February 23, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- HOUSE H2397
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS Section 1201 provides for expenses related to official representation for the incentive awards program. Section 1202 provides obligation authority for various Library programs. Section 1203 provides authority to transfer funds between Library accounts.
Section 1204 provides authority for members of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to serve through the life of the Commission.
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE CONGRESSIONAL PRINTING AND BINDING (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) The bill includes $96,828,000 for printing and binding of congressional documents at the Government Printing Office. This amount is $7,053,000 above the current level and is $1,100,000 below the budget request. It will provide the funding required to pay the FY 2007 and FY 2008 shortfall as well as fund the FY 2009 revised estimate for congressional printing.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS SALARIES AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) The bill includes $38,744,000 for the salaries and expenses of the Superintendent of Documents. This amount is $3,831,000 above the current level and is $4,682,000 below the budget request.
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE REVOLVING FUND The bill provides $4,995,000 for the Government Printing Office Revolving Fund. This is $4,995,000 above the current level and is $28,005,000 below the budget request.
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill includes $531,000,000 in direct appropriations for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), plus $7,635,000 in offsetting collections derived from reimbursements for conducting financial audits of government corporations and rental of space in the GAO building. This amount is $31,252,000 above the current level and is $7,152,000 below the budget request.
Technology Assessment Studies.--Funding continues to be provided for GAO to conduct technology assessment studies that provide early indications of the probable beneficial and adverse impacts of the application of technology and develop other related information that may assist the Congress during deliberations on pending legislation. GAO is reminded that for the assessments to be of benefit to the Congress, GAO must reach out and work with both bodies of Congress regarding these studies.
Comptroller General Annuity.--The lifetime salary annuity provided to the Comptroller General after completion of a 15-year term is extravagant, particularly in the current economic climate. GAO is directed to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration for the latter to conduct an independent review of the structure and compensation of the position and determine whether the existing lifetime salary annuity is necessary to preserve the Comptroller General's independence. The review should include a comparison of the Comptroller General annuity to the retirement benefits offered for other federal positions of a similar character where independence is a key concern, and explain whether the Comptroller General's position truly requires a full-salary annuity benefit to preserve independence if other positions of a similar character do not. The results of this review are to be provided to the Committees on Appropriations no later than July 31, 2009.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS Section 1301 repeals a number of outmoded Congressional mandates for GAO audits.
folk music documentation that collectively define the essence of America's cultural legacy to the world. Once the digital conversions are completed, the AFC will showcase these new collections and their accessibility to the nation through a series of activities including scholarly symposium focused on the new collections and on the history and legacy of the folk arts organizations that created them; musical performances by great folk artists documented in the collections; the creation of a traveling exhibit; and audio-video website enhancements to showcase portions of the new collections and publicize their arrival at the AFC. It is anticipated that the cost of this effort will be $350,000.
COPYRIGHT OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill includes $18,277,000, and an additional $33,315,000 made available from receipts, for salaries and expenses of the Copyright Office. This amount is $12,956,000 above the current level and is the same as the budget request.
Pre-1972 Sound Recordings.--The Register of Copyrights is directed to conduct a study on the desirability of and means for bringing sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, under federal jurisdiction. The study is to cover the effect of federal coverage on the preservation of such sound recordings, the effect on public access to those recordings, and the economic impact of federal coverage on rights holders. The study is also to examine the means for accomplishing such coverage. As part of this effort, the Register of Copyrights should publish notice of the study and provide a period during which interested persons may submit comments. The Register of Copyrights is to submit a report on the results of this study to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate no later than two years after the enactment of this Act. The report should include any recommendations that the Register considers appropriate.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill includes $107,323,000 for salaries and expenses of the Congressional Research Service within the Library of Congress. This is $4,979,000 above the current level and is the same as the budget request.
Public Access to Legislative Data.--There is support for enhancing public access to legislative documents, bill status, summary information, and other legislative data through more direct methods such as bulk data downloads and other means of nocharge digital access to legislative databases. The Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, and Government Printing Office and the appropriate entities of the House of Representatives are directed to prepare a report on the feasibility of providing advanced search capabilities. This report is to be provided to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate within 120 days of the release of Legislative Information System 2.0.
BOOKS FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED SALARIES AND EXPENSES The bill includes $68,816,000 for the salaries and expenses of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
This amount is $1,893,000 above the current level and is the same as the budget request.
It is noted that the contract award for Digital Talking Books came back at a significantly lower cost than anticipated while still allowing the project to move forward on its expected timeline and providing more players and titles than originally planned.
$6,350,000 in offsetting receipts. This amount is $24,219,000 above the current level and is $932,000 above the budget request. The bill includes specific amounts for designated purposes and provides $7,511,000 in support of the National Digital Information and Infrastructure Preservation Program (NDIIPP).
The Inspectors General of the Legislative Branch participating in a financial system cross-servicing agreement with the Library's Office of the Chief Financial Officer are directed to select a single independent auditing firm to conduct the annual financial statement audits for the participating agencies. The Inspectors General of these agencies shall form a committee, chaired by the Library's Inspector General or their appointee, to facilitate the effort to select a common auditor.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Collection.--It is encouraging that the Library of Congress has committed to establish an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Collection within the Asian Division. The goal of the AAPI collection would not only be to finally collect and catalogue the numerous materials already within the Library, but also to expand to a nationally coordinated effort to catalogue and build upon the resources from other collections. The AAPI Collection will be a valuable national resource to libraries, museums, archives, organizations and studies programs interested in the histories and cultures of the AAPI communities. Since the AAPI Collection is in its infancy, there are concerns about its future growth. The Library of Congress is directed to provide to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate, no later than April 30, 2009, a detailed strategy for the development of the AAPI Collection, including expected timelines and funding proposals.
Child Care Center.--There is interest in ensuring access for low-income families to the Library's child care center. The Library of Congress is requested to work with the Library of Congress Child Care Association to review whether revenues and costs are aligned to provide for the lowest possible tuition operationally feasible. This review and a report should be provided to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate by May 31, 2009.
Franklin Collection.--There continues to be support for the goal of bringing the Library's extensive 3,000 text collection of American books that were translated into Arabic, Persian, Pashtu, and Indonesian online in a digital format. To further the availability and use of this collection, the Library of Congress, Library Services is directed to devote the required resources to obtain copyright permission and bring this collection online in a digital format.
American Folklife Center.--The work of the American Folklife Center (AFC) of the Library of Congress is to preserve and present the cultural legacy of the nation. Central to this mission is its role in safekeeping major collections such as the Alan Lomax Collection. No less precious are other private collections recently acquired by the AFC that, taking up where Lomax left off, document America's folk, tribal and ethnic musical traditions from the 1960s forward to the present. A half century from now, such collections will be considered as important, and be as cherished by a new generation of Americans, as the Lomax recordings are today.
The AFC is currently working to complete the preservation and digital conversion of these newer collections, which are essential to providing the nation with a complete and unbroken record of America's cultural and musical heritage. These efforts will provide American citizens with access to major cornerstones of twentieth century American
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