[Senate Hearing 117-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
         LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021

                              ----------                              

                                       U.S. Senate,
           Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    [Clerk's note.--The subcommittee was unable to hold 
hearings on departmental and nondepartmental witnesses. The 
statements and letters of those submitting written testimony 
are as follows:]

                         DEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES

             Prepared Statement of Architect of the Capitol
    Chairwoman Hyde Smith, Ranking Member Murphy and members of the 
subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to present the Architect of 
the Capitol's (AOC) Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request of $798 
million.
    Earlier this year, I was honored to join this notable institution 
as the 12th Architect of the Capitol. In the first few weeks of leading 
this organization, I met with my executives and staff to better 
understand the strengths and weaknesses of the agency. A couple of 
weeks later, the agency began responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus 
pandemic.
    Today, the AOC team continues to work tirelessly to care for the 
Capitol Complex. As we all witnessed, the United States Senate worked 
night and day to pass the largest relief package in American history. 
Throughout that time, employees of the AOC kept the Senate Office 
Buildings clean, sanitized, and well maintained to enable congressional 
staff to safely do their jobs.
    The outbreak and the threat of infection by COVID-19 has rightly 
caused Americans to be concerned and anxious. I am proud of the AOC 
employees who played an important role in helping Congress respond to 
the country's urgent needs. Making me even more proud, is that the AOC 
team continues to support campus needs by serving as the legislative 
branch purchasing agent for emergency supplies, managing the 
sanitization of spaces identified by our partners and ensuring the 
facilities and utilities are well maintained for future congressional 
needs.
    Under these conditions, I have also been able to assess the future 
needs of the agency as a whole. I believe the AOC has all the necessary 
elements to succeed in its mission of serving Congress and the Supreme 
Court, preserving America's Capitol and inspiring memorable 
experiences. With your support, I honestly feel the best is yet to come 
for the Architect of the Capitol.
    Massive, once-in-a-generation renovations of exterior facades, 
interior spaces and system infrastructure are occurring across campus. 
Industry-leading changes to energy production and efficiency are being 
realized through the Capitol Power Plant's cogeneration system and 
several Energy Saving Performance Contracts. These transformation 
energy projects will maximize the use of appropriated funds and have 
the potential of reducing the Capitol Campus' energy consumption by 
upwards of 50 percent by 2025. The Architect of the Capitol provides 
exceptional support for large-scale public events, exhibits and 
educational programs. This support solidifies our agency's ability to 
deliver on behalf of the Congress and the Supreme Court.
    For a small agency with modest resources, the level of effort 
required to simultaneously develop and execute short-term and long-
range capital funding priorities and projects while minimizing 
disruption to the building occupants and record numbers of annual 
visitors is nothing short of amazing.


               View of the West Front of the U.S. Capitol

    I am excited to bring my executive expertise to the AOC. The agency 
is mission driven and committed to service. Harnessing the dedication 
of my personnel to improve processes, operations, accountability and 
transparency is one of my top priorities.
    Redirecting that enthusiasm and effort will be a difficult 
transition for the agency and our clients. Much of our work is ongoing. 
Even more emphasis is needed to better address deferred maintenance and 
emergent needs required for our facilities. As you know well, our needs 
far outweigh available resources within the Legislative Branch. As a 
result, our FY 2021 request continues the principles of the FY 2020 
budget but seeks targeted increases in several key areas.
    Operationally, we must continue to prioritize our critical 
centralized services and personnel that directly support our front line 
operations. Therefore, in FY 2021, we prioritized 16 percent of the 
agency's requested resources to support the core central services that 
influence the execution of the entire program. Within this we are 
targeting areas that have a direct impact on the agency's ability to 
execute our capital budget and deliver projects on time and on budget. 
Adequate support for studies, planning, project design and development, 
construction oversight and project management is lacking. We need to 
increase our ability to award contracts and procure supplies in a 
timely manner. And we must fast-track our modernization of information 
technology business processes.

                          FY 2021 LICP Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Studies and Designs..........................  $35.5 m
Ongoing Projects.............................  $98.9 m
Operation and Maintenance Upgrades...........  $30.2 m
New Starts...................................  $18.6 m
                                              --------------------------
    Total Request............................  $183.2 m
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The AOC's risk-based project prioritization process identified 
$183.2 million for capital projects across campus in FY 2021. Of those, 
only $18.6 million are new infrastructure projects. The agency will 
continue to pursue critical campus-wide stone and metal rehabilitation, 
landscape restorations and upgrades to security, utility, fire and life 
safety system needs and conduct studies that help us anticipate future 
project needs.
    In this request, one of the biggest projects is the next phase of 
the fire alarm system replacement in the Hart Senate Office Building. 
This important project will complete the replacement of all of the 
existing equipment and infrastructure with a modern, code-compliant 
fire alarm system. We also have budgeted significant resources to 
support the Library of Congress' aging infrastructure, as well as their 
continued expansion needs. The request for construction of Book Storage 
Module 7 at the Library's Ft. Meade campus represents approximately 23% 
of our total capital budget submission.
    As I settle into this new role, I am committed to continuing a top-
to-bottom evaluation of the agency to address both real and perceived 
issues. I appreciate that my predecessor and both of the Acting 
Architects that followed him identified and sought ways to address 
human capital, information technology and budgetary challenges. I, too, 
have thoughts about how to modernize the agency, better use federal 
resources and support our clients. You have my commitment that I will 
act quickly to implement solutions and keep this committee informed 
about our progress.



     AOC Employee Appreciation Day Celebrates the Hard Work of Our
                       2,300 Dedicated Employees

    Specifically, we will develop a robust human capital strategy to 
address the changing workforce and the challenges of competing for 
talent in a region undergoing a healthy construction boom. The plan 
will ensure succession planning and train or retain our top talent. We 
will modernize the agency's information technology infrastructure and 
continue to strengthen our cyber security initiatives. We will further 
leverage every dollar entrusted to us through a comprehensive 
enterprise asset management program that will enable us to optimize 
projects that produce the highest rate of return for facility 
longevity.
    More than ever, the AOC needs a strong, transformational leader who 
will build upon our successes and usher in a new era of accountability 
to effectively maintain and preserve the universally recognized symbol 
of Western Representative Democracy. I am humbled to be that leader.
    I appreciate your support of the AOC and I look forward to working 
with you this year as you consider our FY 2021 budget request.

    [This statement was submitted by The Honorable J. Brett Blanton.]
                                 ______
                                 
        Prepared Statement of the Congressional Research Service
Madam Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy and Members of the Subcommittee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to present the fiscal 2021 budget 
request for the Congressional Research Service (CRS). I would also like 
to thank the Committee for your support of our fiscal 2020 request. 
With today's testimony, I look forward to highlighting several 
noteworthy fiscal 2019 accomplishments and bringing you up to date on a 
number of the Service's strategic initiatives. In addition, I will 
provide more detail regarding CRS's priorities for the requested fiscal 
2021 funds, including plans to expand support on science and 
technology-related issues for Congress.
    During the current Coronavirus pandemic, CRS continues to offer the 
full range of products and services to Members, committees and staff, 
albeit remotely. CRS experts are available for consultation via 
telephone, email or virtual briefing. In addition, CRS has developed a 
COVID-19 resources page, available on both CRS.gov and Congress.gov, to 
provide congressional staff with access to all of the Service's 
products related to the current crisis. The Service's Congress.gov 
support continues without interruption; including twice monthly 
webinars for congressional staff. Other CRS programs are also available 
via webinar.
fiscal 2021 budget request and the need for increased research capacity
    The CRS budget request for fiscal 2021 is 129.52 million dollars, 
an increase of 9 million dollars (or 7.5 percent) over the amount 
appropriated for fiscal 2020. The requested increase includes 7.1 
million dollars for mandatory pay related and price level increases. As 
in previous fiscal years, staff pay and benefits account for 
approximately 86 percent of the amount requested by CRS.
    As part of its budget proposal, CRS is requesting 1.93 million 
dollars to enhance the Service's research capacity in the science and 
technology area by adding 12 FTEs. CRS recognizes that Congress 
requires additional expert support to address the science and 
technology policy challenges facing our nation. In the conference 
report accompanying the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and 
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019, 
Congress clearly articulated a need for additional legislative research 
and analytical support in the area of science and technology policy. 
The additional positions requested would enable CRS to provide Congress 
more timely and robust support on a variety of science and technology 
related issues including: cybersecurity, natural resources, renewable 
fuels, climate change, and federal government information and IT 
management policy.
                          service to congress
    Fiscal 2019 was an especially productive year for CRS in support of 
Congress's work. The Service responded to over 71,000 requests from 
congressional offices and committees, including approximately 6,500 in-
person consultations. This represented a more than thirteen percent 
increase in requests over the previous fiscal year. Additionally, 
analysts, attorneys, and information professionals prepared 1,100 new 
products and updated over 2,000 existing products. CRS staff also 
conducted 345 seminars and hosted over 10,400 congressional 
participants, representing a twenty-one percent increase in attendance 
over fiscal 2018. As in previous years, the Service provided support to 
more than 99% of Member and committee offices. I am also pleased to 
report that CRS has fulfilled the mandate to make non-confidential 
written products available for publication to Congress.gov.
    CRS supported Congress during every stage of the legislative 
process and across a range of timely public policy issues including: 
border security, criminal justice reform, emergency management, 
prescription drug pricing, telecommunications and internet policy, and 
veterans benefits. In addition, CRS experts provided context and 
analysis of issues related to international trade, the national 
security implications of emerging technology, and U.S. engagement 
across the globe. CRS analysts, attorneys, and information 
professionals also assisted Congress with a variety of questions 
related to legislative procedure, executive branch operations, federal 
agency rulemaking, the budget and appropriations process, and the 
consideration of executive and judicial branch nominations.
                         strategic initiatives
    CRS is fully engaged in accomplishing the priority initiatives 
identified in last year's budget request and the 2019-2023 CRS 
Directional Plan, which established two goals. The first goal is to 
``enhance service and access for all of Congress.'' The second goal is 
to ``optimize resource utilization.'' Fiscal 2019 marked the completion 
of and continued progress on a number of objectives aligned with these 
two goals. The following is a summary of the action items taken to 
advance these initiatives over the past year:
IT Modernization/Integrated Research and Information Systems (IRIS)
    The IRIS initiative is a multi-year effort to modernize the 
Service's mission-specific information technology (IT) to provide CRS 
staff with the best tools possible to create and deliver products and 
services to Congress. CRS completed the first phase of the IRIS 
initiative in fiscal 2019.
    Working with the Library's Office of the Chief Information Officer 
(OCIO), the initial hardware and software foundation was completed, and 
embarked on an intensive effort focused on the Service's authoring, 
content management, and publishing tools. At the end of fiscal 2019, 
CRS completed a pilot project with approximately fifty CRS users. The 
lessons learned from the pilot will inform future development efforts. 
The Service's next goal is to reach a minimum viable product (MVP) and 
conduct a second pilot test with a larger group of CRS users. CRS will 
continue to work with OCIO to modernize its IT infrastructure with the 
deployment of new IT tools and software.
Congress.gov/Legislative Information System (LIS) Retirement
    The Legislative Information System (LIS) user interface was retired 
from use in November 2019, completing the migration to a more 
authoritative, reliable, secure, and advanced source of legislative 
information for congressional users. To prepare congressional staff for 
the retirement of LIS and transition to Congress.gov, CRS conducted a 
series of outreach and education campaigns. Information related to the 
transition was posted on the LIS homepage, Twitter, as well as emailed 
directly to users. CRS also delivered over 3,000 brochures to Member 
and committee offices promoting the capabilities of Congress.gov and 
outlining available training dates. The Service provided classroom, 
webinar, or customized Congress.gov training to over 1,100 staff 
members from more than 422 congressional offices. In addition, a number 
of enhancements to Congress.gov were released in fiscal 2019 including 
committee report search and display improvements; searchable committee 
schedules; and improved email alert capability. CRS, in partnership 
with OCIO and the Law Library, will continue to enhance the 
functionality of Congress.gov and work to ensure a seamless transition 
to this resource for congressional users.
Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and 
        Interpretation (CONAN) Modernization
    On September 17, 2019, ``Constitution Day,'' the Library of 
Congress and CRS launched a new website for CONAN-
constitution.congress.gov. Known officially as the ``Constitution of 
the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation,'' CONAN has 
served as the official record of the U.S. Constitution for Congress for 
over a century. Prepared by CRS legislative attorneys, the publication 
provides a historical overview of the origins of the Constitution as 
well as analysis and explanation of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence 
with respect to every provision. The modernized CONAN website provides 
improved search capabilities and a user-friendly interface, making the 
content fully searchable and accessible to congressional and public 
users for the first time. During fiscal 2019, CRS staff prepared 440 
pages of constitutional analysis and other content to replace outdated 
material. In partnership with OCIO and the Law Library, CRS will 
release further improvements to CONAN's functionality and additional 
revised content in the coming year.
Strengthening the Workforce: Staff Recruitment, Retention, and 
        Development
    CRS's most valuable resource is its staff and the Service is fully 
committed to supporting programs to ensure the recruitment, retention, 
and professional development of a highly skilled and diverse workforce. 
During fiscal 2019, the Service provided a variety of training 
activities, empowering staff to strengthen and maximize their knowledge 
and skills including: professional writing, oral presentation and 
delivery, leadership and senior executive training, and mentoring. CRS 
also provided training for staff on the topic of ``unconscious bias'' 
as part of a broader effort to support a culture of diversity and 
inclusion. In the area of recruitment and retention, CRS working groups 
engaged in initiatives to examine diversity and inclusion activities at 
the Library and CRS as well as comparable agencies and organizations, 
and to identify strategies to improve the diversity of applicant pools 
for CRS positions.
Assessing Congress's Science and Technology-Policy Resource Needs
    As directed by the conference report accompanying the Energy and 
Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans 
Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-244), CRS contracted with 
the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) to assess the 
science and technology policy-related resources currently available to 
Congress in the Legislative Branch and to make recommendations on how 
to best enhance such support. The report provided Congress with a 
number of recommendations including: enhancing the science and 
technology capabilities of existing Legislative Branch support 
agencies, such as CRS; and/or creating a separate agency to fill 
existing gaps in available legislative support.
Knowledge Management
    CRS continued to capture and digitize institutional knowledge and 
facilitate knowledge sharing through its Knowledge Management 
Initiative. Fiscal 2019 marked the launch of the CRS Research Portal, a 
tool intended to curate research materials gathered by analysts, 
attorneys, and librarians on selected public policy issues. In 
addition, CRS continued efforts to digitize its products. Continuation 
of these and other activities are planned for fiscal 2020 and beyond 
and will facilitate improved management of CRS's information resources, 
more effective collaboration among CRS experts, and better 
responsiveness to Congress's information and reference needs.
Identifying and Addressing the Full Range of Congressional Information 
        Needs
    Early in fiscal year 2020, the Service contracted with Gallup, Inc. 
to gather feedback from congressional users, regarding satisfaction 
with CRS products and services. As the mid-point of fiscal 2020 
approaches, CRS is on target to meet the milestones related to this 
effort.
                               conclusion
    It is an honor to serve as Congress's research and analytical arm. 
Each day we strive to fulfill our mission by providing Congress with 
``the highest quality of research, analysis, information, and 
confidential consultation, to support the exercise of its legislative, 
representational, and oversight duties.'' As always, our top priority 
looking forward will be to continue providing Congress with 
confidential, timely, authoritative, non-partisan, and objective 
support. The initiatives and requested increases in today's testimony, 
reflect CRS's ongoing commitment to meet the important responsibility 
that Congress has entrusted to us; and to do so as comprehensively and 
efficiently as possible. On behalf of my colleagues at CRS, I would 
like to express my appreciation to the Committee for its continued 
support and consideration of our fiscal 2021 request.

    [This statement was submitted by Mary B. Mazanec, Director.]
                                 ______
                                 
         Prepared Statement of the Government Publishing Office
    Madam Chairman and Ranking Member Murphy, I am grateful for this 
opportunity to provide testimony in support of the United States 
Government Publishing Office's (GPO) fiscal year 2021 Appropriations 
request.
    As the new Director of GPO, which just recently celebrated its 
159th anniversary, it is an honor to represent the more than 1,600 
craftspeople and professionals who make up our GPO team, and believe 
deeply in our mission of Keeping America Informed.
                                overview
    Circumstances have changed dramatically--for GPO, for Congress, and 
for our Nation--since I had the opportunity to present similar 
testimony before your counterparts on the House side of the Capitol in 
March.
    There are profound dangers posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-
19) to our institutions, economy, families, and individual and 
collective health and we are all confronting unanticipated challenges.
    For the past several weeks, GPO has been managing pretty well--we 
have dramatically reduced the number of personnel entering our 
buildings and have increased our use of a well-established telework 
program. We have been fulfilling our obligations to our customers, 
Congress in particular, without incident or major challenges, and we 
have adapted our policies to guide us through this period of 
uncertainty.
    But uncertainty and cruelty seem to be the defining characteristics 
of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we recently learned that it claimed the 
life of one of our special police officers on the evening of Saturday, 
April 18th. This loss has hit us hard as the deceased officer was a 
well-regarded member of our GPO team. As of this writing, we have also 
had two other teammates test positive for the virus, though they are 
doing well.
    With this tragic news, the threats COVID-19 posed to the wellbeing 
of the GPO community became starkly real and have pushed us to further 
refine our operational protocols. For instance, while we had limited 
facility access prior to the tragic death of our GPO teammate, that 
access is now further restricted. We had social distancing and 
sanitation protocols in place prior to this tragedy, but now those are 
being heightened. And while we hope things will soon change for the 
better, we will prepare as though they may well change for the worse.
    While I cannot predict what changes and challenges will emerge in 
the months ahead, I can provide the Committee an overview on where 
things currently stand, as well as an assessment of whether our FY 2021 
Budget Justification still adequately addresses what we anticipate 
GPO's needs will be in the coming fiscal year.
    In summary, we are still hopeful that our request of $117 million, 
if fully funded, will be sufficient to maintain operations in the 
coming fiscal year, and that currently appropriated funds are adequate 
to sustain our operations throughout the remainder of FY 2020. However, 
there are currently two significant issues that are increasing our 
operating costs and reducing our revenues that may require us to 
request this Subcommittee's permission to expend funds that we had 
hoped to reserve for critically important capital investments needed to 
serve our Federal agency customers.
    Any need to expend such funds to support operations would likely 
either require GPO to raise its prices for congressional publishing 
services or request significant appropriations increases in future 
years. Or both. We have recently begun inquiring of the Subcommittee's 
staff whether there might be some options that can be explored to 
prevent either one of those scenarios from materializing.
    Specifically, the financial challenges we are confronting relate 
both to the increased labor costs necessitated by the emergency pay 
status of those GPO employees whose duties require them to physically 
enter GPO facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing loss 
of revenues resulting from the idling of our passport production 
operations.
    While the majority of GPO staff are not required to enter GPO's 
facilities during this time, those that must enter the premises are 
appropriately eligible for increased emergency pay. Over the first two 
bi-weekly pay periods of the COVID-19 era, those payroll cost increases 
have averaged over 10 percent, or approximately $885,000 per pay 
period. We are optimistic that a significant portion of these costs 
will be recoverable through client billings. However, any increased 
costs billed to appropriated accounts such as the Congressional 
Publishing account will inevitably accelerate the depletion of 
appropriated funds.
    The loss of revenues from the idling of GPO's passport production 
operations for the United States Department of State is of great 
concern. The services GPO provides the State Department account for 
more than 30 percent of GPO's annual revenues--in FY 2019, GPO's work 
for State generated $272.6 million of GPO's $937.4 million of revenue. 
GPO typically produces between 15 and 22 million passports per year for 
the State Department and is reimbursed on a per-passport basis.
    As a result of the mid-March shutdown of GPO's passport operations 
over 200 GPO employees are currently idled. In the interim, GPO is 
relying on its cash reserves to fund their salaries, a practice that 
will become increasingly difficult if this status continues into June 
and July. Fortunately, GPO has been notified by State that wants the 
full order of 16 million passports for the year, though we don't yet 
know when we can safely resume passport production.
    Today, as I submit this testimony, I can still envision a scenario 
in which GPO's FY 2021 Appropriations request of $117 million will be 
adequate to meet the agencies needs in the coming fiscal year. 
Regrettably, I can also envision an equally plausible scenario in which 
GPO endures up to $18.7 million in unexpected COVID-19 emergency pay 
costs during the remaining months of FY 2020 that would require 
additional Congressional funding assistance to absorb. I realize there 
is a wide differential between those two potential outcomes, but so 
much is dependent on when we are able to return to normal operations.
    As you know, GPO runs largely as a business, with nearly all of our 
FY 2019 revenue of $937.4 million generated by services we provide to 
our customers through our cost recovery model.
    For example, in FY 2019:

  --Nearly 88 percent--or $823 million--of our revenue came from direct 
        billings to our non-congressional customers.
  --Another 8 percent--or $74 million--came from billings to Congress 
        for the provision of specific requested services.
  --Still another 3 percent--or $28 million--came from appropriations 
        we used to administer the Federal Depository Library Program 
        (FDLP) and provide critical public information program 
        services.
  --And finally, the remaining 1.3 percent--or $12.3 million--came from 
        appropriations this Subcommittee provided to enable GPO to make 
        critical information technology and cybersecurity investments 
        for the future.

    Because the significant majority of GPO's revenues are derived from 
services provided to its customers, and not from direct appropriations, 
GPO can find itself in a position of considerable vulnerability if an 
external shock--such as the onset of a global pandemic--should drive 
away its customer orders. That leads to situations where our revenues 
can dry up, but many of our costs--our overhead--remain. The idling of 
our passport production operations is one such example, and we are 
fortunate that we have not yet had significant others to date.
    If passport production can be brought back online in a reasonable 
time frame and conditions permit GPO to end its emergency pay 
obligations within a month or two, GPO should be in a position to 
adhere to its original FY 2021 Appropriations request of $117 million. 
This is the 6th fiscal year in a row where GPO has requested 
essentially even funding, and, in real terms, GPO's annual 
appropriation has gone down nearly 35 percent since FY 1995.
    We have been able to achieve this through changes in our business 
model and strategic decisions that keep overhead costs low, and we've 
been able to do it while accommodating annual cost-of-living pay raises 
for our valued GPO teammates. We've been able to do it because the 
members of this Subcommittee, and your counterparts in the House, have 
provided strong support for GPO's efforts to change and evolve.
    Yet, prior to onset of the COVID-19 pandemic we believed that FY 
2021 would probably be the last fiscal year that we could request 
essentially flat funding, a point we conveyed to the House Legislative 
Branch Appropriations Subcommittee in our testimony at the beginning of 
March. The increased costs and diminished revenues brought about by the 
pandemic have, at a minimum, affirmed this reality.
    As in year's past, there are three main components to GPO's FY 2021 
Appropriations request. It includes $78 million for the Congressional 
Publishing account, a $1 million decrease from FY 2020. It is based on 
our estimates of Congress' likely needs, informed by historical trends, 
and available unexpended balances.
    The second component is our request for $32.3 million to support 
the Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents 
account, which represents an approximately $1 million increase from the 
prior year, and which is attributable to salary and other cost 
increases.
    The third, and final, component of our request is for a $6.7 
million appropriation in FY 2021 to GPO's Business Operations Revolving 
Fund for investments to information technology upgrades.
    Lastly, as required by section 1604(c) of the Legislative Branch 
Inspectors General Independence Act, we are forwarding our Inspector 
General's request for $6.1 million in budget authority for FY 2021. 
That request would be funded as part of GPO's agency overhead--a 
component of the prices and rates GPO charges its agency customers and 
Congress--and not as a separate appropriation.
    As the new Director, I do want to take a moment and talk about 
GPO's future.
    In recent years, with this Subcommittee's support, GPO has embarked 
on a number of important initiatives to modernize its plant and its 
methods. We have invested heavily in new digital inkjet press 
technology and in the development of XPub, our next-generation 
composition tool. We have completed the development of the cutting-edge 
govinfo online repository and website, and we continue working with the 
State Department to modernize our tooling and our processes for the 
next-generation passport.
    While GPO has been able to absorb many of the costs associated with 
those upgrades due in large part to our effective conservation of 
taxpayer funds, I am afraid that our ability to continue absorbing 
those costs in the future will be tightly constrained, even before 
factoring in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on GPO's finances. 
When you do factor in the costs associated with running GPO during this 
period of pandemic, we will likely have to delay important investments 
in technology, our physical plant, and our people.
    We will, of course, continue to look for new sources of revenue and 
ways to improve our efficiency and lower costs, but those efforts alone 
will not be enough. We have now either expended or obligated the prior-
year funds made available for our ongoing upgrades and in the future, 
we will likely need to seek additional funding through our annual 
appropriations requests to maintain our level of effort.
    Those investments will provide some opportunities for GPO. For 
instance, as we develop XPub, we are looking for a sustainable model to 
support the operation and development of the platform, including the 
possibility of providing it to our customers as a software-as-a-
service, much like Office 365 or Adobe's Creative Cloud. That could 
lead to new markets as we work with our other Federal customers to help 
them with their document creation challenges.
    It is our intention to work closely with the Subcommittee in the 
years ahead to find the right balance to bolster our long-term 
sustainability, and I am committed to keeping the Subcommittee informed 
of any developments that could pose any threats to GPO's short-term and 
mid-term operations, whether related to the coronavirus or other 
challenges.
    Personally, I am grateful to the Subcommittee and your capable 
staff for the support you've all shown GPO in recent years and for your 
willingness to help us navigate this period of uncertainty.
                               background
    GPO is the OFFICIAL, DIGITAL, SECURE resource for producing, 
procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and 
preserving the official information products of the Federal Government.
    Under title 44 of the U.S. Code, GPO is responsible for the 
production and distribution of information products for all three 
branches of the Government, including the official publications of 
Congress and the White House, U.S. passports for the Department of 
State, and the official publications of other Federal agencies and the 
courts.
    Along with sales of publications in digital and tangible formats to 
the public, we support openness and transparency in Government by 
providing permanent public access to Federal Government information at 
no charge through govinfo (www.govinfo.gov). Today, govinfo makes more 
than
    2.6 million Federal titles available and averaged approximately 34 
million retrievals per month in FY 2019. GPO also provides public 
access to Government information through partnerships with 1,120 
Federal, academic, public, law, and other libraries nationwide 
participating in the FDLP.
    History.--Article I, section 5 of the Constitution requires that 
``each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings and from time to 
time publish the same,'' providing the first commandment that Congress 
tell the public about its work. After years of struggling with various 
systems of contracting for printed documents that were often beset with 
scandal and corruption, in 1860 Congress created the Government 
Printing Office as its official printer. GPO first opened its doors for 
business on March 4, 1861, the same day Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated 
as our 16th President.
    Since that time, GPO has produced and distributed the official 
version of an uncounted number of other Government publications, 
documents, and forms. These documents include the Emancipation 
Proclamation, the legislative publications and acts of Congress, Social 
Security cards, Medicare and Medicaid information, census forms, tax 
forms, citizenship forms, passports, and Presidential inaugural 
addresses. This work goes on today, in digital as well as print 
formats, as GPO transforms itself from a print-centric to a content-
centric publishing operation, consistent with the recommendations 
submitted by the National Academy of Public Administration to Congress 
(Rebooting the Government Printing Office: Keeping America Informed in 
the Digital Age, January 2013).
                            gpo and congress
    For the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the Senate, and the 
committees of the House and the Senate, GPO publishes the documents and 
publications required by the legislative and oversight processes of 
Congress in digital and tangible formats. This includes the daily 
Congressional Record, bills, reports, legislative calendars, hearings, 
committee prints, and documents, as well as stationery, franked 
envelopes, memorial and condolence books, programs and invitations, 
phone books, and all the other products needed to conduct the business 
of Congress. We produce all the printing work required every four years 
by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Tools 
developed by GPO support Congress' daily work, and we work hand-in-hand 
with Congress to jointly develop the next generation of those tools.
    We also detail GPO team members to support the publishing 
requirements of House and Senate committees and congressional support 
offices such as the House and Senate Offices of Legislative Counsel. We 
work to ensure the provision of these services under any circumstances, 
including inclement weather and other emergency conditions.
    Today, the activities associated with creating congressional 
information datasets comprise the majority of the work funded by GPO's 
annual Congressional Publishing Appropriation. Our digital 
authentication system, supported by public key infrastructure (PKI), is 
an essential component for assuring the authenticity and integrity of 
congressional publications in digital formats. The datasets we build 
enable access to congressional publications in digital formats as well 
as their production in tangible formats and form the building blocks of 
other information systems supporting Congress.
    For example, they are made available to the Library of Congress via 
the govinfo application programming interface (API) to support its 
Congress.gov system. In addition, GPO works with the Library to make 
summaries and status information for House and Senate bills available 
as XML bulk data on govinfo.
    In FY 2019, GPO achieved a major milestone in its publication of 
the 2018 Main Edition of the U.S. Code through GPO's new XPub system, 
an XML-based automated composition system designed to replace GPO's 
aging, proprietary MicroComp system. A nearly 60,000-page publication, 
the U.S. Code is published by GPO every six years. GPO is now ready to 
begin working to bring additional publications into XPub production, 
including congressional bills, resolutions, amendments, public laws, 
statutes at large, House and Senate calendars, the Congressional 
Record, and the Federal Register.
    GPO Cuts the Cost of Congressional Work.--GPO's use of electronic 
information technologies has been the principal contributor to lowering 
the cost, in real economic terms, of congressional information 
products. In FY 1980, as GPO replaced hot metal typesetting with 
electronic photocomposition, the appropriation for Congressional 
Publishing was $91.5 million, the equivalent in today's dollars of 
$310.1 million. By comparison, our approved funding for FY 2020 is 
$79.0 million, a reduction of nearly 75% in constant-dollar terms.
    Since 2010, we have achieved a 29% reduction in the constant-dollar 
value of the Congressional Publishing Appropriation, consistent with 
the continuing transformation of our technology profile, an emphasis on 
controlling costs, and collaborative efforts with Congress to reduce 
print distribution while meeting the information needs of the Senate 
and House of Representatives.
    Annual appropriations for Congressional Publishing have been at or 
below $79.7 million in each of Fiscal Years 2014 to 2020.
                        gpo and federal agencies
    Federal agencies are major generators of information in the United 
States, and GPO produces their information products for official use 
and public access. Federal agencies and the public also rely on a 
growing variety of secure credentials that we produce, including 
travelers holding U.S. passports, members of the public who cross our 
borders frequently, and other users. Our digital systems support key 
Federal agency publications, including the annual Budget of the U.S. 
Government and, most importantly, the Federal Register and associated 
products. As it does for congressional documents, our digital 
authentication system, supported by public key infrastructure (PKI), 
assures the digital security of agency documents.
    One of GPO's major agency customers is the Office of the Federal 
Register (OFR), a unit of the National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA), which produces the daily Federal Register. OFR 
is also responsible for related publications such as the Code of 
Federal Regulations, and other key information products such as Daily 
Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Public Papers of the 
Presidents, each of which we produce in digital and print formats.
    Highlights of FY 2019 Agency Operations.--Since 1995, we have made 
the annual Budget of the U.S. Government available online, and with 
GPO's govinfo system the documents are now available across multiple 
platforms. In FY 2019, GPO had the privilege of producing printed 
materials to support important presidential events at The White House, 
including the September 20, 2019 State Dinner in honor of Australian 
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife, Jennifer.
    In FY 2019, GPO's Pueblo Colorado Distribution Center, celebrated 
its 47th anniversary. The Pueblo facility provides warehousing, 
logistics, business services, and distribution services for over 33 
Federal customers, and is estimated to have distributed more than 1.2 
billion publications to customers since it opened in 1972.
    During FY 2019, GPO also worked to complete the renovation of 
approximately 24,000 square feet of space in its Building A to house 
NARA's Center for Legislative Archives. NARA just began moving House 
and Senate legislative records into the space this month, and NARA and 
GPO are currently engaged in discussions to build out additional space.
    Partnership with Industry.--Beyond work for Congress, passports, 
and other inherently governmental work such as the Federal Register and 
the Budget, GPO produces virtually all other Federal agency information 
products via contracts with the private-sector printing and 
information-product industry. In FY 2019, this work was valued at 
approximately $439.7 million, and represented 96,172 orders. More than 
10,000 individual firms are registered to do business with GPO, the 
vast majority of which are small businesses with fewer than 20 
employees per firm.
    Security and Intelligent Documents.--GPO has been proud to produce 
U.S. passports for the U.S. Department of State for nearly a century. 
Since 2005, U.S. passports have incorporated advanced security features 
that make it the most secure identification credential obtainable. GPO 
produced 15.2 million passports for the State Department in FY 2019, 
and has produced a total of more than 181 million passports since 2005. 
In the years ahead, GPO will continue to make investments needed to 
support the State Department's Next Generation Passport Program (NGP).
    Since 2008, GPO has also served as an integrator of secure 
identification smart cards to support the credentialing requirements of 
Federal agencies and other Government entities. GPO provides secure-
card credential products to include design, printing, manufacturing, 
personalization and shipping and delivery. Through its production 
processes, GPO leverages the most advanced industry technologies to 
build the highest quality products at the lowest prices. GPO secure-
credential operations are fully ISO 9001 certified and undergo rigorous 
third-party audits each year to gain recertification.
    On an annual basis, the GPO produces over 4.2 million secure-card 
credentials for our Federal agency customers, and, since 2008, GPO has 
produced more than 26 million across 11 different product lines. Some 
of them include the Trusted Traveler Program's (TTP) family of border 
crossing cards--NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST, and Global Entry--for the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which are used by frequent 
travelers across U.S. borders.
                  gpo and open, transparent government
    Producing and distributing the official publications and 
information products of the Government fulfills an informing role 
originally envisioned by the Founders, as James Madison once said:

        ``A popular Government without popular information, or the 
        means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a 
        Tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern 
        ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, 
        must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.''

    GPO operates a variety of programs that provide the public with 
``the means of acquiring'' Government information that Madison spoke 
of. These programs include the Federal Depository Library Program 
(FDLP), govinfo, Publications and Information Sales, and Agency 
Distribution Services.
    Federal Depository Library Program.--The FDLP has legislative 
antecedents that date to 1813 (3 Stat. 140), when Congress first 
authorized congressional documents to be sent to certain universities, 
historical societies, and state libraries for the use of the public. 
Today, GPO provides the Federal depository libraries with information 
products in digital and tangible formats, and libraries, in turn, make 
them available to the public at no charge while providing expert 
assistance in finding and navigating Government information. The FDLP 
serves millions of Americans through a network of 1,120 public, 
academic, law, and other libraries located across the Nation, averaging 
nearly three per congressional district.
    In recent years, GPO has been working to digitize and make 
available online historic print collections of Government information, 
as well as developing strategic efforts to partner with libraries and 
other organizations to permanently preserve historic resources.
    Through its digitization efforts, GPO has enhanced the scope of 
historic collections available on govinfo tremendously. Some notable 
examples of GPO's recent work include:

  --The Public Papers of the Presidents collection, formerly available 
        from 1991 through the present, was expanded to include volumes 
        dating back to 1929, through a collaborative digitization 
        effort with OFR.
  --More than 1,300 historic congressional hearings dating back to 1958 
        were digitized and made available, as part of an ongoing effort 
        to digitize nearly 15,000 congressional hearings.
  --The complete collection of the Federal Register, dating back to the 
        first volume published in 1936, was also digitized and made 
        available, through another joint effort with OFR.

