Page 1
MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
April 3, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson, Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
On behalf of the residents of Washington, DC, I am pleased to submit to the Council of the District of
Columbia my tenth balanced budget, the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) Proposed Budget and Financial Plan,
A Fair Shot: Strategic Investments and Shared Sacrifice.
i
The FY 2025 Budget and financial plan is made up of $21 billion in operating funds and $11.8 billion in
capital improvement funds. It addresses a confluence of post-COVID economic factors: slower revenue
growth; the end of federal stimulus funding; significantly higher operating costs, including an additional
$200 million in WMATA funding; and the impacts of the remote work environment. Of course, our budget
is unique because we are required to have a balanced financial plan across both the current fiscal year, FY
2024, and the upcoming four years of the financial plan, FY 2025–FY 2028. The result of these factors is a
widening gap across the financial plan that requires us to make prudent investments now to change the
trajectory of our out-year revenue estimates. Still, we were able to balance this budget without increasing
commercial or residential property taxes or income taxes.
While we approach these decisions soberly and with financial prudence, the state of the District is strong:
we continue to have a Aaa bond rating; DC is the number one city in the country for tech careers and among
the top cities for women-owned business openings; we are leading the country in office-to-housing
conversions; tourism is rebounding; our public school enrollment is up two years in a row; crime is trending
down; and unlike many of our peer cities, DC’s population is growing.
This budget makes significant investments in our people and our economy and focuses on the three pillars
of long-term growth: public schools, public safety, and Downtown. In building the FY 2025 Fair Shot
Budget, we were guided by our values: protecting core city services and preserving programs that protect
the health and safety of our community; prioritizing programs with a track record of success and that focus
on equity; and investing in the pillars of long-term growth so that we can change the trajectory of our out-
year revenue estimates:
Public Safety
Last summer, we put in place several key public safety interventions, and as a result, we are seeing
trends move in the right direction: overall crime in our city is down 13%, violent crime is down 18%,
and homicides are down 34%. The FY 2025 Fair Shot Budget builds on that momentum by fully
funding MPD’s requested hiring level and sustaining key investments started with federal funds, such
as Safe Passage, victim services, and violence interrupters, and adds new investments to strengthen
our public safety ecosystem. This budget: Page 2
o Fully funds MPD’s requested hiring level to achieve a net gain in police officers for the first
time in five years. The budget adds $9 million to fund 40 new Community Safety Officers and
hire civilians to free up about 50 police officers for critical crime-fighting tasks.
o Adds $7 million to the Department of Human Services to significantly increase truancy
interventions for 500 youth in the Parent and Adolescent Support (PASS) program and 180
youth referred through the Alternatives to the Court Experience (ACE) program.
o Adds $1 million to hire more 911 call takers and dispatchers at the Office of Unified
Communications.
o Adds $4.6 million to fund key provisions of the Secure DC legislation, including pretrial
detention for violent criminals, private security camera incentives for businesses, and Safe
Commercial Corridor grants.
Education
The FY 2025 Budget continues our historic investments in public education. Since 2015, we have
grown our public education budget from $1.4 billion to $2.7 billion. In those nine years, we
implemented two historic collective bargaining agreements for our educators and continued to build
on our reputation as the fastest improving urban school district in the country. The FY 2025 Budget
continues those historic investments:
o A $341 million increase in funding for our public schools will raise the uniform per student
funding formula (UPSFF) by over 12%. We are also doubling down on our investments in
equity by increasing the weight for at-risk students, adults, and alternative learners.
o During the pandemic, we launched a high impact tutoring program that will help more than
10,000 students accelerate their learning. The FY 2025 Budget invests $4.8 million to continue
this evidence-based program.
o Adds $5 million to sustain our advanced technical education center that includes advanced
internships, career ready internships, and a dual language program expansion. In addition, a
new $17 million investment will allow us to expand our existing center to include a new health
care clinic to provide services to the community and training for our students.
o A $600,000 investment to add a second advanced technical center at the Whitman-Walker Max
Robinson Center on the St. Elizabeths East campus which will provide even more high school
students with college credits and workforce training for high-wage, high-demand careers.
o Continues to improve our school facilities with $2.2 billion for full school modernizations,
$255 million to support small capital repairs like HVAC and roof replacements, and $42
million to improve school safety through enhanced lighting, fencing, and access control.
Downtown
Investments in our Downtown are investments that directly benefit all eight wards. This is a critical
time for our city’s economic future as we work to attract, retain, and grow our business community.
The FY 2025 Fair Shot Budget builds on what’s working and uses the roadmaps we have in our
Comeback Plan, in the Downtown Action Plan, and our Public Realm Plan to make intentional
investments to drive inclusive economic growth.
