"For an additional amount for the payment of claims, certified to be due by the accounting officers of the District of Columbia, under appropriations the balances of which have been exhausted or credited to the general fund of the District of Columbia as provided by law (District of Columbia Code, title 47, sec. 130a), being for the service of the fiscal year 1956 and prior fiscal years as set forth in House Document Numbered 213 (Eighty-fifth Congress), $4,637, together with such further sums as may be necessary to pay the interest on audited claims for refunds at not exceeding 4 per centum per annum as provided by law (Act of July 10, 1952, 66 Stat. 546, sec. 14d). Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1945, Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1946, Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1947, Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1949, $225.00 149. 04 129.48 130. 73 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1950, 298. 04 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1952, 234. 22 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1953, 121. 13 Salaries and Expenses, Collector's Office, District of Columbia, 1951, Operating expenses, Department of Public Welfare, District of Co- Operating expenses, Department of Public Welfare, District of Co- Operating expenses, Department of Public Welfare, District of Co- Total 1, 153. 04 119. 57 757.07 858. 59 460. 57 4, 636. 48" These amounts are for payment of claims that have been settled by the Office of the Corporation Counsel and approved by the Commissioners; for the payment of costs of judgments rendered against the District of Columbia; and for the payment of claims chargeable against appropriations that have either expired or have been exhausted. "DIVISION OF EXPENSES "The sums appropriated in this Act for the District of Columbia shall, unless otherwise specifically provided for, be paid out of the general fund of the District of Columbia, as defined in the District of Columbia Appropriation Acts for the fiscal years involved." Mr. FOWLER. Mr. Chairman, the Commissioner has a brief opening statement. Mr. RABAUT. We will be pleased to hear from him now. GENERAL STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MCLAUGHLIN Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: I am very happy to be privileged to appear before you in support of the supplemental estimates of appropriations included in House Document No. 213. We submit for your consideration the written justifications and a list of witnesses who will further support the items. The committee will observe that some of the requests are based upon legislation enacted during this session of the Congress. The National Zoological Park's request is based upon mandatory conversion of positions in accordance with section 105, Public Law 763 and the judgments and claims of the District government are in accordance with provisions of existing laws. Under "Capital outlay, public building construction," we are asking for an additional amount of $2,731,000. It is expected that the classroom situation in the schools listed will be critical by September 1957. The Commissioners have carefully considered the emergency aspects of this condition in the public-school system in a hearing with the Superintendent of Schools and his staff. We most earnestly support these increases for additional capital outlay. We feel that providing relief for these overcrowded conditions will relieve a considerable amount of hardship on families in the community as well as a very difficult administrative problem for the publicschool system. Unexpected increases in our anticipated revenues will be more than sufficient to cover these costs. FINANCIAL STATUS OF GENERAL FUND Mr. RABAUT. What was the status on June 30, 1957, of the general fund? Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I will ask Mr. Schuyler Lowe if he has those figures. Mr. LowE. The approximate figures, unless Mr. Fowler has a more recent estimate than I have with me, we were finishing up the year with a surplus of approximately $8,600,000. Those are figures that are subject to final verification as to minor detail. Mr. RABAUT. What do you anticipate it will be a year from now? Mr. LowE. At the end of the present year, assuming the approval of these estimates that we are here today to discuss, we would anticipate a surplus at the beginning of next year of $5,746,000. Mr. RABAUT. How would that compare with a year ago? Mr. LowE. We entered fiscal year 1957 with a surplus of approximately $1,480,000, and during the year we released a little over $3 million of unexpended balances, but the principal point as to the difference between these comparatively large surpluses at the beginning of fiscal 1958 and the beginning of fiscal 1959 was attributable to a very large increase in local taxes that began to take effect during fiscal 1957, and particularly to the fact that the receipts from the new individual income tax ran considerably above the original estimates, better than $5 million a year above the original estimates. STATUS OF CAPITAL OUTLAY PROJECTS Mr. RABAUT. Will you submit to the committee a statement showing the amounts of appropriations, obligations to date, and the unobligated and/or unexpended balance of each uncompleted project contained in the capital outlay appropriations for the past 3 years. Mr. FOWLER. Is that of the general fund or all funds? Mr. RABAUT. You had better make it all of them. (The information requested was submitted to the committee:) JUSTIFICATION DATA OF ITEMS CONTAINED IN HOUSE DOCUMENT 198 Mr. RABAUT. The items contained in House Document No. 198 in the amount of $1,167,388 are in the nature of mandatory items in the cost of operating the District of Columbia. We will insert in the record at this point the justifications on the items contained in that document. (The matter referred to is as follows:) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMPENSATION AND RETIREMENT FUND EXPENSES "For an additional amount, fiscal year 1957, for 