    GPO also has formal partnership agreements in place with 64 
organizations to advance free public access to U.S. Government 
information. One recent collaboration is GPO's work to support the 
Library of Congress' efforts to make valuable Congressional Research 
Service (CRS) reports available online by performing extensive 
cataloging services.
    govinfo.--Under the provisions of Public Law 103-40, GPO has been 
providing online public access to congressional and Federal agency 
publications since 1994, beginning with a site known as GPO Access. 
Fifteen years later, GPO Access was replaced by GPO's Federal Digital 
System or FDsys, and, in early 2016, GPO unveiled the next generation 
of our public access system with the introduction of govinfo. In 
December 2018, the FDsys website was fully retired.
    The govinfo website features a mobile-friendly design, current and 
historical content collections from all three branches, enhanced search 
and intuitive browse, linked related documents, curated feature 
articles, quick and easy social sharing, developer tools such as XML 
bulk data and a public API, expanded help information, support for 
redirects from millions of legacy FDsys links, and additional 
enhancements based on stakeholder feedback. In FY 2019, govinfo grew to 
make more than 2.6 million titles from the legislative, executive, and 
judicial branches available online from our servers and through links 
to other agencies and institutions. The system averaged approximately 
34 million retrievals per month.
    GPO has continually added content to govinfo to provide increased 
public access to Government information. In recent months, GPO added 
the digitized historical editions of the U.S. Government Manual from 
1935 to 1994, completing the digitization of the Government's official 
handbook of agency organization for all three branches of the Federal 
Government. In collaboration with the Law Library of Congress, GPO has 
also initiated a multi-year effort to digitize and make available 
volumes of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set back to the very first 
volume published in 1817.
    During 2018 and 2019, govinfo underwent an extensive audit for 
certification as a Trustworthy Digital Repository in compliance with 
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 16363. Then, in 
December 2018, GPO made history by becoming the first organization in 
the United States, and just the second worldwide, to achieve this 
certification, which is considered the highest global standard of 
excellence for digital repositories. To secure this certification and 
establish that govinfo is a standards-compliant digital repository in 
which Government information is preserved, accessible, and usable now 
and into the future, govinfo was evaluated against 109 specific 
criteria.
    Bulk Data.--In support of the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Task 
Force, GPO works closely with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary 
of the Senate on initiatives to convert legacy file formats into United 
States Legislative Markup (USLM) XML. In early FY 2019, the first 
project was completed with the release of a subset of enrolled bills, 
public and private laws, and Statutes at Large in Beta USLM XML on 
govinfo. GPO is currently working on a project in support of our 
legislative data partners to enable downstream processes and increase 
efficiencies by converting legacy statute compilations into Beta USLM 
XML and providing access to those files on govinfo. USLM offers a 
standard XML schema to promote interoperability among documents as they 
flow through the legislative and regulatory processes. USLM also 
promotes international interoperability with documents produced by 
governments worldwide.
    Publication and Information Sales Program.--Along with the FDLP and 
our online dissemination system, which are no-fee public access 
programs, GPO also provides access to official Federal information 
through public sales. GPO features secure ordering through its online 
bookstore (bookstore.gpo.gov), a bookstore at GPO headquarters in 
Washington, DC, and partnerships with the private sector that offer 
Federal publications as eBooks.
    Agency Distribution Services (ADS) Program.--GPO operates two 
distribution facilities which are strategically located in Laurel, MD 
and Pueblo, CO. Through these facilities, GPO administers distribution 
programs for the information products of other Federal agencies. Today, 
over 60 Federal agencies utilize the comprehensive services provided 
through the Pueblo and Laurel facilities, which together offer more 
than 200,000 square feet of climate-controlled distribution, storage, 
and fulfillment space. Among the services provided through GPO's ADS 
program are website hosting, consulting services, fulfillment and 
distribution, address validation services, call center operations, and 
printing optimization, just to name a few. These services are all 
designed to help Federal agencies achieve savings in the distribution 
of their information products.
                              gpo finances
    Business Operations Revolving Fund.--All GPO activities are 
financed through our Business Operations Revolving Fund, established by 
section 309 of Title 44, U.S.C. This business-like fund is used to pay 
all of our costs in performing congressional and agency publishing, 
information product procurement, and publications dissemination 
activities. It is reimbursed from payments from customer agencies, 
sales to the public, and transfers from our two annual appropriations: 
the Congressional Publishing Appropriation and the Public Information 
Programs of the Superintendent of Documents Appropriation.
    Retained Earnings.--Under GPO's system of accrual accounting, 
annual earnings generated since the inception of the Business 
Operations Revolving Fund have been accumulated as retained earnings. 
Retained earnings enable us to fund a significant amount of technology 
modernization. However, appropriations for essential investments in 
technology and plant upgrades are requested when necessary.
    Appropriated Funds.--GPO's Congressional Publishing Appropriation 
is used to reimburse the Business Operations Revolving Fund for the 
costs of publishing the documents required for the use of Congress in 
digital and tangible formats, as authorized by the provisions of 
chapters 7 and 9 of Title 44, U.S.C. The Public Information Programs of 
the Superintendent of Documents Appropriation is used to pay for the 
costs associated with providing online access to, and the distribution 
of, publications to Federal depository libraries, cataloging and 
indexing, statutory distribution, and international exchange 
distribution. Reimbursements from these appropriations are included in 
the Business Operations Revolving Fund as revenue for work performed. 
Congress has also, in years past, appropriated funds directly to the 
Business Operations Revolving Fund in support of specific capital 
investments. In recent years such appropriations have been provided in 
support of information technology and cybersecurity investments.
    Annual Independent Audit.--Each year, GPO's finances and financial 
controls are audited by an independent outside audit firm working under 
contract with GPO's Office of Inspector General.
    For FY 2019, the audit concluded with GPO earning an unmodified, or 
clean, opinion on its finances, the 23rd consecutive year GPO has 
earned such an audit result.
    FY 2019 Financial Results.--During FY 2019, revenue totaled $937.4 
million while expenses charged against GPO's budget were $885.7 
million, for an overall net income of $51.7 million from operations. 
Included in both GPO's revenue and net income figures is approximately 
$17.3 million for passport-related capital investments, as agreed to by 
GPO and the Department of State, and $1.7 million resulting from an 
increase to GPO's long-term workers' compensation liability under the 
Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA). Apart from these two set 
asides, GPO's net operating income from FY 2019 was $36.2 million.
    In FY 2019, funds appropriated directly by Congress provided nearly 
$113.9 million (including funds from the Congressional Publishing and 
Public Information Programs appropriations, along with appropriations 
to the Business Operations Revolving Fund), or about 12.2% of total 
revenue. All other GPO activities, including in-plant publishing (which 
includes the production of passports), procured work, sales of 
publications, agency distribution services, and all administrative 
support functions, were financed through the Business Operations 
Revolving Fund by revenues generated by payments from agencies and 
sales to the public.
                     fy 2021 appropriations request
    GPO is requesting a total of $117,000,000 for FY 2021. This is the 
same level of funding GPO requested in FY 2020, and the same amount 
appropriated in FY 2020. Through FY 2020, total GPO appropriations have 
declined by 21% since FY 2010 and are at their lowest level since then.
    GPO's continued transition to digital technologies and products has 
increased our productivity and reduced costs. Additionally, maintaining 
financial controls on our overhead costs, coupled with a buyout in FY 
2015 that reduced GPO's workforce by 103 positions, has helped make 
this funding request possible. Finally, the utilization of the 
unexpended balances of prior-year appropriations, which we are able to 
transfer to GPO's Business Operations Revolving Fund with the approval 
of the Appropriations Committees, has made it possible in recent years 
to hold the line on the level of new funding we request.

                       Total Appropriations to GPO
                    FY 2010-2020 and FY 2021 Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Fiscal Year                         Appropriation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010...............................  $147,461,000
2011...............................  135,067,324
2012...............................  126,200,000
2013...............................  117,533,423
2014...............................  119,300,000
2015...............................  119,993,000
2016...............................  117,068,000
2017...............................  117,068,000
2018...............................  117,068,000
2019...............................  117,000,000
2020...............................  117,000,000
2021...............................  117,000,000 (Requested)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Our FY 2021 request will enable us to:

  --meet projected requirements for congressional publishing;
  --fund the operation of the public information programs of the 
        Superintendent of Documents; and
  --develop information technology, including IT cybersecurity 
        measures, to support congressional publishing and public 
        information programs operations.

    Congressional Publishing Appropriation.--GPO is requesting 
$78,000,000 for this account. This is $1,000,000 less than requested in 
GPO's FY 2020 budget submission for the Congressional Publishing 
account, and $1,000,000 less than Congress appropriated in FY 2020.
    Overall, the annual appropriations for Congressional Publishing 
have been flat since FY 2014 and have declined by nearly 17% since FY 
2010 as the result of our continuing transition to digital technology 
and products, as well as actions taken in cooperation with the House of 
Representatives and the Senate to control congressional publishing 
costs. Unspent prior-year balances from this account have been 
transferred to GPO's Business Operations Revolving Fund, and are 
available for the purposes of this account in Fiscal Year 2021.

                 Congressional Publishing Appropriation
                    FY 2010-2020 and FY 2021 Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Fiscal Year                         Appropriation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010...............................  $93,768,000
2011...............................  93,580,464
2012...............................  90,700,000
2013...............................  82,129,576
2014...............................  79,736,000
2015...............................  79,736,000
2016...............................  79,736,000
2017...............................  79,736,000
2018...............................  79,528,000
2019...............................  79,000,000
2020...............................  79,000,000
2021...............................  78,000,000 (Requested)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    House Report 114-110, accompanying the Legislative Branch 
Appropriations bill for FY 2016, requires the presentation of budget 
requirements from a zero base. However, GPO has no control over the 
workload requirements of the Congressional Publishing Appropriation. 
These are determined by the legislative activities and requirements of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate as authorized by the 
applicable provisions of Title 44, U.S.C.
    GPO utilizes historical data incorporating other relevant factors 
to develop estimates of likely congressional publishing requirements. 
These requirements serve as the basis of the budget presentation for 
this account.
    In FY 2021, the Congressional Publishing workload volume is 
expected to decline by about $155,000 from FY 2020 levels, but price-
level and wage increases (if implemented) are expected to increase 
expenses to the Congressional Publishing account by an additional 
$2,500,000.
    In order to accommodate the net cost increase, and to reduce the FY 
2021 Congressional Publishing request by $1,000,000 from FY 2020, GPO 
plans to use about $6,000,000 of prior-year transfer funds in GPO's 
Business Operations Revolving Fund to support its Congressional 
Publishing work in FY 2021.
    As shown on page D-4 of our budget justification for FY 2021, 
unexpended balances of prior-year appropriations that have been 
transferred to GPO's Business Operations Revolving Fund will be used to 
offset anticipated requirements for FY 2021, so that appropriation 
requirements can be reduced by $1,000,000. The balance of these 
transfer funds is earmarked for GPO's critically important XPub system 
(formerly the CSR project) and other congressional information projects 
as indicated on page F-5.
    As previously mentioned, XPub is a new XML-based composition system 
being developed and deployed to replace the 30+ year-old MicroComp 
system used in the preparation of congressional documents for digital 
and print access. The successful deployment of XPub will enable GPO to 
create, edit, proof, approve, and simultaneously publish legislative 
and regulatory documents from a variety of print and digital sources in 
a high-volume production environment while maintaining GPO's reputation 
for quality and typographic excellence. GPO believes XPub will help GPO 
deliver even greater value to Congress and GPO's other Federal clients 
in the years ahead.
    Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents.--
GPO is requesting $32,300,000 for this account, which is an increase of 
$1,004,000 from the amount GPO requested, and Congress appropriated, in 
FY 2020. This account pays for the cost of providing Federal Government 
publications in digital and tangible formats to 1,120 Federal 
depository libraries nationwide, cataloging and indexing, the 
distribution of documents to recipients designated by law, and 
international exchange distribution.
    This appropriation request represents a nearly 21% reduction from 
the amounts appropriated in FY 2010. This reduction has been made 
possible by our continuing transition to digital technology and 
products which has made the increased dissemination of official 
Government information to the public less costly and more efficient.

     Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents
                              Appropriation
                    FY 2010-2020 and FY 2021 Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Fiscal Year                         Appropriation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010...............................  $40,911,000
2011...............................  39,831,178
2012...............................  35,000,000
2013...............................  31,437,000
2014...............................  31,500,000
2015...............................  31,500,000
2016...............................  30,500,000
2017...............................  29,500,000
2018...............................  29,000,000
2019...............................  32,000,000
2020...............................  31,296,000
2021...............................  32,300,000 (Requested)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The net funding increase of $1,004,000 we are requesting for FY 
2021 is comprised of mandatory pay and related increases of about 
$501,000, and price-level increases of $503,000. The approved use of 
prior-year transfer funds will cover $4,063,000 of program/project/
activity costs in FY 2021 as well. Such programs include the 
implementation of the Salesforce customer relations management (CRM) 
system ($1,200,000); the potential development of a web-portal 
envisioned by the pending Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, H.R. 
736 ($1,000,000); the digitization, processing, and cataloging of 
historic documents for ingest into govinfo ($1,000,000); and national 
collection pilot projects for FDLP libraries.
    The requested amount is based on the outcome of using zero-based 
budgeting to determine the proper levels of funding needed to perform 
program activities at minimum levels, as directed by House Report 114-
110. GPO plans to utilize carry-over balances from funds transferred to 
the Business Operations Revolving Fund to support high-priority 
information services and products funded by this account as indicated 
on page F-5, including the collection and preservation of new and 
historic documents and continued development of govinfo content and 
capabilities.
    Business Operations Revolving Fund.--GPO is requesting $6,700,000 
for this account, to remain available until expended, to support 
continued investment in information technology and cybersecurity 
projects. This compares with the $6,704,000 GPO requested, and Congress 
appropriated, for these same purposes in FY 2020. Funding provided to 
this account represents an increase to working capital for specified 
projects.
    Since FY 2013, these projects have consistently included 
improvements to GPO's FDsys website and its successor govinfo, which 
have expanded public access to congressional and other Government 
information products in digital formats while decreasing the costs of 
distributing traditional print formats. They have also included efforts 
to harden and secure GPO's IT infrastructure from persistent external 
cybersecurity threats.

        Appropriations to the Business Operations Revolving Fund
                 FY 2010-2020 and Requested for FY 2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Fiscal Year                         Appropriation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010...............................  $12,782,000
2011...............................  1,655,682
2012...............................  500,000
2013...............................  3,966,847
2014...............................  8,064,000
2015...............................  8,757,000
2016...............................  6,832,000
2017...............................  7,832,000
2018...............................  8,540,000
2019...............................  6,000,000
2020...............................  6,704,000
2021...............................  6,700,000 (Requested)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                govinfo projects for fy 2021--$6,550,000
  --General System and Collection Development ($3,500,000)--This 
        funding is requested to support the development of new govinfo 
        features to meet the identified needs of key stakeholders. 
        Activities funded would include developing new content 
        collections, increasing content in existing collections, 
        enhancing the accessibility of content, and improving the 
        discoverability of information hosted on govinfo.
  --Infrastructure ($3,050,000)--This funding is requested to support 
        the procurement and servicing of the hardware, storage, and 
        environments needed to manage system performance as govinfo 
        content and usage continues to grow.
              cybersecurity projects for fy 2021--$150,000
  --Security Enhancements for Advanced Persistent Threats ($150,000)--
        The cybersecurity threat environment faced by Government 
        agencies continues to change rapidly and presents substantive 
        risks and dangers to organizations. The requested funding is 
        planned to address that evolving threat environment by 
        implementing enhanced IT security systems that are intended to 
        reduce the risk of unauthorized data exfiltration, unauthorized 
        access, unauthorized changes to data, and related impacts.

    Madam Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, before concluding I want to express our deep appreciation 
for the support you gave our appropriations request for FY 2020, and 
your continuing interest in the important work performed by dedicated 
craftspeople and professionals of the Government Publishing Office.
    This completes my prepared statement and I look forward to 
answering any questions you may have.

    [This statement was submitted by the Honorable Hugh Nathanial 
Halpern, Director.]
                                 ______
                                 
            Prepared Statement of the Librarian of Congress
Madam Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the Subcommittee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of 
the Library's fiscal 2021 budget.
    I want to assure you first that, in these extraordinary times, the 
Library is taking every possible step to protect the health and well-
being of staff, their families and the community as we continue our 
service to Congress and the nation. For reasons of public safety during 
the COVID-19 pandemic, we have closed our buildings to the public until 
further notice and cancelled public events until July 1. Our Pandemic 
Task Force meets daily to make sure we plan and address new issues that 
develop. We are in close coordination with the United States Capitol 
Police, the Architect of the Capitol, and House and Senate operations. 
An expanded telework policy is in place that allows our people to 
accomplish a great deal of their work remotely. Our recent investments 
in IT modernization are proving their value as network demand 
increases. With a determined and dedicated staff, I am confident that 
we will maintain our mission critical services throughout this crisis. 
The budgetary impact of the pandemic on the Library will be closely 
tracked and analyzed.
    Now in my fourth year as Librarian of Congress, I am excited to see 
the progress we have made in sharing more of the Library's 
extraordinary collections and our staff's expertise and commitment to 
public service. Today, the Library holds more than 170 million items in 
all formats and 470 languages and has the world's largest collections 
of legal materials, films, and sound recordings. Last year, the Library 
welcomed nearly 1.9 million in-person visitors. The Congressional 
Research Service (CRS) provided custom services to more than 99 percent 
of Senate and House member offices and standing committees. The U.S. 
Copyright Office issued more than 547,000 copyright registrations. Over 
9.4 million preservation actions were performed on the physical 
collections; more than 21.8 million copies of braille, audio and large 
print items were circulated to patrons by the newly renamed National 
Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS); and the Library 
responded to nearly one million reference requests from Congress, the 
public, and other federal agencies. The Library's websites, including 
loc.gov, congress.gov, copyright.gov, and the CRS site, among others, 
served as conduits in supporting our strategic vision for connecting 
all Americans to the Library by receiving 119 million visits and 520.8 
million content page views.
    Over the past year, we have moved forward in significant ways, 
using our strategic plan as a guide, to modernize and increase access 
to the Congress's library. The Congressional Research Service's (CRS's) 
next-generation Integrated Research and Information System (IRIS), for 
example, is well underway. As part of Copyright Office IT modernization 
efforts, a pilot for a new electronic recordation system is anticipated 
to begin shortly. IT centralization under the Office of the Chief 
Information Officer (OCIO) is now complete. The Library is on schedule 
to complete the Data Center Transformation project in fiscal 2020, 
transitioning data center operations from the aging primary data center 
in the Madison Building to a hybrid-hosting model. The new hosting 
model will ensure that the Library has a secure, flexible, efficient 
and stable foundation for its technology needs for the next generation. 
With funding enacted this fiscal year, NLS will begin implementation of 
the eReader pilot program and the initial work to transform the BARD 
system to a fully cloud-hosted environment for a web-based delivery 
system, supporting an expanding patron base.
    The Library's Center for Exhibits and Interpretation and the Center 
for Learning, Literacy and Engagement, created last year, are bringing 
innovation to the way the Library connects to users, physically and 
digitally. We have even changed the name of the NLS, now known as the 
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, to replace 
outdated language.
    We have also made recent organizational changes to support 
modernization and optimization. In fiscal 2020, the Library Collections 
and Services Group was established as a Program, Project and Activity 
(PPA), bringing into better alignment the ``library'' components-
Library Services, the Law Library of Congress, and NLS, along with The 
John W. Kluge Center and the Internship and Fellowship Programs office. 
Each unit remains distinct, but the grouping leverages expertise and 
processes across the organizations, creating economies of scale and 
strengthening collaboration and a coordinated vision.
    I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the outstanding 
support that this committee and the entire Congress give to the 
Library. In particular, I appreciate the funding you have provided for 
our fiscal 2020 requests to meet high--priority needs such as enhanced 
functionality for the Congress.gov system; delivering talking and 
braille books and magazines via the Internet; optimizing the capacity 
of the Financial Services Directorate; and supporting Phase II of the 
data center transformation and network modernization initiative. I also 
thank you for your continued extraordinary support for the collections 
storage modules at Fort Meade as part of the Architect of the Capitol's 
budget. Storage module 5 is almost full, module 6 is under 
construction, and module 7 is in the fiscal 2021 AOC budget request. We 
continue to work closely with the AOC to achieve preservation storage 
with sustainable operations and maintenance costs, including 
transferring items from temporary storage space at the Landover Center 
Annex to Fort Meade.
    My top priority remains expanding user access-public engagement 
with the Library's resources and services. Your significant fiscal 2020 
support for the Visitor Experience over three years is helping us 
transform the magnificent Jefferson Building, finished at the end of 
the 19th century, into a state-of-the-art destination for discovering, 
creating, and learning in the 21st century. The planning and design 
process is underway for the Treasures Gallery, the Orientation Gallery 
and Oculus, and the Youth Center/Learning Lab. The design period for 
each of these areas will take approximately 12-18 months and the re-
designed spaces will open in phases, beginning in late calendar 2022. 
With a lead gift of $10 million from David Rubenstein, philanthropist 
and chairman of the Library's Madison Council, we are now in an 
excellent position to attract additional private sector commitments to 
the project.
    We want our visitors to better connect with the Library of Congress 
and to learn more about our country and our cultural heritage after 
seeing and learning about our collections--such as Thomas Jefferson's 
library, the Rosa Parks papers, the map Lewis and Clark used on their 
expedition exploring the American west--first-hand. Visiting school 
groups, for example, will gain a better understanding of our history, 
democracy, and Congress's purpose in building and sustaining a Library 
unlike any other in the world. The Visitor Experience will deliver a 
unique civics lesson.
    Thank you also for helping us approve the request to transfer funds 
to the Architect of the Capitol so the project can keep moving forward 
on schedule. I look forward to continuing to keep you informed about 
our progress on this project.
    I come before you today to discuss the Library's funding request 
for fiscal 2021 which continues modernization in a strategically 
sequenced, systematic and deliberate way. The fiscal 2021 
appropriations request aligns with the strategic goals set forth in the 
fiscal 2019-2023 Strategic Plan: expand access, enhance services, 
optimize resources, and measure impact. We are moving forward in our 
decisive shift to become more user centered, digitally enabled, and 
data driven.
    The Library of Congress fiscal 2021 budget request is for 
approximately $830 million, which represents a 7.0 percent increase 
over the Library's fiscal 2020 enacted appropriation. This request 
includes $38 million in mandatory pay and price level increases. The 
balance of the increase represents critical program investments 
necessary to fulfill the Library's role and to move forward on the 
commitment to become more user centered, further modernization efforts, 
and address staffing needs.
    The budget seeks to expand service to Congress by enhancing the 
depth and breadth of CRS's research capacity on current and emerging 
legislative issues related to science and technology. Additional 
research capacity will enable CRS to meet the growing congressional 
need for robust, timely, multidisciplinary analysis and consultative 
services on these critical policy issues.
    Our request also seeks to acquire an electronic records management 
system to manage the archiving of all Library of Congress records 
digitally as well as a central electronic repository for contract 
documents to replace the current paper-based system. The electronic 
records management system will centralize and automate records 
creation, storage, and disposition for key offices. The electronic 
repository for contract documents will automate and optimize 
contracting workflow for greater efficiency and transparency.
    In another move toward modernization in the critical area of 
cybersecurity, we are requesting funding for security enhancements to 
protect congressional and other digital high-value assets, including 
sensitive information from CRS, the Law Library, and the U.S. Copyright 
Office. Cyber threats to our systems have escalated steadily and have 
become increasingly complex over the past decade. We must remain 
vigilant on this front.
    Implementation of the requirements of the Music Modernization Act 
(MMA) for public education and outreach will expand user access by 
informing members of the public and songwriters about the process by 
which a copyright owner may claim ownership of musical works before the 
``mechanical licensing collective'' created under the MMA. Passage of 
the MMA underlies our requests for Copyright Royalty Judges and MMA 
staffing, as well as a request for realignment in Copyright fees due to 
a projected user fee collections shortfall.
    Our strategic goal of expanded user access is reflected in our 
request to continue replacing the compact shelving in the Law Library. 
Replacement of the second of four quadrants of Law Library shelving, 
installed in 1981 and dangerously unusable, is now complete, and we are 
requesting as a high priority in fiscal 2021 funding for the 
replacement of the third quadrant. This shelving houses a significant 
portion of the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of 
international, foreign, national, and comparative legal resources.
    We are also seeking to increase paid internship opportunities at 
the Library to provide access to a broader and more inclusive talent 
pool reflecting wider socioeconomic status. The request is in alignment 
with Congress's intent to increase paid internship programs on Capitol 
Hill.
    Although the request to rebalance the Library's preservation 
program funding requires no additional funding, I believe it is the 
best way forward. I have been meeting with the Library's world-class 
experts in preservation and conservation science to determine the most 
sustainable and cost effective ways to preserve our collections in 
multiple formats so they will be accessible for generations to come.
    We have invested in mass approaches to preservation treatment since 
the late 1980s. In fact, mass deacidification will have reached the 
significant milestone of having treated 90 percent of our top-priority 
materials by the end of fiscal 2020. However, mass methods now costs 
2.8 times more than the environmentally optimized storage at Fort 
Meade, which has comparable preservation outcomes for a much wider 
range of materials. Thirty-plus years later, new methods are available 
to address an old problem--the varied types of damage and deterioration 
that occur over the lifecycle of the Library's expansive, multi-format 
collections. I ask your support for my request to repurpose the $5.5 
million we have been spending on mass approaches to preservation 
treatment that mass deacidification cannot address, including 
conservation of the Library's most significant artifacts, reformatting 
of fragile and irreplaceable items, and the content management and 
information technology infrastructure necessary to preserve the digital 
collections.
    In closing, the 2021 Congressional Budget Justification continues a 
sequence of strategically planned modernization efforts of all types 
across the enterprise. It extends modernization efforts beyond IT 
systems to include the preservation program, CRS science and technology 
capacity, electronic records management and contract document systems, 
compact shelving, cybersecurity, internship funding, and implementation 
of the MMA, in ways that will strengthen the Library now and ensure 
that we do the best we can for those who will come after us. Our 
pandemic response capacity has been highly dependent on these ongoing 
modernization efforts.
    Madam Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, the Library is the embodiment of the American ideal of a 
knowledge-based democracy in good times and bad, through war and in all 
times of crisis. I thank you again for supporting the Library of 
Congress and for your consideration of our fiscal 2021 request.

    [This statement was submitted by Carla Hayden.]
                                 ______
                                 
   Prepared Statement of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Legislative Branch Subcommittee, thank you for allowing me the 
opportunity to submit for the record this statement regarding the 
budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 for the Office of 
Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR). I want to express our 
appreciation to this Subcommittee for its continued support of the OCWR 
and its mission to advance workplace rights, safety, and health for 
employees in the legislative branch, and accessibility for members of 
the public with disabilities.
The OCWR's Statutory Mandate
    The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) embodies a 
promise by Congress to the American public that it will hold itself 
accountable to the same federal workplace and accessibility laws that 
it applies to private sector employers and executive branch agencies. 
Congress established the OCWR to administer the CAA.
    We are a very small office with a very broad mandate. With 28 FTE 
positions inclusive of a part-time Board of Directors, the OCWR serves 
the same functions as multiple agencies in the executive branch, 
including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, and the 
Federal Labor Relations Authority. We are responsible for enforcing 
federal workplace and accessibility laws that cover more than 30,000 
employees in the legislative branch, including the House of 
Representatives, the Senate, the United States Capitol Police, the 
Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the 
Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, and 
the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, and our own office, 
among others. We administer the administrative dispute resolution (ADR) 
process established by the CAA to resolve workplace disputes; we carry 
out a program of training and education on the laws made applicable to 
the legislative branch by virtue of the CAA; and we advise Congress on 
needed changes and amendments to the CAA.
    Furthermore, our General Counsel is responsible for inspecting--at 
least once each Congress--over 18 million square feet of facilities and 
grounds in the legislative branch for compliance with the Occupational 
Safety and Health (OSH) Act, as well as the public areas of all 
facilities in the legislative branch for compliance with titles II and 
III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The OGC is further 
responsible for investigating allegations of OSH, ADA, and unfair labor 
practice (ULP) violations filed under the Act, and for filing and 
prosecuting complaints of OSH, ADA and ULP violations.
The CAA Reform Act
    On December 21, 2018, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 
Reform Act, S. 3749, was signed into law. Not since the passage of the 
CAA in 1995 has there been a more significant moment in the evolution 
of legislative branch workplace rights. The new law focuses on 
protecting victims, strengthening transparency, holding violators 
accountable for their personal conduct, and refining the adjudication 
process.
    The Reform Act also includes many important changes that 
dramatically expand the OCWR's duties and responsibilities, as well as 
the number of employees covered by the CAA. These new duties and 
responsibilities under the Reform Act include:

  --substantially modifying the ADR process under the CAA, including 
        creating additional procedures for preliminary hearing officer 
        review of claims;
  --developing and implementing procedures for Members of Congress to 
        reimburse the Treasury for awards and settlement payments 
        resulting from specified harassment or retaliation claims;
  --developing and implementing procedures for employing offices to 
        reimburse the Treasury for payments resulting from specified 
        claims of discrimination;
  --appointing one or more confidential advisors to provide information 
        to legislative branch employees about their rights under the 
        CAA;
  --renaming our office as the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights 
        to more clearly inform the legislative branch community of our 
        mission;
  --extending CAA protections to unpaid staff, including interns, 
        detailees, and fellows, as well as employees of the Stennis 
        Center for Public Service, the China Review Commission, the 
        Congressional-Executive China Commission, and the Helsinki 
        Commission;
  --significantly expanding OCWR reporting obligations;
  --developing and administering a biennial climate survey of all 
        legislative branch employees to collect information on the 
        workplace environment and attitudes regarding sexual 
        harassment;
  --creating a program to permanently retain records of investigations, 
        mediations, hearings, and other proceedings;
  --establishing an electronic system to receive and keep track of 
        claims; and
  --developing and implementing means by which legislative branch 
        employees who work outside of the Washington, D.C., area--such 
        as in Members' district offices--have equal access to OCWR 
        services and resources.

    Some of the changes in the CAA Reform Act became effective 
immediately, such as the name change of our Office, but most became 
effective 180 days from enactment, i.e., on June 19, 2019. The biennial 
workplace climate survey of the legislative branch--which was designed 
in FY 2019--is currently being administered for the first time in FY 
2020.
The OCWR's FY 2021 Budget Justification
    In our FY 2021 budget justification, we are requesting $7,500,000 
for FY 2021 operations, which is an increase of $1,167,330 or 18% from 
the enacted amount for FY 2020, as well as three additional FTEs. The 
FY 2021 budget request focuses on supporting the OCWR's statutory 
mandates and improving the delivery of services to the covered 
community under the CAA. The requested amount is necessary for the 
Office's mandated operations, including hearings, mediations, safety 
and health inspections, ULP investigations, and ADA inspections. This 
amount will also allow us to carry out our statutory mission to educate 
and train Members of Congress, their staff, and other legislative 
branch offices and employees on their rights and responsibilities under 
the CAA through the development of materials specifically designed for 
the legislative branch, and that are easily understood, practical 
rather than legalistic, and proven effective.
    The OCWR did not seek an increase to its funding for FY 2020 from 
FY 2019 levels. Nonetheless, we have made significant progress on many 
of the initiatives discussed above, including developing and 
implementing a secure e-filing system, and revising virtually all 
publications and education and training materials that the OCWR 
produces to incorporate the changes set forth in the Reform Act. 
Although many of the initial changes mandated by the Reform Act have 
already been implemented using FY 2019 or FY 2020 funds, higher levels 
of funding will be required to expand and improve on these efforts 
moving forward, especially with respect to our Information Systems 
program. For example, the OCWR's secure e-filing system, which is now 
operational, will require continued cybersecurity upgrades and design 
modifications to assure information security and confidentiality. 
Online training and educational modules also must be continually 
updated to reflect changes in the law and to fully discharge our 
statutory mandate to educate and assist legislative branch offices and 
employees. New ADR procedures, such as preliminary review by hearing 
officers of all claims, will affect the costs associated with 
adjudication of those claims. Moreover, the legislative branch climate 
survey, once developed, will require ongoing funding to administer it 
every 2 years, as mandated by the Reform Act.
    More than 60% of the requested amount reflects personnel costs, 
including increased compensation and benefits associated with 
additional staff hired during this fiscal year. The remainder of the 
requested amount would pay for contract services, including cross-
servicing providers such as the Library of Congress and the National 
Finance Center, and other services, equipment, and supplies needed to 
operate the OCWR.
    Of the FY 2021 requested amount, the OCWR is requesting that a 
total of $1,000,000 remain available until September 30, 2022 for the 
services of essential contractors, including hearing officers, 
mediators, and safety and health inspectors, and for the ongoing costs 
associated with administering the biennial climate survey of 
legislative branch employees.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Program
    The OCWR requests a total of $450,000 for non-personnel services 
for FY 2021 for administration of its ADR program, which represents our 
best estimate for the cost of administration of that program in the 
coming fiscal year. The CAA establishes an ADR process that provides 
employing offices and covered employees a neutral, efficient, and cost-
effective means of resolving workplace disputes. We strive to ensure 
that stakeholders have full access to these ADR procedures. The OCWR 
enjoys a 100% affirmance rate in employment cases by the U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The OCWR continues to do more with 
less, maintaining a flat rate of pay for contract mediators, a 
standardized hourly fee for hearing officers, and rate limitations for 
other outside service providers.
    In any given year, it is difficult to predict the number of cases 
that will be filed with the OCWR's ADR program, the complexity or 
duration of administrative proceedings, or the overall costs associated 
with case processing and adjudication. Recent developments add to the 
difficulty of making such predictions for FY 2021. In FY 2018, for 
example, Library of Congress employees were allowed to file claims with 
the OCWR for the first time. Other changes in the Reform Act--such as 
extending CAA protections to unpaid staff, including interns, 
detailees, and fellows--also increase the pool of potential claimants 
under the ADR process. Moreover, as discussed above, on June 19, 2019, 
the ADR process changed significantly. The new process, as required by 
the Reform Act, is outlined in our FY 2021 budget justification. It 
requires, among other things, that an additional hearing officer be 
appointed to conduct a preliminary review in each case filed on or 
after June 20, 2019 that raises claims of unlawful employment 
discrimination, harassment, or reprisal, among other claims. Our budget 
justification takes these considerations into account in arriving at 
our best estimate of the costs for administering this program in FY 
2021.
Education and Training Programs
    The OCWR is requesting a total of $370,000 for non-personnel 
services for FY 2021 for its Education and Training Programs. The OCWR 
has a statutory mission to educate and train Members of Congress and 
legislative branch employees on their rights and responsibilities under 
the CAA.
    In FY 2019, following the passage of the Reform Act, the OCWR 
created and disseminated educational materials on its revised ADR 
process, including developing an orientation video explaining the 
substantive provisions of the CAA and the revised ADR process to 
resolve claims of violations of the Act. To ensure that the legislative 
branch community was aware of the new provisions of the Reform Act, the 
OCWR also posted updated FAQs on its website and disseminated to 
covered employees e-newsletters and printed materials explaining the 
changes. As required by the CAA Reform Act, in FY 2019 the OCWR also 
created and distributed for posting more than 4,000 posters informing 
legislative branch employees of their rights under the CAA. The OCWR 
also enhanced its curriculum to include related courses on preventing 
unconscious bias in workplace decision-making, and bystander 
intervention techniques for those who witness harassment or other forms 
of discrimination. The OCWR also delivered training in person, online, 
and via video conferencing to legislative branch employees throughout 
the country, including unpaid staff.
    In FY 2020, the OCWR continues to provide information and training 
opportunities to the covered community, and it is completing revisions 
of all of its educational materials including its website and print 
content. The OCWR will require substantial funds in FY 2021 to continue 
these efforts, which are vital to our ongoing mission to provide 
stakeholders in the legislative branch with current, dynamic, and 
innovative educational and outreach materials.
Safety and Health and Public Access
    The OCWR is requesting a total of $150,000 for non-personnel 
services for FY 2021 for its Occupational Safety and Health and ADA 
public access inspection programs. Before the OCWR opened its doors in 
1996, Capitol Hill buildings had not been subject to even the most 
basic building codes or regulations. The first inspections led to the 
discovery of serious fire and other safety hazards in House and Senate 
buildings and around the Capitol. As a result of OCWR inspections, 
Congress has abated thousands of serious hazards, reduced numerous 
barriers to access for individuals with disabilities, and dramatically 
improved the overall safety and accessibility of the Capitol Hill 
campus. The OCWR has been instrumental in the development and 
implementation of cost-effective solutions to safety and access 
problems by working directly with the Architect of the Capitol and 
other offices on the Hill. It is during these inspections that our 
inspectors, who are trained OSH and ADA specialists, can work directly 
with employing offices, providing technical support at the point where 
assistance is needed. Our budget request will allow us to continue to 
provide the level of expertise and assistance that the community 
deserves.
Information Systems
    The OCWR is requesting a total of $1,272,000 for non-personnel 
services for FY 2021 for the Information Systems Program. As mandated 
by the Reform Act, the OCWR successfully launched its secure online 
claims reporting and tracking e-filing system in June 2019 on a 
compressed 6-month timeline. The OCWR also implemented other key IT 
modernization projects in FY 2019, including setting up new network 
printers that are highly secure by design. In late FY 2019, the OCWR 
developed and began implementation of its plan for the upgrade of its 
Facility Management Assistant (FMA) program for Occupational Safety and 
Health (OSH) inspections. FMA currently runs on an obsolete and 
unsupported Microsoft platform. The OCWR's OSH team is working to 
identify the requirements of a Risk Management Suite to meet its needs, 
plan and design the system, perform independent security categorization 
of the information contained in the current FMA system, and import 
current FMA records into the new system.
    The Reform Act also mandates enhanced cybersecurity along with a 
GAO audit of the OCWR's cybersecurity practices. We have already begun 
to make progress on these priority items in FY 2020: We have initiated 
the process of revising our IT systems project planning to ensure the 
development and implementation of policies and procedures incorporating 
key cybersecurity activities; we have created and will be filling the 
position of IT Security Project Manager to acquire the cybersecurity 
project management expertise; and we have also expanded the OCWR IT 
Director's role to formally include the functions of an IT Risk 
Executive. In FY 2020, the OCWR will work with the IT Security Project 
Manager and the IT Risk Executive to develop and implement oversight 
procedures for each of its externally-operated systems, and to develop 
and implement policies and procedures for managing cybersecurity risk.
    To date, the OCWR has spent over $500,000 toward updating its 
cybersecurity, and we will be obligating additional funds for continued 
updates, maintenance and hosting of its secure web-based e-filing 
system. However, the objectives of these efforts to protect and 
safeguard critical information assets can only be assured if the 
Program is continually monitored, reassessed and upgraded to meet or 
exceed industry standards. Accordingly, in FY 2020 and 2021, the OCWR 
will be designing and developing the next generation of its e-filing 
system, which will be even more secure, robust, and fault-tolerant, 
with state-of-the-art security measures built in at all layers of its 
infrastructure. This system will be designed, developed, and built from 
the ground up, using highly secure encryption at all components and 
across all layers of its infrastructure--including storage, database, 
application server, network, and the webserver. The integrity of the 
Program thus depends upon ongoing funding in FY 2021 and beyond.
Additional Services
    The balance of the requested amount covers increases in contract 
services, including those furnished by cross-service providers, such as 
the Library of Congress and the National Finance Center, and other 
services, equipment and supplies needed to operate the OCWR.
    Thank you very much for providing us with this opportunity to brief 
you on our FY 2021 budget request. As the Executive Director of the 
OCWR, I am proud of the work that our highly professional and talented 
staff members perform every day. We are available to answer any 
questions or to address any concerns that the Chair of the Subcommittee 
or its Members may have.

    [This statement was submitted by Susan Tsui Grundmann, Executive 
Director.]
                                 ______
                                 
    Prepared Statement of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate


                             BUDGET REQUEST

    I would first like to thank the Committee for its ongoing support 
of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate's budget and mandated 
systems and continue to express our appreciation for the Committee's 
flexibility with multi-year and no-year funding. For Fiscal Year (FY) 
2021, I am requesting a budget of $37,200,000. The request includes 
$27,664,000 in salary costs; $1,900,000 for the operating budget of the 
Office of the Secretary; $2,500,000 for the Financial Management 
Information System (FMIS) modernization project; and $5,136,000 for the 
Senate Information System (SIS) program.
    The FY 2021 budget request represents an increase of $846,000 in 
the salary portion for a cost-of-living-adjustment. The operating 
budget of the Office of the Secretary and the budget for the SIS 
program remain flat. Please note that the FY 2020 award included a one-
time appropriation of $5,000,000 that was not part of the FY 2020 
request, and is not included in the FY 2021 request, and therefore the 
overall budget request is a decrease of $4,154,000 from the FY 2020 
award.

                OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OPERATING BUDGET

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Amount available  Budget estimates
                           Item                                  FY 2020           FY 2021         Difference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total operating budget for all departments................        $1,900,000        $1,900,000  ................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            PROJECT REQUESTS

                     fmis modernization project \1\
    The budget includes a request for $2,500,000 (the same amount as in 
FY 2020) in no-year funds to continue the modernization of FMIS and 
activities associated with the retirement of the Senate's mainframe 
computer and associated hardware and software. The flexibility of no-
year funding remains important to the success of the modernization 
project because of its complexity, the unique Senate technical 
environment and business requirements, and the continuing need for open 
competition.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Item                                  FY 2020       FY 2021 Request     Difference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMIS Modernization Project................................        $2,500,000        $2,500,000  ................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FMIS modernization project is an update of the Senate's 
collection of financial applications known as FMIS. This project will 
improve financial system supportability and flexibility; address 
business requirements not met by the existing system; and continue to 
bring the Senate closer to an integrated, auditable, paperless 
financial system.
    In FY 2019, FMIS faced significant hurdles while making every 
effort to maintain the original deadlines and cost estimates of the 
project. Following user advisors' request for a new approach to 
replacing the old system (WebFMIS) in FY 2018, a new direction was 
taken in the user interface development, with impacts on how user data 
connects in each of the multiple applications that make up FMIS. 
However, delays in availability of required technical components of the 
user interface delayed development into early FY 2019. Soon after, a 
change in the Senate's external credit card vendor, and errors in 
transition by that vendor, required significant resources to be drawn 
from the planned development progress. Finally, in the summer of 2019, 
an external error caused the loss of several months of work in one 
business area of the project, with impacts on all others.
    These setbacks caused the project to be significantly behind 
projections for how many collaboratively developed user features would 
be available at the end-of-life of WebFMIS. Nonetheless, because of the 
mounting risks associated with WebFMIS, transition to the new system 
(FMIS NextGen) began in October 2019. While necessary because of the 
end of WebFMIS support and the lifecycle of its hardware and software, 
the transition remains a significant challenge that the Office of the 
Secretary is addressing with stakeholders on a regular basis. To date, 
the Financial Systems Program Office (FSPO) within the Disbursing 
Office has been able to add helpful resources within the limits of the 
funds provided, though additional needs are constantly being evaluated.
    In 2019, the FSPO collaborated with the Office of the Senate 
Sergeant at Arms (SAA) to

  --Oversee development and implementation of planned components of the 
        modernized financial system, including:

    --Implementation of General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), and 
            Accounts Receivable (AR) financial applications to support 
            retirement of the final remaining mainframe application, 
            Financial Accounting Management Information System (FAMIS), 
            as well as the mainframe and its related hardware and 
            software in FY 2020; and
    --Completion of the development of baseline features for the 
            modernized front-end financial system application.