The FY 2025 Budget continues to invest in strategies that are working, such as the District’s Vitality
Fund and office-to-residential conversions, and also includes:
o $520 million for the Gallery Place Revitalization Fund to support sports arena renovations,
streetscape improvements, public space activations, and expanded green space.
Page 3
o $64 million to build a new Federal City Shelter annex to provide permanent supportive housing
and congregate dwelling units at the site of the existing Community for Creative Non-Violence
shelter.
o $26 million to implement the Business and Entrepreneurship Support to Thrive (BEST) Act to
streamline business licensing and reduce costs for our entrepreneurs.
o $13 million to temporarily freeze property taxes for conversions of office buildings into new
uses downtown.
o $5.25 million to support World Pride in 2025.
o $5 million to create a new Downtown Arts Hub, a flexible, multi-use space for theater, dance,
music, and visual arts organizations.
o $3 million to make it easier for organizations to host festivals and special events, and to attract
arts fairs and go-go music festivals downtown.
Core Services
The FY 2025 Fair Shot Budget sustains critical health and human service initiatives including: $19
million for Career MAP to help 500 DC families avoid losing public assistance as their careers
advance and incomes rise; $7 million to continue 24/7 operations at six homeless shelters; $4.8
million to maintain a community response team at the Department of Behavioral Health to respond
to 911 calls that do not need a police response; and $600,000 to provide workforce development
services for transgender and gender non-conforming residents experiencing homelessness or housing
instability.
The FY 2025 Budget makes new investments to support vulnerable families, improve parks and
recreation centers, increase access to housing and homeownership, and advance entrepreneurship:
o $23 million for renovations to the Naylor Road, V Street, Emery, and Madison shelters, as
well as various small-scale improvements at other homeless shelters in the system.
o $20 million to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), supporting District
residents who are facing housing emergencies and evictions.
o $13 million for operating costs for two new non-congregate homeless shelter facilities in the
West End and Downtown.
o $129 million to modernize and construct recreation and community centers.
o $87 million to modernize and renovate public libraries.
o $12 million for a state-of-good repair blitz at playgrounds, athletic fields, basketball courts,
and tennis courts across DPR recreation centers.
o $101 million to rehabilitate and modernize public housing units managed by the DC Housing
Authority.
o $32 million to help first-time homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance.
o $1.5 million to expand the DC Business Portal, which streamlines various licensing processes
for District businesses.
o $3 million to continue the District’s curbside composting program, providing at-home
organic waste pickup for 9,000 households.
o $3 million to support the operating and maintenance costs of Capital Bikeshare’s continued
growth, including more stations, e-bikes, and traditional bikes.
o $750,000 to help restaurants comply with forthcoming streatery design regulations by
providing free consulting services and construction materials.
o $22.5 million to build a new city-owned animal shelter.
Page 4
Shared Sacrifices
To ensure we are able to invest in our comeback and remain fiscally prudent, we need to jointly
contribute to filling gaps, across the government and across the community, to move forward,
together.
The District government closed half our FY 2025 Budget gap:
o We eliminated 407 positions, rightsized spending, and focused on moving forward with
programs we know are working.
o We cut duplicative or lower-performing programs that were not helping us achieve the
outcomes our residents expect. We also resisted starting new programs that would only add
to our longer-term financial pressures.
o And we looked across government for savings by eliminating electronic devices and phone
lines no longer in use, rebalancing our capital portfolio, maximizing federal reimbursements,
and consolidating licenses and software purchases.
To close the remainder of the gap, we identified new revenues that will be shared across the
community:
o Businesses will help through an adjustment to the paid family leave tax back to FY 2021
levels to support our safety net.
o Consumers will help through a modest sales tax increase beginning in FY 2026 to support
increased Metro costs.
o And visitors will help through a small 911 fee on hotel room stays to support increased public
safety hiring.
I don’t take revenue increases lightly. If we make the right investments and put the right interventions in
place today, I am hopeful we can reverse these policies in the out years. I am optimistic about our future,
and I hope you are too. Our Comeback Plan is working, we have big opportunities ahead of us, and there is
no city in the world like Washington, DC.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Mayor
i
Included in this submission are the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024, the Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Portion
Budget Request Act of 2024, and the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. In addition, I am submitting the
following accompanying measures: the Fiscal Year 2024 Revised Local Budget Emergency Act of 2024, the Fiscal
Year 2024 Revised Local Budget Temporary Act of 2024, and the Fiscal Year 2024 Revised Local Budget Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 2024.
•• -···--··· ------------
-••• ·~----------
1
2
3
4
5
~
6
7
8
9
at the request
of the Mayor
A BILL
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
11
12
13
14
15 To adopt, as a request to Congress for appropriation and authorization, the federal portion of the
16 budget of the government of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending
17 September 30, 2025.
18
19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
20 act may be cited
as the "Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2024".