'Compensation and Retirement Fund Expenses,' $1,033,000, of which $83,900 shall be payable from the highway fund, $37,300 from the water fund, $32,000 from the sanitary sewage works fund, and $2,600 from the motor vehicle parking fund to be available, together with the amount appropriated in the District of Columbia Appropriation Act, 1957, for financing the liability of the District of Columbia to the 'Civil service retirement and disability fund'." Prior to 1957 the District of Columbia contributed to the civil service retirement fund an annual amount based on a formula determined by the Civil Service Commission and applied it against the sum total of the payrolls of the last complete fiscal year. These amounts have been paid annually to the retirement fund on this basis. On September 20, 1956, the Retirement Division of the Civil Service Commission informed the District that the amount due the civil service retirement and disability fund from the government of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year 1957 would be as follows: "1. Apply the factor of 4.92 percent to payrolls paid to your employees covered by Civil Service Retirement Act for the period July 1, 1956, to September 30, 1956. "2. Apply the factor of 61⁄2 percent to payrolls paid to your employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement Act for the period October 1, 1956, to June 30, 1957." The District has been considered in the same category as Government-owned corporations and this has resulted in the aforementioned request for increased payment for the 1957 fiscal year. Based on the latest available information and applying the aforementioned percentages the estimated amount to be due for the fiscal year 1957 is $3,666,000 less the amount of $2,633,000 already available, leaving a balance of $1,033,000, the amount requested. SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS AND SUITS "For the payment of claims in excess of $250, approved by the Commissioners in accordance with the provisions of the Act of February 11, 1929, as amended (45 Stat. 1160; 46 Stat. 500; 65 Stat. 131), $14,778." The District of Columbia Appropriation Act, 1957, under the head of "Office of the Corporation Counsel," including the amount of $10,000 for the settlement of claims not in excess of $250 each, approved by the Commissioners in accordance with the act of February 11, 1929, as amended, The accompanying estimate of appropriation of $14,778 is submitted in order to pay claims under the same act of Congress which are in excess of $250 each, as follows: Claimant Nature of claim Amount of Amount of claim or settlement suit James E. Cross and DanielE. Baker. Personal injuries (broken nose, 3 fractured Frieda Busby. Joseph Barnett and Jeanne M. Barnett. Madeline E. Daley.. M. Frank Meenehan, John F. Bessie Laibman v. D. C. Eva Katcher v. D. C.. ribs, laceration of lip, and loss of 4 teeth Personal injuries (sever comminuted, dis- Personal injuries as the result of a fall on Personal injuries as result of fall on side- (3) 750.00 David J. Defourneaux and Mary A. Melville Cox (Northwestern Reta Taylor v. D. C.. Personal injury claims of David J. De- Personal injuries as result of fall on side- Total. 1 For Cross. 2 For Baker. * Unstated. "For the payment of final judgments rendered against the District of Columbia, as set forth in House Document Numbered 198 (Eighty-fifth Congress), $11,958, together with such further sums as may be necessary to pay the interest at not exceeding 4 per centum per annum on such judgments, as provided by law, from the date the same became due until the date of payment." "For an additional amount for the payment of claims, certified to be due by the accounting officers of the District of Columbia, under appropriations the balances of which have been exhausted or credited to the general or special funds of the District of Columbia as provided by law (D. C. Code, title 47, sec. 130a), being for the service of the fiscal year 1956 and prior fiscal years as set forth in House Document Numbered 198 (Eighty-fifth Congress), $107,652, together with such further sums as may be necessary to pay the interest on audited claims for refunds at not exceeding 4 per centum per annum as provided by law (Act of July 10, 1952, 66 Stat. 546, sec. 14d). Deportation of nonresident insane, District of Columbia, 1944--Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1945, personal services... Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1946, personal services... Operating expenses, Fire Department, District of Columbia, 1946, personal services.. Salaries and expenses, Collector's Office, District of Columbia, 1948, refunds $46. 45 96. 77 66. 69 58. 06 3, 463. 85 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1949, personal services 66. 07 Salaries and expenses, Collector's Office, District of Columbia, 1950, refunds. 237. 40 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1950, personal services.. Capital outlay, Street and Bridge Division, highway fund, District of Columbia, 1950–51. Salaries and expenses, Collector's Office, District of Columbia, 1951, refunds.. Operating expenses, Division of Sanitation, Public Works, District Salaries and expenses, fiscal services, District of Columbia, 1952, Salaries and expenses, fiscal services, District of Columbia, 1953, Operating expenses, Fire Department, District of Columbia, 1953, personal services... 4, 196. 01 1, 384. 86 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1953, personal services. 80.85 229. 78 Operating expenses, Washington aqueduct, water fund, District of Columbia, 1953, personal services.. 154. 50 Operating expenses, Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia, 1954, personal services. 302. 38 Operating expenses, Fire Department, District of Columbia, 1954, personal services... Operating expenses, courts, District of Columbia, 1955: Reimbursement to the United States for services rendered by the judiciary and the Department of Justice... Total.. 449. 47 85,000. 00 107, 651. 25" 52. 15 11, 326. 63 51. 50 387.83 |