  --Transition financial activities and users to the modernized 
        platforms, including:
    --Completion of the rollout of payroll expenditure and projection 
            reports on the modernized application platforms; and
    --Transition of approximately 5,000 active users and more than 
            6,700 accounts to modernized applications; processed more 
            than 33,000 vouchers and payments in addition to all FY 
            2020 purchase-order renewals via the modernized front-end 
            applications.

    The FY 2021 request is the final request of a planned six-year 
phased project. The table below outlines the annual funding for 
software and services for this project.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              2016      2017      2018      2019      2020
                FY Funding                  (funded)  (funded)  (funded)  (funded)  (funded)    2021      Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Implementation/Acquisition................      2.5M        4M      3.5M        3M      2.5M      2.5M       18M
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FMIS Business Case outlines the full scope of the financial 
system modernization project. The table on the following page reflects 
the Business Case, including major phases and timelines for the 
proposed modernization effort, as well as the status of progress 
through FY 2019 and activities planned through FY 2021.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Modernization
              Date                  Business Area        Approach and      Status through FY  Planned through FY
                                                          Rationale              2019                2021
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2016 through FY 2021 \1\....  Budget............  Replace multiple     --Acquired and      --Complete
                                                      existing budget      implemented         implementation/
                                                      applications and     software and        rollout of budget
                                                      manual processes     hardware to         solution for
                                                      with a commercial    support              --Phase Ib--
                                                      software package     development.        Disbursing and;
                                                      widely used by      --Worked with the     --Phase II--SAA.
                                                      federal agencies     SAA to establish
                                                      to                   hardware and
                                                     --Allow for more      configure an
                                                      efficient and        initial sandbox
                                                      effective budget     environment to
                                                      planning and         support
                                                      budget execution     development.
                                                      tracking;           --Provided
                                                     --Enable what if      training
                                                      budget analyses at   activities for
                                                      the Senate and       staff
                                                      individual office    participating in
                                                      levels; and          budget
                                                     --Facilitate direct   modernization.
                                                      integration of the  --Held planning
                                                      payroll and          discussions with
                                                      financial systems.   and solicited
                                                                           feedback from
                                                                           various
                                                                           stakeholders
                                                                           related to budget/
                                                                           payroll
                                                                           integration and
                                                                           PeopleSoft
                                                                           Enterprise
                                                                           Program
                                                                           Management (EPM)
                                                                           replacement.
                                                                          --Documented
                                                                           requirements for
                                                                           all phases of
                                                                           budget
                                                                           modernization.
                                                                          --Implemented
                                                                           Oracle Hyperion
                                                                           Planning and
                                                                           Public Sector
                                                                           Planning and
                                                                           Budgeting
                                                                           software in the
                                                                           development,
                                                                           testing, and
                                                                           production
                                                                           environments.
                                                                          --Completed the
                                                                           testing and
                                                                           rollout of
                                                                           Hyperion Phase Ia
                                                                           features.
                                                                          --Initiated
                                                                           implementation of
                                                                           Phase II (Offices/
                                                                           Committees),
                                                                           including basic
                                                                           budgeting and the
                                                                           foundation for
                                                                           ``what if''
                                                                           budget analyses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Disbursing and SAA budget formulation automation activities are underway but will not be completed until FY
  2021, rather than FY 2020. This change does not impact the completion date of the overall modernization.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Modernization
              Date                  Business Area        Approach and      Status through FY  Planned through FY
                                                          Rationale              2019                2021
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2016 through FY 2021........  Reporting.........  Streamline and       --Gathered          --Transition
                                                      modernize the        reporting           production and
                                                      reporting            requirements from   review of the
                                                      infrastructure to    financial system    Report of the
                                                      prepare for and      stakeholders.       Secretary of the
                                                      minimize impacts    --Developed          Senate to the
                                                      of the financial     initial data        modernized
                                                      system               management and      application
                                                      modernization, and   reporting           platforms.
                                                     --Reduce the volume   strategy.          --Enhance user-
                                                      of reporting data;  --Established        reporting tools
                                                     --Eliminate unused    historical          to support
                                                      and redundant        reporting           analytics and ad
                                                      reports;             repository on       hoc inquiries.
                                                     --Consolidate         distributed        ..................
                                                      numerous,            environment for
                                                      disparate report     development and
                                                      processes;           transition of
                                                     --Ensure the          financial
                                                      consistency and      reports.
                                                      accuracy of         --Completed review
                                                      historic data; and   of critical
                                                     --Provide greater     reporting
                                                      flexibility for      requirements with
                                                      users to customize   stakeholders.
                                                      the data they view  --Augmented
                                                      and receive.         reporting
                                                                           repository with
                                                                           initial budget
                                                                           and procurement
                                                                           data.
                                                                          --Augmented
                                                                           reporting
                                                                           repository with
                                                                           payroll data.
                                                                          --Documented
                                                                           requirements for
                                                                           Report of the
                                                                           Secretary of the
                                                                           Senate.
                                                                          ..................
FY 2017 through FY 2021........  Accounting........  Replace the          --Developed and     --Complete the
                                                      mainframe-based GL   refined Chart of    implementation of
                                                      system with a        Accounts (COA)      PeopleSoft GL,
                                                      commercial           for modern GL.      Accounts Payable,
                                                      software package,   --Reviewed COA       and Accounts
                                                      which will           with Oracle         Receivable.
                                                     --Allow the Senate    Subject Matter     --Retire legacy
                                                      to retire the        Experts and         mainframe and
                                                      expensive and        system              related hardware.
                                                      increasingly         stakeholders.      --Enable
                                                      difficult-to-       --Documented         additional
                                                      support mainframe    requirements for    delivered
                                                      hardware and         GL.                 integrations
                                                      software;           --Completed the      between
                                                     --Implement a         review of GL        PeopleSoft GL and
                                                      modern GL            requirements with   PeopleSoft Human
                                                      consistent with      stakeholders.       Capital
                                                      all current         --Initiated the      Management (HCM).
                                                      federal financial    implementation of
                                                      standards and        PeopleSoft GL,
                                                      reporting            Accounts Payable,
                                                      requirements; and    and Accounts
                                                     --Enhance the         Receivable.
                                                      Senate's ability
                                                      to maintain the
                                                      core component of
                                                      the financial
                                                      system and the
                                                      source of the
                                                      statutory semi-
                                                      annual Report of
                                                      the Secretary of
                                                      the Senate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2017 through FY 2021........  Data Sharing......  Automate interfaces  --Acquired and      --Continue
                                                      with Senate          implemented         transition of
                                                      systems and          software and        batch master data
                                                      outside agencies,    hardware to         interfaces to
                                                      such as the          support sharing     DRM.
                                                      Department of the    of master data     --Implement
                                                      Treasury             between financial   interface with
                                                      (Treasury), to       applications.       Treasury's
                                                     --Reduce errors in   --Provided           Invoice
                                                      Senate reporting;    training for        Processing
                                                      and                  staff               Platform (IPP).
                                                     --Eliminate the       participating in   --Implement
                                                      manual effort        Data Relationship   interface with
                                                      required to          Management (DRM)    Pay.gov.
                                                      support daily and    implementation.    --Continue
                                                      monthly external    --Implemented        implementation of
                                                      reporting.           Oracle Hyperion     additional
                                                                           DRM software in     interfaces with
                                                                           production          federal websites/
                                                                           environment.        applications to
                                                                          --Transitioned       support
                                                                           budgeting master    procurement to
                                                                           data interfaces     payment
                                                                           to DRM.             functions.
                                                                          --Implemented per
                                                                           diem rate check,
                                                                           leveraging
                                                                           General Services
                                                                           Administration
                                                                           (GSA) per diem
                                                                           rates.
                                                                          --Initiated
                                                                           development of
                                                                           interface with
                                                                           System for Award
                                                                           Management (SAM).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2017 through FY 2021........  Procurement to      Replace the highly   --Documented        --Implement
                                  Payment.            customized           initial             additional
                                                      procurement to       procurement and     features to
                                                      payment              expense system      support
                                                      applications with    requirements.       procurement and
                                                      commercial          --Conducted          contracts
                                                      software, where      alternatives        management.
                                                      possible, subject    analysis to        --Continue to
                                                      to a thorough        determine whether   implement user-
                                                      alternatives         additional          prioritized
                                                      analysis. This       procurement to      features and
                                                      will allow the       payment             enhancements to
                                                      Senate to            applications are    automate
                                                     --Continue to meet    required.           procurement to
                                                      unique Senate        (Previously         payment
                                                      business needs       acquired            functions.
                                                      while also           applications were
                                                      addressing a         determined to be
                                                      number of business   capable of
                                                      requirements not     meeting user
                                                      currently met by     requirements.)
                                                      the existing        --Implemented
                                                      applications;        selected
                                                     --Enhance the         procurement to
                                                      Senate's ability     payment
                                                      to administer and    applications.
                                                      support financial   --Implemented
                                                      system               baseline
                                                      applications;        procurement and
                                                     --Enable more rapid   expense system
                                                      deployment of user-  requirements
                                                      requested changes;   through the
                                                      and                  modernized front-
                                                     --Facilitate          end application.
                                                      tighter
                                                      integration of all
                                                      procurement to
                                                      payment
                                                      applications to
                                                      enhance Senate
                                                      financial
                                                      statement
                                                      production.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2019 through FY 2021........  Asset Management..  Replace the          --Documented asset  --Initiate
                                                      existing Asset       management system   competitive
                                                      Management           requirements.       procurement(s)
                                                      application with a                       for asset
                                                      commercial                               management
                                                      software module                          applications if
                                                      that will                                needed.
                                                     --Enable direct
                                                      integration with
                                                      the financial
                                                      system; and
                                                     --Eliminate
                                                      redundant
                                                      processes and
                                                      data, increasing
                                                      the efficiency and
                                                      accuracy of the
                                                      Senate's asset
                                                      tracking.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2020 through FY 2021 \2\....  Archival Tools....  Implement data       ..................  --Document data
                                                      archival tools to                        archival
                                                     --Reduce the costs                        requirements.
                                                      and potential                           --Initiate
                                                      application                              competitive
                                                      performance issues                       procurement(s)
                                                      associated with                          for archival
                                                      maintaining large                        tools if needed.
                                                      volumes of
                                                      financial data;
                                                      and
                                                     --Ensure that all
                                                      relevant data is
                                                      archived together
                                                      and may be
                                                      restored together
                                                      as needed to
                                                      support Senate
                                                      financial
                                                      operations.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Due to unexpected demands, the project related to this business area was rescheduled to commence in FY 2020.
  This is not expected to impact the scheduled completion of this business area.

    In addition to the six-year modernization project, Disbursing 
continued to oversee the current FMIS program and bridged from the 
current program to the modernized financial system by enhancing 
customer service; engaging customer advisory boards to provide input 
and feedback; and communicating through such channels as the quarterly 
Financial Tips & Tricks newsletter and regular user group meetings. 
Disbursing also worked with the SAA to maintain legacy financial system 
platforms, and continue the Senate's transition to paperless voucher 
processing.
                              sis program
    The budget includes a request for $5,136,000 in multi-year funds 
(2021/2025) for the SIS program. This is the same amount requested last 
year and what is needed to support the continuation of current services 
offered as part of this program and to keep the three new subscription 
services added last year at the request of the Senate community.
    SIS is a collection of online tools managed by the Senate Library 
to provide all Members and Senate staff with cost-effective access to 
legal, legislative, media and policy research, including real-time news 
tracking and media alert services. Funding enterprise-wide access to 
research and news services continues to provide the greatest return on 
investment for thousands of Senate users, allowing shared access to a 
comprehensive set of high-quality resources and tools in support of 
core business functions at rates unattainable by individual offices and 
committees.
                          legislative services
    The legislative operations of the Office of the Secretary provide 
support essential to Senators in carrying out their daily activities in 
the Senate Chamber, as well as the constitutional responsibilities of 
the Senate. Legislative Services consists of the following departments: 
Bill Clerk, Captioning Services, Daily Digest, Enrolling Clerk, 
Executive Clerk, Journal Clerk, Legislative Clerk, Official Reporters 
of Debates, and Parliamentarian.
    The Office of the Secretary maintains a positive working 
relationship with the Government Publishing Office (GPO), which 
continues to respond in a timely manner to the Office's requests, 
through the legislative staff, for the printing of bills and reports, 
including the expedited printing of priority matters for the Chamber.
    Several Legislative Services offices, along with the Office of Web 
Technology and the Senate Library, provided extensive knowledge, 
feedback, and data to the Library of Congress (LOC) to help facilitate 
the LOC's successful retirement of the Legislative Information System 
(LIS.gov) in November 2019, and to ensure the accuracy and transparency 
of Senate-related materials on Congress.gov. Through constant testing, 
monitoring, and reporting, Secretary staff were instrumental in 
reducing the gap between the two systems. The Office of the Secretary 
remains committed to the internal advanced users of the Senate to 
ensure all legislative information is as correct, timely, and usable as 
possible and recognizes the important role these systems play in the 
legislative process.
                               bill clerk
    The Office of the Bill Clerk collects and records data on the 
legislative activity of the Senate, which becomes the historical record 
of official Senate business. The Office keeps this information in 
handwritten files and ledgers and also enters it into the Senate's 
automated retrieval system so that it is available to all House and 
Senate offices through Congress.gov and Senate.gov. Current amendment 
information is entered and updated by the Office and is available to 
Senate offices on the Amendment Tracking System. The Bill Clerk records 
actions of the Senate with regard to bills, resolutions, reports, 
amendments, cosponsors, public law numbers, and recorded votes.
    The Bill Clerk is responsible for preparing for print all measures 
introduced, received, submitted, and reported in the Senate. The Bill 
Clerk also assigns numbers to all Senate bills and resolutions. All 
information received in the Office comes directly from the Senate floor 
in written form within moments of the action involved, making the 
Office generally regarded as the most timely and accurate source of 
legislative information.
    Some of the work completed during the 116th Congress, 1st Session 
included the processing of 31 Senate concurrent resolutions, 62 Senate 
joint resolutions, 189 Senate reports, 338 measures reported, 462 
Senate resolutions, 1,275 Senate amendments, and 3,148 Senate bills. 
This is the highest number of Senate bills introduced in a session of 
Congress since 1969.
                          captioning services
    The Office of Captioning Services provides real-time closed 
captioning of Senate floor proceedings to individuals who are deaf or 
hard of hearing and unofficial electronic transcripts of Senate floor 
proceedings to Senate offices on Webster.
    Captioning Services strives to provide the highest-quality closed 
captions and is staffed by some of the most seasoned and respected 
captioners in the industry. The overall average accuracy rate for the 
Office has continuously been above 99 percent, a level of achievement 
sustained for more than two decades. Overall caption quality is 
monitored through daily translation data reports, monitoring of 
captions in real time, and review of caption files on Webster. In an 
effort to decrease paper consumption and printing costs, accuracy 
reviews and reports are completed for the most part in electronic form.
    The real-time searchable Closed Caption Log database and VideoVault 
browser, available to Senate offices on Webster, continue to be 
invaluable tools for the entire Senate community. Legislative floor 
staff, Cloakroom staff, the Senate Recording Studio, and Member offices 
in particular continue to depend on the availability, reliability, and 
content of these resources in the performance of their everyday duties.
                              daily digest
    The Office of the Daily Digest is responsible for the publication 
of a concise, brief, and easy-to-read accounting of all official 
actions taken by the Senate in the Congressional Record (Record) 
section known as the Daily Digest. The Office compiles an accounting of 
all meetings of Senate committees, subcommittees, joint committees, and 
committees of conference.
    The Office enters all Senate and joint committee scheduling data 
into the Senate's web-based scheduling application system. Committee 
scheduling information is also prepared for publication in the Daily 
Digest in three formats: Day-Ahead Schedule; Congressional Program for 
the Week Ahead; and the extended schedule that appears in the 
Extensions of Remarks section of the Record. The Office also enters all 
official actions taken by Senate committees on legislation, 
nominations, and treaties into the Legislative Information System 
Document Management System (LIS/DMS).
    The Office publishes a listing of all legislation that has become 
public law, as well as a ``Resume of Congressional Activity,'' which 
contains all congressional statistical information, including days and 
time in session; measures introduced, reported, and passed; and roll 
call votes. The Resume is published on the first legislative day of 
each month in the Daily Digest. The Office also assists the House Daily 
Digest Editor in the preparation of a history of public bills enacted 
into law and the final Resume at the end of each session of Congress.
    All hearings and business meetings (including joint meetings and 
conferences) are scheduled through the Office and are published in the 
Record and on the Digest's page on Senate.gov. Meeting outcomes are 
also published by the Daily Digest in the Record each day and 
continuously updated on the website. The Office of the Daily Digest, in 
coordination with the Office of Web Technology, provided additional 
data elements to enable the LOC to successfully meet its deadline for 
the establishment of a combined committee schedule on Congress.gov.
    The Office publishes a ``20-Year Comparison of Senate Legislative 
Activity'' that can be found at: https://www.senate.gov/reference/
resources/pdf/yearlycomparison.
pdf.
                            enrolling clerk
    The Office of the Enrolling Clerk prepares, proofreads, corrects, 
inputs amendments to, and prints all legislation passed by the Senate 
before it is transmitted to the House of Representatives, the National 
Archives, and the White House, as well as other communications as 
directed by the Senate. Electronic files of all measures engrossed and 
enrolled in the Senate are transmitted daily by the Enrolling Clerk to 
GPO for overnight printing, distribution, and online publication. The 
Office also keeps the original official copies of bills, resolutions, 
and appointments from the Senate floor through the end of each 
Congress.
    During the 116th Congress, 1st Session the Office prepared 362 
Senate engrossments, including 5 Senate joint resolutions, 12 Senate 
concurrent resolutions, 30 Senate appointments, 106 Senate bills, and 
268 Senate resolutions. Additionally, the Office prepared 12 House 
engrossments, including 3 House joint resolutions and 9 House bills. 
The engrossing of House measures includes preparation of various 
amendments, messages, and letters of transmittal.
    The Office also processed 40 Senate enrollments, including 5 Senate 
joint resolutions that were transmitted to the White House, 5 Senate 
concurrent resolutions that were transmitted to the National Archives, 
and 30 Senate bills. The Senate joint resolutions were returned to the 
Senate due to vetoes.
                            executive clerk
    The Office of the Executive Clerk is responsible for the Journal of 
the Executive Proceedings of the Senate (Executive Journal), a record 
of the Senate's actions during executive sessions.
    The Executive Clerk receives, assigns numbers to, and processes the 
nominations, treaties, executive communications, petitions or 
memorials, and presidential messages sent to the Senate. As part of 
this processing, the Executive Clerk enters each of these into LIS/DMS, 
sends them to the committee of jurisdiction, and places them in the 
Record. In addition to recording the Senate's actions during executive 
sessions in the Executive Journal, the Executive Clerk also records 
these actions in LIS/DMS and the Record.
    The Office prepares the Executive Calendar daily when there are 
nominations, treaties, or resolutions related to treaties before the 
Senate. The Executive Clerk also prepares all nomination and treaty 
resolutions for transmittal to the President of the United States.
    During the 116th Congress, 1st Session there were 1,309 nomination 
messages sent to the Senate by the President, transmitting 20,749 
nominations to positions requiring Senate confirmation and 22 messages 
withdrawing nominations. The Senate gave its advice and consent to 5 
treaties. The Senate also conducted 328 roll call votes in executive 
session, all on or in relation to nominations and treaties. In 
addition, 40 presidential messages, 171 petitions or memorials, and 
3,587 executive communications were received and processed.
                             journal clerk
    The Office of the Journal Clerk takes note of the daily legislative 
proceedings of the Senate in a minute book and prepares a history of 
bills and resolutions for the printed Journal of the Proceedings of the 
Senate (Senate Journal) as required by Article I, section 5 of the 
Constitution. The content of the Senate Journal is governed by Senate 
Rule IV, and is approved by the Senate on a daily basis.
    The Senate Journal staff take 90-minute turns at the rostrum in the 
Senate Chamber when the Senate is in session, noting the following by 
hand for inclusion in the minute book: all orders (entered into by the 
Senate through unanimous consent agreements); legislative messages 
received from the President of the United States; messages from the 
House of Representatives; legislative actions as taken by the Senate 
(including motions made by Senators, points of order raised, division 
votes taken, and roll call votes taken); amendments submitted and 
proposed for consideration; bills and joint resolutions introduced; and 
concurrent and Senate resolutions as submitted. These notes of the 
proceedings are then compiled in electronic form using the LIS Senate 
Journal Authoring System for the annual publication of the Senate 
Journal. The Senate Journal is published for each calendar year, and in 
2019, the Office completed the production of the 895-page 2017 volume. 
The 2018 volume of the Journal is in the process of being published, 
and the 2019 volume will be completed later this year.
                           legislative clerk
    The Legislative Clerk sits at the rostrum in the Senate Chamber and 
reads aloud bills, amendments, the Senate Journal, presidential 
messages, and other such materials when so directed by the Presiding 
Officer of the Senate. The Legislative Clerk calls the roll of Members 
to establish the presence of a quorum and to record and tally all 
``yea'' and ``nay'' votes. The Office of the Legislative Clerk prepares 
the Senate Calendar of Business, published each day that the Senate is 
in session, and prepares additional publications relating to Senate 
class membership and committee and subcommittee assignments. The Office 
maintains the official copy of all measures pending before the Senate 
and must incorporate into that copy all agreed-upon amendments to the 
measures. It retains custody of official messages received from the 
House of Representatives and conference reports awaiting action by the 
Senate and is also responsible for verifying the accuracy of 
information entered into LIS/DMS by the various offices of the 
Secretary.
    A small sample of the work completed during the 116th Congress, 1st 
Session included the processing of 338 measures reported by committees, 
428 roll call votes, and 1,275 submitted amendments, as well as the 
incorporation of 108 floor amendments into measures considered by the 
Senate.
    The Office works closely with GPO, particularly the night 
production crew. For this past session of Congress the Office published 
188 separate issues of the Calendar of Business, the Official Senate 
Class Card, and the Senate Committee and Subcommittee Booklet. All of 
these publications are also available online, which has reduced the 
need for printed copies and made the materials more accessible.
                     official reporters of debates
    The Office of the Official Reporters of Debates is responsible for 
the stenographic reporting, transcribing, and editing of the Senate 
floor proceedings for daily publication in the Record. The Chief 
Reporter acts as the editor-in-chief and oversees the production of the 
Record to ensure its accuracy and consistency with Senate parliamentary 
rules and procedures. The Chief Reporter also develops a schedule that 
allows each reporter to cover the floor in 15-minute rotating shifts 
throughout the day to record all debate. The Deputy Director functions 
as the technical production manager, assisting the Chief Reporter in 
assembling the Record and directly interacting with Senators' staff in 
the editing of the Record. The Morning Business Coordinator is 
responsible for assembling the legislative and executive material in a 
portion of the Morning Business section of the Record and sits in the 
Chamber, recording daily floor activity of the Senate for the Official 
Reporters of Debates.
    When the Senate is in session, the electronic and paper transcripts 
of the Senate floor proceedings are delivered to GPO starting in the 
early evening, and the last delivery occurs approximately three hours 
after the Senate adjourns or recesses for the day. The Record is 
published in paperback form and online and is available to the public 
on the next business day.
                            parliamentarian
    The Office of the Parliamentarian performs its essential 
institutional responsibilities to act as a neutral arbiter among all 
parties with an interest in the legislative process. These 
responsibilities include advising the Presiding Officer of the Senate 
and Senators, Senators' staff and committee staff, House Members and 
their staff, administration officials, the media, and members of the 
general public on all matters requiring an interpretation of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the precedents of the Senate, and 
unanimous consent agreements, as well as provisions of public law and 
the Constitution that affect the proceedings of the Senate.
    The Parliamentarians work in close cooperation with Senate 
leadership and their floor staff to coordinate all of the business on 
the Senate floor. A Parliamentarian is always present on the Senate 
floor when the Senate is in session, ready to assist the Presiding 
Officer in his or her official duties, as well as to assist any other 
Senator on procedural matters. The Parliamentarians work closely with 
the President pro tempore and the Vice President of the United States 
and their staff when either performs duties as President of the Senate.
    The Parliamentarians monitor all proceedings on the floor of the 
Senate, advise the Presiding Officer on the competing rights of the 
Senators on the floor, and advise all Senators as to what is 
appropriate in debate. The Parliamentarians keep time on the Senate 
floor when time is limited or controlled under the provisions of time 
agreements, statutes, or standing orders. They keep track of amendments 
offered to the legislation pending on the Senate floor, assess them for 
germaneness and other possible points of order, and review countless 
other amendments that are never offered in the same regard.
    The Office of the Parliamentarian is responsible for the referral 
to the appropriate committees of all legislation introduced in the 
Senate and all legislation received from the House, as well as all 
communications received from the Executive Branch, memorials from state 
and local governments, and petitions from private citizens. In order to 
fulfill this responsibility, the Parliamentarians do substantial legal 
and legislative research. The Office works extensively with Senators 
and their staff to advise them of the jurisdictional consequences of 
drafts of legislation and to evaluate the jurisdictional effects of 
proposed modifications in drafting.
    The year 2019 began with the swearing in of new and returning 
Senators. The Parliamentarians were instrumental in reviewing election 
and appointment certificates of Senators and participated in 
orientation of new Senators. It closed with an intense period of 
preparation for potential proceedings on the impeachment of the 
President of the United States. Preparations included researching the 
history of impeachment and prior trials, drafting memos, countless 
meetings and conference calls, and walk-throughs of the process for a 
variety of Senate Officers and offices in order to provide support and 
guidance to all parties expected to participate in an impeachment 
trial. The Parliamentarian's office also worked closely with staff from 
the Supreme Court to assist the Chief Justice of the United States in 
fulfilling his constitutional role as Presiding Officer.
    Other significant tasks of 2019 included continued work on the 
Electronic Senate Precedents system and several unique procedural 
circumstances with respect to the War Powers Act, the National 
Emergencies Act, the Arms Export Control Act, the Countering America's 
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the United States-Mexico-
Canada Agreement (USMCA), the Congressional Review Act, and various 
international treaties. In addition, the Parliamentarians worked with 
various offices on continued attempts to reform the budget process. 
Finally, a significant new precedent was set with respect to the 
debatability of nominations post-cloture when the Presiding Officer was 
overturned on appeal by the Senate in April 2019.

                          FINANCIAL OPERATIONS

                           disbursing office
    The mission of the Senate Disbursing Office is to provide efficient 
and effective financial, payroll, and employee benefits information and 
advice to the offices, Members, and staff of the Senate. Disbursing 
manages the collection of information from all the accounting locations 
within the Senate to formulate and consolidate the agency level budget, 
disburse the payroll, pay the Senate's bills, and provide appropriate 
counseling and advice. The Office collects information from Members and 
staff that is necessary to maintain and administer the retirement, 
health insurance, life insurance, and other central human resource 
programs, and provides responsive, individual attention to Members and 
staff on an unbiased and confidential basis.
    In addition to the current FMIS program and the project to 
modernize the financial system, Disbursing continued work on several 
activities that required a significant level of effort and staff 
resources. Among them were the completion of the new Congress turnover 
and assistance to outgoing and incoming Members and staff; the rollout 
to the full Senate community of the online address update (phase three) 
of the Employee Self-Service (ESS) in PeopleSoft; the validation, 
review, and publication of the Report of the Secretary of the Senate 
for the six-month periods ending in March and September of 2019; and 
preparations for major changes to the 2020 Form W-4.
    Disbursing also continued working with offices to transition users 
to FMIS NextGen. Since the transition in October 2019, the number of 
offices using paperless voucher processing has increased from 55 
percent to 100 percent.
    In addition, Disbursing implemented the Senate's 2020 operating 
budget, including a change to the Senate maximum salary. The Office 
also prepared and distributed budget justification worksheets to the 
various offices to gather the information needed for the FY 2021 budget 
request to present to the Committee on Appropriations and submit to the 
Office of Management and Budget. Disbursing also mailed more than 
10,000 letters to Senate vendors in preparation for integration with 
the Department of the Treasury's government-wide System for Award 
Management (SAM). Finally, the Office played a significant role in 
providing feedback on legislation affecting Senate budgets and 
salaries.

