as the budget estimate and the House allowance.