21 Sec. 2. Adoption of the federal portion of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
22 There
is adopted, as a request to Congress for appropriation and authorization, the
23 following federal portion of the budget of the government of the District of Columbia for the
24 fiscal year ending September 30, 2025:
25 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FEDERAL FUNDS APPROPRIATION REQUEST
26 FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS
27 For salaries and expenses for the District of Columbia Courts, including the transfer and
28 hire of motor vehicles, $321,817,000 to be allocated as follows: for the District of Columbia
29 Court
of Appeals, $16,769,000, of which not to exceed $2,500 is for official reception and
30 representation expenses; for the Superior Court
of the District of Columbia, $154,530,000, of
31 which not to exceed $2,500 is for official reception and representation expenses; for the District
32
of Columbia Court System, $104,228,000, of which not to exceed $2,500 is for official reception
2
and representation expenses; and $46,290,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, for 33
capital improvements for District of Columbia courthouse facilities; Provided, That funds made 34
available for capital improvements shall be expended consistent with the District of Columbia 35
Courts master plan study and facilities condition assessment; Provided further, That, in addition 36
to the amounts appropriated herein, fees received by the District of Columbia Courts for 37
administering bar examinations and processing District of Columbia bar admissions may be 38
retained and credited to this appropriation, to remain available until expended, for salaries and 39
expenses associated with such activities, notwithstanding section 450 of the District of Columbia 40
Home Rule Act (section 1-204.50, D.C. Official Code); Provided further, That notwithstanding 41
any other provision of law, all amounts under this heading shall be apportioned quarterly by the 42
Office of Management and Budget and obligated and expended in the same manner as funds 43
appropriated for salaries and expenses of Federal agencies; Provided further, That 30 days after 44
providing written notice to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 45
and the Senate, the District of Columbia Courts may reallocate not more than $9,000,000 of the 46
funds provided under this heading among the items and entities funded under this heading; 47
Provided further, That the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration in the District of 48
Columbia may, by regulation, establish a program substantially similar to the program set forth 49
in subchapter II of chapter 35 of title 5, United States Code, for employees of the District of 50
Columbia Courts. 51
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR DEFENDER SERVICES IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS 52
For payments authorized under section 11- 2604 and section 11- 2605, D.C. Official Code 53
(relating to representation provided under the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Act), 54
payments for counsel appointed in proceedings in the Family Court of the Superior Court of the 55
3
District of Columbia under chapter 23 of title 16, D.C. Official Code, or pursuant to contractual 56
agreements to provide guardian ad litem representation, training, technical assistance, and such 57
other services as are necessary to improve the quality of guardian ad litem representation, 58
payments for counsel appointed in adoption proceedings under chapter 3 of title 16, D.C. Official 59
Code, and payments authorized under section 21- 2060, D.C. Official Code (relating to services 60
provided under the District of Columbia Guardianship, Protective Proceedings, and Durable 61
Power of Attorney Act of 1986), $46,005,000, to remain available until expended; Provided, 62
That funds provided under this heading shall be administered by the Joint Committee on Judicial 63
Administration in the District of Columbia; Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other 64
provision of law, this appropriation shall be apportioned quarterly by the Office of Management 65
and Budget and obligated and expended in the same manner as funds appropriated for expenses 66
of Federal agencies. 67
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR RESIDENT TUITION SUPPORT 68
For a Federal payment to the District of Columbia, to be deposited into a dedicated 69
account, for a nationwide program to be administered by the Mayor, for District of Columbia 70
resident tuition support, $40,000,000, to remain available until expended; Provided, That such 71
funds, including any interest accrued thereon, may be used on behalf of eligible District of 72
Columbia residents to pay an amount based upon the difference between in- State and out-of-73
State tuition at public institutions of higher education, or to pay up to $2,500 each year at eligible 74
private institutions of higher education; Provided further, That the awarding of such funds may 75
be prioritized on the basis of a resident’s academic merit, the income and need of eligible 76
students, and such other factors as may be authorized; Provided further, That the District of 77
Columbia government shall maintain a dedicated account for the Resident Tuition Support 78
4
Program that shall consist of the Federal funds appropriated to the Program in this Act and any 79
subsequent appropriations, any unobligated balances from prior fiscal years, and any interest 80
earned in this or any fiscal year; Provided further, That the account shall be under the control of 81
the District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer, who shall use those funds solely for the 82
purposes of carrying out the Resident Tuition Support Program; Provided further, That the Office 83
of the Chief Financial Officer shall provide a quarterly financial report to the Committees on 84
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate for these funds showing, by 85
object class, the expenditures made, and the purpose therefor. 86
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 87
For a Federal payment for a school improvement program in the District of Columbia, 88