                ADMINISTRATIVE AND EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS

                  senate chief counsel for employment
    The Office of the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment (SCCE) is a 
nonpartisan office established at the direction of the joint leadership 
in 1993 after enactment of the Government Employee Rights Act, which 
allowed Senate staff to file claims of employment discrimination 
against Senate offices. With the enactment of the Congressional 
Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), Senate offices became subject to the 
requirements, responsibilities, and obligations of 12 employment laws, 
and subject to suit in federal district court for alleged violations of 
such laws. In accordance with the CAA, Congress has applied 
subsequently enacted employment laws to Senate offices, such as the 
Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act. Senate offices are also 
subject to certain non-CAA federal laws that create compliance 
obligations regarding Senate employment.
    The SCCE is charged with the legal defense of Senate offices in all 
employment law cases at both the administrative and court levels, from 
case inception through final appeal. In addition to litigating cases, 
the SCCE's attorneys provide legal advice to Senate offices about their 
obligations under employment laws. Each Senate office client is an 
individual client of the SCCE; accordingly, each such office maintains 
an attorney-client relationship with the SCCE. The SCCE also conducts a 
robust training program on a wide variety of employment law topics, 
including seminars to educate Senate managers, staff, and interns about 
how to identify, prevent, and address unlawful harassment in the 
workplace. Anti-harassment training was mandated in the Senate by S. 
Res. 330 (115th Congress); the SCCE has been proactively providing such 
training to the Senate community and will continue to do so.
    The SCCE's areas of responsibility can be divided into the 
following broad categories: litigation (defending Senate offices in 
courts and at administrative hearings); mediations to resolve potential 
lawsuits, as well as court-ordered alternative dispute resolution 
processes; Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) compliance; 
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance; layoffs and office 
closings in compliance with the law; management training regarding 
legal responsibilities and employee rights; anti-harassment training 
for Senate Members, Officers, managers, and staff covering prohibited 
forms of harassment, including sexual harassment and retaliation; union 
drives, negotiations, and unfair labor practice charges; and preventive 
legal advice concerning applicable employment laws and regulations.
                     conservation and preservation
    The Office of Conservation and Preservation supports the 
preservation of official records and the bookbinding needs of Senate 
leadership, committees, and offices.
    In 2019, the work of the Office included bookbinding, framing, and 
the fabrication of materials for presentation, storage, and display. 
Bookbinding included re-casing of older books, congressional hearings, 
and Congressional Record volumes with new covers and end sheets; 
repairing bound volumes of Senate Library collection materials; and 
preparing new volumes for binding from materials printed in-house at 
the request of Senate offices. The Office designed and fabricated 
custom boxes, enclosures, and slipcases for preservation and storage of 
materials, prepared objects and signage for display in Senate exhibits, 
and stamped and matted copies of the official photograph of the 116th 
Congress.
                                curator
    The Office of Senate Curator, on behalf of the Senate Commission on 
Art (Commission), develops and implements the museum and preservation 
programs for the Senate. The Curator collects, preserves, and 
interprets the Senate's fine and decorative arts, historical objects, 
and specific architectural features and exercises supervisory 
responsibility for the historic chambers in the Senate wing of the 
Capitol under the jurisdiction of the Commission. Through exhibitions, 
publications, and other programs, the Curator educates the public about 
the Senate and its collections.
    In keeping with scheduled procedures, all Senate Collection objects 
were inventoried in 2019, and any changes in location were recorded in 
the Curator's database. As directed by S. Res. 178 (108th Congress), 
the Office submitted a list of works of art and historic objects in the 
Senate to the Committee on Rules and Administration. The list, known as 
the Art and Historic Furnishings Inventory, documents the history of 
the acquisition, use, and manufacturer for each object. Items on the 
inventory are prohibited from removal or purchase. The inventory, which 
is submitted every six months, is compiled by the Office with 
assistance from the SAA and the Architect of the Capitol's 
Superintendent of Senate Office Buildings.
    The Office continued to advance the preservation and documentation 
of the historic Russell Senate Office Building furnishings by 
conducting a yearly inspection of the use and location of the 65 flat-
top partner desks that remain in the Senate, and through educational 
initiatives aimed at informing Senate staff about the history of the 
furnishings.
    Providing for the conservation needs of the Senate's historical 
collections is an ongoing priority for the Office. In 2019, the 
internal mechanisms of the Ohio Clock were conserved offsite to ensure 
the continued function and long-term preservation of one of the 
Senate's best-known symbols. In addition, the oil-on-canvas portraits 
of Blanche Kelso Bruce and Margaret Chase Smith were treated for minor 
repairs, and five sketches by Constantino Brumidi and their associated 
frames were also cleaned and treated.
    One hundred and four objects were accessioned into the Senate 
Collection last year. The most significant additions were the donations 
of the portraits of Senator Harry Reid and Senator Ted Stevens into the 
Senate Leadership Portrait Collection. The portraits are the first 
additions to the leadership series since 2011.
    The Office actively collects contemporary artifacts, including 
gallery passes, tickets, and programs from ceremonial proceedings in an 
effort to preserve and document the present for future generations. To 
that end, ephemera was added to the Senate Collection from a variety of 
historic events in 2019, among them the unveiling ceremony for the 
portrait of Senator Ted Stevens and the Joint Meeting to Hear Jens 
Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization.
                               gift shop
    The Gift Shop serves Senators and their spouses, staff, and 
constituents, as well as the many visitors to the Capitol complex. The 
products available include a wide range of fine gift items, 
collectibles, and souvenirs, many created exclusively for the Senate.
    In addition to over-the-counter and walk-in sales, the Gift Shop 
offers an online order form through Webster, and the administrative 
office provides mail order service and special orders. The Gift Shop's 
second location, the Capitol kiosk, was temporarily closed in 2013 to 
accommodate restoration of the Brumidi Corridors. The Gift Shop is 
continuing to work with the SAA, in consultation with the Rules 
Committee, to design a new seasonal and mobile Capitol kiosk.
    Working with the Secretary of the Senate's Office of Information 
Systems, the Senate Gift Shop installed a new point-of-sale (POS) 
inventory system in October 2019. The new system allows for faster 
customer service, increased reporting capability, and more efficient 
and timely ordering of merchandise; in addition, the new system 
provides greater overall security.
    The Official 2019 Congressional Holiday Ornament evokes an old-
fashioned snow globe featuring the Capitol dome, the east front 
extension, and the Capitol Christmas tree. More than 27,000 units of 
the ornament were sold, of which more than 8,000 were personalized by 
Gift Shop staff. Consistent with statute and past practice, a transfer 
of $40,000 to the Senate Employees' Child Care Center was made based on 
the annual sales of the Congressional Holiday Ornament. (See 2 U.S.C. 
Sec. 6576(c)(3).) Also introduced this year was a series of ties from 
Vineyard Vines featuring the Capitol and other design motifs.
                           historical office
    In 2019, the staff of the Senate Historical Office continued to 
serve the Senate and the broader community through a variety of 
activities.
    Senate historians and archivists worked closely with the Senate 
Webmaster to update, revise, and reorganize Senate.gov. They 
collaborated with the staff of the Center for Legislative Archives to 
enhance archiving capabilities and storage capacity. Senate historians 
provided expertise to the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) staff to improve 
the quality of Capitol tours and ensure innovation and accuracy in the 
development of new exhibits.
    The Historical Office also provided many specially requested talks 
and tours to Senate offices; answered more than 2,000 history-related 
questions by e-mail, phone, and personal contact from staff, the 
public, and press; and drew large audiences for historical and archival 
presentations. Such presentations included, but were not limited to, 
``Building a Bipartisan Strategy for Success: Senate Leadership and the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964'' and ``History of Party Whips'' in March; 
``The Senate and Women's Fight for the Vote'' in June; and ``We the 
Undersigned: Suffragists Petition the Senate'' in September. Senate 
historians also continued to provide regular talks to Senate audiences, 
as well as weekly ``historical minutes'' at Conference luncheons. The 
Senate Historian is currently working on a collection of such minutes 
for inclusion in a book entitled Senate Stories.
    Since 1976 Senate historians have conducted hundreds of oral 
history interviews with Senators, Officers, and staff. In 2019, the 
historians again focused their attention on a special oral history 
project, ``Women of the Senate.'' In anticipation of the centennial 
commemoration of Senate passage of the woman suffrage amendment in 
1919, ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and the service 
of the Senate's first female Member, Rebecca Felton, in 1922, the 
historians continued to conduct interviews with former female Senators 
and staff. With phase one of the project completed, the historians 
began developing a special online feature that will debut on Senate.gov 
in the summer of 2020, to celebrate the Ratification of the Nineteenth 
Amendment.
    In 2019, Senate archivists focused on acquiring all non-current 
Senate records with great success. As a result, the Senate transferred 
365 accessions from committees, subcommittees, conferences, and offices 
of the Secretary and the SAA through the Historical Office to the 
Center for Legislative Archives. Senate archivists processed 109 
separate loans totaling 421 boxes, or more than 536,250 pages, in 2019.
    Historical Office staff collaborated with the Office of Web 
Technology and the Information Systems Office to research, test, and 
implement a Digital Assets Management program in order to better 
preserve, organize, catalog, and make available the Historical Office's 
extensive collection of digital assets, including photographic images, 
illustrations, documents, and oral history audio and video files.
    In collaboration with the Office of the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives, the Secretary's Executive Office and the Historical 
Office have continued to monitor the lease, renovation, and preparation 
of much-needed congressional archival storage space at GPO Building A, 
allowing for expansion of storage space for the Center for Legislative 
Archives. The Building A project has been completed and the Center for 
Legislative Archives began transferring archival records to the new 
storage space in February 2020. Phase two of the project is entering 
the design stage and will continue in 2020.
    Throughout the past year, Senate historians and archivists have 
continued to represent the Senate community at scholarly conferences 
and seminars, teacher training programs, and in other educational 
settings in order to fulfill the Historical Office's founding mission 
of preserving and promoting the history of the Senate.
                            human resources
    The Office of Human Resources was established in June of 1995 by 
the Secretary of the Senate as a result of the CAA. The Office focuses 
on developing and implementing human resources policies, procedures, 
and programs for the Office of the Secretary. These responsibilities 
include recruiting and staffing; providing guidance and advice to 
managers and staff; training; performance management and evaluation; 
job analysis and classification; compensation planning, design, and 
administration; leave and time administration; records management; 
maintaining and updating the Secretary's employee handbook; employee 
relations; and organizational planning and development.
    Human Resources staff coordinate the Secretary's management 
training program and in 2020 will be introducing a continuing education 
management training program for those who have graduated from the 
management training program. Human Resources staff train all incoming 
staff on the Secretary's customer service program, R.A.T.E. This 
program emphasizes four core principles that guide Secretary staff: 
being responsive, going above and beyond, being trusted, and being 
engaging and friendly.
    The Office also administers the following for Secretary staff: the 
public transportation subsidy program, student loan program, Family 
Medical Leave Act (FMLA) program, veterans' preference program, parking 
allocations, and the Secretary's intern programs. The intern programs 
include a summer internship that offers college students the 
opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience in a variety of 
Senate support offices; the Congressional Internship Program for 
Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities; Operation Warfighter for 
wounded and ill service members; and the Upward Bound Internship 
Program for low-income high school students.
                          information systems
    The Office of Information Systems provides technical hardware and 
software support for the Office of the Secretary. Information Systems 
staff also interface closely with the application and network 
development groups within the SAA, GPO, and outside vendors on 
technical issues and joint projects. The Office provides computer-
related support for all local area network (LAN) servers within the 
Office of the Secretary, as well as direct application support for all 
software installed on workstations; it also initiates and guides new 
technologies and implements next generation hardware and software 
solutions.
    The primary mission of the Office is to continue to provide the 
highest level of customer satisfaction and computer support for the 
Office of the Secretary. Emphasis is placed on creating and 
transferring legislative records to outside departments and agencies, 
supporting Disbursing's financial responsibilities to Member offices, 
and complying with Secretary Office-mandated and statutory obligations.
                      interparliamentary services
    The Office of Interparliamentary Services (IPS) is responsible for 
administrative, financial, and protocol functions for special 
delegations authorized by the Majority and/or Minority Leaders for all 
interparliamentary conferences in which the Senate participates by 
statute, and for interparliamentary conferences in which the Senate 
participates on an ad hoc basis. The Office also organizes leadership-
authorized staff foreign travel and provides appropriate assistance as 
requested by other Senate delegations.
    The statutory interparliamentary conferences are the Mexico-United 
States Interparliamentary Group; the Canada-United States 
Interparliamentary Group; the British-American Interparliamentary 
Group; and the United States-China Interparliamentary Group.
    On behalf of the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the Office 
arranges official receptions for heads of state, heads of government, 
heads of parliaments, and parliamentary delegations. Required records 
of expenditures on behalf of foreign dignitaries under the authority of 
P.L. 100-71 are maintained by IPS. In 2019, two such visits occurred 
with Senators.
    IPS receives and prepares for printing the quarterly consolidated 
financial reports for foreign travel from all committees in the Senate. 
In addition to preparing the quarterly reports for the Majority and 
Minority Leaders, IPS also assists staff members of Senators and 
committees in filling out the required reports.
        legislative information system (lis) project office \2\
    LIS is a mandated system (2 U.S.C. Sec. 6577) that provides desktop 
access to the content and status of legislative information and 
supporting documents. In addition, pursuant to 2 U.S.C. Sec. 181, a 
program was established to provide for the widest possible exchange of 
information among Legislative Branch agencies. The long-range goal of 
the LIS Project Office is to provide a ``comprehensive Senate 
Legislative Information System'' to capture, store, manage, and 
distribute Senate documents. The Office remains focused on Senate-wide 
implementation and transition to a standard system for the authoring 
and exchange of legislative documents such as bills, resolutions, 
amendments, and reports that enhances the availability and re-use of 
legislative documents within the Senate and with other Legislative 
Branch agencies. In support of this goal, the Office maintains and 
extends a standard system for authoring bills, amendments, resolutions, 
committee reports, conference reports, and signature sheets. The 
Legislative Editing in XML Application (LEXA) is used to draft 
virtually all legislative measures in the Senate using a format 
compatible with systems used throughout the Legislative Branch.
    Extensible Markup Language (XML) has been accepted as the primary 
data standard to be used for the exchange of legislative documents and 
information. Following the implementation of LIS, the Office shifted 
its focus to the data standards program and established the LIS 
Augmentation Project (LISAP). The overarching goal of LISAP is to 
provide a Senate-wide implementation and transition to XML for the 
authoring and exchange of legislative documents.
    The Office provides support to Senate Legislative Counsel; the 
Committee on Appropriations; the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation; and the Enrolling Clerk in their use of LEXA for 
drafting, engrossing, and enrolling. All Senate measures (bills, 
resolutions, and amendments) are authored in LEXA and produced in XML. 
GPO also uses LEXA to prepare measures for printing. Several new 
features and fixes were added in LEXA releases in 2019 to improve the 
drafting process. Office staff trained new drafters in the use of LEXA. 
The LIS Project Office successfully managed the migration to the 
Windows 10 version of LEXA for all users. Additionally, the Office 
began a long-term project to modernize the underlying technologies used 
in LEXA. This modernization initiative is required to enhance the 
overall performance of LEXA for our customers.
    The LIS Project Office is conducting several group projects with 
GPO and the Legislative Computer Systems (LCS) in the Office of the 
Clerk of the House of Representatives, which include participants from 
the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (OLRC), the Senate Office of the 
Legislative Counsel, and the House Office of the Legislative Counsel. 
These projects include a multi-phase project for the OLRC that will 
result in applications to convert, edit, and maintain the U.S. Code in 
an XML format. The first phase of this project to convert the existing 
U.S. Code to XML is complete. As a result of this project a new data 
standard was developed, which the OLRC named United States Legislative 
Markup (USLM). In another project, the Legislative Counsel's offices in 
the House and Senate are collaborating on maintaining and using the 
compilations of existing law in an XML format. Finally, the LIS Project 
Office and LCS continue to monitor and participate in GPO's multi-year 
project to replace Microcomp with a new composition system that can 
directly ingest XML data without having to convert it to another format 
before printing.
    Based on the successful implementation of the USLM standard by the 
OLRC and GPO, the Office is working to upgrade LEXA to use USLM as a 
``next generation'' standard for legislative documents. A project is 
underway to enhance LEXA to open, edit, and save documents in USLM. 
This project is dependent on the progress made in the overall 
development of the USLM standard.
    The Office will continue to support all Senate offices using LEXA 
for legislative drafting and will work with the House, GPO, and LOC on 
projects and issues that impact the legislative process and data 
standards for exchange.
                                library
    The Senate Library provides legislative, legal, business, and 
general information services to Senators and staff. The Library's 
collection encompasses legislative documents that date from the 
Continental Congress in 1774; current and historic Executive and 
Judicial Branch materials; an extensive book collection on American 
politics, history, and biography; a popular collection of audiobooks; 
and a wide array of online resources. The Library also authors content 
for four websites: Congress.gov, Senate.gov, Webster, and its own site, 
Library.senate.gov.
    The reference librarians work with Senate staff on a wide range of 
research topics, including legislative histories, legal citations, 
public records, and news article searches. These experienced 
information professionals draw on in-depth knowledge of Senate 
institutional procedures and practices when answering reference 
questions. In 2019, there were 10,727 walk-in, e-mail, and phone 
requests. Librarians assisted all 100 Senators' offices, as well as 
standing and joint committees, by answering questions, conducting staff 
training, lending Library materials, and providing research support.
    Senate staff continue to demonstrate an increasing preference for 
web-accessible resources. The Library's Databases & Research web page 
saw 23,453 visits in 2019, a 41 percent increase over the previous 
year. The Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) on Senate.gov received more than 
2 million visits to the content pages from public users in 2019, 
including 891,995 visits to the revised glossary term pages currently 
under review. The ongoing reorganization of content on Senate.gov has 
both consolidated and improved the visibility of the Library's content 
on the site.
    A redesigned Webster interface that included a completely rebuilt 
services directory was launched on July 15, 2019. Prior to launch, all 
existing information on organizations and services was verified and web 
page links were updated. The Library continues to update directory 
content and answer inquiries sent in via a new feedback widget on 
Webster. Librarians participated in usability studies and as members of 
the Webster Design Working Group and reviewed the site's menus and 
quick links. A new legislative resources page, linked from the site's 
News & Research menu, was developed jointly with the Office of Web 
Technology.
    With the relaunch of Webster, the Library's own website moved from 
the Webster platform to retain its architecture and current content 
management system, assuming a new domain name, Library.senate.gov. 
Following the move, the website group worked to ensure that Library web 
pages were given appropriate visibility in Webster search results and 
that page titles were descriptive of content. This effort resulted in 
an increase in visits to the Library site as a whole and increased 
visibility for the Senate-wide research resources hosted on the 
Databases & Research page as noted above. An accessibility audit of the 
website was undertaken with some modifications made to ensure that 
visually impaired patrons would be able to view content and request 
accounts without difficulty. The team also updated content to provide 
better information for staff who need remote offsite access to 
enterprise-wide online resources.
    The Library plans to host a virtual outreach event to highlight new 
eBook and audiobook offerings from OverDrive. Preparations are complete 
for launch of the service pending a final review of web-based guidance 
for users about new eBook and audiobook offerings available from the 
new web-based catalog interface and mobile app.
    Browsing collections featured in the Reference Room again included 
``Great Reads,'' ``Popular Titles,'' ``New Books,'' and the ``Reference 
Display.'' Materials in these collections circulated 1,441 times during 
2019 and account for 53 percent of all items borrowed. A collection 
shift improved the visibility and use of an expanded number of books 
featured as ``Popular Titles.'' This browsing collection grew from 290 
to 457 books, highlighting titles that are of current interest and 
showcasing the Library's multidisciplinary collection. A total of 694 
volumes were loaned from this collection in 2019, a 39 percent increase 
over the previous year. These librarian-curated collections are a key 
part of successful outreach efforts. Selected titles are regularly 
featured in displays, highlighted on tours and in trainings for new 
staff, and featured on the Library website and in its biweekly 
newsletter e-mailed to patrons.
                              page school
    The Senate Page School serves all appointed Senate pages with a 
sound program, both academically and experientially, during their stay 
in the nation's capital. Senate pages are all juniors or rising juniors 
in high school, and the School ensures the appropriate continuation of 
their studies integrated into the schedule of the page program in the 
Senate. The School focuses on providing a smooth transition from and to 
the pages' home schools.
    In 2018, the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools awarded 
accreditation renewal that continues until May 1, 2025. Faculty and 
staff's work to implement the action research plan approved by the 
Commission and required for reaccreditation is ongoing. The Page School 
is numbered among schools throughout the world that meet the 
internationally recognized standards of quality.
    In 2019, all courses at the Page School were designated as honors-
level courses. This designation most accurately reflects the academic 
caliber of the courses and corresponds with the typical course level at 
pages' home schools.
    Faculty and staff provided extended educational experiences to 
pages, including 20 field trips and 4 guest speakers, and opportunities 
to study world languages. A panel of former pages also provided 
information and answered current pages' questions. Summer pages made 
four field trips to educational sites. The community service project 
established by pages and staff continues. Pages collected, assembled, 
and shipped items for gift packages to military personnel serving in 
various locations and included letters of support to the troops.
                     printing and document services
    The Office of Printing and Document Services (OPDS) serves as 
liaison to GPO for the Senate's official printing, ensuring that all 
Senate printing is in compliance with Title 44 of the U.S. Code as it 
relates to Senate documents, hearings, committee prints, and other 
official publications. The Office coordinates, schedules, delivers, and 
prepares Senate legislation, hearing documents, committee prints, and 
miscellaneous publications for printing, and provides printed copies of 
all legislation and public laws to the Senate and the public. In 
addition, the Office assigns publication numbers to all hearings and 
committee prints, as well as legislative documents and other 
publications; orders all blank paper, envelopes, and letterhead for the 
Senate; and prepares page counts of all Senate hearing transcripts in 
order to compensate commercial reporting companies for the preparation 
of the transcripts.
    During FY 2019, OPDS prepared 2,235 requisitions authorizing GPO to 
print and bind the Senate's work, exclusive of legislation and the 
Congressional Record. In addition to processing requisitions, the 
printing services section coordinates proof handling, job scheduling, 
and tracking for stationery products, Senate hearings, Senate 
publications, and other miscellaneous printed products, as well as 
monitoring blank paper and stationery quotas for each Senate office and 
committee. Examples of major printing projects are the Report of the 
Secretary of the Senate; the Congressional Directory; the Authority and 
Rules of Senate Committees; and the Journal of the Proceedings of the 
Senate.
    During 2019, OPDS processed and distributed more than 11,000 
legislative items, in addition to fulfilling numerous daily requests 
for legislative material at the walk-in counter and by telephone, mail, 
and e-mail. The trend for on-demand printing continued in 2019; the 
Office produced 1,596 on-demand print jobs. It also maintains its 
practice of monitoring and adjusting the number of documents received 
from GPO to meet demand while eliminating waste. Online ordering of 
legislative documents and the link to the Printed Legislation Hot List 
on Webster, where Members and staff can confirm arrival of printed 
copies of the most sought-after legislative documents, remain popular. 
The page is updated each time new documents arrive at OPDS from GPO.
    The Office is in the process of creating new online filing systems, 
accessible to all OPDS staff, to help with the tracking and filing of 
requisitions, hearing print orders, and GPO proofs of letterhead, 
envelopes, and all other specialty jobs. These new systems will vastly 
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office.
                             public records
    The Office of Public Records receives, processes, and maintains 
records, reports, and other documents filed with the Office of the 
Secretary that involve the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995, as 
amended; the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007; the 
Senate Anti-Harassment Training Resolution of 2017 (S. Res. 330); the 
Senate Code of Official Conduct; Rule 34, Public Financial Disclosure; 
Rule 35, Senate Gift Rule; Rule 40, Registration of Mass Mailing; Rule 
41, Political Fund Designees; Rule 41(6), Supervisor's Reports on 
Individuals Performing Senate Services; and Foreign Travel Reports 
required by the Mutual Security Act of 1954. The Office works closely 
with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Office of the Clerk 
of the House of Representatives concerning filing requirements, where 
applicable.
    From October 2018 through September 2019, Public Records staff 
assisted thousands of individuals seeking information from or about 
reports filed with the Office by responding to walk-in, telephone, and 
e-mail inquiries. Further, the Office provided assistance to 
individuals attempting to comply with the provisions of the LDA.
    The LDA requires semi-annual contribution reports and quarterly 
financial and lobbying activity reports. As of September 30, 2019, 
there were 4,565 registrants representing 19,520 clients. The total 
number of individual lobbyists disclosed on FY 2019 registrations and 
reports was 14,006. The total number of lobbying registrations and 
reports processed was 115,071. The Office referred 1,477 cases of 
potential past noncompliance to the U.S. Attorney for the District of 
Columbia. Throughout FY 2019, the Office maintained increased 
communication with the filing community with the goal of reducing 
noncompliance going forward.
    The Office coordinated with the Office of the Clerk to implement 
the provisions of P.L. 115-418 (The JACK Act), which requires 
disclosure of past convictions on certain LDA filings. Additional 
reporting fields were added to the online LDA filing system, and 
guidance was developed to assist filers in understanding the reporting 
requirement. The conviction information is made public through the 
online LDA databases maintained by the Office.
    During FY 2019, the Office developed and deployed the online 
disclosure system for the Anti-Harassment Training Certifications 
required by S. Res. 330 passed by the Senate in 2017. The resolution 
requires the Secretary to publish the certifications not later than 30 
days after the beginning of a new Congress. Training certifications for 
the 115th Congress were made public on January 29, 2019.
    Other disclosure requirements overseen by the Office include Public 
Financial Disclosure reports, the post-employment lobbying ban, mass 
mailing reports, and Gift Rule/Travel reports. The filing date for 
Public Financial Disclosure reports was May 15, 2019, and a total of 
5,594 paper and e-filed reports and amendments were filed. The reports 
were made available to the public and press as soon as they were filed 
and processed, and in most cases on the same day. Public Records staff 
provided copies to the Ethics Committee and the appropriate state 
officials. Senators are also required to file mass mailing reports on a 
quarterly basis. The number of pages submitted during FY 2019 was 349. 
In addition, the Office received 532 Gift Rule/Travel reports during FY 
2019.
                            stationery room
    Since it was formally established in 1854, the Senate Stationery 
Room has evolved into a diversified retail outlet serving the needs of 
the Senate community by providing a wide range of office and 
administrative supplies, communication and computer accessories, and 
special-order items for official government business.
    The Stationery Room fulfills its mission by utilizing open market, 
competitive bid, or General Services Administration (GSA) schedules for 
supply procurement; maintaining sufficient in-stock quantities of 
select merchandise to best meet the immediate needs of the Senate 
community; developing and maintaining productive business relationships 
with a wide variety of vendors; maintaining expense accounts for all 
authorized customers and preparing monthly activity statements; and 
managing all accounts receivable and accounts payable reimbursements. 
Stationery has also coordinated with the Emergency Preparedness Office 
to stock the ``Stop the Bleed'' kits for Senate offices on Capitol 
Hill, as well as for state offices.
    Utilizing the Pay.gov service offered by the Department of the 
Treasury, the Stationery Room has been accepting online flag requests 
and payments from constituents through Member offices. Currently, 92 
Member offices are offering this payment option and 4 offices are in 
the beginning stages of the program. Among its benefits are decreased 
wait times for constituents, elimination of payment inaccuracies, and 
greatly reduced workloads for office representatives.
    The Stationery Room contracts annually with various vendors to 
provide U.S. flags. The flags are purchased by constituents through 
individual Member offices and are flown over the Capitol for 
commemoration of special occasions. The Stationery Room also sells pre-
flown flags.
                joint office of training and development
    The Joint Office of Training and Development, overseen by the 
Office of the Secretary and the SAA, provides training to ensure that 
all Senate staff have the resources and skills they need to perform 
their jobs. In 2019, nearly 8,000 staff attended in-person and webinar 
classes or utilized the Office's many resources for individual 
coaching, instruction, or specific guidance. More than 6,000 of these 
staff were assisted by the Office in informal learning encounters 
outside the classroom. Additionally, the Office facilitated 3 
conferences for more than 200 state staff.
    This year the Office plans to continue to refine and improve the 
existing training, provide professional development training to Office 
staff, and obtain various software licenses to provide support to 
Senate staff learners.
    The Health Promotion section within Training and Development is 
mandated to provide health promotion activities and events for the 
Senate community. Each year the section coordinates and hosts the two-
day Senate Wellness Fair. In 2019, nearly 3,000 staff participated in 
health promotion activities, which included screenings for glucose, 
cholesterol, and blood pressure, exercise demonstrations, and seminars 
on topics such as healthy eating and cancer prevention. The Office 
continues to coordinate with the American College of Surgeons and the 
Stop the Bleed Coalition to provide bleeding control training for D.C. 
Senate staff. During 2019, more than 75 Senate staff were trained, and 
the Office continues to provide this training quarterly.
                             web technology
    The Office of Web Technology is responsible for Senate.gov, the 
Secretary's intranet on Webster, portions of the central site of 
Webster, and Legbranch.senate.gov (an extranet site available to all 
Capitol Hill entities). The Office is also responsible for the web-
based systems, servers, and technologies supporting these websites that 
fall under the purview of the Secretary of the Senate.
    Senate.gov content is maintained by more than 30 contributors from 
7 departments of the Office of the Secretary and 3 departments of the 
SAA. Most content is controlled through the Secretary's web content 
management system, managed by the Office.
    Further enhancement of the refreshed, mobile-friendly version of 
Senate.gov that launched in March 2017 continued with the newly 
organized Legislation & Records section. The section was organized and 
broadened to include content that had previously existed only on other 
parts of the website. The new information architecture for the 
Legislation & Records section logically groups materials relating to 
bills, acts, nominations, treaties, votes, floor proceedings, rules, 
procedures, landmark legislation, sessions of Congress, and public 
disclosure, making discrete pieces of data easier to find while 
providing greater opportunity for users to discover related content. 
The Art & History section is now undergoing a multi-phased project to 
reorganize the content into several new top-level sections to better 
serve varied audiences. The Office will continue revisions until all 
major sections have a new and improved information architecture, vastly 
increasing overall findability on the site and further modernizing the 
refreshed design.
    Working alongside the SAA, the Office revamped Webster into a more 
modern, consistent, and user-friendly intranet for Senate staff. The 
Senate community was regularly consulted as the project progressed and 
is continually encouraged to provide feedback. The new version of 
Webster provides the Senate community with a highly accessible, easy-
to-use internal tool for numerous and varied tasks. The vastly enhanced 
intranet site offers several valuable new features such as live floor 
proceedings dynamically showing on the home page when the Senate is in 
session, greater prominence of news and research services, revamped 
main navigation, and frequent links used by staff in common roles. 
Establishment of standalone websites for the Senate Library, Senate 
Chief Counsel for Employment, and Gift Shop, outside of the common 
appearance, features, and infrastructure of Webster, allowed for these 
departments to accomplish their unique objectives without taking away 
from Webster's overall uniformity and continuity. Modern servers were 
built and configured to realize these standalone Secretary Office 
sites, support the advanced functionality these departments require, 
and ensure the accurate and timely presentation of Secretary-provided 
data to the central portions of Webster.
    The Office began publishing more and smarter data to the extranet 
server Legbranch.senate.gov for our data partners' consumption and to 
help them facilitate newly introduced projects such as the common 
congressional hearings calendar on Congress.gov. This combined the 
coordination of policy and information technology expertise to satisfy 
legislative requirements and stay within existing practices and 
procedures. Data modernization will continue in the coming year in 
coordination with the Senate Clerks, LOC, GPO, and SAA support 
organizations.
    In 2019, an average of approximately 41,000 visits were made per 
day to the central site of Senate.gov, a 17 percent increase over the 
previous year. The Office responded to nearly 1,100 e-mails from the 
general public regarding Senate.gov.
             emergency preparedness and continuity planning
    Throughout 2019, the Office of the Secretary continued to develop a 
broad range of emergency preparedness and continuity programs, in 
coordination with the SAA, House Officers, the U.S. Capitol Police, and 
partners in the Executive and Judicial Branches. The primary objectives 
of the Office of the Secretary are to ensure the continuity of the 
legislative process and the ability of the Senate to meet its 
constitutional obligations under any circumstances. Within the Office 
of the Secretary, drills, exercises, and flyaway kit updates are 
conducted routinely in order to ensure that all departments can carry 
out essential functions in an emergency. All departments within the 
Office of the Secretary also maintain individual COOP plans to ensure 
their preparedness.
                        other mandated projects
    In the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2019, the Office of 
the Secretary was directed to conduct or contract for a compensation 
study across all Member offices and committees. The study must 
facilitate an evaluation of whether Senate staff receive similar pay 
for similar work, including a comparison to outside workplaces. In 
2019, the Office formed a working group whose members include 
representatives from the Secretary's Executive Office, Human Resources, 
the Senate Library, Senate Chief Counsel for Employment, and Web 
Technology, and contracted with outside experts to facilitate this 
project. Work on the project is ongoing, with significant efforts being 
made to correctly identify comparability factors for a successful 
survey with viable and useful results.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ This section constitutes the regular update on the mandated 
FMIS project managed by the Office of the Secretary.
    \2\ This section constitutes the regular update on the mandated LIS 
project managed by the Office of the Secretary. The LIS referred to in 
this section is not the same as LIS.gov, referred to on page 10, or the 
LIS/DMS referred to on pages 11, 13, and 14.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 ______
                                 
           Prepared Statement of Open World Leadership Center
        ``Since participating in Open World as a journalist several 
        years ago, I have often referred to the lessons learned and 
        best practices that were demonstrated during my program. As 
        Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Preventing and 
        Combatting Corruption, I remember well that most of the 
        Americans I've met believed they can achieve anything they 
        want. Open World's network of alumni in Ukraine consists of a 
        new generation of Ukrainians working to improve their country 
        and fight corruption in these trying times. I hope that 
        Congress continues this program as it is important for 
        Ukraine.''

    Members of the Subcommittees, thank you for the opportunity to 
submit testimony for the record on the Open World Leadership Center 
(the Center). Congressional participation on our governing board and in 
our programs has made the Center uniquely qualified to support Members' 
conduct of Congressional diplomacy and to serve Members, their 
constituents and communities across America. All of us at the Center 
are deeply grateful for your support.
                                overview
    In 1999, Congress authorized the Open World program (then called 
the Russian Leadership Program) as a pilot project as a result of 
discussions between then Librarian of Congress, Dr. James H. 
Billington, and a bicameral and bipartisan group of Members of 
Congress. The project focused on the question of how to increase mutual 
understanding between Russia and the United States and to support 
Russia's democratization efforts. In December 2000, the success of the 
Russian Leadership pilot program and the continued importance of its 
mission led Congress, through the leadership of the House and Senate 
Appropriations Committees, to establish a permanent, independent entity 
in the Legislative Branch to administer the program: the Open World 
Leadership Center.
    The Center conducts the Open World program, one of the most 
effective U.S. exchange programs for countries in transition. 
Participation on the program has enabled more than 29,000 young global 
leaders to engage in and interact with Members of Congress, 
Congressional staff, and thousands of other Americans, many of whom are 
the delegates' direct professional counterparts. The Open World program 
focuses on assisting Congress in its oversight responsibilities and on 
conducting exchanges that establish and foster lasting professional 
relationships between the emerging leaders of Open World program 
countries and Americans dedicated to showcasing U.S. values and 
democratic institutions. The Center's non-partisan nature and 
independence from the priorities of the executive branch is an 
important asset for the program.
    The highly-regarded Open World program has played an increasingly 
vital role in the political landscapes of many countries throughout 
Eurasia and has been effective in improving relationships with these 
countries by introducing emerging leaders to their professional 
colleagues and thematic best practices throughout the United States. 
The Center brings rising leaders who have become influential in the 
national arena and within their communities. The Center has a long 
record of providing substantial expertise in conducting exchange 
programs tailored to support the Legislative Branch. As it embarks on 
its third decade, the Open World Leadership Center continues to strive 
for excellence in providing relevant, informative, and timely programs 
for foreign legislators and the best and brightest young professionals 
in Open World program countries.
    By the close of 2019, over a 20-year span, the Center had brought 
more than 29,000 young and emerging leaders from 21 countries.\1\ These 
talented and engaged political and civic leaders were hosted in all 
fifty states by nearly 8,000 families in some 2,300 communities across 
the United States.
    As a U.S. Legislative Branch entity, Open World actively supports 
the foreign relations role of Congress by linking delegates to Members 
and their enthusiastic constituents throughout the United States who 
are engaged in projects and programs in Open World countries. Open 
World programs routinely involve Members in hosting activities. More 
than eighty percent of delegates met with Members of Congress and their 
staff last year.
    The Center also regularly consults with the Commission of Security 
and Cooperation in Europe, the House Democracy Partnership, the 
Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the Senate Ukraine Caucus, the Albania 
Issues Caucus, Congressional Georgia Caucus, Congressional Serbian 
Caucus, the Friends of Kazakhstan Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on 
Central Asia, the Congressional Mongolia Caucus, other Congressional 
entities, and individual Members with specific interests in Open World 
countries or thematic areas.
            open world activities in 2019 and plans for 2020
    In 2019, the Open World program included seventeen participating 
countries and 1,020 emerging leaders who were able to benefit from 
direct exposure to the workings of the United States Congress; to 
understand the impact of legislation on all aspects of society; and to 
experience the robust and dynamic democracy and free market system that 
exists in the U.S. and makes up its form of federalism. Also of 
significance is that these Open World participants broke bread with 
their American counterparts, woke up in an American household, and saw 
families/children getting ready for work/school. They witnessed social 
activism, a free and aggressive media, and the incredible volunteerism 
that makes up this great country.
Parliamentary Program in 2019
    In developing its latest strategic plan, the Center's Board of 
Trustees emphasized the importance of parliamentary programs that link 
Members of Congress to their counterparts from Open World countries. A 
goal was then set that 15% of delegates would be Members of Parliament, 
parliamentary staff or regional legislators or their staff. We met that 
goal in 2019. The interaction between our Parliamentarians and Members 
of Congress created numerous opportunities for unfiltered dialogue 
between the U.S. Congress and Parliaments from Open World countries. It 
also provided timely discussion of the political and economic 
conditions affecting these countries. Overall, fifteen parliamentary 
delegations consisting of 89 participants from ten countries (Armenia, 
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, 
Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) traveled to the United States for 
home stays from Olympia, WA to Burlington, VT and ten states in 
between.
    The Open World Leadership Center made great strides in 2019 to 
further strengthen its relationship with the U.S. Congress and further 
engage Members of Congress in our parliamentary programs. To that end, 
2019 was the first year that the Center cooperated with congressional 
caucuses to put on joint events to introduce Open World delegations of 
Members of Parliament. In November 2019, the Center paired with the 
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues to hold a reception for a 
delegation of Members of Parliament from Armenia. Also in November 
2019, the Center paired with the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus to hold 
reception for a delegation of newly elected members of the Ukrainian 
Parliament. The Center plans to increase the number of congressional 
events held in conjunction with congressional caucuses and committees 
in 2020. The Center is also increasing ties with the Parliaments in 
other participating countries. In 2019, the Center cemented a close 
relationship with the Parliament of Georgia to such an extent that the 
Secretary General and the Center are in the process of finalizing a 
Memorandum of Understanding with the Parliament towards improving the 
functioning of the administration of both legislative bodies, bearing 
in mind the importance of bilateral relations and recognizing the will 
to further enhance mutual cooperation. According to the Chief of Staff 
of the Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia:

        ``Open World's Parliamentary exchange program has been the most 
        successful program ever in its history.''

