112 STAT. 2420 PUBLIC LAW 105-274—OCT. 21, 1998 "(B) to cover the reasonable and necessary expenses of administering the Fund under any agreement entered into with a Trustee, contractor, or enrolled actuary under subsection (b)(1), including any £^eement with a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States; and "(C) to cover the reasonable and necessary administrative expenses incurred by the Secretary in can^dng out the Secretary's responsibilities under this subchapter. "(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of District law or any other law (other than me Internal Revenue Code of 1986), rule, or regulation— "U^) the Secretary may review benefit determinations under this subchapter made prior to the date of the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and shall make initial benefit determinations after such date; and "(B) the Secretary may recoup or recover, or waive recoupment or recovery of, any amounts paid under this subchapter as a result of errors or omissions by any person.". (4) In subsection (d)(1)— (A) by striking "Subject to the availability of appropriations, there shall be deposited into the Fund' and inserting "The Secretary shall pay into the Fund from the General Fund of the Treasury'; and (B) by striking "(beginning with the first fiscal year which ends more than 6 months after the replacement plan adoption date described in section 103(13) of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997)". (5) In subsection (d)(2)(A)— (A) by striking "June 30, 1997" and inserting "September 30, 1997'^; and (B) by striking "net the sum of future normal cost" and inserting "net of the sum of the present value of future normal costs". (6) In subsection (d)(3), by striking "shall be taken from sums available for that fiscal year for the payment of the expenses of the Court, and". (7) By adding at the end the following new subsections: "(h) For purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the benefits provided by the Fund shall be treated as benefits provided under a governmental plan maintained by the District of Columbia. "(i) Federal obligations for benefits under this subchapter are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.". (b) REGULATORY AUTHORITY OP SECRETARY. —Section 11251 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33; 111 Stat. 756) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection: "(b) REGULATIONS; EFFECT ON REFORM ACT.— Title 11, District of Columbia Code, is amended by adding the following new section: '§ 11-1572. Regulations; e£fect on Reform Act. '(a) The Secretary is authorized to issue regulations to implement, interpret, administer, and czury out the purposes of this subchapter, and, in the Secretary's (uscretion, those regulations
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