$52,500,000, to remain available until expended, for payments authorized under the Scholarship 89
for Opportunity and Results Act (division C of Public Law 112- 10); Provided, That, to the extent 90
that funds are available for opportunity scholarships and following the priorities included in 91
section 3006 of such Act, the Secretary of Education shall make scholarships available to 92
students eligible under section 3013(3) of such Act (Public Law 112- 10; 125 Stat. 211), 93
including students who were not offered a scholarship during any previous school year; Provided 94
further, That within funds provided for opportunity scholarships up to $1,200,000 shall be for the 95
activities specified in sections 3007(b) through 3007(d) of the Act and up to $500,000 shall be 96
for the activities specified in section 3009 of the Act; Provided further, That none of the funds 97
made available under this heading may be used for an opportunity scholarship for a student to 98
attend a school which does not certify to the Secretary of Education that the student will be 99
provided with the same protections under the Federal laws which are enforced by the Office for 100
Civil Rights of the Department of Education which are provided to a student of a public 101
5
elementary or secondary school in the District of Columbia and which does not certify to the 102
Secretary of Education that the student and the student’s parents will be provided with the same 103
services, rights, and protections under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 104
1400 et seq.) which are provided to a student and a student’s parents of a public elementary or 105
secondary school in the District of Columbia, as enumerated in Table 2 of Government 106
Accountability Office Report 18- 94 (entitled “Federal Actions Needed to Ensure Parents Are 107
Notified About Changes in Rights for Students with Disabilities”), issued November 2017. 108
F
EDERAL PAYMENT TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL 109
For a Federal payment to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, $2,450,000, to 110
remain available until expended, to support initiatives related to the coordination of Federal and 111
local criminal justice resources in the District of Columbia. 112
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR JUDICIAL COMMISSIONS 113
For a Federal payment, to remain available until September 30, 20245, to the 114
Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, $598,000, and to the Judicial Nomination 115
Commission, $300,000. 116
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NATIONAL GUARD 117
For a Federal payment to the District of Columbia National Guard, $600,000, to remain 118
available until expended, for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia 119
National Guard Retention and College Access Program. 120
F
EDERAL PAYMENT FOR TESTING AND TREATMENT OF HIV/AIDS 121
For a Federal payment to the District of Columbia for the testing of individuals for, and 122
the treatment of individuals with, human immunodeficiency virus and acquired 123
immunodeficiency syndrome in the District of Columbia, $5,000,000. 124
6
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR EMERGENCY PLANNING AND SECURITY COSTS IN THE DISTRICT OF 125
C
OLUMBIA 126
For a Federal payment of necessary expenses, as determined by the Mayor of the District 127
of Columbia in written consultation with the elected county or city officials of surrounding 128
jurisdictions, $97,000,000, to remain available until expended, for the costs of providing public 129
safety at events related to the presence of the National Capital in the District of Columbia, 130
including support requested by the Director of the United States Secret Service in carrying out 131
protective duties under the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for the costs of 132
providing support to respond to immediate and specific terrorist threats or attacks in the District 133
of Columbia or surrounding jurisdictions. 134
F
EDERAL PAYMENT TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY 135
For a Federal payment to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, 136
$8,000,000, to remain available until expended, to continue implementation of the Combined 137
Sewer Overflow Long-Term Control Plan; Provided, That the District of Columbia Water and 138
Sewer Authority provides a 100 percent match for this payment. 139
Sec. 3. Designation as federal portion of the budget. 140
The federal funds for which appropriation by Congress is requested by this act constitute 141
the federal portion of the Fiscal Year 2025 annual budget for the District of Columbia 142
government under section 446(a) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved 143
December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 801; D.C. Official Code § 1- 204.46(a)). 144
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 145
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Chief Financial Officer as the fiscal 146
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975. 147
7
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § l-30l.47a). 148
Sec. 5. Effective date. 149
This act shall take effect as provided in section 446 of the District of Columbia Home 150
Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 801; D.C. Official Code § 1- 204.46). 151 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 409, Washington, D.C. 20004 Phone: (202) 724- 5524 Email: megan.browder@dc.gov
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
BRIAN L. SCHWALB
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Legal Counsel Division
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Tomás Talamante
Director
Of
fice of Policy an d Legislative Affairs
Megan D. Browder
Deputy A t
torney General
Legal Counsel Division
April
3, 2024
SUBJECT: Legal Sufficiency Review of Draft Bill, the “Fiscal Year 202 5 Federal
Portion Budget Request Act of 2024”
(AE-24-017)
This is to Certify that this Office has reviewed the above -referenced
legislation and has found it to be legally sufficient as to form. If you have any
questions regarding this certification, please do not hesitate to contact me at 724-
5524.
_______________________________
Megan D. Browder