    Open World's Parliamentary program is profoundly effective because 
it provides the participants the opportunity to present their country 
and its issues to Members of Congress. The relationships established 
during this program leads to great relationships with Open World 
parliamentary alumni, who are then eager to nominate other strong 
candidates and to help develop programmatic themes based on the 
necessities of their country. This one-on-one contact and unrivaled 
access, the sharing of meals, and the fact that the Center individually 
tailors each program has made these exchanges beneficial for both the 
visiting Parliamentarians and the Members of Congress with whom they 
meet and whom the Open World Leadership Center serves. The Center plans 
to continue and enhance this important programming in 2020.
    Following is a country by country review of the seventeen nations 
that participated in Open World in 2019 and for which programming is 
planned for 2020.
Russia
    From 1999 through 2019, the Open World Leadership Center hosted 
20,134 young Russian leaders. In calendar year 2019, the Center hosted 
341 Russian participants in 57 exchanges. Delegates came from 67 of 
Russia's 89 administrative subjects, included a wide range of ethnic 
groups, and were hosted in 42 host communities in 30 U.S. states. Women 
made up 56% of the delegates.
    The Center has maintained a robust program in Russia, despite the 
continued deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations. In 2019, the Center 
welcomed its 20,000th Russian participant. The alumni community in the 
country continues to show a willingness to meet with their American 
counterparts in Russia, and recommend the program to their colleagues 
and professional contacts. Furthermore, American diplomats often reach 
out to the Center for contacts in cities that they are visiting because 
they know that Open World alumni are leaders in their communities, are 
objective and forward thinking. Also, because of their firsthand 
experience in America, they are confident enough to meet with U.S. 
embassy officials without fear of rebuke.
    In 2020, as the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship is likely to 
remain severely strained, Open World programs will focus on maintaining 
partnerships, increasing people-to-people contacts in order to counter 
disinformation and to foster greater mutual understanding. We will 
prioritize programs that reinforce long standing partnerships and that 
further newly formed ones, such as sister city relationships and Rotary 
club partnerships. The program will counter anti-American propaganda 
and promote a positive image of the United States by linking 
professionals with their U.S. counterparts and providing a host family 
experience for each participant. Program themes will also focus on 
areas of mutual interest, such as health issues, business and 
innovation, entrepreneurship, education, national parks/conservation, 
and inclusion. Many program themes will also include local legislators 
and those seeking to run for local office.
    Open World alumni occupy a wide array of positions at various 
levels across the country and are willing and eager to help promote a 
positive U.S.-Russia relationship. For example, a delegation of 
zoologists visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska in September 
2018. The delegation included two employees of the Moscow Zoo, one of 
which was promoted to Scientific Director not long after completing the 
program. While at the Zoo in Omaha, local staff mentioned to the group 
that they had been trying to acquire an Amur tiger from Russia and how 
difficult it was. The Open World delegates from the Moscow Zoo pledged 
to help on their side. After returning to Moscow, the alumni advocated 
for the transfer of a tiger to the Omaha Zoo and the process quickly 
re-started, after having been stalled for some time. In the summer of 
2019, the tiger was transferred to Moscow and in November, the tiger 
arrived in Omaha. This is a great example of American and Russian 
scientists working together on a conservation program to save the Amur 
tiger, an endangered species.
    Another strong area of cooperation between the Center's host 
communities and our Russian delegations stems from sister city and 
other existing partnerships. In 2019, there were many events held that 
showed the strong dedication each city has to maintain, or revitalize, 
their partnerships. The Zelenograd-Tulsa Sister City partnership was 
reinvigorated in March, when an event was held to organize the 
Zelenograd City Cultural Center, with 32 participants in attendance, 
including alumni, city administration officials, local NGO leaders, and 
local media and journalists. A videoconference was held to include 
their counterparts in Tulsa, and they decided to set up a Tulsa 
informational stand in Zelenograd's local museum. A delegation from 
Portland, ME traveled to Archangelsk over the summer, where they held 5 
Sister City partnership-focused events for alumni. The events served to 
strengthen relationships forged while on the Open World program. 
Another successful partnership Cleveland-Volgograd Sister City 
partnership held an alumni conference in Volgograd, which was attended 
by alumni and representatives from several other Sister City 
committees, including Yaroslavl, Archangelsk, and Vladimir. This event 
completely revitalized the Cleveland-Volgograd Sister City partnership. 
The success of these partnerships comes from the genuine desire of Open 
World delegates and their American partners to continue a friendship 
that grows stronger with each year that new groups visit their Sister 
Cities.
    In December 2019, based on the recommendations of the Open World 
20th Anniversary Symposium, 17 Russian alumni of the Open World program 
gathered to create an Open World Program Alumni Association. The group 
formed a council, elected a chairman, and are planning their first 
formal meeting in the first quarter of 2020.
Ukraine
    From 2003 through 2019, the Center hosted 4,037 Ukrainian emerging 
leaders. In calendar year 2019, the Center hosted 321 Ukrainian 
participants from all current unoccupied regions of Ukraine. They were 
hosted in 47 host communities in 29 U.S. states, and women made up 61 
percent of the delegates. The Center's objective in Ukraine is to 
increase exposure to democratic processes by providing a new generation 
of Ukrainian leaders with the vision, skills, and tools needed to 
develop their country at this critical juncture in its history and 
while it faces Russian aggression in its Southern and Eastern regions. 
Open World programming in Ukraine is aimed at furthering the reform 
efforts of the new government; furthering legislative reform; assisting 
in the decentralization process; promoting the rule of law; improving 
transparency in the public and private sectors; responding to the 
humanitarian needs of a war-torn society; and providing a secure safety 
net to a population demanding change.
    In the past year, the Center has seen many of its alumni take 
critical positions in the new government and become the vanguard on 
reform. Among the Center's more than 4,000 alumni in Ukraine are the 
Minister and Deputy Minister of Healthcare; the Deputy Minister of 
Veteran Affairs/Temporarily Occupied Territories; two Deputy Minsters 
of Education and Science; the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports; and 
the First Deputy Prosecutor General. The Center also works closely with 
four additional alumni that are close advisors to Ukraine's President. 
In addition, twenty-one Members of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna 
Rada) are alumni, including fifteen new Members. These alumni include 
the Heads of the Committees on Legal Policy, Education, and on Science 
and Innovation; the First Deputy Heads of the Committees on 
Anticorruption Issues and on Budgeting; and the Secretaries of the 
Committees on Foreign Policy, Inter-parliamentary Cooperation, and 
Health. In addition, five Open World alumni have been appointed to the 
newly formed High Anti-Corruption Court, three in the General Chamber 
and two in the Appeals division.
    The power of the Center's alumni network can be gauged by the 
success of recent alumni programs such as those on Health Care/Medical 
Reform Issues, Veterans Affairs, and Decentralization/Economic 
Development in Eastern Ukraine, with the first two being larger Kyiv-
based activities and the other being an innovative program held in 
Mariupol. All together, the Center conducted 11 alumni events in 
Ukraine throughout 2019 with the participation of more than 450 program 
alumni. At the February 2019 Medical Reform event, the former Acting 
Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine, Ulana Suprun (an active nominator of 
the program), expressed her admiration for Open World program alumni 
and spoke about the long-term successful cooperation the Ministry of 
Health has had with the Center, even indicating that she specifically 
looks for Open World program alumni when she is hiring. Outstanding 
Open World alumni served as speakers and they delivered various views 
on the timely issue of medical reform and held active discussions with 
the program attendees. At the Veterans Affairs event in October 2019, 
Open World alumna, Member of Parliament and wounded warrior Yana 
Zinkevych spoke about her Open World program experience and shared how 
her participation gave her the courage to join the election campaign 
and run successfully to become a Member of Parliament. Ms. Zinkevych 
was followed by Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs/Temporarily Occupied 
Territories and wounded warrior Oleksandr Tereshchenko who spoke about 
how the Open World program inspired him on his professional 
accomplishments having risen from the director of a small NGO in 
Mykolaiv to the Deputy Head of the Academy of Patrol Police to his 
current position.
    Open World program results are widespread among emerging Ukrainian 
leaders in many sectors. Open World program alumni teams have received 
U.S. Embassy grants aimed at transparency in educational budgeting, 
empowering youth in remote areas, supporting socially responsible youth 
startups, promoting women in politics, and furthering best practices in 
education and academic integrity. From the NGO Director who worked on 
developing and transforming the war-torn Donetsk region being awarded 
an Honorable Service medal personally by President Zelensky on Freedom 
Square on Independence Day, to small-scale woman agriculture leaders 
expanding the use of greenhouses in the village of Levkiv in the 
Zhytomyr region to an alumna winning international grants to install 
solar panels on the roof of a rural school in the Poltava region and to 
organize a camp for climate activists, the Center is proud of the 
achievements of its more than 4,000 alumni in Ukraine. The Center 
hosted its 4,000th participant from Ukraine in October 2019. This 
delegate from Kharkiv was also able to participate in the celebration 
of the 30th Anniversary of the Cincinnati-Kharkiv sister city 
partnership, which the Center has been supporting since it added 
Ukraine in 2003.
    Due to Ukraine's strategic significance, the Center regularly 
consults with House and Senate Ukraine Caucus members and works closely 
with the leadership of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to design programming 
that is responsive to the needs of a new government promising reform 
and that is still facing aggression and the occupation of about seven 
percent (7%) of its territory. In 2020, the Center will focus its 
programming on new Members of the Ukrainian Parliament/Legislative 
Processes, Decentralization/Regional Government, Health System and 
Education Reform, Rule of Law, Media/Investigative Journalism, Minority 
Inclusion Issues, Anti-Corruption Efforts, Entrepreneurship and 
Business Development, Agriculture, Energy Issues, Veteran's Programs 
and other Social Safety Net Issues. All programming is aimed at 
strengthening democratic institutions and promoting good governance.
    As part of the 2020 planning efforts, the Center is embarking on an 
initiative to provide as many of the 323 new Members of Ukraine's 
Parliament as calendars permit with programming aimed at providing them 
exposure to the U.S. Congress and legislative processes at all levels 
of governance. Four new members of Ukraine's Parliament, including two 
high-ranking members representing President Zelensky's party, one 
representing the ``Fatherland'' party, and one independent 
representative of the ``For the Future'' faction, visited with the 
Center for four days in November 2019, to work on the design of this 
ambitious initiative. The Open World Leadership Center's Executive 
Director Jane Sargus and Deputy Executive Director Maura Shelden 
followed up this visit by traveling to Ukraine in December on a program 
planning mission and met with the leadership at the U.S. Mission, the 
Speaker of the Parliament, and other stakeholders, such as the USAID 
implementer of the Responsible Accountable Democracy Assembly (RADA) 
program, with which the Center has worked very closely.
Armenia
    From 2011 through 2019, the Center hosted 157 delegates from 
Armenia. Many emerging Armenian leaders have been introduced to their 
American counterparts and observed firsthand the power of civic 
engagement and accountable governance. With the Center's very short 
programming timeline, we are able to adapt themes to the current 
situations in Yerevan. Following Armenia's Velvet Revolution, the Open 
World program for Armenia was configured to reflect the needs of that 
country's new government and its citizens.
    After the December 2018 parliamentary elections, the Center saw an 
important opportunity to bring newly elected Members of Parliament on 
the program to meet their U.S. counterparts. In November 2019, the 
Center welcomed its first parliamentary delegation after the Velvet 
Revolution in a program that was highly touted by Members of the 
Congressional Armenian Caucus. The Center plans to continue this 
parliamentary program in 2020, focusing on newly elected members. It is 
an opportunity to expose these members to new mechanisms of law making 
and deepen their knowledge of the United States legislative process in 
this crucial time in Armenia's history.
    Following the peaceful transition of power during the Velvet 
Revolution, a new generation of young and dedicated professionals has 
moved into key roles in the government, and Open World alumni have 
flourished and risen to leadership positions. During the Velvet 
Revolution, Open World alumnus Alen Simonyan played a very active role 
in the peaceful revolution. In December 2018, he was again elected to 
Parliament and in January 2019, he was elected to be Vice President of 
the National Assembly. Mane Tandilyan was the Minister of Labor and 
Social Affairs in 2018 and now serves as a Member of Parliament. Vahe 
Danielyan, who participated on the program as a parliamentary staffer, 
has been promoted to Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister.
    In 2020, we will continue to bring emerging leaders from Armenia on 
the Open World program as we have seen how much of an impact they have 
in shaping the future of that country.
Azerbaijan
    From 2007 through 2019, the Center hosted 337 delegates from 
Azerbaijan. Delegates from Azerbaijan benefit immensely from 
participating in the Open World program. Open World is working to 
enhance women's role in society since women face numerous social 
barriers in Azerbaijan. Our programs dedicated to all-women 
participants include Women in STEM and Women in Politics and Civil 
Society. Farida Asgarzade, who participated on the Women in Politics 
and Civil Society program, was recently nominated for the ``Influencer 
of the Year'' award at Innovation Week 2019 in Baku. She is the founder 
of the Human Foundation platform, the director of the Center for Social 
Business, a teacher at the Business School at Azerbaijan State 
University of Economics, and is a social entrepreneur.
    Open World programming in Azerbaijan is also aimed at recognizing 
those who are underserved and underrepresented, including the disabled, 
refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons. Elman Suleymanov, who 
participated on a Disability Advocacy and Reform program, received a 
grant for a project that designed and produced a special guide for 
people with visual disabilities. This guide included a printed braille 
alphabet, audio books, and covered the topics of medical first-aid and 
instructions for responses to natural disasters for people with visual 
disabilities. The guide was circulated among people with visual 
disabilities and state libraries. Elman, who is visually impaired, was 
greatly appreciative that he was able to participate on the Open World 
program. He felt that his participation helped him grow as a 
professional and boosted his confidence.
    A fellow extraordinary alumni from the Disability Advocacy and 
Reform program is Nihad Gulamzada. He is the CEO and Founder of the 
first inclusive theatre consisting of actors with disabilities in 
Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. In 2019, Nihad was able to gain government 
support and organize his productions in partnership with various 
ministries. Nihad partnered with fellow Open World alumnus Elman 
Suleymanov by handing out copies of the guide for people with visual 
disabilities to guests of the theater performances. Nihad is currently 
running for Parliament in the February 2020 parliamentary elections.
Belarus
    In 2004, and from 2017 through 2019, the Center hosted 54 delegates 
from Belarus. The program has focused on fostering a stronger civil 
society, economic resilience, issues of good governance and 
transparency, respect for human rights, and countering misinformation. 
Program themes have focused on healthcare, intellectual property 
rights, marketing, tourism, alternative energy, media, and 
entrepreneurship. The year 2020 marks four straight years of Open World 
programs with Belarus.
    The Open World alumni community in Belarus is growing and becoming 
more active. In May 2019, Program Manager Matt Tucker traveled to Minsk 
to meet with alumni, embassy staff, and nominators from the public and 
private sectors. During a small alumni event held around the visit, 
fellow Open World alumni from different parts of the country and 
representing different professional fields, were able to meet, share 
experiences, and discuss ways of collaborating amongst themselves.
    A delegate who participated in a recent media literacy program has 
already made plans to invite a professional speaker from her local 
program in Detroit, MI to visit Minsk and conduct a series of speaking 
events and outreach programs on media literacy at her institution, 
Press Club.
Estonia
    From 2013 through 2019, the Center brought 26 delegates from the 
Estonian judiciary. These delegations were hosted by federal judges 
that were identified in cooperation with the International Judicial 
Relations Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. 
The Judicial Training Department of the Supreme Court of Estonia 
supported 90% of the cost of this programming. Federal district judges 
in Nevada, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, and Mississippi have hosted 
their Estonian counterparts. This year, in response to a request from a 
Member of Congress and due to the critical nature of the programming, 
the Center's program for Estonia will feature a delegation of six 
Cybersecurity professionals. The Center is working closely with the 
staff at the U.S. Embassy in Estonia to design this important and 
timely program.
Georgia
    From 2007 through 2019, the Center hosted 746 delegates from 
Georgia. The Center's programming for Georgia is planned in close 
consultation with the U.S. Embassy in that country and has focused on 
Responsive Governance, Social/Ethnic Inclusion, Rule of Law and 
Economic Development/Cultural Heritage.
    In 2019, the Center cemented a close relationship with the 
Parliament of Georgia to such an extent that the Secretary General and 
the Center are in the process of finalizing a broad Memorandum of 
Understanding with the Parliament ``towards improving the functioning 
of the administration of both legislative bodies, bearing in mind the 
importance of bilateral relations and recognizing the will to further 
enhance mutual cooperation.'' Through this MoU, the Parliament of 
Georgia will cost-share several delegations of leading Parliamentary 
staffers by paying all airfares for such delegations, and will provide 
the nominations/candidates for future planned Parliamentary 
delegations. According to the Chief of Staff of the Vice Speaker, Open 
World's ``Parliamentary exchange program has been the most successful 
program ever in its history.'' The Chief Specialist of the Parliament's 
Department of International relations, following a Dobbs Ferry-based 
program that featured a private lunch with the Chairman of the House 
Foreign Affairs Committee, reported, ``The program was excellently 
arranged. Meetings were brilliant. All the interests that the delegates 
were expecting were met.''
    In mid-November 2019, Member of Parliament and Open World alumnus 
George Khatidze (Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the E.U.-
Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, the Foreign Relations 
Committee, the Legal Issues Committee and the Permanent Parliamentary 
Council on Open Governance) joined us in Washington, D.C. He reported 
on the impact his 2017 Open World program had on him, on several 
meetings that he had with Open World delegations before their departure 
for U.S. programming, and with Open World hosts when they visited 
Georgia.
    One area of programming that is producing extremely meaningful 
results is the work the Center is doing to support inclusion among 
different nationalities, religions and lifestyle choices in this very 
diverse country that has witnessed ethnic, religious and social unrest. 
One alumna has risen to head the Public Movement Multinational Georgia 
and is now a Visiting Lecturer at Ilia State University. Her programs 
include promoting the wider engagement of ethnic minorities 
(particularly the youth of the Samtskhe-Javakhet region) in 
participatory democracy, and working to mitigate and enhance 
communication between ethnic minority constituencies. In another 
project, she is working to improve the peace building and mediation 
capacities of the youth, media professionals, and representatives of 
community-based civil society organizations representing ethnic 
Armenian and Azeri communities to mitigate tensions between them. This 
alumna is also a regular contributor and organizer of timely European-
based activities on behalf of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society 
Forum, a unique multi-layered regional civil society platform aimed at 
promoting European integration and facilitating reforms and democratic 
transformation in the six Eastern Partnership countries--Armenia, 
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
    Another alumnus in this field recently finished a Fulbright 
Graduate Student Program in conflict transformation and then went on to 
work with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) to 
design an approach for its new project to promote civic and political 
awareness among youth in minority regions. Another alumnus founded the 
organization ``Regional Empowerment for Democracy'' which is actively 
working to improve the participation of ethnic and remotely based 
minorities in democratic processes, and recently one alumna 
participated in a program ran by the Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung program 
in Brussels aimed at preparing young citizens to have a better 
understanding of European Union practices, polices and ideals.
    Finally, an alumna was recently named to Forbes' 2019 30 Under 30 
Europe list for her outstanding tourism and wine company. She produces 
four varieties of wine that are all native to Georgia and she recently 
started exporting to the United States. Her current goal is add more 
acreage to her farmland and increase her production capacity.
Kazakhstan
    From 2008 through 2019, the Center hosted 539 delegates from 
Kazakhstan. The Open World program has impacted participants from all 
over Kazakhstan and across a wide range of sectors, from Members of 
Parliament and Supreme Court Justices to local entrepreneurs and 
leaders of NGOs.
    The Open World program in Kazakhstan focuses on promoting more 
effective, accountable, and transparent government institutions in all 
three branches of government at the national and local levels, as well 
as building a stronger and more engaged civil society. Recent program 
themes have included: Members of Parliament, parliamentary staffers, 
judges, local legislators, and librarians. In 2020, the Center will 
continue working with parliamentary staffers, judges, and local 
legislators, while adding programs for English teachers and on NGO 
management.
    The Open World alumni community in Kazakhstan has been very active. 
Several alumni have taken up leadership positions in regional alumni 
networks for past participants of U.S. government exchange programs. In 
2019, the U.S. embassy funded four Open World alumni projects through 
the Alumni Small Grants program. One project was aimed at supporting 
youth in their region and received a grant. The project focuses on 
conducting courses for minors at the Center for the Adaptation of 
Minors in Petropavlovsk. The courses include lectures on human rights 
and children's rights, media literacy and online safety, career 
counseling, and personal development. They also provide mentoring to 
participants and involve students in volunteering.
    After returning to Kazakhstan, Open World alumnus Emin Askerov 
founded GreenTal, which provides employment and job training for people 
with disabilities. His tireless work in this field is now promoted all 
over Kazakhstan. Last year he won an Alumni Small Grant to travel to 
the regions and share his experiences.
    Another open World alumnus helped found a sister city partnership 
between Pavlodar and Madison, Wisconsin. Since then, he has worked 
closely with his U.S. counterparts and organized six Kazakh delegations 
to travel to Wisconsin and hosted four American delegations through the 
Citizen-to-Citizen Diplomacy program he founded with his partner from 
Wisconsin, Gary Kirking. They also created a sister school partnership 
between a rural school from Pavlodar and a rural school from Wisconsin. 
They are proud that this partnership has been thriving for 10 years.
Kosovo
    From 2014 through 2019, the Center hosted 158 delegates from 
Kosovo. The Open World program in Kosovo works to enhance transparency 
and reduce corruption with past and future programs focusing on the use 
of public funds and rule of law program, specifically highlighting 
economic-related crimes. The Center is excited to reinstate a program 
for Members of Parliament from Kosovo in 2020 to help these elected 
officials work to improve accountability. We hoped to bring a 
parliamentary delegation in 2019, but with the resignation of the prime 
minister, we had to move the delegation into early 2020. We adapt to 
situations in our countries and are able to move and add programs as 
need be.
    The two Open World program delegations that traveled in 2019 are 
eager to adapt what they learned in the U.S. to their communities in 
Kosovo. After traveling on a program focusing on Energy Independence-
Integrating Renewable Energy, one alumnus was so inspired that he is 
writing a policy report to implement what he learned about during his 
meetings in Utah, including providing several electric car charging 
spots around Pristina and making the energy free of charge.
    A delegation focusing on Economic Development-Community-led Tourism 
showed interest in pursuing future partnerships and projects with their 
counterparts in Washington. Two alumni have begun an initiative to 
expand international tourism to Kosovo. They used new ideas that they 
gained from their program and motivated people to apply as volunteers 
for an International Festival of Medieval Arts. They have also 
initiated discussions on environmental issues and the creation of a 
pedestrian zone in their city to create a tourist hotspot to increase 
economic development in the area.
Kyrgyzstan
    From 2007 through 2019, the Center hosted 530 delegates from 
Kyrgyzstan. The Open World Program in Kyrgyzstan has made great strides 
in enhancing transparency and accountability in the legislative process 
by bringing at least one parliamentary delegation each year. A 
delegation of Kyrgyz Parliamentarians, while visiting their sister 
state of Montana, were presented with a copy of the Montana state 
constitution by the President of the Montana State Senate. A short time 
later when one of the Kyrgyz MPs found himself responsible for 
rewriting a portion of the Kyrgyz constitution on the judiciary, he 
drew on his experience and used the Montana constitution as a model.
    Following Member of Parliament Elvira Surabaldieva's participation 
in the program, she returned home and with the additional knowledge and 
leadership skills that she gained, was elected as the Chair of the 
Women's Forum. Traditionally this seat was taken by older women MPs. In 
addition to her regular lawmaking responsibilities, Elvira relentlessly 
defends gender equality. She has convinced her male colleagues to 
support a law against domestic violence, and she pushed for gender 
quotas for elected positions at the local level. Currently, she is 
working on legislation against sexual harassment that she hopes will 
pass before the October 2020 elections. Though Kyrgyzstan has made 
strides towards greater gender equality in recent years, the country 
continues to struggle with ingrained patriarchal attitudes. Seeking to 
raise awareness of the consequences of sexual harassment, Elvira 
partnered with USAID, her fellow women MPs, activists and celebrities 
to produce a short video featuring examples of harassment: in the 
workplace, online, and on the street. Public reaction to the anti-
harassment video was overwhelmingly positive. The video went viral on 
Facebook and was uploaded onto the Forum's website.
Moldova
    From 2007 through 2019, the Center hosted 494 delegates from 
Moldova. The Open World program in Moldova has focused on parliamentary 
exchanges, rule of law, economic development, and partnerships, all 
aimed at strengthening institutions, fighting corruption, countering 
misinformation, and developing civil society.
    The outcome of the February 2019 parliamentary elections in Moldova 
produced an unusual coalition government, and resulted in 57 newly 
elected MPs out of the 101 members. The Open World program for 
parliamentarians will continue the dialogue between legislators from 
Moldova and their counterparts in the U.S. Congress. The program 
reinforces effective and democratic governance practices, and allows 
Members of the United States Congress to discuss timely issues such 
European integration, countering disinformation, and combating 
corruption with their colleagues from Moldova. The Open World judge-to-
judge program for Moldova resumed in 2019, after being on hold in 2018 
due to the annulment of the Chisinau Mayoral election results. This 
program pairs Moldovan judges with a U.S. federal judge to share best 
practices in jurisprudence, ethics, and the importance of an 
independent judiciary, all of which are essential to justice sector 
reform in Moldova.
    In 2020 the Center will expand program for Members of Parliament 
and parliamentary staffers form Moldova, while also continuing to 
support the North Carolina-Moldova State Partnership program with a 
program focused on regional economic development and waste management.
    The North Carolina-Moldova Partnership has expanded programs in 
English language education, conducted a librarian exchange, pharmacy 
school exchange, and most recently a nursing school exchange through 
the Open World program. With the help of the Partnership, the medical 
university in Chisinau was able to create the first Bachelor of Science 
program in nursing. In May 2019, an Open World Program Manager 
travelled to Moldova with a delegation from North Carolina led by the 
North Carolina Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall, as part of the 
Center's efforts to support this dynamic partnership.
    Open World alumni in the legislative and judicial branches in 
Moldova are working to implement many reforms across the country, both 
at the national and local level. A recent MP, who participated on the 
program after being newly elected in February 2019, was so inspired 
after a meeting with the Senate Ethics Committee that she took a copy 
of the ethics rules manual back to Moldova, made a speech about the 
program on the floor of the Moldovan Parliament, and is currently 
working to establish a subcommittee on ethics in parliament.
Mongolia
    From 2011 through 2019, the Center hosted 123 delegates from 
Mongolia. The Open World program in Mongolia focuses on Parliamentary 
and Rule of Law exchanges. In 2019, the Center signed a new Memorandum 
of Understanding (MOU) with the Mongolian Prosecutor General's Office 
to host programs for Mongolian prosecutors. In addition to hosting 
programs for Members of Parliament, judges, and prosecutors, in 2020 
the Center will also include a program for court administrative staff.
    In September of 2019, a Member of the Judicial General Council of 
Mongolia (JGC) visited the United States and signed the 2020 MOU 
between the JGC and the Open World Leadership Center to continue the 
partnership to host programs for Mongolian Judges.
    Alumni from Mongolia have made many achievements since 
participating in the program. For example, after being impressed by the 
transparency and openness of U.S. courts, delegates returned to 
Mongolia with new ideas on how to reform the court's interaction with 
the citizenry. Today, court decisions in Mongolia are public and the 
court offers multiple ways for citizens to observe trials. In addition, 
many delegates have been so impressed by the standard of ethics and 
accountability of their U.S. federal judge hosts that they returned 
home to become trainers among their peers on judicial ethics.
North Macedonia
    In 2019, the Center hosted its first delegations of Members of 
Parliament and Judges from North Macedonia. To date, the Center has 
hosted 15 delegates from North Macedonia, including three 
parliamentarians in a 2014 joint delegation in cooperation with the 
House Democracy Partnership. The Open World program in North Macedonia 
is focused on strengthening the relationship between the North 
Macedonian Parliament and the U.S. Congress, as well as sharing the 
U.S. experience in constituent relations, oversight functions, and the 
importance of separation of powers in a democratic and transparent 
government. The judicial program is aimed at strengthening the rule of 
law and supporting key judicial reforms.
    The Parliamentary program took place in February not long after the 
country's name change and signing of the NATO accession protocol. 
During the program in Washington, the delegation had the opportunity to 
meet with senior staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to 
discuss the U.S. process of ratifying North Macedonia's NATO accession 
treaty. The delegation was also able to meet with six Members of 
Congress to discuss the importance of NATO and EU integration, and what 
remaining reforms need to take place. A few months after the program, 
one of the MPs was appointed Minister of Local Government.
    The judges who participated on the program in 2019 were hosted in 
Oklahoma City, OK by U.S. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell. The judges 
returned home impressed and looking forward to implementing and sharing 
with their peers the experience gained on the program to advance North 
Macedonia's judicial independence, professional standards, and ethics. 
Judge Mitchell also accepted an invitation by the delegation to visit 
North Macedonia in December 2019 to present professional development 
programs for judges and other justice officials.
Serbia
    From 2012 through 2019, the Center hosted 532 delegates from 
Serbia. The Open World program in Serbia aims to strengthen democracy 
and the legislative process, and also focuses on combating corruption. 
The program also reinforces the Rule of Law sector by bringing judges 
working on domestic violence and judicial efficiency in criminal 
proceedings. Joining in on Serbia's fight against corruption, one Open 
World alumna, a judge, will be leading a training course through the 
International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program. This 
training will help to support Serbia's newly formed anti-corruption and 
economic crimes prosecutorial and police units.
    Another exemplary alumna from Serbia is the acting Secretary 
General of the European Movement in Serbia, who is responsible for the 
successful implementation of the ``Share Your Knowledge: Become a 
Mentor'' project, a unique mentorship program designed for women. The 
main goal of this project is to empower and enhance young women's 
capacities and skills by gathering expert leaders from different 
professions to share their knowledge and experiences with young women 
with similar interests.
    An Open World alumna from 2013 was granted $19,894 from U.S. 
Embassy Belgrade for her ``Women Entrepreneurship Start-Up 
Accelerator'' project taking place from September 2019 through March 
2020. The project involved the launch of the first accelerator for 
women entrepreneurs in Serbia with the goal of providing a complex set 
of services and a platform for learning, sharing, networking and having 
access to venture capital funds. Participants are educated in 
developing business ideas, business idea marketing, business incubation 
and business acceleration, with the goal of generating at least five 
business ideas which will be presented to potential investors.
Tajikistan
    From 2011 through 2019, the Center hosted 541 delegates from 
Tajikistan. In 2020, the Open World program in Tajikistan will continue 
its work with the Parliament of Tajikistan, while also hosting programs 
for government managers, in support of higher education reform, and 
supporting women entrepreneurs. These programs are aimed at promoting 
more effective, accountable and transparent institutions, as well as 
investing in Tajikistan's human capital, ailing education system, and 
the untapped potential of women, who are afforded far fewer 
opportunities than men.
    Open World alumni in Tajikistan are extremely active, and regularly 
develop new projects while also sharing their Open World experience 
with others. In 2019, the Embassy approved nine Open World alumni 
projects for grants, which accounts for 33% of the total approved 
project proposals for that U.S. Embassy. The Center's Alumni Outreach 
Assistant traveled to Tajikistan in October 2019 for an Open World 
alumni conference and met alumni that are working on projects they 
implemented after traveling to the United States. Many alumni, as well 
as U.S. Embassy staff attended the conference.
    An Open World alumna from 2019 is one of the most successful women 
leaders in Tajikistan. In 2013, she established her own Public 
Organization ``IDEA'' that provides a team of experts to provide women 
with the necessary skills and information they need to find proper 
jobs, expand their businesses, and find their place in society. After 
her Open World program, she felt more confident in her role as a woman 
business leader. Meeting her American counterparts inspired her to 
implement more large-scale projects in Tajikistan. In 2019, she 
implemented three projects: a 21-day leadership and entrepreneurship 
development project; a collaboration between her organization and the 
Embassy of Great Britain; and, the forming of a partnership with the 
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development focusing on female 
entrepreneurs.
    One alumnus, who was hosted in Sacramento in 2016 on a volunteerism 
theme, was so inspired by what he saw in the U.S. that he created the 
``Open Hut'' project when he returned back to Tajikistan. The alumnus 
realized more needed to be done in his small rural community to help 
children with disabilities. With an alumni grant, he was able to create 
the Open Hut project which provides lawyers, medicine, and therapy for 
children with disabilities and their parents. He is working to combat 
the stigma that surrounds children with disabilities and their families 
in rural and very religious areas of Tajikistan and change the 
mentality that leads to children with disabilities being ``hidden'' 
from public exposure. His goal for the future is to continue working 
with children with disabilities and create recreational clubs for them 
to improve their lives.
Turkmenistan
    From 2008 through 2017, the Center hosted 197 delegates from 
Turkmenistan. Open World is planning to resume programming in 
Turkmenistan in 2020, after not hosting programs for the past two 
years. This year's programs will focus on sustainable tourism in rural 
environments and on sports for youth with disabilities, which will also 
support the sister city relationship between Albuquerque and Ashgabat. 
These programs will help to increase Turkmenistan's integration into 
regional and global economic markets, as well as increase commercial 
ties between the United States and Turkmenistan, improving economic 
stability and the quality of life.
Uzbekistan
    From 2003 through 2019, the Center hosted 185 delegates from 
Uzbekistan. The Open World program in Uzbekistan is focused on 
supporting the robust reform efforts of the new President and the 
government, primarily in the areas of parliamentary governance, rule of 
law, and economic development.
    In 2020, the Center will expand its work with the Uzbek Parliament 
by hosting two delegations of Members of Parliament and one delegation 
of parliamentary staffers. In addition, programming will be conducted 
in e-governance, transparency and governmental accountability, and 
agriculture in the modern market.
    Last year's delegation of Members of Parliament from Uzbekistan 
were able to give Members of Congress firsthand actionable information 
about key developments in that country and provided an update on the 
progress of comprehensive reforms initiated by President Mirziyoyev. 
This group of MPs was also particularly interested in how Congress 
serves their constituents, and was able to return home with a wealth of 
new ideas. As the new President has called on the Uzbek Parliament to 
be more accountable, these interactions and sharing of best practices 
has inspired many of the new and less experienced MPs to return home 
and implement reforms.
    Open World alumni in Uzbekistan include senators, mayors, the 
Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, and the Deputy 
Minister of Innovative Development. In spring 2019, the current 
Chairman of the Senate met with the Center's leadership in Washington 
and subsequently nominated a delegation of women leaders to participate 
in the program.
                               conclusion
    Before closing this statement about the Open World Leadership 
Center, it is important to talk about the continuing participation of 
Russian delegates once their program is over. Russia continues to play 
a critical role in events in the region, in Europe, and its reach 
extends much further. Kremlin control of media within Russian borders, 
and the very effective disinformation campaign in neighboring states, 
has brought the intended results--strong internal support for the 
Russian president and for his policies; a resurgent pride in Russia's 
expanded role on the world stage; and a reassertion of its spheres of 
influence. A few years ago, the United States had more than 300 active 
exchange programs with Russia. Today there are just a few, and only 
one, the Open World program, has the means to reach throughout this 
vast country and to attract rising leaders who might otherwise eschew a 
U.S.-sponsored program.
    Ukraine is entering its sixth year of conflict with the Russian 
Federation and its sixth year of sporadic, though effective, reforms. 
While relations with Russia and between Russia and Ukraine remain 
unsettled, there looms the issue of how the United States Congress can 
continue to support Ukraine while maintaining an authentic conversation 
with the people of Russia.
    Our Russian, Ukrainian, and other delegates, who stay with American 
families for their intense ten-day program, return with an 
understanding of a people in the United States who share many of the 
same aspirations they have: a prosperous, peaceful country; hope that 
their children will fulfill their potential; and a desire to understand 
one another. With at least a third of the delegates under the age of 
30, and recognized as leaders among their peers, these Open World 
program participants can explain to their broad range of contacts that 
the United States is not as portrayed in the mass media, but nuanced as 
is their own country.
    The Open World program, in some ways, is a last hope for 
cooperation with Russia and is a lifeline to democratic processes in 
Ukraine. As a resource for Congress and the nation, the Open World 
program is a crucial American effort to sustain cooperation with Russia 
and to build a future relationship. Our alumni there, 20,000 strong, 
fill important positions in all regions, and consists of dedicated 
professions in key areas of development. In Ukraine and throughout 
Eurasia, the Center has bolstered relations between these Parliaments 
and Members of Congress, and supported critical reform efforts. 
Congress is right to be proud of what they funded and supported.
    Advancing democracy and strengthening civil society worldwide is a 
strategic long-term investment in our nation's security and a crucial 
source of America's influence and strength in the world. The Center is 
committed to these efforts recognizing the possibility of uncertainty 
and setbacks, and understanding that progress requires unwavering 
dedication to the enduring principles and goals that make the United 
States a country that others look to with admiration.
    Russia and Ukraine are keys to the future of the region. By 
supporting reformers and Euro-integrationists in Ukraine, by supporting 
those engaged in countering disinformation, and by helping committed 
officials use the laws on decentralization, health, and educational 
reform succeed, we in a small way help balance the overwhelming 
advantage Russia enjoys at this moment. Our intertwined interests and 
rivalries with Russia will not fade, and we need to be smart enough to 
engage the post-Putin generation for they will soon enough influence 
whether their country continues its role as a destabilizing force or 
cooperates with the community of nations in Europe and Eurasia.
    The Open World program has been carefully honed through the years 
based on an ongoing and constant review of the programming. Bearing in 
mind that quality will not be compromised, the Center continues the 
trend of reducing unit cost per appropriated dollar; of adjusting the 
strategies for nominations to bring legislators as a significant 
portion of our delegates; of working with many host organizations in 
all fifty states to make the programs highly relevant; and of fostering 
partnerships and projects involving alumni and hosts. To that end, 
Congressional leadership in supporting the Center and its highly-
regarded Open World program is paramount to the Center's continued 
success.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Fiscal 2020 countries (17) include Armenia, Azerbaijan, 
Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, 
Mongolia, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan; past countries (4) include Egypt, Lithuania, 
Peru, and Turkey.

    [This statement was submitted by Jane Sargus, Executive Director.]
                                 ______
                                 
Prepared Statement of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, distinguished Members 
of the Subcommittee; I appreciate the opportunity to testify in support 
of the Sergeant at Arms' budget request for fiscal year (FY) 21.
    The SAA respectfully requests $225.2M in appropriated salary and 
expense funds, a 4.9% increase from the FY20 enacted level. The SAA has 
also identified a need for seven additional full-time equivalents 
(FTEs) to support our mission to provide security and information 
technology to the Senate. In addition, the SAA requests $4.7M in No-
Year funds to fund the Senate portion of the Joint Audible Warning 
System (JAWS). This budget request supports our continued focus on the 
safety and security of Senators while providing a range of technical 
and administrative services. Our requested increase will allow us to 
make needed investments in the safety and security of the Senate and 
our information technology infrastructure, begin refurbishment of 43 
Senate hearing and meeting rooms, and fund 927 FTEs in furtherance of 
the SAA's mission to support the Senate.
    As I begin my third year as Sergeant at Arms, I am pleased to share 
with you how we have made steady progress in meeting our mission.
                         emergency preparedness
    Our office has been proactively preparing for, responding to, and 
assisting the Senate in maintaining legislative operations prior to and 
throughout the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 pandemic that has become a 
public health crisis. We instituted social distancing in the early 
stages by encouraging staff to maximize telework where possible to 
deter the potential spread within Senate office buildings while 
maintaining the critical services required to operate the Senate.
    The SAA Office of Emergency Preparedness (EP) routinely provides 
Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning support which includes 
pandemic planning. The COOP team contacted Member and committee offices 
in advance of any closures with an encouragement to revisit their plans 
and an added focus on those offices that had not recently updated their 
procedures. A similar effort was undertaken by our State Office 
Operations team for the 470 state offices throughout the nation.
    In conjunction with the Office of Attending Physician (OAP), the 
Architect of the Capitol (AOC), the U. S. Capitol Police (USCP), and 
other local stakeholders, we disseminated guidance on appropriate 
mitigation and response techniques. We worked with OAP to share 
resources with Senate staff and Office Emergency Coordinators on how to 
prepare for and respond to the crisis. The EP office also collaborated 
with the Secretary of the Senate and other stakeholders to update the 
overall Senate Pandemic Plan.
    EP activated the SAA Operations Center (SOC) on March 13 to monitor 
the outbreak and coordinate the SAA's response process. We use software 
to provide real-time organizational viability, focusing on operational 
capacity and employee status. The majority of SAA staff are working 
remotely while providing mission critical support to Senate operations.
    We have partnered with other legislative branch and National 
Capital Region Operations Centers to continuously improve our response 
as the situation evolves as well as document day to day occurrences for 
future planning purposes. The EP office continues to work with D.C. 
Member offices and committees that have activated their COOP plans in 
addition to reaching out to other offices that may need and benefit 
from our support. The State Office Operations office continues to work 
with all Senate state offices to ensure critical operations, security 
monitoring, and required maintenance services continue. They have 
released streamlined COOP documentation for state office staff and have 
been providing the SOC daily state office status, state emergency 
declarations, and maps detailing COVID-19 cases in relation to state 
office locations. We are working closely with the General Services 
Administration (GSA), Federal Protective Service (FPS), commercial 
landlords, and contractors on access, enhanced cleaning protocols, and 
security for offices located across federally owned or commercially 
leased spaces. We have also coordinated with the Secretary of the 
Senate's Disbursing Office to process and release commercial rental 
payments three weeks early to avoid any delays associated with COVID-19 
closures.
    The SAA Capitol Operations division has partnered with the AOC to 
mitigate the potential spread of SARS-COV-2 in the Capitol Complex by 
implementing an enhanced cleaning schedule for customers. The Recording 
Studio continues to take special care to ensure microphones and all 
other surfaces are sanitized in between Member visits. Additionally, 
the Appointments Desks is no longer reusing badges and clips. 
Furthermore, credentialed media are practicing social distancing and a 
number are also employing pool cameras.
    The SAA Capitol Facilities office is bolstering its cleaning 
regimen in the chamber, cloakrooms, personal offices, hideaways, 
bathrooms, and public areas with staff safety in mind. We use EPA-
verified hospital grade disinfectant to thoroughly eliminate viral 
strains. More frequent and in-depth cleanings are being conducted in 
public bathrooms. All hard vertical and horizontal surfaces are 
disinfected throughout office spaces. Hallways are receiving more 
frequent treatment with enhanced targeting of benches, handrails, and 
workstations. We are disinfecting all continuously touched surface 
areas, such as elevator buttons and interiors as well as internal and 
external office door handles and knobs.
    Our Postal Service operation continues to process incoming mail to 
ensure it is safe and is offering the option to hold or deliver mail 
for closed offices. We are providing a new digital imaging service 
through the Printing, Graphics, and Direct Mail (PGDM) department to 
electronically convert incoming First-Class mail and post it directly 
to the office's secure Customer File Exchange folder for safe 
retrieval. At this time 84 offices are participating in the digitized 
mail program. PGDM has also provided 60 offices with digital 
letterhead, 34 offices with digital signatures for correspondence and 
16 offices are participating in electronic constituent letter proofing.
    The SAA Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has worked to 
best position the Senate network to support large scale telework 
operations. This has included reconfiguration of network equipment, 
ensuring contractual provisions are in place to allow for increased 
internet bandwidth, procuring additional laptops and peripherals, and 
reviewing vendor contracts to make sure plans and provisions are in 
place to support IT Help Desk and technology support operations. More 
than 3,000 Senate staff and contractors accessed the network remotely 
on the first day mass telework was implemented in contrast to 800 
remotely working individuals during a normal schedule.
    The CIO has noticed a dramatic increase in telework and 
telepresence services with the following activity in the March 13th--
April 8th timeframe:

  --The daily average number of VPN users morphed to 4,800, compared to 
        the previous daily average of 500-600 per day.
  --There were 13,146 conference calls in this period compared to 5,419 
        calls between January and February combined.
  --Call Forward Remote Access feature was added to 1,500 DC phones.
  --A new DC soft phone capability was released with 31 clients 
        immediately participating to answer their main line numbers 
        remotely. Since the original release, it has increased to 66 
        offices.

