February 23, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- HOUSE H2395
lice staffing authorization and utilization are reported as positions or FTEs. It is expected that budget submissions and agency reports use FTEs consistent with the OMB definition.
General Expenses The bill provides $57,750,000 for general expenses of the Capitol Police. This amount is $8,972,000 above the current level and is $6,681,000 below the budget request. It includes $2,750,000 for the Capitol Police to begin migrating accounting services to the Library of Congress as part of an effort to move towards financial management crossservicing for as many Legislative Branch agencies as practicable in order to achieve cost savings through the elimination of duplicative systems.
Vehicle Fleet.--There is concern about the size of the Capitol Police's overall vehicle fleet. The Capitol Police shall submit a vehicle analysis by April 30, 2009 justifying the overall size of its fleet, including motorcycles, and showing a detailed five year plan to manage the fleet. This plan should include an analysis of Home-To-Work vehicles, including justifications for this use, and an update on the Department's effort to utilize more energy efficient vehicles. The Department shall refrain from purchasing, leasing or acquiring vehicles without notifying the Committees on Appropriations until the Committees have reviewed the detailed five year plan.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) Section 1001 authorizes transfers between the Salaries and General Expenses accounts upon the approval of the Committees on Appropriations.
OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill provides $4,072,000 for salaries and expenses of the Office of Compliance. This amount is $730,000 above the current level and is $236,000 below the budget request. It provides for 21 FTEs.
The Office of Compliance (OOC) should operate in a consistent, well-documented manner when dealing with regulated agencies, balancing compliance assistance with enforcement responsibilities. However, the OOC has not established clear documentation of the processes and criteria for issuing findings or citations, or for accepting agencies' proposed abatement plans. Furthermore, OOC has failed to establish a process for dispute resolution mechanisms for citations or technical disagreements. It is expected that the Office will act to establish documented procedures and continue to work to improve its communication with the regulated community. A report to the Committees on Appropriations is due within 60 days of enactment of this Act.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill provides $44,082,000 for salaries and expenses of the Congressional Budget Office.
This amount is $6,776,000 above the current level and is $1,342,000 above the budget request. It will fund an additional 15 FTEs required for health care analysis and other congressional priorities as well as fund the Congressional Budget Office's new responsibilities under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL GENERAL ADMINISTRATION The bill includes $90,659,000, of which $1,505,000 will remain available until September 30, 2013, for General Administration.
This amount is $10,962,000 above the current level and is $8,452,000 below the budget request.
tution. A 2006 report commissioned by the Chief Administrative Officer and the Committee on House Administration, entitled Strategic Technology Road Map for the Ten Year Vision of Technology in the House of Representatives, provided a suggested structure for Information Technology evaluation and decision making. The Chief Administrative Officer, the Clerk, and the Sergeant at Arms are asked to prepare a report by June 30, 2009 on their efforts or plans to develop House-wide data-sharing standards; implement standard legislative document formats; address the increasing resource challenges of Member offices; and identify disparate systems throughout the institution that prevent it from taking advantage of economies of scale.
JOINT ITEMS JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE The bill provides $4,626,000 for the Joint Economic Committee. This amount is $228,000 above the current level and is the same as the budget request.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION The bill provides $10,719,000 for the Joint Committee on Taxation. This amount is $1,522,000 above the current level and is $420,000 below the budget request.
OFFICE OF THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN The bill provides $3,105,000 for the Office of the Attending Physician. This amount is $314,000 above the current level and is $7,000 above the budget request. The amount above the budget request provides an allowance for a Senior Medical Officer.
OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES The bill provides $800,000 for the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. This is a successor office to the Special Services Office following enactment of the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008.
CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE AND SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICE The bill provides $9,940,000 for the Capitol Guide Service. This amount is available for the Architect of the Capitol to use as part of the Capitol Visitor Center appropriation due to the transfer of the Capitol Guide Service to the Architect of the Capitol following enactment of the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008.
STATEMENTS OF APPROPRIATIONS The bill provides $30,000 for Statements of Appropriations. This amount is the same as the current level and is also the same as the budget request.
CAPITOL POLICE Salaries The bill provides $248,000,000 for salaries and benefits of the Capitol Police. This amount is $15,782,000 above the current level and is $21,223,000 below the budget request.
The Capitol Police are expected to proceed with filling vacancies on the basis of management-determined priorities, and to provide the Committees on Appropriations notification of such determinations on a regular basis.
This level of funding will support the current staffing level of 1702 sworn and 414 civilian FTEs. In addition, increases in FTEs have been provided which are associated with the Library of Congress Police Merger for fiscal year 2009: 73 sworn, 24 sworn attrition, and 4 civilian support staff. An additional 10 sworn FTE have been funded related to maintaining the operations in the Cannon and Russell tunnels with the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center. The total authorized FTEs for fiscal year 2009 are 1799 sworn and 418 civilian.
It is noted that there is confusion and inconsistency concerning whether Capitol Po
DIVISION G-LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009 TITLE I Diversity in Hiring and Advancement.-While many Legislative Branch agencies have achieved reasonable diversity at the lower wage tiers, diversity levels are sharply lower among managers and executives. More can be done to maximize diversity in the workplace, especially in the executive ranks.
All Legislative Branch agencies who have not done so are directed to adopt by May 31, 2009 a formal written policy, in accordance with all applicable Federal laws, to develop and institute an affirmative action plan with specific goals and objectives to further the ability of women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities to achieve balanced representation within the Legislative Branch workforce and management.
SENATE The bill includes $895,030,000 for Senate operations. This amount is $63,334,000 above the current level and is $45,867,000 below the budget request.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The bill includes $1,301,267,000 for House operations. This amount is $118,432,000 above the current level and is $32,594,000 below the budget request.
Electronic Access to Hearing Documents.-To reduce costs and reduce the carbon footprint of the operations of the House of Representatives and expand public access to congressional information, committees of the House are encouraged to post their hearings online on the Government Printing Office web site, GPO Access. Online posting of hearings can help reduce the need for printing and storage of paper copies of hearing records and facilitate accessibility for congressional staff and the general public.
Expanded Hours for the House Fitness Center.--The physical and mental health of House staff is important. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House is asked to review the ``extended hours'' pilot program and if appropriate explore the possibilities of further extending the hours of operation of the fitness facility.
Expanded Hours for the Child Care Center.--Expanded hours of operation at the House Child Care Center need to be considered to accommodate employees who must work late hours. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House is asked to study the feasibility and costs associated with extending the hours of operation beyond the standard work day. This study should be completed and provided to the House Committee on Appropriations no later than June 30, 2009.
Child Care Center Playground.--The current playground at the House Child Care Center frequently overheats in the summer, uses space inefficiently, and lacks many child development tools that would benefit children at the Center. The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) and the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House should make the project a priority and develop a plan to ensure that the playground is ready by summer 2009. Accordingly, AOC and the CAO are asked to submit a report to the House Committee on Appropriations on the status of the playground within 30 days of enactment of this Act. The report should include a detailed work plan with specific dates of when the planning, design, and construction of the playground will be complete as well as the actions being taken to ensure that the playground is open by summer 2009.
Congressional Technology Coordination.-The House of Representatives needs a strategic and coordinated plan that will prepare for the future technology needs of the insti
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