    The Senate Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has transitioned to 
serving employees and their family members by phone and virtually. The 
team is fully staffed and meeting with individuals to address a wide 
array of emotional and behavioral issues including an increase in 
anxiety. EAP has also been participating in team conference calls with 
Senate offices to provide support including assisting managers and 
supervisors throughout the Senate to address employee and 
organizational challenges and needs during this unique time. EAP will 
continue to offer regular communication to the Senate community with 
appropriate suggestions and available resources.
    SAA will continue to support the health, safety, security of 
Senators and staff while ensuring legislative operations continue with 
the robust series of additional measures discussed above.
    We continue to educate, train, and exercise emergency plans and 
procedures to ensure Members and staff are equipped with the necessary 
knowledge, skills, and tools to prepare for, respond to, and recover 
from a variety of emergencies. During FY19, we updated 147 Emergency 
Action Plans and plan to update a similar amount in both FY20 and FY21. 
These plans provide detailed evacuation routes and elevator locations 
for the mobility-impaired. Further, we assisted 26 Member offices and 
committees with completing their Continuity of Operations plans, 
strengthening the Senate's ability to continue performing its essential 
functions during and after disruptive events. We also supplied and 
maintained emergency supply kits, annunciators, and escape hoods 
(including baby escape hoods), offering personalized preparedness, 
alert notification, accountability, and equipment training. We 
distributed guides informing staff on how to respond to threatening 
situations, protestors, and other emergencies.
    In FY19, our office obtained and configured four iPads to 
streamline the boarding and manifesting process of Senators and staff 
during emergencies to ensure accurate accountability rosters at a 
variety of locations. In FY20, our office will create four new mobile 
communications and boarding/manifesting kits that we will deploy during 
emergencies or special events, or use on Congressional delegation trips 
abroad.
    We implemented technological improvements to increase facility 
functionality in the Leadership Coordination Center (LCC) during 
emergencies. We finalized the Legislative Branch Emergency Call Center 
Plan and continue to work toward certification of a Congressional 
emergency website with the Library of Congress, so that a .gov website 
address can be used by Legislative Branch organizations to share 
unified and approved information with the public during emergencies. In 
FY20, we will integrate the Legislative Branch Family Assistance Center 
(FAC) plan that is under development into the approved Call Center 
Plan, and will join efforts with the District of Columbia to improve 
streamlined planning efforts should a FAC ever be needed during a mass 
casualty event affecting Capitol Hill.
    Readiness and protection of Members, staff, and visitors remains 
our primary focus. Working with the United States Capitol Police, we 
conducted over 30 annual evacuations, shelter in place, and other life 
safety drills, as well as the chamber exercise that allowed staff to 
observe and participate in realistic emergency scenarios and gain an 
appreciation of law enforcement responses. Further, we trained more 
than 4,000 staff on essential topics, including protective actions, 
emergency action planning, and ALERTS/Remote Check-In procedures. For 
FY20 and FY21, we plan to host preparedness fairs, and invite local 
response organizations during the September recess to educate staff 
about their services in order to develop a more resilient workforce.
    Over the past year, we have completely updated the SAA Operations 
Center plan and concept of operations. In collaboration with colleagues 
throughout the Senate, we have developed a forward leaning information 
hub focused on the Senate institution. We have positioned the SOC to 
integrate into operations with the Secretary of the Senate, House of 
Representatives, Architect of the Capitol, and USCP Operations Centers 
during planned and emergency events to establish a unified approach to 
incident management. The Joint Audible Warning System (JAWS) is 
replacing the legacy annunciator system, which was installed shortly 
after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks on the Capitol complex. The current 
system has become obsolete with limited support and hardware available 
for maintenance. The new system will provide an encrypted, remotely 
manageable audible warning system with coverage in required areas of 
the Capitol complex. We submit our FY21 request through a collaborative 
effort with the House SAA, USCP, and AOC. Our budget request aligns 
with the same methodology as the USCP and AOC and will cover the cost 
of engineering and technical services ($1,628K), infrastructure 
equipment costs ($711K), and end units ($2,401K).
    We recently completed a year-long pilot program with the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources to install an alert beacon in their 
hearing room to provide a silent visual notification to the Chief 
Clerk, who can determine a response to the emergency message. We are 
grateful to the committee staff for their feedback and assistance in 
shaping the program to meet committee needs, and plan to offer beacons 
to all committees this upcoming year.
    We continue to collaborate with the House, USCP, AOC, and Library 
of Congress to update, manage, and exercise joint communications plans 
and procedures for various communications devices. We also continue to 
work with the Executive Branch and other partners to expand priority 
and preemption cellular services to select Senate users, and provide 
access to secure communications devices as needed during highly 
congested events.
                security planning and police operations
    In coordination with USCP, we provide security and law enforcement 
support for the Senate community. This year's efforts included: 1) 
coordinating 1,286 Senate campus access requests; 2) working with the 
Committee on Rules and Administration and USCP to identify and publish 
numerous door and barricade restrictions during recess periods, special 
events, and holidays; and 3) representing the Senate on a joint Senate, 
House, USCP, and AOC campus security working group. Additionally, we 
coordinated security coverage for 455 committee hearings and more than 
70 Member-specific security requests. We also partnered with USCP to 
participate in several residential security assessment for Members. New 
this year, we reinstituted Security Awareness Briefings for Senate 
staff and held more than 50 sessions to provide information covering a 
variety of security-related topics.
    Our office provides real-time situational awareness through USCP 
Command Center support. Our staff are on duty all hours the Senate is 
in session, and throughout normal business hours during periods of 
recess, to allow for communication between our office, USCP, and the 
Senate community throughout routine operations, special events, and 
emergencies. Last year, we monitored approximately 697 security events 
through this program. My staff also provided security oversight and 
coverage during the State of the Union address, summer concert series, 
and demonstration activities in Senate office buildings.
                  intelligence and protective services
    We recognize the value of maintaining collaborative partnerships 
with various federal, state, and local law enforcement, intelligence, 
and force protection entities. We are able to synchronize information, 
identify security risks, monitor threat streams, and maintain 
situational awareness to ensure appropriate mitigation and prevention 
strategies are deployed to protect the safety and security of the 
Senate, domestically and abroad. Expanding social media platforms and 
the availability of open source materials allow individuals to spread 
malicious intents and activities to a large audience. We proactively 
research and analyze such material and engage with community partners 
and subject matter experts to maintain security-related situational 
awareness and identify threat data against Members, their families, and 
staff. We discovered over 300 comments of concern, which we referred to 
USCP, resulting in more than 30 criminal threat violations, a 110% 
increase over the previous year. For FY21, we anticipate social media 
awareness, as well as threat discoveries, to increase as social media 
platforms become a prominent communication method and open source 
intelligence technology develops further.
    We collaborate with USCP and other law enforcement agencies to 
ensure appropriate notification and communication with specifically 
targeted Members and staff while continuously monitoring, evaluating, 
and conducting vulnerability, risk, and threat assessments to determine 
and apply suitable security measures and protective operations 
coverage. For FY19, we tracked, monitored, and updated Senators and 
staff on over 150 active criminal threat cases, which is more than a 
30% increase from FY18. We expect our FY20 and FY21 cases to remain 
comparable to FY19. Additionally, we provide situational awareness for 
the Senate community regarding significant upcoming events or planned 
activities in and around the Capitol complex and state offices, which 
may adversely affect Senate business. Finally, we collaborate with USCP 
and other agencies to support contingencies, oversee security 
operations, and perform incident management and response action 
planning for major events. These major events include the Inauguration, 
State of the Union, Senatorial retreats, National Conventions, 
televised concerts, joint sessions of Congress, and other high profile 
National Special Security Events such as the Lying-In-State or In Honor 
of a government official in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. This fiscal year, 
we will support events such as the Republican and Democratic National 
Conventions, and our key event will be the Presidential Inauguration in 
2021.
    In FY21, we expect an increase in Member-specific requests. The SAA 
stands ready to assist Member offices with coordinating security and 
law enforcement needs. Our FY21 budget request identifies a $250K 
increase to cover the estimated amount of funds required to support 
USCP personnel on Congressional Delegations as addressed in the 2006 
Interagency agreement between the SAA and USCP and in compliance with 2 
U.S.C. Sec. 1975.
          office of member outreach and security coordination
    The primary objective of the Office of Member Outreach and Security 
Coordination (MOSC) is to actively engage with all Senators in order to 
proactively create a conduit for security-related information flow and 
appropriate liaising with law enforcement. In coordination with the 
USCP and other law enforcement agencies, this office continues to 
mature. For FY20, we implemented several security initiatives, law 
enforcement outreach efforts, and protective services objectives, 
including scheduling meetings with all 100 Senators' Chiefs of Staff 
and senior leadership in order to establish an open dialogue regarding 
security support to Senators and staff, both while in D.C and away from 
Capitol Hill. Information outlined includes security assessments and 
law enforcement coordination for public and private events, overseas 
travel assessments and coordination, tools for off campus safety, 
reporting procedures, SAA security training initiatives, cybersecurity 
awareness, and enhancing overall security postures. Additionally, the 
MOSC has engaged in active outreach and discussions regarding all 
active threat and criminal cases directed at Members and/or staff, as 
well as weekly reinforcement emails to Chiefs of Staff, Administrative 
Managers, State Directors, Chief Clerks, and Schedulers regarding 
campus safety initiatives. Additionally, MOSC participates in all 
Security Awareness Briefings for Senate office staff alongside USCP 
counterparts. Finally, we have increased initiatives with partner 
intelligence agencies.
    Each effort is undertaken to ensure Members and their staff receive 
the necessary guidance, tools, and support when planning and attending 
national public events. We provide offices with a final product 
highlighting the overall threat level, specific areas of concern, and 
local law enforcement contact information. In FY20, we have extended 
this coordination to incorporate assistance in additional areas such as 
providing law enforcement notifications for identified Rest Overnight 
locations and coordinating escorts at airports, train stations, and 
other mass transit locations. Through this extensive outreach 
initiative, MOSC has completed approximately 525 law enforcement 
coordination and assessment requests, 39 law enforcement escort 
requests, and 40 rest overnight notifications during the first half of 
FY20 (October 2019--March 2020). While initially on track to nearly 
double the approximate 626 total requests completed in FY19, we 
anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic will significantly impact our 
coordination numbers for FY20 due to the decline in scheduled public 
events and travel plans. Given the current climate, we continue to 
adapt our efforts and focus on how we can support Senators with their 
current needs as they relate to virtual town halls and alternative 
constituent outreach. As this pandemic continues, we will remain in 
support of the Senate for the upcoming 2020 election cycle and work to 
serve their needs during this ever-changing environment.
    Further, we continue to disseminate weekly emails to Administrative 
Managers, Chief Clerks, and Schedulers offering simple methods for 
requesting law enforcement coordination and security assessments to 
mitigate concerns at public events with Members in attendance. During 
FY21, we will engage in personal meetings with all Chiefs of Staff and 
senior level management-both to complete our final introductions and as 
a follow up to prior meetings-to ensure all offices receive the most up 
to date information. We will augment these outreach efforts by 
collaborating with USCP to develop additional training programs and 
security techniques for staff to use in this ever-evolving threat 
environment.
                               id office
    We partnered with multiple Senate divisions to manage ID badge 
requests with the appropriate data and designations. Almost 18,000 new 
and updated Congressional and Press IDs were issued in FY19. We 
anticipate our FY21 volume to be consistent if not greater than 
previous fiscal years due to USCP-established identification 
requirements for special events and increased demand from state 
offices. The ID office is collaborating with the office of the Senate 
Chief Information Officer (CIO) to support various capabilities as 
outlined in the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, 
including email encryption and two-factor secure remote network access 
throughout FY20 and FY21.
    We recently updated our badge production hardware designated for 
use during Continuity of Government and Continuity of Operations events 
and will further upgrade printers and cameras in late FY20 to ensure we 
are able to support the growing demand for SmartCards and proximity-
based IDs. We are scheduling future upgrades in a five-year cycle or 
earlier in order to meet National Institute of Science and Technology 
standards, which are considered best practices.
    We have been actively pursuing a vendor who can make the necessary 
modifications to our current badge management system to improve the 
accuracy and efficiency of our current production process while 
remaining good stewards of financial resources.
    SmartCards used for digital signatures in the Senate financial 
management system (FMIS NextGen) during FY19 expanded to include all 
Member, committee, and support offices. This expansion has increased 
demand for SmartCards by 30% each Congress, dating back to the 114th 
Congress. As the system expands its functionality and user population, 
we expect this number to grow throughout FY20 and FY21.
                           parking operations
    We continue to accommodate staff vehicle needs during ongoing 
renovations throughout the Capitol complex. Long-term construction 
projects, such as the Russell Senate Office Building's exterior 
rehabilitation, will continue to affect various permit holders over the 
next three to four years. In collaboration with the AOC, we remain 
committed to limiting disruptions during the Russell Senate Office 
Building underground garage renovation. During May of FY20, we will 
upgrade the permit management application process to streamline 
enforcement, enhance collection efforts, improve accuracy, and deliver 
real-time updates from field Parking Specialists. In FY21, we will 
purchase new Zebra permit printers, as well as Windows Surface Pros, to 
use in parking lots to enhance on-site customer service.
                         cybersecurity response
    We are in the fifth year of transforming cybersecurity from a 
reactive to proactive program defending the Senate. During FY21, we 
will focus on five key cybersecurity areas. First, we are currently 
developing a standardized methodology to assess the resiliency of our 
operations and evaluate the security of Senate-specific and cloud-based 
systems used or proposed for use by the Senate. Once this methodology 
is completed, we will develop a schedule to evaluate the effectiveness 
of the cybersecurity program. Second, we will conduct advanced 
resiliency assessments for Senate offices and committees that include 
coordinated penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, and advanced 
phishing assessments, among other actions. These advanced assessments 
will also evaluate the effectiveness of the Cyber Security Operations 
Center, as well as Information Technology systems supporting the Senate 
network. Third, we will continue to concentrate on mitigating risk 
associated with the potential insider threat, through education and 
technical means. Fourth, we will continue maturing our cybersecurity 
awareness campaign in collaboration with other agencies. Finally, we 
will continue evaluating gaps in cyber and privacy security as it 
relates to cloud-based services and other technologies, and will work 
to develop and post relevant cybersecurity policies to the Senate 
community. Through the standup of a contracting review board, we review 
all awarded contracts for legal, cybersecurity, and privacy risks. This 
review continues to mature and includes development and continual 
refinement of legal, privacy, and cyber concerns on vendors' terms and 
conditions.
                       cio security enhancements
    We continue to work closely with offices on multi-factor 
authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of the Senate IT 
infrastructure. With input from Senate offices, we procured an MFA 
solution in November 2018. In FY19, we integrated the MFA solution with 
our Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Virtual Private Network 
(VPN) and made the MFA PAM solution available to all Senate offices. In 
early FY20, we transitioned all Senate users to the new MFA VPN 
solution. During FY21, we will further secure access to critical Senate 
services and data using MFA for other applications.
    To address the ongoing need for increased security of highly 
privileged accounts, we expanded enrollment into PAM to include the 
accounts used by office System Administrators. PAM significantly 
increases the security posture of the Senate information systems, 
protecting the most sensitive data by limiting exposure of privileged 
credentials and protecting access to those credentials with MFA. We 
will continue outreach efforts during FY21 to ensure all Senate offices 
are using PAM to better protect the Senate network, resources, and 
data.
    The Identity and Access Management (IAM) program remains 
strategically important as it ensures users of IT resources have the 
right access to the right systems and data from initial onboarding 
through their tenure at the Senate, ensuring access to all systems and 
data terminates once they are no longer an employee of the Senate. SAA 
CIO plans to deploy IAM in a pilot program late in 2020. With the 
increased adoption of cloud services across the IT and mobile device 
landscape, it is essential that a user's access to the proper systems 
and data can be managed efficiently and securely. Additionally, cloud 
products rely on user licenses to access these services, and the 
ability to correctly license and delicense users is essential to 
control costs.
                    enterprise and network services
    Further developing the Senate's hybrid cloud strategy remains a key 
goal during FY20 and FY21. During FY20, we developed a cloud strategy 
centered on moving appropriate software applications to cloud services, 
after careful analysis of data protections and the Senate's ability to 
secure cloud services. In partnership with Senate offices, we conducted 
a thorough pilot of cloud-based storage and collaboration tools. This 
provides users with greater capacity of cloud-based storage and allows 
them to access the storage from any Senate device, while offering a 
modern collaboration platform sought by Senate users. During FY20 and 
FY21, we will make these services available to all Senate offices and 
evaluate the use of additional cloud services.
    In FY19, we identified a modern data center to provide geographic 
separation, enhanced resiliency of critical IT services, as well as 
improved physical security. Additionally, this data center provides 
efficient and reliable power, cooling, and network redundancy to ensure 
that critical IT services are always available. Select critical IT 
services will begin running out of the new data center in FY20, and the 
buildout will continue into FY21. Ultimately, some services will run 
out of this new data center while other services will run from cloud 
providers. We are undertaking additional analysis to ensure we provide 
the right mix of cost effective and modern services between a mix of 
data centers and the cloud.
    We will also begin replacing campus network distribution switches 
that have reached end of life, starting in FY21 and completing in FY22.
               enterprise and system development services
    In FY20, we commenced an effort to improve customer service by 
replacing our current IT service management platform with a more modern 
system. This application functions as a Help Desk ticket workflow and 
management. In FY21, we plan to complete the acquisition of the new 
platform and required integration services and begin the 
implementation.
                       it support communications
    In FY18, the SAA began expansion of the digital signage system to 
approximately 60 locations within the Hart, Dirksen, and Russell 
buildings, with a plan to add 54 new locations over the next five 
years. The expanded digital signage system will display graphical 
wayfinding information and emergency notifications, in addition to 
existing directory information and hearing schedules. The new digital 
signs will connect to the Joint Emergency Mass Notification System.
    The multi-year effort to upgrade and modernize the state office 
telephony infrastructure for all 460-plus state offices is underway and 
the first 170 offices have been completed. We expect to complete an 
additional 200 offices in FY20. It will provide each state office with 
new hardware, increased flexibility, a feature-rich voicemail platform, 
and additional security at a lower cost.
    We are currently evaluating the legacy telephone system for the 
Capitol and Senate buildings and plan to upgrade it, as well as the 
adjunct systems. This Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) 
platform will upgrade the existing Voice over IP telephone switch and 
associated subsystems, including, but not limited to, voicemail, 
instant messaging, contact center, integrated voice response systems, 
audio/video conferencing, and any other collaboration tools that 
support Senate offices. We have contracted with subject matter experts 
to assist in requirements development and design for a new UCC 
platform. We are currently interviewing Senate offices and other 
stakeholders to gather requirements that will inform our procurement 
action. Our FY21 budget request reflects our estimated increase for 
this upgrade.
                          contingency programs
    Contingency Programs, in collaboration with the Secretary of the 
Senate, House Officers, Architect of the Capitol, and other Senate and 
Executive Branch partners, mitigates against potential impacts through 
identification of vulnerabilities, and the development of strategies, 
plans, and capabilities. This allows the Senate constitutional 
functions to continue in the face of natural and man-made disruptions. 
We accomplish this through the incorporation of continuity best 
practices, regularly scheduled assessments, planning reviews, 
exercises, and collaborative work groups. The mainstay of Contingency 
Programs are flexible relocation options, a comprehensive family of 
plans, and trained employees ready to deploy, as needed. Efforts 
undertaken in conjunction with the House of Representatives are 
performed under the auspices of the Joint Congressional Continuity 
Board. The Senate Continuity Board, comprised of the Sergeant at Arms 
and Secretary of the Senate, manages Senate-specific efforts.
    Contingency Programs undertook several continuity exercises, which 
validated existing plans and capabilities. One such exercise involved 
setting up an alternate chamber. We successfully accomplished this over 
a two-day period, thanks to the efforts of staff representing SAA and 
the Secretary of the Senate, Architect of the Capitol, Committee on 
Rules and Administration, and Party Secretaries. Simultaneously, we 
established alternate office space in response to a simulated 
disruption, which denied access to Senate office buildings.
    In FY20, multiple exercises will take place to test and validate 
our capabilities. One major exercise will be a week-long mobility and 
relocation exercise, tasking Senate continuity stakeholders with 
deploying vehicles, equipment, and staff to an off-site location, 
setting up functioning offices, and challenging staff to perform 
essential functions as if the Senate had relocated to a continuity 
site. We expect the results of the exercise to contribute to the 
refinement of plans, provide training, identify capability gaps, and 
inform future investments. As we move toward FY21, the Contingency 
Program Office anticipates further program refinement, while searching 
for more efficient and effective means of ensuring the Senate's ability 
to meet its constitutional obligations in the face of an increasingly 
complex and diverse threat environment.
                   printing, graphics and direct mail
    We provide support to the Senate community through graphic design, 
printing, photocopying, mailing, document preservation, logistics, and 
secure offsite transfer of Senate material. As printing and production 
equipment approaches the end of its lifecycle, we will begin replacing 
and replenishing within our existing budget.
    Through software updates and enhanced training, we will continue to 
provide more integral communication opportunities by using digital 
technology to create both print and digital solutions for Senate 
offices throughout FY20 and into FY21. We have actively begun 
implementing digital publications for various offices, while ensuring 
that items such as 508 compliance are applied. Those digital solutions 
have generated additional printed material that will require enhanced 
printing technology, which we will implement in FY21. We continue to 
seek and provide training through various methods and resources to 
ensure we meet or exceed industry standards.
                           senate post office
    We test and deliver mail and packages to more than 180 locations 
within the Capitol complex, while providing a messenger service to 
multiple locations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. In 
FY19, our office safely processed and delivered more than 7.25 million 
incoming mail items, while intercepting nine suspicious mailings that 
required an immediate response by the USCP. We prevented delivery of an 
additional 920 mailings bearing characteristics with the intent to 
disrupt Senate business and requiring further scrutiny by USCP.
    Providing mail safety and security training for both D.C. and state 
offices remains vital to ensuring all Senate staff know how to respond 
to potentially dangerous situations. We offer training through the web 
(static video), VTC, and webinars and accomplish it in coordination 
with our State Office Programs group.
                           capitol facilities
    We support the work of the Senate by providing a clean, 
professional environment in the Capitol. Our Environmental Services 
Division cleans Capitol offices, hallways, and restrooms; moves 
furniture for offices; and provides special event setups for 15 meeting 
rooms in the Capitol and the Senate expansion space in the Capitol 
Visitor Center. The Furnishings Division provides furnishings, 
including stock and custom furniture, carpeting, and window treatments, 
to Capitol offices. They also provide framing services for Senate 
offices and committees. Their focus continues on realizing cost savings 
and improved efficiency, while maintaining the same level of service.
                            support services
Transportation and Fleet Operations
    We procure, manage, and maintain Senate vehicles; operate the 
Senate Daily Shuttle service; and provide the Senate with emergency 
transportation and logistics support. The fleet includes trucks, vans, 
buses, SUVs, electric vehicles, handicapped-accessible vehicles, and 
Segways. In FY19, staff transported more than 22,000 passengers through 
the SAA Shuttle Service, and our FY20 budget and FY21 request have us 
postured to provide the same level of support.
Photography Studio
    We provide photo-imaging services for Senate offices and 
committees. Our studio manages and maintains the Photo Browser 
application that provides Senate offices a secure, accessible archive 
of all photos accumulated during a Senator's term in office. Currently, 
the Photo Browser system contains more than 1.7 million photo image 
files. In FY19, our staff photographed more than 185,000 images, 
produced more than 54,000 photo prints, and coordinated scanning for 
end of term archiving of more than 89,000 photo images for Senators 
leaving office. We are able to provide the same level of service in 
both FY20 and FY21 without any additional increase.
                        state office operations
    We have seen an appreciable increase in state office rents for both 
commercial and federal buildings over the past two years. In order to 
cover these costs, we are internally realigning funds to support the 
execution of leasing, tenant improvement, project management, security, 
and emergency preparedness functions for more than 460 federal, 
commercial, and mobile Senate state offices across the United States. 
Our staff works closely with commercial landlords, the General Services 
Administration (GSA), and the Federal Protective Service to ensure 
Members' operational and security needs are met in their state offices. 
In FY19, we completed 88 relocation and renovation projects, 
coordinating construction, furniture, equipment, and delivery of IT 
services. We expect this number to remain steady in FY20 and increase 
in FY21 as the team works to support new Members and all commercial 
lease renewals for the 117th Congress. Our success in managing the 
Senate's State Office Operations portfolio hinges on our close and 
collaborative working relationship with Senate staff. In FY19, in 
conjunction with the GSA, we hosted the first-ever State Office 
Operations Open House to increase awareness of our services, security 
recommendations, and best practices. We look forward to hosting this 
event yearly as a way to further promote our services and security 
enhancements.
    We remain committed to ensuring the safety of Members and staff, 
and continue to provide customized security systems, monitoring 
services, and enhanced office security construction designs to state 
offices without affecting Member office budgets. Over 98% of state 
offices have adopted some level of recommended security enhancements. 
In FY19, we provided initial physical security enhancements for 28 
state offices and enhanced existing security for 17 others.
    Emergency preparedness training and familiarity with security 
equipment equates to higher levels of compliance and readiness. In 
FY19, more than 300 Office Emergency Coordinators, staff, and interns 
attended at least one of our training or emergency plan review 
sessions. We offered 40 webinars, provided on-site state office 
security awareness briefings to 138 staff members, and 55 received USCP 
active shooter training. We worked closely with USCP to maintain our 
security awareness and emergency preparedness outreach, increasing the 
number of state offices visited in FY19 by 84%, in order to provide on-
site training. We also continued supporting the requirement for state 
offices to comply with the Congressional Accountability Act, assisting 
over 100 state offices with the development of emergency action and 
continuity of operations plans, a 168% increase over the prior year's 
completion rate. Our focus on state office readiness and training will 
continue into FY21 as we support transitions associated with the 117th 
Congress.
                        senate recording studio
    In FY19, we provided 1,029 hours of gavel-to-gavel coverage of 
Senate floor proceedings, including 5,503 livestreamed page views to 
569 unique visitors, as well as archiving of the proceedings on the 
Senate's website, www.senate.gov. We also coordinate with other 
government agencies, such as the Voice of America and the Department of 
State, to provide hearings to a larger audience. Further, we enable 
Senators working in D.C. to communicate with their constituents and 
news outlets back home. In calendar year 2019, the Studio produced 
1,010 television productions and 720 radio productions.
    During FY19, we renovated two hearing rooms, replacing audiovisual 
equipment that had exceeded its useful life. We will complete one 
hearing room in FY20 with the $2,300,000 reprogrammed during FY19. 
During FY21, we are requesting a $2,000,000 permanent budget base 
increase to enable us to renovate one to two rooms a year based on 
Senate priorities for the 43 hearing and meeting rooms. We provided a 
15-year plan to the Committee on Rules and Administration. We will 
continue to work with them, as well as with the Architect of the 
Capitol and the Appropriations Committee, to refine and adjust the 
replacement plan to avoid equipment failure.
                        periodical press gallery
    The Senate Periodical Press Gallery serves the needs of accredited 
news reporters for magazines, newsletters, non-daily newspapers, and 
online publications. Serving as a liaison between reporters, Senate 
officials, and law enforcement remains our primary responsibility. 
Media presence on Capitol Hill has increased dramatically over the past 
few years. Our staff helps maintain crowd control in the Senate subway 
and the Ohio Clock Corridor during votes and party caucus meetings. We 
also coordinate press coverage of hearings, news conferences, 
stakeouts, and other media events in the Capitol and Senate office 
buildings. In addition, we review new press applications in 
consultation with the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents; 
renew approximately 1,000 press credentials each year; and maintain 
daily Senate floor logs on the Senate Periodical Press Gallery website 
(www.periodicalpress.senate.gov), which tracks legislative activity, 
votes, and schedule updates. Reporters and Senate staff are also kept 
informed about Senate legislative activity on the Gallery's Twitter 
account (@Senate PPG). Our FY21 budget request will allow us to 
continue providing the same level of service.
                          daily press gallery
    We issue approximately 1,600 credentials to journalists each year. 
As custodians of the largest press complex on Capitol Hill, we serve 
more than 100 reporters who work in the Press Gallery on a regular 
basis. Further, we control access to the Press Gallery inside the 
Senate Chamber, ensure Gallery rules are followed, and coordinate with 
Senate committees on press coverage for hearings and other events 
around Capitol Hill. Our staff remains focused on modernizing services, 
streamlining the online credentialing process, and maintaining real 
time website updates on Senate floor proceedings and notifications to 
Senate staff and reporters via email and Twitter (@SenatePress).
                      press photographers gallery
    Our FY21 budget request allows us to continue to provide support to 
press photographers and representing news organizations from across the 
United States and around the world. This support serves as our primary 
duty to ensure a liaison between news photographers and Congress. Since 
the House of Representatives does not have their own press 
Photographers Gallery, our staff supports the press photographers and 
Congressional staff at House news events and hearings. We support press 
logistics at many high-profile hearings and events and coordinate with 
other SAA offices, the United States Capitol Police, and Senate and 
House offices to ensure press photographers have access without 
interfering with the duties of the Congress. Equally important is our 
coordination of the press logistic plans for Continuity of Government.
                      radio and television gallery
    Our staff serves as the Senate's primary contact to the broadcast 
news, ensuring the Senate's broadcast coverage rules are followed. We 
function as liaison between Senate offices and the broadcast media. We 
issue approximately 3,500 credentials each year to television and radio 
reporters, producers, and technical personnel. We also maintain the 
studio and technical infrastructure Senators use for news conferences. 
In an effort to ensure live coverage capability, our staff conducts an 
extensive connectivity maintenance program, to include the fiber optic 
cabling throughout the Senate office buildings.
                           senate doorkeepers
    As Doorkeepers, we provide access to those with Senate floor 
privileges; enforce the rules of the Senate floor; and facilitate the 
needs of Senators, Senate floor staff, and Senate Pages. We provide 
support for a number of special events attended by Senators, their 
families, and special guests. Moreover, we process approximately 
200,000 visitors from around the world each year and ensure they can 
visit the Senate Galleries safely. In keeping with safety, we also 
undertake emergency preparedness roles, balancing access and safety in 
the Senate.
                        senate appointment desk
    At the Senate Appointment Desk, we safely and efficiently process 
thousands of Senate guests each year for business meetings or other 
purposes. During FY19, we processed approximately 230,000 visitors 
through our network of Appointment Desks located on the first floor of 
the Capitol, in the basements of the Russell and Hart Senate office 
buildings, and in the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). Of these, more than 
108,000 visitors were in the Capitol complex for official business or 
for a meeting with a Member, a Member's office, or a committee. In 
addition, more than 29,000 international visitors relied on the CVC 
Appointment Desk for Senate Gallery Passes and information. We expect 
the same level of effort in FY21.
                            human resources
    The SAA Human Resources (HR) office provides personnel services and 
advice to SAA managers and employees. In addition, the office provides 
workers' compensation, ergonomic assessments, Americans with 
Disabilities Act accommodation requests, and recruitment services to 
the broader Senate community. During FY19, the Senate Placement Office 
received 768 requests for recruitment assistance from Senate offices 
and processed 30,017 resumes from applicants seeking Senate employment.
    Our FY21 budget justification requests a small increase to ensure 
the viability of the transit subsidy program for our employees and 
includes a request to obtain support to improve, enhance, and automate 
HR processes. Further, we remain committed to working in concert with 
the Secretary of the Senate to streamline our human resource efforts 
and leverage the efficiencies offered by improvements to the HR 
information system.
                 joint office of training & development
    The Joint Office of Training & Development provides training to all 
Senate staff so they have the resources and skills needed to perform 
their jobs. Training & Development averages nearly 8,000 attendees in 
the in-person and online courses annually. The office facilitates 
conferences for state office staff, and provides customized training, 
facilitation services, and coaching to Member, committee, and support 
offices, averaging about 215 attendees each year. Outside of the 
classroom, the Training & Development staff have assisted over 6,000 
staff in informal learning encounters.
    The mandated Health Promotion section provides health promotion 
activities and events for the Senate community. Each year, this section 
coordinates and hosts the two-day Wellness Fair, which averages nearly 
3,000 participants in health promotion activities, including screenings 
for glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure; exercise demonstrations; 
and seminars on topics including healthy eating and cancer prevention. 
We continue to coordinate with the American College of Surgeons and the 
Stop the Bleed Coalition to provide bleeding control training for D.C. 
Senate staff. During FY19, we trained 75 Senate employees and we 
continue to provide this training quarterly. The small increase to our 
FY 21 budget request will enable us to continue refining and improving 
upon our training, provide professional development training to our 
employees, obtain various software licenses to support our clients, and 
fund travel of our employees in support of Senate offsite 
facilitations.
                      employee assistance program
    Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers a variety of 
emotional, behavioral and work-related support resources and services 
to staff, their family members, Senate Pages, and interns. In FY19, 
nearly 1 in 8 Senate employees used the services of an EAP counselor. 
Further, 323 employees took an online mental health screening; 2,498 
employees attended an EAP training activity; and 2,042 employees 
accessed resources for personalized information and referrals 
addressing childcare, parenting, adult care, aging, education, legal 
concerns, and/or financial issues. We are requesting a small increase 
in our FY21 budget request to fully fund trauma and critical incident 
support services.
                               conclusion
    I want to thank you for your bipartisan support to the SAA. The 
FY21 Sergeant at Arms budget request reflects only what we need to 
support the personal security of the Senators and their staff, the 
physical security of the Capitol and surrounding buildings, the cyber 
and privacy security of the Senate, and the administrative and 
logistical support to the Senate ensuring the legislative process 
proceeds unimpeded. This budget request requires each member of the 
Sergeant at Arms to be good stewards of every taxpayer dollar spent and 
holds me accountable to provide first in class support to the Senate. 
We will work closely with you to ensure we meet your needs in a timely 
and efficient manner.

    [This statement was submitted by the Honorable Michael C. Stenger.]
                                 ______
                                 
         Prepared Statement of the United States Capitol Police
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the United 
States Capitol Police (USCP) budget request for Fiscal Year 2021 under 
these serious circumstances as the Congress and the Department respond 
to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Department greatly appreciates 
the Subcommittee's continued support of the women and men of the 
Department as well as Congress' generosity in providing the resources 
necessary to support our crucial mission.
    The USCP has a unique role--we are the only law enforcement agency 
responsible for protecting the Congress and the U.S. Capitol Complex. 
We detect, investigate, and prevent threats made against Members of 
Congress and the U.S. Capitol. We provide a steady, watchful presence 
throughout the Capitol Complex, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We are 
responsible for protecting elected officials to ensure the continuity 
of government. In addition, the type of policing that we engage in is 
highly specialized to focus on the unique requirements of protecting 
the legislative process as well as the First Amendment rights of our 
citizens; maintaining an open campus so that visitors from across the 
country and around the world can witness representative democracy in 
action, and preventing crime and terrorism. We also engage in community 
policing with our law enforcement partners throughout the city of 
Washington, D.C., and we conduct investigations with our federal 
partners including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret 
Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and 
others.
    In June 2019, I had the honor of being sworn-in as the tenth Chief 
of Police for the United States Capitol Police. In my more than 28 
years of law enforcement service, including nearly three years as the 
USCP Assistant Chief of Police, I could not be more proud to lead a 
Department that is so highly respected, and is known for its 
professionalism and national security capabilities. I strongly believe 
in our mission, and I know that our team is the best at what we do. 
From our civilian employees who are critical in supporting our daily 
operations, to our sworn officers who are out there getting the job 
done, I value each and every one of their contributions that allow us 
to successfully achieve our mission.
    I look forward to leading the Department into the next decade by 
continuing to optimize the Department's overall readiness to address 
the challenges of keeping the Congress and the U.S. Capitol safe and 
secure in our ever-changing world.
    I am supported in this commitment to excellence by my Executive 
Team--Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman, Assistant Chief Chad Thomas, 
Chief Administrative Officer Richard Braddock, Acting General Counsel 
Thomas DiBiase, and Chief Financial Officer Dominic Storelli--as well 
as by the members of my entire Executive Management Team.
    The Department appreciates its partnerships with Mr. Michael 
Bolton, USCP Inspector General, Ms. Karen Gray-Thomas, Chair of the 
USCP International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Officer Gus 
Papathanasiou, Chairman of the USCP Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), 
and their contributions to the Department's overall success. I value 
our relationships with our unions, and respect their roles in 
collaboratively implementing policies and procedures, and addressing 
personnel concerns with the shared goal of supporting the Department's 
mission.
   effecting organizational changes to enhance operational capacities
    Last fall, having spent significant time thoroughly and 
thoughtfully reviewing our overall operations to better address 
threats, manage Department resources, and develop and support our 
future leaders, I implemented several organizational changes that 
became effective on October 20, 2019. These changes are designed to 
further enhance our operational capacity and internal oversight of the 
Department's operations. The reorganization also places added 
concentration on Department-wide internal controls and employee 
wellness and well-being. I want to thank and recognize the Capitol 
Police Board, and our Senate and House Oversight Committees for their 
support as we put these organizational changes into effect.
    In response to the significant increases in our ranks and in our 
responsibilities, I added a second Assistant Chief Police to our 
command staff. Prior to October 2019, we had one Assistant Chief of 
Police who oversaw the day-to-day functions of all five of our 
operational bureaus. In addition, as Chief, one of my top priorities is 
to further strengthen our dignitary protection operations and threat 
information gathering and analysis capabilities to identify any risks 
of terror attacks whether the danger is from a foreign terrorist 
organization or from a domestic ``lone wolf'' assailant.
    Under our new Department organizational structure, Assistant Chief 
Pittman is charged with leading our Protective and Intelligence 
Operations, and Assistant Chief Thomas is charged with leading our 
Uniformed Operations. This allows each of them to focus on developing 
and implementing new mission-critical initiatives, on broadening our 
protective mission within the Capitol Complex and beyond, on further 
enhancing our operational readiness, and on ensuring that our critical 
life-safety mission is successfully executed.
    To effectively direct the Department's compliance with its 
policies, procedures, and processes, and the efficient execution of its 
programs and initiatives, a new Internal Controls and Risk Management 
Division was established. The new division, under the Office of the 
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), works in concert with the 
Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to identify and address 
opportunities for greater operational efficiencies across the 
Department.
    Under the reorganization, a new Employee Wellness and Resiliency 
Division also was established under the CAO, which is addressing 
employees' physical, nutritional, mental, financial, and spiritual 
well-being. During this time of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
while we are all working to maintain our good spirits and health, the 
Department's is making available--free of charge to employees--
alternative resources that support nutritional and physical health, 
stress management, and work-life balance. As detailed in our recent 
report to the Subcommittee, the Department's overall plan going forward 
is to deliver wellness solutions, which includes conducting a 
comprehensive assessment of employee needs, and developing an inclusive 
strategy to provide a variety of resources. For example, the Department 
has partnered with the House Wellness Center to facilitate USCP 
employees' access to the House's online and in-person wellness 
offerings.
    Our wellness program is being designed to help employees understand 
their current health and financial wellness status; set realistic 
goals; provide personalized guidance, and identify resources to ensure 
success in their health and well-being journeys. It also will include 
access to a personal trainer in the USCP gyms; experts to provide 
advice on healthy eating habits; money management seminars on creating 
household budgets and spending plans, and an early-intervention program 
and peer-to-peer support program. The holistic wellness program also 
aims to expand and promote Department policies and programs that 
support work-life balance, such as the alternative work schedule and 
telework policies.
    As for the Department's financial wellness, I am pleased to report 
that the Department received its eighth consecutive unmodified 
``clean'' opinion on our Fiscal Year 2019 financial statements from the 
OIG. The OIG plays a very important role in assisting the Department in 
improving our operations and performance by conducting audits, reviews, 
and investigations, and making recommendations for business 
improvements. The resolution of OIG recommendations regarding the 
Department's internal controls and business processes is among the top 
priorities of our leadership team, as evidenced by the creation of our 
new Internal Controls and Risk Management Division. Since 2006, when 
the OIG was established, the Department has successfully closed 92 
percent of the OIG's recommendations.
    We also have been updating the Department's Strategic Plan to 
prioritize key strategic goals and objectives within the current 
security and fiscal environments for the next five years. These goals 
include optimizing readiness; threat identification and mitigation; 
supporting our employees from the day they are hired to the day they 
retire, and promoting accountability. Our strategic planning process 
has included valuable input from our sworn and civilian colleagues, and 
when finalized, also will reflect Legislative Branch stakeholders' 
priorities.
       addressing threats to maintain highest level of readiness
    We consistently work to maintain the level of protection necessary 
to balance access and security. Over the past year, the Department 
screened millions of individuals at building entrances and interior 
checkpoints, effectively integrating and implementing the use of our 
pre-screener officers at posts outside of the Senate and House office 
buildings, coupled with our House Garage security perimeter plan. In 
this fiscal year alone, we have managed an ever-increasing number of 
demonstrations, including large demonstrations each Friday for 14 weeks 
starting last October; have secured and supported a Lying in State 
ceremony; saved dozens of lives using our specialized training and 
equipment; secured historic Senate sessions and House hearings; have 
swiftly responded to critical incidents and civil disobedience; and 
have investigated numerous, credible threats against Members of 
Congress and the U.S. Capitol.
    In our efforts to address new and emerging threats and to maintain 
the highest level of readiness, the Department works closely with the 
Capitol Police Board to augment and strengthen its off-campus security 
and Member protection. We routinely collaborate with the Senate and 
House Sergeants at Arms to assess Members' state and district office 
security, and we provide recommendations on ways to improve and enhance 
security measures and practices inside and outside of the National 
Capital Region.
    We also continue to provide security awareness briefings for both 
local and district staff. I am pleased to note that the number of 
security awareness briefings requested by Member offices has nearly 
tripled since Calendar Year 2017. We appreciate that there is a 
heightened awareness among Members and their staffs about their 
personal security, and that they are building partnerships with the 
USCP to further ensure their safety. The Department greatly appreciates 
the Capitol Police Board's support in these efforts, as their outreach 
to Member offices allows the Department to better serve Congress's 
needs.
    Since Calendar Year 2017, the number of threats we have 
investigated has increased by more than 75 percent. Our special agents 
are aggressively pursuing all leads and investigating threats from many 
sources. As a result of their efforts, we have also seen the number of 
threat cases that we have closed by arrest increase significantly.
    In just the past nine months, the USCP has thwarted a number of 
serious and credible threats against Members that have led to numerous 
arrests across the country as well as national headlines.
  --``Kentwood Man Sentenced for Interstate Threat to Injure U.S. 
        Senator,'' June 28, 2019 (The Post-Cedar Springs, MI)
  --``Virginia Beach Man Admits Threatening to Shoot Sen. Mark 
        Warner,'' July 11, 2019 (The Virginian-Pilot)
  --``Kissimmee Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Threatening to Behead 
        Sen. Bernie Sanders,'' August 23, 2019 (Osceola, FL, News-
        Gazette)
  --``Man Arrested in Connection to Threats to Arkansas Congressman,'' 
        October 1, 2019 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
  --``Man Accused of Threatening Federal Agent and Members of 
        Congress,'' November 26, 2019 (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
  --``Maine Schools in Lockdown After Threat Mentioning Susan 
        Collins,'' January 31, 2020 (Bangor Daily News)
  --``Man Charged with Making Death Threats to Nancy Pelosi in 
        Coronavirus Rant,'' March 26, 2020 (New York Times)

        
        
        
        
        
        
    Just as important, based on the thoroughness of our investigations, 
these cases are being successfully prosecuted and tried by our law 
enforcement partners in U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country.
    In addition, the number of coordination activities where the 
Department engages with other law enforcement agencies to provide 
security for Members at off-campus events increased by more than 200 
percent from Calendar Year 2017 to Calendar Year 2019.
    This is due in part because of our concentrated effort to increase 
Member protection within the National Capital Region, and our work with 
our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners throughout the 
country to coordinate security arrangements for Members while they are 
at public events in their home states.
    As the nation continues to adjust its activities due to the ongoing 
COVID-19 pandemic, so too does the Department as we continue to plan 
for both the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
and the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
Each of these events requires extensive planning and resources from the 
USCP, and we are working closely with the respective executive steering 
committees to plan for a number of contingencies for each of the 
conventions. As an active partner in the overall event security 
planning, we have forged excellent relationships with our executive 
steering committee partners, and our efforts will only enhance our 
efforts to protect Members of Congress, no matter how the conventions 
take place.
                      investing in a secure future
    In order to continue to be a leader within federal law enforcement, 
and to get ahead of potential threats rather than reacting to them, we 
have developed our Fiscal Year 2021 budget request with an emphasis on 
providing specialized training for our employees as well as investing 
in the tools and technologies we need to maintain the highest level of 
readiness.
    Our Fiscal Year 2021 budget request is $516.7 million, and 
represents an increase of 11.2 percent over Fiscal Year 2020 enacted 
levels to meet mandatory salary requirements, provide overtime for 
critical training, ensure the security of the 2021 Presidential 
Inauguration, and address other mission-related expenses. Our budget 
request does not include a request for additional FTEs, however, we are 
facing increasing personnel costs due to outside requirements.
    Specifically, our request includes $7.9 million to cover an 
increase in benefits costs related to an increase in the Office of 
Personnel Management's (OPM) Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) 
rate for the USCP. The FY 2021 request does not include potential 
increases resulting from P.L. 116-94, Adjustment to Normal Cost 
Percentage Rates.
    Following OPM's establishment of the USCP's ``normal-cost 
percentage'' level, the Department will provide the Subcommittee with 
revised FY 2021 salaries request data, as necessary. In addition, we 
are requesting $7.8 million for FY 2021 COLA and related benefits 
costs.
    As the members of the Subcommittee are aware, the Department's 
current sworn staffing levels do not provide the complete and necessary 
resources to meet all of our mission requirements within the 
established sworn officer utility or the number of work-hours in a year 
that each officer is available to perform work. This utility number is 
used to determine overall staffing requirements. It balances the 
utility of available staff with annual salary and overtime funding 
along with known mission requirements. These known requirements include 
post coverage and projected unscheduled events such as demonstrations, 
late-night sessions, and holiday concerts. The utility number also 
estimates unfunded requirements that occur after the budget is enacted, 
such as unforeseen critical emergency situations, and providing 
adequate police coverage of Congressional hearings.
    Because of the need to fill the mission requirement gap through 
overtime, the Department must also utilize overtime to ensure that 
officers can be offline for training, while meeting our daily mission 
requirements. There are flexibilities that other law enforcement 
agencies have to offset or defer daily requirements to allow for 
officer training that our unique mission does not afford us.
    Therefore, mission requirements in excess of available personnel 
must be addressed through the identification of efficiencies such as 
post realignment and/or reductions, technology, and cutbacks within the 
utility. Where necessary, we meet this requirement through the use of 
overtime.
    On January 20, 2021, the U.S. Capitol once again will be the center 
of global attention as it hosts the Presidential Inauguration. Our 
planning is underway and our FY 2021 budget request includes $2.72 
million for overtime for Inaugural security-related activities. An 
additional $47.5 million for overtime will cover base mission 
requirements, the support of non-reimbursable events at the Library of 
Congress, and the ability for sworn employees to be backfilled while 
they attend mandatory and essential training.
    According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police 
(IACP), ``police agencies nationwide have experienced increasing levels 
of staff turnover and difficulty in recruiting new officers. The 
problem is compounded by experienced officers, who have been the core 
of their agencies' operations for years, who are retiring.''
    While we are competing with other law enforcement agencies across 
the country to find and hire qualified applicants, we continue to work 
hard to attract the necessary level of highly-qualified candidates to 
hire without having to compromise our hiring standards--including 
during this pandemic. The women and men who make up our recruit classes 
are the top one percent of the candidates who have applied to work with 
us. Our recruiting staff has been very successful in reaching out to 
colleges and universities, as well as exploring other avenues, to meet 
and recruit very diverse groups of applicants.
    It is not enough to simply attract the best and the brightest. As 
Chief, it is my responsibility to ensure that we continue to invest in 
our employees by providing them with the training they need to grow 
personally and professionally; to obtain and upgrade key equipment and 
systems they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively; and to 
give them the proper tools to ensure that they achieve and maintain a 
well-rounded career with the Department. As the Department continues to 
grow and transform to address new and emerging threats, new 
technologies are essential tools in our ability to maintain a high 
level of readiness and to compete with other law enforcement agencies.
    The IACP also has noted that, ``Technology impacts every aspect of 
the law enforcement profession and is constantly evolving.'' This 
includes communications, information management, enforcement 
technologies, forensics, operations, cyber-crimes, digital evidence, 
and emerging technologies such as drone mitigation and autonomous 
vehicles.
    For the Department's General Expenses budget, our FY 2021 budget 
request includes items such as protective travel; hiring, outfitting, 
and training new sworn personnel; supplies and security equipment; 
event management, and other non-personnel needs. We are requesting 
$99.5 million for general expenses, which is an increase of $14.2 
million over the FY 2020 enacted level.
    A large part of our General Expenses budget will be invested in our 
people and the tools they need to do their jobs successfully. We plan 
to use these funds to upgrade our network and infrastructure equipment, 
computer hardware and software, and specialty equipment. We are also 
going to provide our sworn personnel with specialized training in order 
to commit more resources to our threat detection and prevention efforts 
where their focus is on keeping the Members of Congress and the Capitol 
Complex safe and secure.
    Also included in our FY 2021 budget request is $3.6 million in No-
Year funding to support the replacement of the antiquated annunciator 
system that was installed shortly after the September 11, 2001, and the 
October 2001 anthrax attacks. The current system is obsolete, is no 
longer supported, and replacement parts are no longer available. As the 
threats continue to change, so too should the tools we use to 
communicate with the Congressional community. It is imperative that we 
provide appropriate information and instructions during security 
incidents, and we continue to refine our communications equipment, 
efforts, and protocols.
    The new system, the Joint Audible Warning System, has been a joint 
effort among the Senate and House Sergeants at Arms, the Architect of 
the Capitol, and the USCP to provide a new, state-of-the-art, encrypted 
audible warning system throughout the Capitol Complex. This No-Year 
funding will cover the USCP's share of the total acquisition cost and 
the initial purchase of receiver end units.
    While physical security elements are an important part of any 
operations plan, I want to again reiterate that our officers who are on 
the job 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, are our greatest assets in 
helping to prevent threats and responding to any crisis. During this 
ongoing crisis, I especially want to recognize and thank our 
employees--both sworn and civilian. I could not be more proud of the 
tremendous teamwork and dedication to our mission that everyone has 
exhibited as our nation, the Congress, and the Department continues to 
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    I understand that Congress expects the USCP to be fiscally 
responsible in carrying out our mission. We have made every effort to 
identify efficiencies throughout the Department. With our recent 
structural reorganization and strategic planning efforts, we are 
strengthening our reporting relationships, promoting greater 
accountability, fostering dynamic succession planning, increasing 
efficiencies, and further empowering our people to ensure that our 
critical mission continues to be successful.
    However, to ensure that the USCP is always at the ready to keep the 
Capitol Complex safe and secure, it is important that we make these 
crucial investments in our people and our resources at this time. Our 
Fiscal Year 2021 budget request was developed with great thought and 
discipline to ensure that the necessary mission requirements were at 
the forefront of our planning and prioritization.
    In closing, I often tell my colleagues that it takes special people 
to answer the call to public service. In choosing a career with the 
United States Capitol Police, we all make a commitment to serving our 
country, the Congress, and our Department. What unites us is our 
dedication to keeping everyone protected and secure. Our team continues 
to impress me with their professionalism and commitment each and every 
day whether it is conducting security screening, providing valuable 
mission support behind the scenes, responding to an emergency, dealing 
with a global pandemic, or participating in an historic event.
    Again, thank you for the opportunity to discuss our FY 2021 budget 
request, our priorities, and activities. We will continue to work 
closely with you and the Subcommittee to ensure that we meet the needs 
and expectations of the Congress, and continue to successfully 
accomplish our mission today, while preparing for the challenges and 
the opportunities of tomorrow.

    [This statement was submitted by Steven A. Sund, Chief of Police.]
                                 ______
                                 
     Prepared Statement of the United States Register of Copyrights
Madam Chairman, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the Subcommittee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to submit the United States Copyright 
Office's fiscal 2021 budget request.
    The Copyright Office has had an exceptionally busy year and has 
made significant progress on a number of fronts. As the main federal 
entity charged with administering the Copyright Act, the Office has 
many responsibilities, including overseeing the national copyright 
registration and recordation systems, advising Congress on copyright 
policy and legislation, working with the Department of Justice and 
other federal agencies on copyright litigation, conducting 
administrative and regulatory activity with respect to statutory 
copyright licenses (including managing over $1 billion in royalties 
from compulsory licenses), and educating the public about copyright 
law. We do all of this work with a lean staff of less than 450 
employees who are dedicated to copyright's Constitutional mission of 
``promot[ing] the progress of science and useful arts.'' \1\
Summary of the Past Year
    This past year, we were successful on a number of fronts. We 
released the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, Copyright: The Engine of Free 
Expression, which focuses on information technology modernization, 
optimizing business processes, organizational change management, 
education and engagement, impartial expertise on copyright law and 
policy, and measuring success. We were able to make significant 
progress on these focus areas. For example, regarding information 
technology, fiscal 2019 marked the first year Congress appropriated 
funds specifically for IT modernization, which allowed the Copyright 
Office and the Library of Congress Office of the Chief Information 
Officer (OCIO) to continue laying the groundwork for a modernized 
information technology system. The Office worked closely with OCIO, 
providing business information that OCIO, which undertakes the 
development work, uses to develop the system. Using this business 
information, OCIO finished development on the first phase of a 
recordation pilot which launched on April 27 and worked on user 
interface development for the new registration system, among other 
things.
    The Office also kicked off business process reengineering (BPR) and 
organizational change management (OCM) activities. These efforts will 
streamline and improve Office workflows and help build and maintain a 
workforce that is efficient, adaptable, and inclusive. This work 
complements IT modernization, making workstreams more efficient and 
productive.
    Since the Office's budget testimony last year, the Office has 
engaged in a number of outreach activities to provide accurate and 
unbiased information on copyright law. The Office developed a 
comprehensive communications strategy and conducted significant 
outreach, including to educate the public and stakeholders about 
implementing the landmark Music Modernization Act (MMA).\2\ In fiscal 
2019, the Office also answered over 100,000 public inquiries regarding 
copyright, helping people understand copyright and the Office's 
services.
    Additionally, the Office continued its longstanding role of 
providing expert legal and policy advice. The Office recently released 
one policy study and continues work on several others. The Office also 
continued to provided legal advice and assistance across the government 
regarding complex and emerging areas of copyright law and policy, 
including Supreme Court and appellate litigation and international 
matters. Further, in the last year, the Office promulgated a number of 
regulations to implement various provisions of the MMA, as well as 
multiple rules to streamline practices for registration and 
recordation, explore new group registration options, and facilitate 
increased participation in the registration system.
    We have achieved much this past year in administering the national 
registration and recordation systems. In fiscal 2019, the Office issued 
more than 547,000 registrations involving millions of works and 
recorded 12,550 documents containing 457,731 titles. The Office also 
received more than 700,000 deposited works; of those that were 
transferred to Library collections, they amounted to a total value of 
more than $52 million. As we testified in mid-2019, the Office had 
eliminated the registration backlog. The registration division has been 
steadily working to reduce the number of workable claims on hand; the 
workable claims on-hand are now approximately 77,000 claims. Indeed, in 
fiscal 2019 the Office decreased the overall average processing time 
for review of copyright registration claims from seven months to four. 
In the first half of fiscal 2020, we are pleased to report that the 
Office has been able to further reduce processing times to an average 
of 3.2 months--an overall reduction of over 50% in just eighteen 
months.
Recent Events due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    While the first half of fiscal 2020 has brought unique challenges 
for the Office, our staff has risen to the challenge. The Office 
implemented its pandemic response plan in March 2020, successfully 
transitioning 98% of the Office's staff to full or partial telework 
within just a few weeks. The bulk of the Office's operations have been 
largely unaffected by this transition, including all legal and policy 
work, registration processing of fully electronic claims, and ongoing 
modernization activities. Although processing of physical materials has 
been suspended since March 26 in accordance with our pandemic plan, the 
Office has issued a new rule that permits the Office to offer an 
electronic option for some services that previously required paper 
submission. We have also adjusted practices to receive certain 
additional applications and submissions via email during pandemic 
operations. To further relieve constraints imposed by the pandemic on 
users of Office services, the Acting Register is exercising the 
authority recently granted by Congress in the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, 
Relief, and Economic Security Act (``CARES Act''), including by issuing 
two notices that temporarily adjust certain timing provisions and 
monitoring operations to see if further measures are needed. The Office 
is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our fee receipts. While 
there has not yet been a significant shortfall of receipts, the Office 
appreciates the Committee's support if funding flexibility is needed to 
adjust to disruptions in operations or to address anticipated increased 
workloads when mail service is resumed.
    In sum, the Office is proud to have made so much progress this year 
and is honored to serve the country and the copyright ecosystem. The 
Office is grateful for this opportunity to present a budget request 
that would enable this important work to continue in fiscal 2021.
             funding and overall fiscal 2021 budget request
    The recurring financial support for the Office's modernization 
efforts, initially funded as part of the fiscal 2019 budget, continues 
for fiscal 2021, and the Office is pleased to provide an update on a 
number of initiatives that are now fully underway. In addition to 
ongoing modernization, the Office and the Copyright Royalty Judges 
(CRJ) are fully engaged in addressing new responsibilities under the 
MMA. To meet the new MMA mandates, the Office is requesting $1.6 
million in additional funding for fiscal 2021, primarily for Office and 
CRJ staffing as described further below.
    The Copyright Office's overall budget is composed of three separate 
budgets or program areas:

    (1)  Basic Budget, which funds most of the Office's core 
operations, including the majority of payroll-related expenses. 
Historically the basic budget has been composed of a combination of 
appropriated dollars and authority to spend fee revenue, with fees 
constituting a majority of this funding (generally in the range of 50% 
to 67%);
    (2)  Licensing Budget, which is derived completely from licensing 
royalty collections otherwise payable to copyright owners and filing 
fees paid by cable and satellite licensees pursuant to statutory 
licenses administered by the Office; and
    (3)  Copyright Royalty Judges Budget. Although the CRJ program is 
not a part of the Office, the Office provides it with budget 
formulation and execution support on behalf of the Library of Congress.

    For fiscal 2021, the Office requests a combined total of $94.891 
million in funding and 435 FTEs, of which $44.8 million would be funded 
through offsetting collections of fees collected in fiscal 2020 and in 
prior years.
    The Office's fiscal 2021 requests are:

  --Basic Budget: $85.8 million and 403 FTEs. The fiscal 2021 budget 
        request requests funding for its Basic Budget from $38.0 
        million in offsetting fee collections (44%) and $47.8 million 
        (56%) in appropriated dollars. The request includes mandatory 
        pay-related and price level increases of $3.2 million and a 
        program increase of $0.7 million for staffing and public 
        outreach and education activities to implement the MMA. The 
        request also includes a reduction in the amount of $2.1 million 
        for non-recurring costs that were associated with program 
        increases that involved the Office's warehouse move and 
        contract support for the Office of Public Records and 
        Repositories. The fiscal 2021 submission includes a request to 
        shift base funding from offsetting fee collections to 
        appropriations due to a projected, continued negative fee 
        impact resulting from the enactment of the MMA. The MMA made 
        significant changes to the section 115 compulsory license, and 
        in accordance with the new law, the Office no longer accepts 
        certain section 115 filings. This change resulted in a fiscal 
        2019 reduction in fee collections of $4.2 million that is 
        expected to be permanent. The Office adjusted its fee schedule 
        effective March 20, 2020, to increase certain fees while being 
        mindful of the purposes of the national copyright system. 
        However, as noted in its report to Congress, Proposed Schedule 
        and Analysis of Copyright Fees to Go Into Effect in Spring 2020 
        (submitted October 16, 2019),\3\ the Office did not attempt to 
        recoup any loss due to the MMA through fees because doing so 
        would increase fees beyond those proposed in the 2018 Notice of 
        Proposed Rulemaking, potentially significantly reducing the 
        overall number of filings, thus undermining the copyright 
        system overall.
  --Licensing Division Budget: $6.2 million and 23 FTEs, all of which 
        are funded via filing and royalty fees. The requested increase 
        includes mandatory pay-related and price level increases of 
        $0.3 million.
  --Copyright Royalty Judges Budget: $2.9 million and 9 FTEs, with $0.1 
        million to support mandatory pay-related and price level 
        increases. Included in the request is a program increase of 
        $0.9 million to support 3 FTEs and other costs associated with 
        implementing the MMA and other increased workloads. Of the 
        total, royalties and participation fees offset $0.5 million 
        (for non-personnel-related expenses). The remainder, $2.3 
        million in appropriated dollars, is to cover the personnel-
        related expenses of the judges and their staff.
                    focus of fiscal 2021 activities
    The Copyright Office's fiscal 2021 funding request provides 
resources necessary to continue the progress already started towards 
the Office's strategic goals. As mentioned above, the Office's 
strategic plan includes focus areas such as expert law and policy 
advice and modernizing information technology and business process, 
among other things. To advance these goals, the Office is seeking 
specific funding regarding: (1) meeting the mandates of the MMA; (2) 
modernization of the Office's IT systems and applications, including 
the Office's historical records initiative; and (3) modernization of 
the Office's business environment and practices so that the Office's 
core registration and recordation services are delivered as efficiently 
as possible. In late March, we updated our modernization webpage \4\ to 
reflect ongoing work for both IT and non-IT initiatives.
Music Modernization Act (MMA)
    The enactment of the MMA assigned new responsibilities to both the 
Copyright Office and the CRJ. The MMA requires the Register of 
Copyrights to ``engage in public outreach and educational activities'' 
regarding the amendments made to section 115 of title 17, in addition 
to a number of rulemakings.\5\ Specifically, the Register must engage 
in public education and other outreach activities to inform interested 
members of the public and songwriters about the process by which a 
copyright owner may claim ownership of musical works through the 
``mechanical licensing collective'' (MLC), which will administer a 
blanket licensing system for digital music providers to make and 
distribute digital phonorecord deliveries (e.g., permanent downloads, 
interactive streams). The Office has planned a number of public 
outreach programs to address the requirements of the MMA, and is 
requesting a program increase to include three additional FTEs to 
ensure these efforts are fully resourced.
    The MMA also assigned additional responsibilities to the CRJ. In 
the MMA, Congress assigned to the CRJ the duty to ascertain the 
reasonableness of the MLC's operating budget and the allocation of 
contributions to that budget by the various licensees or licensee 
representative groups.\6\ Previously, under section 802(b) of the 
Copyright Act, the number of support staff authorized to support the 
CRJ was capped at three. A proviso in the fiscal 2020 Further 
Consolidated Appropriations Act permanently removed the staffing cap, 
allowing for the new hires requested in fiscal 2021.\7\
Copyright IT Modernization
    Modernization of the Copyright Office's aging information 
technology systems and applications continues to be a top priority. The 
Office has a number of accomplishments to report as we are in the 
second year of our five-year modernization plan. OCIO is working 
alongside the Office on software development activities, which are 
progressing across multiple programmatic areas-including registration, 
recordation, statutory licensing, and access to public records. This 
calendar year, we are collaborating on several components of the new 
Enterprise Copyright System (ECS), including the gathering of public 
feedback. The first effort involves the public launch of a limited 
pilot program for our new recordation system, which will eventually 
replace our current paper-based system. We are pleased to report that 
we launched the public pilot on April 27, which was on target for our 
plans to launch in spring 2020. This pilot is initially available to a 
limited number of public users who will be able to record a document 
related to copyright ownership that falls under section 205 of title 
17. We will incorporate the user feedback from this pilot into 
iterative improvements as part of future releases as this project is 
now in the phase of continuous development where additional 
functionalities and additional waves of users will be added.
    In addition to the recordation pilot, we plan to release a limited 
prototype for at least one type of copyright registration application, 
from which we will gather public feedback. Work also continues on the 
release of a new Copyright Public Records Proof of Concept, an endeavor 
that will eventually replace the existing Copyright Office Online 
Public Catalog. Both of these endeavors are expected to be released by 
the end of calendar 2020.
    For the historical records project, the Office is currently working 
with the Library's own experts in digital collections management to 
ensure that the digitization of the Office's over 26,000 physical 
copyright record books incorporates best practices and can be made 
available for public, online viewing as rapidly as possible. Combined, 
these record books contain well over 20 million pages of records dating 
between 1870 and 1977, covering works as diverse as books, photographs, 
musical compositions, sound recordings, motion pictures, and more. The 
Office will digitize more than 800 volumes over the next year alone. 
The Office also will continue improving the metadata for the more than 
40 million registration application and index cards that are already 
publically viewable using the Office's Virtual Card Catalog (VCC). The 
metadata effort will enhance the public's user experience by providing 
more accurate online search capability.
    As directed by the Committee, the Office has developed an 
integrated master schedule (IMS) for its modernization activities. To 
ensure the IMS aligns with best practice criteria, the Office is using 
expert consulting services to assist in developing a program for IMS 
management that allows for continuous improvement and refinement of the 
IMS and its estimates. The consultant services were procured under the 
Library's recent contract for Library-wide performance planning and 
measurement services. Given the building closures caused by the COVID-
19 situation, onboarding these contractors has been slightly delayed, 
and this will result is some delays in near-term scheduled 
deliverables.
Modernization of Copyright Office Business Practices
    In the past year, the Copyright Office completely eliminated the 
backlog of pending registration claims, reduced registration processing 
times by more than 40%. Additionally, the Office drafted a number of 
revised regulations to streamline registration practices and 
procedures. The Office also recently completed an independent analysis 
of its recordation business processes and began more targeted efforts 
to reduce the existing recordation backlog.
    In addition, the Office has made significant progress in its 
business process reengineering efforts, with 66 distinct processes 
under review and which we are scheduled to complete this summer. The 
Office's modernization initiative also encompasses the Office's 
organization and people. This past year, the Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) completed a review of the Office's organization and 
structural needs for modernization. The Office has engaged OPM for 
additional organizational review work, including assisting the Office 
in succession planning, as part of the Office's continued focus on 
processing time reduction efforts. The Office also is in the midst of 
our organizational change initiative, which involves the development of 
key change management processes and documents, staff training on change 
management practices, and strategic coaching on structuring and leading 
complex business transformation.
Consolidation of Copyright Office Storage Facilities
    The Copyright Office has made exceptional progress in its planned 
consolidation of copyright materials from several geographically 
dispersed storage facilities into a single, modern facility. The 
collaborative warehouse construction project between the Library, the 
Office, and Architect of the Capitol is currently months ahead of the 
original 2021 construction completion schedule.
    The physical structure, located near Landover, Maryland, was 
completed in March 2020 with a limited occupancy permit expected to be 
granted in September 2020. The new facility will allow the Office to 
provide faster location, better tracking, and improved security of the 
Office's significant inventory of copyright deposits.
                    changes to copyright office fees
    Though the Copyright Office provides many of its services at no 
cost, the Copyright Act requires that the Office charge fees for 
certain services.\8\ When proposing a balance of user fees and taxpayer 
funded monies to support its operations, the Office gives careful 
consideration to the public benefits of the national copyright system, 
including the impact of user fees on a copyright system that is 
dependent on voluntary copyright registration and recordation. To 
ensure that the Office's fees are ``fair and equitable and give due 
consideration to the objectives of the copyright system,'' \9\ the 
Office conducts regular studies of its operating costs and fee 
structure. The Office released its most recent fee study as part of a 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in May 2018, and in June 2019, the Office 
issued a supplemental notice proposing limited revisions to the 2018 
notice. After carefully considering comments from a variety of 
interested parties in response to the notices, in October 2019 the 
Office proposed the adoption of new fee schedule for certain Office 
services to Congress. By law, the Register may institute the new fees 
120 days after the Office submits the proposed schedule to Congress, 
unless Congress enacts a law within the 120-day period stating that it 
does not approve the schedule.
    In accordance with the final rule, which was published in the 
Federal Register on February 19, the new fees entered into effect on 
March 20, 2020.\10\ While the Office did increase some fees, we reduced 
proposed fee increases for the most commonly used applications, the 
Standard and Single Applications. The Office also did not increase fees 
for some group registrations applications and certain searches and 
certifications, among other things. In advance of the effective date, 
we presented a public webinar to discuss the changes. Both the webinar 
and the slides are available on our website.\11\
                      more flexible fee authority
    The Copyright Office would also benefit significantly from greater 
flexibility in the use of its fee collections, specifically the 
authority to use existing fee balances to provide services to the 
public in the event of a lapse in appropriations. As we have noted 
before, flexibility in management of fee balances across budget cycles 
also would provide for more efficient and cost-effective administration 
of large, non-recurring projects related to modernization and other 
capital expenditures. To that end, once authorized, the Office 
anticipates including in a future budget request a change in 
appropriations language to allow for 20% of the balance of fees 
collected in prior-years to be available each year, in addition to 
appropriated amounts, for obligation without fiscal year limitation, 
and to allow the Office to access existing fee balances to continue 
operations during a lapse in appropriations.
    The Copyright Office appreciates the Committee's continued support 
of the Office's efforts to modernize both its technology and services, 
and to the operation of the copyright system overall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ U.S. CONST. art. I, Sec. 8, cl. 8.
    \2\ Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, Pub. L. 
No. 115-264, 132 Stat. 3676 (2018).
    \3\ U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE, PROPOSED SCHEDULE AND ANALYSIS OF 
COPYRIGHT FEES TO GO INTO EFFECT IN SPRING 2020 (Oct. 16, 2019), at 
https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/feestudy2018/proposed-fee-
schedule.pdf.
    \4\ See https://www.copyright.gov/copyright-modernization/.
    \5\ Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, Pub. L. 
No. 115-264, Sec. 102(e), 132 Stat. 3676, 3722 (2018).
    \6\ Id. Sec. 102(c).
    \7\ Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, Pub. L. No. 116-
94, Sec. 1405, 132 Stat. 2534, 3208 (2018).
    \8\ 17 U.S.C. Sec. 708.
    \9\ 17 U.S.C. Sec. 708(b)(4).
    \10\ Copyright Office Fees, 85 Fed. Reg. 9374 (Feb. 19, 2020); the 
Copyright Office's webpage on the fee study and the final fee schedule 
is available at https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/feestudy2018/.
    \11\ Id.

    [This statement was submitted by Maria Strong.]
                              ----------                              


                       NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES

 Prepared Statement of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
Dear Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee:

    On behalf of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), I 
write in support of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget requests of the 
Government Publishing Office (GPO) and the Library of Congress.
    AALL is the only national association with 4,000 members dedicated 
to the legal information profession and its professionals. AALL was 
founded in 1906 on the premise that lawyers, judges, students, and the 
public need timely access to relevant legal information to make sound 
legal arguments and wise legal decisions.
    AALL recognizes the many challenges the Subcommittee faces as a 
result of the widespread economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). We 
respect the difficult appropriations decisions that lie ahead as the 
Subcommittee considers all of the legislative branch agency priorities 
and requests under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction.
    AALL believes that approving the immediate fiscal needs of GPO and 
the Library of Congress will be a valuable use of limited resources as 
the workload for these agencies has increased during the current 
pandemic. Funding will enable GPO and the Library of Congress to meet 
their important missions to provide permanent public access to and 
preservation of essential government information. Greater access to 
information supports access to justice and preserves the rule of law.
              funding for the government publishing office
    The GPO is responsible for producing, procuring, cataloging, 
indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official 
information products of the federal government. Under the new 
leadership of Director Hugh Halpern, GPO is strengthening its 
relationships with its customers and stakeholders to modernize its 
operations and improve efficiencies.
    As physical libraries have closed and shifted to providing remote 
services as a result of COVID-19, GPO's partnerships with libraries 
across the country are playing a critical role in connecting members of 
the public with government information and resources. More than 1,100 
libraries-including approximately 200 law libraries-participate in 
GPO's Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), assisting your 
constituents with finding the information they need on topics such as 
public health, government benefits, and small business loan programs.
    Given the increasingly important need for GPO to deliver robust 
access to electronic materials, AALL particularly urges support for 
GPO's Public Information Programs account to fund the FDLP, and the 
cataloging and indexing programs to improve the findability of 
information. We also support continued investment in GPO's govinfo 
website, which provides public access to official, trustworthy, and 
preserved government information. For example, the new Coronavirus 
(COVID-19) webpage \1\ on govinfo includes links to legislative, 
executive, and regulatory documents related to the federal government's 
response to the pandemic.
                  funding for the library of congress
    The rich and diverse electronic collections and the dedicated staff 
of the Library of Congress have been on full display during the COVID-
19 situation. New virtual events and unique resources are available to 
educate, entertain, and enlighten users from the very youngest children 
to adult learners.
    Housed within the Library of Congress, the Law Library of Congress 
offers access to an unparalleled collection of domestic, foreign, and 
international legal materials. The Law Library of Congress also boasts 
a highly talented staff of lawyers and law librarians who serve the 
federal judiciary and executive branch agencies, the practicing bar, 
state and local government, businesses, scholars, journalists, and 
anyone with legal research and reference needs.
    Despite the temporary physical closure of the Law Library of 
Congress, the Law Library has continued to provide users with timely, 
comprehensive research. Recent activities include a newly published 
report, Continuity of Legislative Activities during Emergency 
Situations in Selected Countries, and a topical webinar, ``Fighting 
Pandemics: Foreign and International Legislative Frameworks.''
    AALL supports the Library of Congress' $23 million request for the 
Law Library of Congress. This request includes funding for mandatory 
pay-related and price-level increases and the necessary funding for the 
replacement of outdated and obsolete shelving for the Law Library in 
the Library's sub-basement. We also support the Library's need for 
increased flexibility in the use of appropriated funds as it meets 
expected and changing timelines as a result of government and business 
closures due to COVID-19.
                               conclusion
    As the Subcommittee considers agency priorities and funding levels 
for FY 2021, AALL urges consideration of the current and future fiscal 
needs of GPO and the Library of Congress. Providing GPO and the Library 
of Congress with sufficient funding will enable these agencies to meet 
their vital missions to provide public access to and preserve 
government information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ https://www.govinfo.gov/features/coronavirus

    [This statement was submitted by Michelle Cosby, President.]
                                 ______
                                 
         Prepared Statement of the American Library Association
Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee:

    On behalf of the American Library Association, thank you for the 
opportunity to submit this testimony regarding Legislative Branch 
Appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. We respectfully request the 
Committee's support for the Library of Congress and the Government 
Publishing Office, which provide valuable services to libraries and the 
public nationwide.
                          library of congress
    The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, a 
shining example of our nation's commitment to preserving and advancing 
American culture. The Library serves not only Congress, but also 
libraries across the country and the American public. The Library 
celebrated its 220th birthday this year, and it continues to modernize 
its services and facilities to meet current and future needs.
    The Library's Visitor Experience Initiative will highlight its 
unique collections and inspire millions of visitors to learn, create, 
and innovate. Despite temporary closures as a public health precaution 
in response to COVID-19, upon reopening the Library will resume its 
position as a leading attraction in the nation's capital, having 
welcomed nearly 2 million onsite visitors in FY 2019. The planned 
multi-year investments of the Visitor Experience Initiative will 
strengthen the Library's leadership as a global symbol of America's 
cultural heritage.
    In addition, the Library's services support education and research 
far beyond the walls of its buildings through activities such as the 
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled and the 
Veterans History Project.
    The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled 
serves readers who cannot see print or handle print materials. This 
national program provides access to books and reading materials through 
a network of regional libraries, such as the Mississippi Library 
Commission's Talking Book Services and the Connecticut State Library's 
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The network serves 
readers across America, circulating more than 21 million books and 
magazines in FY 2019.
    The Veterans History Project collects, preserves, and makes 
accessible the personal stories of American veterans. The nation's 
largest oral history project, the Veterans History Project added more 
than 3,000 new collections in FY 2019.
    Additionally, the Library is making continued progress to 
collaboratively modernize operations of the U.S. Copyright Office. By 
digitizing historical copyright records, the Copyright Office is making 
it easier for users to identify the rightsholder or status of 
registered works. The Copyright Office is also reengineering its daily 
processes to be more efficient and effective.
                      government publishing office
    The Government Publishing Office provides essential information to 
America's businesses, legal system, and researchers. The Office serves 
users across the country through the Federal Depository Library 
Program, its online repository of government information, and its other 
public information programs.
    The Federal Depository Library Program helps Americans access 
federal laws, regulations, and publications in communities across the 
nation. More than 1,100 libraries participate in the program, including 
the University of Mississippi's J.D. Williams Library and Connecticut's 
Bridgeport Public Library. Bipartisan modernization legislation 
introduced in the 115th Congress would further strengthen the program, 
if enacted; we hope that the 116th Congress will reintroduce and pass 
it.\1\
    In addition, the Office annually adds thousands of new government 
publications to its free online repository, govinfo.gov, and catalogs 
thousands of publications every year to assist researchers in locating 
them. To preserve these important documents of our republic, the Office 
manages a cooperative preservation program with libraries across the 
country.
                               conclusion
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee 
regarding Fiscal Year 2021 funding for the Library of Congress and the 
Government Publishing Office. We ask for the Subcommittee's support in 
meeting the requests for these important national programs that serve 
Congress, libraries, and the American public.
    The American Library Association (``ALA'') is the foremost national 
organization providing resources to inspire library and information 
professionals to transform their communities through essential programs 
and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted 
voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, 
advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing 
learning and ensuring access to information for all.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ FDLP Modernization Act of 2018, H.R. 5305, 115th Cong. (2018).

    [This statement was submitted by Gavin Baker, Deputy Director, 
Public Policy and Government Relations.]
                                 ______
                                 
        Prepared Statement of the Center for Defense Information
    Thank you Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and members 
of the Committee for allowing me to provide testimony on behalf of the 
Project On Government Oversight (POGO) and Demand Progress on 
strengthening Congress's capacity to oversee the executive branch. POGO 
and Demand Progress are nonprofit organizations focused on 
strengthening the legislative branch's ability to legislate and conduct 
oversight. We respectfully request that your committee provide the 
personal office staff of members on key committees with the clearances 
they need to properly support those Members of Congress in their review 
of information the executive branch has deemed classified, and to 
report on the provision of those clearances. Accordingly, our request 
impacts the operations of the Office of Senate Security.
    It is essential that key Senate staff have access to Top Secret/
Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) to strengthen the Senate's 
oversight of traditional national security matters such as the spending 
and operations of the military and the intelligence community, as well 
as emerging concerns such as election security and cyber threats. The 
Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee; Senate Appropriations 
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; Senate 
Armed Services Committee; Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; and 
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs all play 
pivotal roles in overseeing our national security. While senators are 
entitled to access classified information by virtue of the 
constitutional offices they hold and do not need security clearances, 
they must largely rely on their personal office staff to sift through 
reams of information and to brief them on issues. Those staff often do 
not hold sufficient clearances to access certain sensitive information, 
thereby undermining the support they can provide and weakening 
Congress's ability to legislate or conduct effective oversight.
    The need for Congress to improve its own access to this information 
has become more apparent in light of the executive branch's over-
classification of information, and, in some cases, weaponization of the 
classification system to avoid accountability.\1\ From 2007 to 2017, 
the amount of information designated TS or TS/SCI more than tripled.\2\ 
Over-classification has become such a problem that even the vice 
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Hyten, complained 
that it has become ``unbelievably ridiculous.'' \3\
    In POGO's congressional oversight manual, former Representative 
Mickey Edwards (R-OK) challenged the executive branch's assertion that 
it should control Congress's access to information. ``There is no 
authority in the executive branch to tell Congress who can or cannot 
have the information it seeks,'' he said.\4\ While Congress codified 
some executive branch authority to limit access to sensitive 
information in the National Security Act of 1947, those provisions 
have, over time, been broadened to an unwarranted degree, and Congress 
must challenge these limits if it is to maintain its ability to conduct 
effective oversight.\5\ Another limit that has to be challenged comes 
from a Senate entity: The director of the Office of Senate Security 
declines to process clearances on the basis of a 30-year-old security 
manual even though nothing in that manual gives that office the 
authority to control senators' access to information.
    As of April 2019, 637 Senate staff have active security clearances, 
with 353 having secret or top secret clearances and 284 having TS/SCI 
clearances.\6\ Only 37 senators have staff with the clearances 
necessary to access SCI materials.\7\ By comparison, approximately 1.2 
million executive branch employees and contractors hold top secret 
clearances.\8\ It's likely that more than 100,000 executive branch 
employees and contractors hold TS/SCI clearances, not counting foreign 
officials who are ``in access.'' \9\ But it's not just minimal staffing 
that's hobbling Congress's ability to oversee classified information. 
The legislative branch receives approximately 0.7% of the non-defense 
discretionary federal budget-approximately $5 billion-to oversee the 
entire federal government.\10\ By contrast, this year the intelligence 
community alone requested $85 billion, or more than 16 times all the 
money spent on the legislative branch.\11\ This significant disparity 
in both resources and people with access puts Congress in an inherently 
weak position when it comes to effectively conducting oversight.
    The Senate has appropriately provided other special clearances. 
Personal office staff who serve senators with equities in the 
Department of Energy, either through committee assignment or nuclear 
equities in the senator's state, are eligible to receive a ``Q'' 
clearance.\12\ That clearance allows access to nuclear weapon design 
and manufacture information.\13\
    Critics of expanding staff access to classified information have 
argued that rather than increasing congressional access to highly 
sensitive information, Congress should combat over-classification. 
While we support efforts to reduce the overall amount of 
classification,\14\ these efforts do not negate the need for Congress 
to stand its ground in the face of the executive branch's assertion 
that it has the sole authority to determine who should be able to 
oversee its operations.\15\
    Providing select Senate staff TS/SCI clearances will not 
necessarily give them unfettered access to classified information. The 
granting of a TS/SCI clearance addresses an administrative hurdle-the 
determination that a person can be entrusted with this information--but 
it works hand-in-glove with the demonstration of a need to know and it 
would not improperly infringe on the executive branch's classification 
powers. The entity that holds the classified information must still 
make the determination that the staff have a need to know for them to 
access each SCI component, and the staffers must sign nondisclosure 
agreements. This need-to-know determination will ensure that 
information is available only to those who have an actual need for it.
    The costs of implementing this reform are likely to be minimal. The 
Congressional Budget Office scored a similar amendment offered last 
year in the Senate as having ``no budgetary impact.'' The costs of 
clearances for congressional staff are borne by the agency granting the 
clearance, not Congress.\16\ We anticipate that there would be some 
funding needed for the legislative branch to maintain records of 
nondisclosure agreements, store classified documents, and track 
individuals granted clearance, and we urge the committee to increase 
funds for the Office of Senate Security accordingly. Additionally, as 
most of the personal office staff of the relevant committees likely 
already have TS clearances, providing additional access to SCI should 
not be burdensome.
    The cost of not implementing this reform, however, is significant. 
Without adequately credentialed staff, Congress cannot ensure that we 
have an executive branch that operates effectively and ethically to 
protect our country, and in compliance with its constitutional 
responsibilities. While every committee is under-resourced, most of 
them work in areas where civil society can access information to help 
fill in the gaps. Civil society cannot do that for committees that 
oversee classified programs. Too often, Congress is instead forced to 
rely on leaks to the press to learn when national security agencies 
waste money, violate citizens' constitutional rights, or abuse their 
power.
    The Senate has previously recognized the need for enhanced access, 
and has provided designees with TS/SCI clearances for members of the 
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Consequently, the Senate has 
been able to engage in more robust oversight. The success of this 
designee system merits further expansion to personal staff so that 
nearly every senator will have someone to help them to inform their 
votes on the most sensitive national security matters, including 
decisions about whether to authorize the use of military force or 
whether a declaration of a national emergency is necessary.
    To make sure that our most sensitive national security information 
is properly protected, we urge the committee to increase 
counterintelligence training for all congressional staff who receive 
security clearances to help prevent the occurrence of improper leaks. 
This training should be akin to that provided by intelligence agencies 
to their own personnel. In addition, the Senate should expand its 
reporting on the time it takes to receive a clearance to include an 
accounting of the number of staff who hold clearances and the level at 
which they hold it. This would put the Senate in line with executive 
branch practices.
    In our experience, congressional staff take significant care to 
properly safeguard sensitive information, even documents that have 
pseudo-classifications like ``For Official Use Only,'' also known as 
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). If staff mishandle this 
information, they should be held to the same standards and subject to 
the same punishment as executive branch employees, including criminal 
prosecution.
    Granting staff sufficient clearance also provides for additional 
resilience in emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, when senators 
may be scattered throughout the country and must rely on staff located 
in DC to review materials that are only available in the Capitol 
complex. Although this circumstance recurs regularly for a short time 
when members are back in the district, it becomes a significant problem 
when members will be gone for an extended time due to an emergency-a 
time they most need someone who is cleared to review information on 
their behalf.
    We must modernize how Congress conducts oversight, and that must 
include responsibly expanding its access to classified information. 
Years of executive overreach by Democratic and Republican 
administrations have severely diminished Congress's power. Congress 
must reassert itself as a coequal branch fully able to perform its 
oversight duties.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Jared Keller, ``Almost every US metric for the war in 
Afghanistan 'is now classified or nonexistent,' so obviously things are 
going swimmingly,'' Task and Purpose, April 25, 2019. https://
taskandpurpose.com/sigar-metric-afghansitan-war
    \2\ National Archives and Records Administration, Information 
Security Oversight Office, 2017 Report to the President (May 31, 2018), 
45. https://www.archives.gov/files/isoo/reports/2017-annual-report.pdf
    \3\ Aaron Mehta, ``'Unbelievably ridiculous,': Four-star general 
seeks to clean up Pentagon's classification process,'' Defense News, 
January 29, 2020. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/01/29/
unbelievably-ridiculous-four-star-general-seeks-to-clean-up-pentagons-
classification-process/
    \4\ Project On Government Oversight, The Art of Congressional 
Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right. 2nd ed. (United States: 
Project On Government Oversight, 2015), 8. http://www.pogoarchives.org/
m/coi/pogo-the-art-of-congressional-oversight-handbook.pdf
    \5\ The National Security Act of 1947 applies to statutorily 
defined ``covert action,'' but not to intelligence collection, counter-
intelligence matters, or other national security issues. Moreover, a 
separate provision of the act that requires the Director of National 
Intelligence to protect ``sources and methods'' has been significantly 
expanded beyond its originally limited scope.
    \6\ Daniel Schuman and Mandy Smithberger, Demand Progress and the 
Project On Government Oversight, A Primer on Congressional Staff 
Clearances: Which Staff Can Obtain Security Clearances, at What Levels, 
and Who Decides? (February 5, 2020), 9. https://docs.pogo.org/report/
2020/A_Primer_on_Congressional_Staff_Clearances_2020-02-05.pdf This is 
the most recent data available.
    \7\ Daniel Schuman and Mandy Smithberger, Demand Progress and the 
Project On Government Oversight, A Primer on Congressional Staff 
Clearances, 9 [see note 6].
    \8\ Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Fiscal Year 
2017 Annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations (August 2018), 
4. https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/features/20180827-security-
clearance-determinations.pdf
    \9\ Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Fiscal Year 
2017 Annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations, 4 [see note 
8].
    \10\ Office of Management and Budget, Table 25-1. Federal Budget by 
Agency and Account, FY 2021 President's Budget Policy, 18. https://
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/25-1_fy21.pdf; First 
Branch Forecast, ``The Undermining of Congress,'' February 17, 2020. 
https://firstbranchforecast.com/2020/02/17/the-undermining-of-congress/
#more-2121
    \11\ Department of Defense, ``Department of Defense Releases 2021 
Military Intelligence Program Budget Request,'' February 11, 2020. 
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2080605/
department-of-defense-releases-2021-military-intelligence-program-
budget-request/; Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ``DNI 
Releases FY 2021 Budget Request Figure for the National Intelligence 
Program,'' February 11, 2020. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/
press-releases/item/2097-a-dni-releases-fy-2021-budget-request-figure-
for-the-national-intelligence-program
    \12\ Daniel Schuman and Mandy Smithberger, Demand Progress and the 
Project On Government Oversight, A Primer on Congressional Staff 
Clearances, 7 [see note 6].
    \13\ Federation of American Scientists, DOE Classification and 
Security (February 6, 1996). https://fas.org/sgp/classdoe.htm
    \14\ For examples of how Congress can reform its oversight of 
intelligence matters, see R Street, Demand Progress, FreedomWorks, and 
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Strengthening Congressional Oversight 
of the Intelligence Community (September 13, 2016), 2-3. https://
www.eff.org/files/2016/09/13/
strengthening_congressional_oversight_of_the_ic_white_paper_sept_
2016.pdf; see also Nate Jones, `` `There's classified, and then there's 
classified': Tangible Steps to Fix the Classification and 
Declassification System,'' Statement for the Public Interest 
Declassification Board, National Security Archive, December 6, 2016. 
https://transforming-classification.blogs.archives.gov/2016/12/06/
theres-classified-and-then-theres-classified-tangible-steps-to-fix-the-
classification-and-declassification-system-by-nate-jones-national-
security-archive/
    \15\ For example, then-House Government Operations Committee Chair 
Jack Brooks (D-TX) considered the executive branch's authority on 
clearances to be an improper violation of separation of powers, and he 
initiated a mirror process to approve or deny clearances for staff of 
his committee, conducted through the then-General Accounting Office.
    \16\ Daniel Schuman and Mandy Smithberger, Demand Progress and the 
Project On Government Oversight, A Primer on Congressional Staff 
Clearances, 7 [see note 6].

    [This statement was submitted by Mandy Smithberger, Director.]
                                 ______
                                 
        Prepared Statement of the Center for Responsive Politics
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and members of the 
subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on a 
simple way the House of Representatives can improve the transparency of 
lobbyist disclosures.
    I am executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a 
nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization based here in Washington 
that monitors and analyzes campaign contributions in federal elections, 
lobbying, and other forms of money and elite influence in U.S. politics 
and policy.
    The Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate serve as the 
repositories for over twenty years of data detailing the lobbying 
activities of thousands of organizations that are required to file 
under rules set forth by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) and 
Honest Leadership & Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA). These reports 
serve as the basis for important public resources that allow 
investigations by academics, journalists and Congress itself that 
contribute to the integrity of policy making processes.
    Annually, these reports list more than 11,000 individual lobbyists 
as having undertaken significant ``lobbying activities.'' \1\ The 
Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and others rely on this data both 
to populate the OpenSecrets.org website, which is free and open to the 
public, as well as to provide additional research assistance for 
journalists, nonprofits, academic institutions and interested citizens.
    This work includes normalizing individual lobbyist names to 
facilitate tracking their employment history and political campaign 
contributions. There is currently no publicly available identifier that 
makes clear that names reported as ``Jane Davis,'' ``Jane A. Davis,'' 
and ``Jane Ann Davis'' all refer to the same individual lobbyist. In 
fact, our research finds that over the last twenty years, an average of 
12 percent of names reported annually are extraneous variations due to 
typographical errors, nicknames, and name changes. Recent years have 
been consistently in the eight percent range. Despite this recent 
improvement, considerable labor is expended reconciling the different 
versions as well as verifying that individuals with similar or common 
names are in fact, different people. Changes to a lobbyist's legal name 
based on changed marital status are common and present further 
challenges as there is often not an easily accessible way to confirm 
that ``Jane Doe'' and ``Jane Buck'' are, in fact, the same person.
    Considerable effort goes toward creating and maintaining a version 
of lobbyist IDs through algorithmic matching as well as human review. 
Following a quarterly filing deadline, a full day is spent reconciling 
variations caused by typos, nicknames, name changes due to marriage and 
changes in associated registrants, delaying the release of an improved 
data set.
    According to official filing manuals,\2\ the Clerk of the House and 
Secretary of the Senate assign a unique identifier to each lobbyist 
during the filing process that is used to track each person across 
reports (e.g., between LD-1 to LD-2; across various registrants; and in 
the LD-203 contribution reports). However, publicly released 
downloadable data does not include unique IDs. The existing non-public 
identifiers that are used to login can easily and programmatically be 
used to produce ones that are safe to disclose.
    The Honest Leadership & Open Government Act's revolving door 
provisions make it clear that tracking registered lobbyists' employment 
across government and the private sector is essential to monitor for 
conflicts of interest and to protect the integrity of the federal 
government. In addition, the House Select Committee on the 
Modernization of Congress has included unique identifiers for lobbyists 
among its recommendations for the purpose of ``mak[ing] it easier to 
know who is lobbying Congress and what they're lobbying for.'' \3\
    Government Accountability Office annual reviews of LDA compliance 
found that 19 percent of 2018 reports and 20 percent of 2019 reports 
failed to fully comply with requirements to disclose previous 
government employment as required, up from 15 percent in 2017.\4\ The 
ability to easily and accurately identify individuals throughout their 
lobbying careers is integral to research and oversight by civil society 
actors that fill that compliance gap.
    We respectfully request the addition of unique identifiers for 
individual lobbyists that are currently available only internally to 
the offices of the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate to 
the publicly available data files that are updated daily. If the 
addition of such identifiers is not possible at this time, we request 
that a study be undertaken to determine the feasibility of doing so in 
the future.
    Thank you for the opportunity to provide our comments. We welcome 
the chance to discuss them further or answer any questions the 
Committee may have. Please feel free to contact me at 
[email protected].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance, Revised January 31, 2017; 
https://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/amended_lda_guide.html#section4
    \2\ ``Employed lobbyists are assigned a unique ID when they are 
registered with the House and Senate to lobby and added to the 
Contribution Reporting System by the person in your organization who 
manages the registration and reporting filings.''--From the LD-203 
``Help'' manual for filers, Obtaining a Lobbyist ID and Password 
section: https://lda.congress.gov/LC/help/
default.htm?turl=WordDocuments%2Faccessingthesystem.htm
    \3\ ``Recommendations of the Select Committee on the Modernization 
of Congress,'' accessed March 2020: https://
modernizecongress.house.gov/committee-activity/recommendations
    \4\ ``GAO 2019 Lobbying Disclosure: Observations on Lobbyists' 
Compliance with Disclosure Requirements,'' March 2020: https://
www.gao.gov/assets/710/705614.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 ______
                                 
               Prepared Statement of College to Congress
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Subcommittee 
members--thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony despite the 
current climate of uncertainty and mitigation measures due to the 
coronavirus in our country.
    My name is Audrey Henson and I founded College to Congress to help 
create a more inclusive and effective Congress. We do this by 
recruiting, training, supporting, and placing low-income students from 
across the country in internships for their representatives in 
Washington, DC. Today, we work alongside 76 Representatives and 
Senators to create pathways to public service for students from 
disadvantaged, rural, and low-income backgrounds. We assess their need 
using the Pell Grant, a need-based federal grant for undergraduates 
designated as low-income.
    I was a Pell Grant recipient. I was also an intern and entry-level 
staffer who has worked in the House and Senate. I founded College to 
Congress to support students who are passionate about public service 
but do not have the means to work an unpaid internship in Washington, 
DC. Unfortunately, in the wake of COVID-19, many of them have had their 
dreams deferred. This is not only to the detriment of our country's 
students, but to the Senate staff and their ability to craft policy, as 
well. In an election year, members will have to rely more and more on 
staff to help raise funds for their campaigns. According to a CRS 
study, the average tenure for a Senate staffer is 2.7 years and 2.1 
years for legislative assistants.\1\ In addition to this high turnover 
rate, low pay also prevents talent from middle and working-class 
backgrounds from accepting these positions in one of the nation's most 
expensive cities. Staff assistants make up the bulk of entry-level 
positions in Senate offices with an average starting salary of $43,898 
per year.\2\ This is 14% less than the national average for recent 
college graduates. For students with student loans who are displaced 
from affordable university housing due to the coronavirus pandemic and 
unable to report for an in-person internship, my recommendations could 
be the difference between being unemployed and still maintaining an 
income and gaining experience for an entire semester.
    I submit that we do not have to face an unnecessary reduction in 
our workforce and I recommend the following to be enacted to protect 
valuable positions for interns in the Senate:
    We encourage offices within the Senate to:

  --Consider easing restrictions against interns temporarily and solely 
        during this current public health crisis, on the type of work 
        that interns and fellows can perform remotely for the summer. 
        Interns could have the option of signing a pledge to maintain 
        the highest standards of confidentiality and agree to a penalty 
        or consequence determined by their office. They can still be 
        trusted to perform tasks such as maintaining constituent calls, 
        drafting responses for Congressional staff to review and send, 
        conducting background research for preparation materials, 
        drafting guidance for administrative responsibilities, etc.
  --Consider combining the funds set aside for paying their interns 
        into a Fellowship which would be classified as a ``temporary 
        hire.'' This would mean that interns are still considered a 
        full-time employee of the office and can have access to 
        telework equipment, benefits, and income.
  --Consider a virtual internship option modeled after the Virtual 
        Student Federal Service where dozens of federal agencies 
        release a call for project proposals around certain policy 
        areas and vet the student submissions for virtual interviews. 
        This would still ensure an intern's contribution to the 
        Congressional office and be held accountable.
  --Consider making internship pay permanent to ensure equitable 
        compensation among the early leaders of our country.

    Over the last four decades, the total number of congressional staff 
has declined 27 percent \3\ and Senate committee staff has declined by 
30 percent.\4\ But the U.S. population has nearly doubled while federal 
spending has increased by over 700 percent.\5\ This bleeding of talent 
can be mitigated by making Congress home to a strong example of early 
staff retention and equitable compensation for interns.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Petersen, R. E. and Eckman, S. J. (2016, November 9). Staff 
Tenure in Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, 2006-2016. 
Congressional Research Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44684.pdf
    \2\ 9 Petersen, R. E. and Williams, R. T. (2019, June 11). Staff 
Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2018. 
Congressional Research Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44324.pdf
    \3\ 1979-2015 from: Brookings Institute Vital Statistics on 
Congress. Congressional Staff, 1979-2015. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2017/01/vitalstats_ch5_tbl1.pdf
    \4\ 1979-2015 from: Brookings Institute Vital Statistics on 
Congress. Staffs of Senate Standing Committees, 1947-2015. https://
www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/vitalstats_
ch5_tbl7.pdf
    \5\ Data compiled between 1979-2019 from: Chantrill, C. Federal 
1979 Spending by Function. https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/
fed_spending_1979USmn; and: Chantrill, C. Federal 2019 Spending by 
Function. https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/fed_spending_2019USmn
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 ______
                                 
           Prepared Statement of Cyber and National Security
Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Dan Lips. I am 
the Director of Cyber and National Security with the Lincoln Network, a 
non-profit organization that serves as a bridge between Silicon Valley, 
other technology hubs, and national policymakers. I submit this 
testimony in support of the Comptroller General's FY2021 budget request 
for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).\1\ Further, I urge 
the Subcommittee and Congress to provide necessary funding levels, 
resources, and hiring authorities to allow GAO to expand its Science, 
Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team.
    To summarize, GAO is one of the best investments Congress makes on 
behalf of American taxpayers, and the new STAA team has the potential 
to dramatically increase the value that GAO provides Congress and the 
nation. The STAA team will strengthen the Legislative Branch's capacity 
to understand complex scientific and technological issues and to better 
forecast and address emerging challenges, including global pandemics 
and cybersecurity threats. Moreover, the STAA's planned use of data 
science and advanced analytics to enhance GAO's auditing process could 
create billions in government savings.
           gao's fy2021 budget request in historical context
    The Comptroller General proposed a 12 percent increase over FY2020 
funding levels.\2\ This may seem like a lot given the nation's current 
public health and fiscal challenges. But a review of historical data 
shows that this increase would rebuild GAO's reduced capacity from 
previous staffing levels and that additional funding will yield 
considerable savings and improvements.
    GAO's request includes funding 3,250 FTEs, an increase of 50 
positions.\3\ To put this into historical context, GAO had more than 
5,000 employees thirty years ago.\4\ GAO's workforce size has fallen by 
1,800 employees since that time and is now two-thirds its staffing 
level in 1991.
    Despite operating at a reduced capacity since the 1990s, GAO has a 
track record of delivering significant government savings and program 
improvements over the past 20 years. A review of GAO's self-reported 
annual estimates of savings, government improvements, and return on 
investment (ROI) since 1999 shows that GAO's work has resulted in more 
than $1.1 trillion in taxpayer savings and more than 25,000 other 
improvements. See Table 1.

                 Table 1-GAO Reported Savings, Government Benefits, and Annual ROI (FY1999-2019)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                         Estimated
                                                                                                          Annual
                  FY Year                      Reported Savings    Reported Savings   Other Government  Return-on-
                                               (billions of $)     (billions of $)        Benefits      Investment
                                                                                                            ($)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------
1999.......................................                 20.1                607                 57
2000.......................................                 23                  788                 61
2001.......................................                 26.4                799                 69
2002.......................................                 37.7                906                 88
2003.......................................                 35.4                900                 78
2004.......................................                 44                1,000                 95
2005.......................................                 39.6              1,400                 83
2006.......................................                 51                1,342                105
2007.......................................                 45.9              1,354                 94
2008.......................................                 58.1              1,400                114
2009.......................................                 43                1,300                 80
2010.......................................                 49.9              1,361                 87
2011.......................................                 45.7              1,318                 81
2012.......................................                 55.8              1,440                105
2013.......................................                 51.5              1,314                100
2014.......................................                 54.4              1,288                100
2015.......................................                 74.7              1,286                134
2016.......................................                 63.4              1,234                112
2017.......................................                 73.9              1,280                128
2018.......................................                 75.1              1,294                124
2019.......................................                214.7              1,418                338
                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals.................................              1,183.3             25,029
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Data are from GAO's annual reports since FY1999, which are available at GAO.gov.

    GAO's annual ROI has been more than $100 in savings for each 
taxpayer dollar invested in GAO every year since 2012. Moreover, GAO's 
average annual ROI between 2011 and 2018 was $126 compared to an 
average of $84 between 1999 and 2010. (The former average does not 
include GAO's estimated $338 ROI reported for 2019, which was 
significantly higher than past years. GAO stated that these historic 
savings were due to $136 billion in savings related to a DOD weapon 
system procurement and a $24.2 billion reduction in student loan 
costs.\5\)
    What happened at the beginning of the last decade that increased 
GAO's annual return on investment in the years that followed? One 
change is that Congress required GAO to issue annual reports on 
governmentwide duplication beginning in 2011. In 2010, former Oklahoma 
Senator Tom Coburn (full disclosure: my boss from 2011 to 2015) passed 
an amendment to the debt limit increase to require GAO's annual 
duplication reports. As of 2019, GAO estimates that its annual reports 
and work on duplication have yielded $262 billion in financial benefits 
since 2011.\6\ This shows how Congress's strategic direction can 
leverage GAO's impact.
    the case for expanding the science, technology assessment, and 
                         analytics (staa) team
    With this context, the Comptroller General testified that 
additional funding will be used in part to grow the STAA team. He 
stated that current and new appropriations will be used to increase the 
STAA team from its current level of 100 positions to 140 positions in 
FY2021. Further, he stated that the STAA would focus on several 
priorities, including conducting technology assessments and providing 
other scientific and technical assistance to Congress, improving 
oversight of major acquisitions, technology, and science programs, and 
advancing GAO's use of data science and analytics in its auditing.\7\ 
All of these priorities will yield significant value for Congress, 
particularly as the nation faces a pandemic and related economic 
impacts.
Improving Congressional Science and Technology Capacity
    Enhancing Congress's science and technology capacity is a 
recognized issue of bipartisan concern. The Congressionally mandated 
National Academy of Public Administration report issued in November 
recommended developing GAO's STAA as part of the solution to enhance 
Congressional capacity for science and technology. The House Select 
Committee on the Modernization of the Congress's bipartisan 
recommendations include ``[r]eestablishing and restructuring an 
improved Office of Technology Assessment.'' \8\ In a report for Harvard 
University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 
Lincoln Network's Zach Graves and Demand Progress's Daniel Schuman 
recommend a hybrid approach to improve Congressional S&T capacity-
including reestablishing the OTA while developing GAO's capacities and 
specializations. ``GAO's STAA unit has shown significant competence in 
building its technology assessment capacity,'' Graves and Schuman 
write, ``It should continue to take on a significant portion of OTA's 
original mission.'' \9\
    As Congress considers whether to reestablish the OTA, the STAA is 
well positioned to play a lead role in enhancing Congress's capacity. 
The STAA will help Congress understand, analyze, and forecast major 
issues involving science and technology (such as risks related to 
cybersecurity threats and global pandemics), as well as develop 
legislation and conduct oversight to address these challenges with 
greater independence. The STAA will also provide valuable technical 
assistance evaluating federal research and development investments.
Improving Oversight of Federal Technology, Acquisitions, and Science 
        Programs
    Strengthening GAO and the Legislative Branch's ability to oversee 
major technology, acquisitions, and science programs will improve 
government performance and national security. For example, GAO has 
identified federal information security and cybersecurity as a high-
risk issue since 1997. GAO has warned that the DOD's $1.6 trillion 
acquisition program is a high-risk issue. A 2019 GAO report identifying 
the Defense Department's supply chain risk management as a high-risk 
area served as a catalyst for reform within DOD. GAO's past oversight 
of major DHS science and technology programs have helped end or reform 
ineffective programs and acquisitions. GAO's work has also informed 
Congress and the executive branch about the need to rethink the 
nation's approach to managing risk. Monitoring agencies' acquisitions 
programs presents a significant challenge for Congress, particularly 
when those programs involve science and technology. Growing the 
capacity within GAO to oversee technology, acquisitions, and science 
will help Congress better fulfill its Article I responsibilities, 
strengthen national security, and improve Congress's ability to foresee 
major risks like the current pandemic.
Using Data Science and Advanced Analytics to Strengthen GAO Auditing
    The STAA team's plan to apply data science and advanced analytics 
to enhance GAO's traditional auditing work will modernize and improve 
GAO's role in Congressional oversight in significant ways. GAO's Chief 
Data Scientist Taka Ariga recently explained to me how the STAA plans 
to use data analytic: ``The nexus of scalable computational power and 
innovative data science techniques enables analyses based on 100% of 
the data instead of a more traditional, sample-based approach. In turn, 
we can accelerate the speed and depth at which we identify, consume, 
and act on patterns, behaviors, correlations, and anomalies.'' \10\
    Applying data science has the potential to revolutionize oversight. 
For example, imagine if the federal government was able to use similar 
kinds of analytics that banks use to monitor consumers' credit card 
transactions. GAO estimates that governmentwide improper payments have 
totaled $1.4 trillion since 2003, when Congress required agencies to 
begin reporting them. GAO reports that ``federal entities estimated 
about $141 billion in improper payments'' in FY2017.\11\ Potential 
savings from using data analytics and continuous oversight to monitor 
and prevent improper payments could exceed tens of billions of dollars 
per year.
    Beyond achieving savings and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, 
applying data science and advanced analytics to government oversight 
could help Congress address other issues of bipartisan concern, such as 
identifying root causes of the opioid overdose epidemic and human 
trafficking, by analyzing multiple data sets and identifying patterns 
across government programs.
                               conclusion
    Thank you again for the opportunity to submit testimony. 
Understanding the nation's urgent public health and fiscal challenges, 
I urge the Subcommittee to recognize the potential long-term value of 
investing in expanding GAO's capacity and particularly the STAA team to 
strengthen Congress's scientific and technical capacity and to improve 
federal oversight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Gene L. Dodaro, ``Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request,'' Testimony 
Before the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Committee on 
Appropriations, House of Representatives, February 27, 2020.
    \2\ Id.
    \3\ Id.
    \4\ Brookings Institution, ``Congressional Staff and Operating 
Expenses,'' at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/
Chpt-5.pdf (February 26, 2020).
    \5\ U.S. Government Accountability Office, ``Performance and 
Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2019,'' GAO-20-1SP, November 2019, 
at: https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/702715.pdf (February 25, 2019).
    \6\ GAO-19-285SP.
    \7\ Id.
    \8\ The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, U.S. 
House of Representatives, ``Recommendations.''
    \9\ Zach Graves and Daniel Schuman, ``Science, Technology, & 
Democracy: Building a Modern Congressional Technology Office,'' Harvard 
University Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 2020.
    \10\ ``Modernizing Oversight to Improve Government Efficiency and 
Performance,'' Lincoln Network, November 25, 2019.
    \11\ GAO, ``Reducing Government-wide improper payments,'' 2020.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 ______
                                 
                 Prepared Statement of Demand Progress
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. My 
name is Daniel Schuman and I lead Demand Progress's Congressional 
capacity team, which conducts research and engages in advocacy focused 
on strengthening Congress.\1\ We greatly appreciate this Subcommittee's 
ongoing work to modernize Congress, exemplified by the study on 
congressional staff pay, the expansion of the Senate Employees' Child 
Care Center, and the creation of an e-Signature platform.
    My testimony focuses on modernizing congressional technology. 
Modernization encompasses moving to digital platforms that augment the 
current paper-based processes, facilitating the use of congressional 
data across the legislative branch and beyond, and increasing the 
resiliency of congressional operations in emergencies.
    The importance of resilient and flexible information technology 
infrastructure could not be more apparent than it is today in the midst 
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of Congress, their personal and 
committee staff, and staff in congressional offices and support 
agencies all must be able to perform their duties regardless of the 
circumstances. Technology, when designed properly and fully integrated 
into legislative operations, provides important capabilities that 
support the work of Congress even in the most adverse circumstances.
    The Senate and House have undertaken significant efforts to improve 
the quality of information technology available to the legislative 
branch. We believe that further development of technology tools--
including the build-out of platforms and systems to share and manage 
data--requires the instantiation of an even closer level of 
coordination among the many components of the legislative branch than 
exists today.
    There is no entity inside Congress with the singular, day-to-day 
focus on improving how information is managed and shared throughout the 
legislative branch. Consequently, it is not always clear what data 
exists, where it can be found, who is responsible for it, and whether 
that data is being employed for all the purposes for which it is fit. 
In addition, multiple technologies are at times being used by different 
offices to manage the exact same information, which results in 
additional costs from the procurement of duplicative tools and 
inefficiencies from transferring data between incompatible formats. 
Furthermore, many traditional (often paper-based) legislative practices 
would be greatly enhanced if they were supported by interoperable 
digital platforms.
    For example, legislative branch-wide digital platforms could 
support:

  --Improved handling of the introduction, co-sponsoring, and amending 
        of legislation, including tracking that legislation, providing 
        comparative prints thereof, and reformatting it for publication 
        as slip laws as well as codification into the U.S. Code;
  --Digitizing committee meeting notices, documents, testimony, 
        transcripts, voting tallies, nominations information, and 
        archives; deconflicting the scheduling of legislative 
        proceedings; and so on;
  --More expeditious handling of executive branch communications;
  --Improving constituent relations management through enhanced 
        tracking of inquiries, responses, and communications to 
        agencies, the use of an e-signature platform to improve 
        response times, and better methods for mass communications that 
        are customizable to constituent interests;
  --Better techniques for managing offices, including payroll, leave 
        tracking, hiring and firing, and overseeing staff benefits; and
  --Managing ethics information, including submission, review, 
        approval, and publication of staff and member financial 
        disclosures, gifts, travel reports, and statements of outside 
        business; lobbyist registrations; post-employment restrictions; 
        etc.;
  --Matters relating to cybersecurity, strengthening district offices 
        ability to work collaboratively with the DC office, historical 
        records, agency documents, and support for mobile technology 
        that improves resiliency in the face of emergencies as well as 
        flexibility in day-to-day activities.

    We recommend the creation of a Legislative Branch Information 
Technology Coordination Office, co-directed by a Senate Data 
Coordination Officer and a House Data Coordination Officer, as a pilot 
project. The Office would coordinate and support legislative branch 
information technologies that augment traditional legislative processes 
and practices.
    Specifically, as a start, the Legislative Branch Information 
Technology Coordination Office would:

  --Serve as a forum for convening relevant stakeholders to facilitate 
        strategy coordination, procurement, knowledge-sharing; 
        consultation with internal and external experts; and act as a 
        clearinghouse for appropriately routing technical inquiries, 
        issues, and ideas;
  --Facilitate information sharing across different components in the 
        legislative branch by bringing together key players and 
        encouraging their collaborative identification, development, 
        and adoption of best practices and techniques;
  --Promote interoperability and efficiency by encouraging the 
        sequencing of the development of tools and adoption of 
        technologies across legislative branch components; and
  --Facilitate legislative operations by investigating and identifying 
        areas worth investment and surfacing gaps in current processes 
        and possible points of failure.

    The Senate and House Data Coordination Officers would be chosen 
respectively by the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the House Clerk. This 
provides equitable representation to each chamber's nonpartisan 
legislative operations staff and would serve as an extension of pre-
existing, informal practices. Part of the office's role would be to 
provide a forum to invite relevant staff from legislative support 
offices and agencies to participate in the co-development of shared 
approaches to address common issues.
    In addition to the above duties, the Legislative Branch Information 
Technology Coordination Office would be responsible for supporting the 
efforts of the Bulk Data Task Force; tracking datasets released by the 
legislative branch; providing advice, guidance, and encouragement to 
offices regarding the publication of legislative branch information as 
data; supporting the annual Legislative Data and Transparency 
Conference; and supporting and providing assistance to the public with 
finding and obtaining legislative data.
    The creation of a visible point of contact with a focus on the 
institution as a whole would serve as a rallying point for 
modernization efforts while allowing each component to continue to 
focus on advancing its particularized mission. In addition, it is a 
pragmatic outgrowth of the many ad hoc coordination efforts that exist 
today. Such an office could be small, with one administrative FTE to 
support two full-time Coordination Officers.
    The Legislative Branch would benefit from improved coordination on 
the development of digital processes that facilitate traditional 
legislative operations and practices. Congress must continue to work to 
adapt its technology to modern circumstances in an increasingly mobile 
and volatile world. We look forward to continuing the conversation.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to submit testimony.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ For more information, visit https://firstbranchforecast.com/
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                                 ______
                                 
               Prepared Statement of Democracy Fund Voice
Dear Chairman Hyde-Smith and Ranking Member Murphy:

    Democracy Fund Voice is a nonpartisan organization established by 
eBay founder Pierre Omidyar to help America build a stronger, healthier 
democracy. Effective governance in Washington is critical to this 
mission, and our philanthropic efforts focus in part on ensuring that 
congressional leaders have the resources and capabilities they need to 
represent and serve the American people.
    Through your leadership on this subcommittee, Congress has made 
important progress in restoring the resources needed for the proper 
functioning of the legislative branch. Appropriations for the 
legislative branch in fiscal year 2020 continued to reinvest in the 
people and systems required for the first branch of government to do 
the people's work. In a bipartisan fashion, congressional appropriators 
provided funds to raise staff salaries, bolster legislative support 
agencies, and upgrade information technology systems.
    We urge you to build upon the growing momentum to restore the 
capacity of Congress to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities by 
including adequate resources in the Fiscal Year 2021 Legislative Branch 
Appropriations bill.
    Although Congress has increased funds for the legislative functions 
of the federal government for consecutive fiscal years, from a 
historical perspective it is still significantly behind funding levels 
of decades ago. The legislative branch receives only seven tenths of 
one percent of non-defense discretionary federal funding. Most recent 
increases in spending for the legislative branch, meanwhile, have been 
directed toward critical needs like building renovations and campus 
security. Spending on other areas that are critical to the legislative 
and oversight work of the Senate, like committee allotments and 
personal office allowances (SOPOEA), has been flat for 25 years.\1\
    Members of the 116th Congress have distinguished themselves for 
their interest in strengthening and reforming the first branch of our 
federal system. This Congress has established new offices to strengthen 
positive workplace practices and encourage diversity in staff hiring 
and retention on a bipartisan basis. For the second consecutive year 
the paid internship program was expanded, providing a more diverse pool 
of young Americans with opportunities to begin careers in public 
service. Growing ranks of experts in scientific and technical fields 
are coming to work in legislative support offices, including the newly 
expanded Government Accountability Office (GAO). This subcommittee 
should appropriate funds to continue these and other reform-minded 
innovations that will improve Congress's capacity to face the 
challenges of the 21st century.
                               staff pay
    The subcommittee should continue to prioritize increasing funding 
levels for staff pay in congressional offices. As every member of 
Congress understands, staffers are both the brain and heart of the 
institution, providing vital support for members of Congress through 
mastery of the complex issues facing a modern nation and providing 
important services to constituents in home districts.
    This subcommittee has led the way on this issue, providing funds to 
pay interns and increasing the SOPOEA in fiscal year 2020. But there is 
still much to do to reverse long-term trends in staff pay that have 
eroded congressional legislative and oversight capacity, and have 
contributed to less representative offices and policies. Even with last 
year's increase, funding for the SOPOEA is 8 percent lower than it was 
in FY 2010 when adjusted for inflation.\2\ The Congressional Research 
Service (CRS) has found that the average salaries for staff have 
declined by thousands of dollars in recent decades,\3\ pushing many 
qualified public servants out the door and reducing the average tenure 
of staff to just a few years.\4\ Spending on Senate committees, where 
staff play particularly vital roles on oversight and legislative 
matters, is down 35 percent over the last decade.\5\
    We recognize that appropriating more funds for the SOPOEA and 
committee allotments is challenging given the sizeable resource 
constraints imposed by building renovations and campus security. 
Nevertheless, the knowledge and skills of congressional staff 
constitute critical infrastructure for the functioning of the 
institution as well. We encourage the subcommittee to think creatively 
about ways to restore funding for congressional staff back to 
established norms of previous decades.
    We especially urge the subcommittee to explore providing additional 
resources for state-based staff. These staff have been on the 
frontlines of Congress's response to the current crisis, from serving 
constituents facing hardships, to coordinating with state and local 
leaders, to channeling important information to shape the legislative 
response. We expect these demands to continue building as this crisis 
unfolds and encourage the subcommittee to ensure that state offices 
have sufficient capacity to support constituents during fiscal year 
2021.
                         representative offices
    Inadequate funding is contributing to the lack of diversity among 
congressional staff, depriving Congress of the experience and expertise 
that are so vital to successful constituent representation and policy 
formation. To support a Congress that looks more like America, the 
subcommittee should continue its support for paid internships and 
consider expanding the program to committees. We applaud the 
subcommittee for commissioning a study on Senate staff pay and 
retention in fiscal year 2019; it should also consider funding 
permanent research on this topic and training personnel to promote 
diverse hiring and inclusive workplace practices.
                     congressional support offices
    Insufficient investment in the legislative branch has far-reaching 
consequences for policy expertise within the Congress. Legislative 
support agencies have suffered significant staff decreases in the past 
35 years, with CRS and GAO operating with a fraction of the staff 
capacity they had in the late 1970s.\6\ Additionally, Congress has 
lacked dedicated in-house resources on science and technology policy 
since the shuttering of the Office of Technology Assessment in 1995, 
when only 3 percent of Americans had ever logged on to the World Wide 
Web.\7\ The subcommittee should continue the investments it made last 
fiscal year in CRS and GAO, particularly as the latter expands the 
capacity of its Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) 
team.
                               conclusion
    We at Democracy Fund Voice believe deeply in the vital role of the 
legislative branch in our federal system. Along with our sister 
organization Democracy Fund, we support dedicated and resourceful 
nonprofits that train congressional staff in legislative procedure, 
educate members and staff on complex policy issues, strengthen 
committee staff's ability to perform rigorous oversight of executive 
branch agencies, and develop solutions to office communications and 
technology challenges. We are proud to support this work, but only 
Congress itself can solve underlying resource problems in the 
legislative branch.
    As our nation faces dual public health and economic crises of an 
unprecedented scale, the American people will depend on a Congress that 
is properly resourced to craft informed public policy. We believe the 
bipartisan momentum for congressional renewal and reform is very 
encouraging. This moment represents an opportunity to build a modern 
Congress that can serve the American people for decades to come. We 
look forward to supporting your vital role in that process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ ``The Undermining of Congress,'' First Branch Forecast, April 
21, 2020. Available at https://firstbranchforecast.com/2020/02/17/the-
undermining-of-congress
    \2\ Ibid.
    \3\ Molly Reynolds, ``The Decline in Congressional Capacity,'' 
Brookings Institution, February 23, 2018 (citing multiple CRS reports).
    \4\ Eric R. Petersen and Sarah Eckman, ``Staff Tenure in Selected 
Positions in Senate Committees, 2006-2016,'' Congressional Research 
Service, November 9, 2016, accessed April 21, 2020. Available at: 
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44685.pdf.
    \5\ ``The Undermining of Congress"
    \6\ Curtlyn Kramer, ``Vital Stats: Congress Has a Staffing Problem, 
Too,'' Brookings Institution, May 24, 2017, accessed April 21, 2020. 
Available at: www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2017/05/24/vital-stats-
congress-has-a-staffing-problem-too/
    \7\ Pew Research Center, ``Americans Going Online . . . Explosive 
Growth, Uncertain Destinations,'' October 16, 1995. https://www.people-
press.org/1995/10/16/americans-going-online-explosive-growth-uncertain-
destinations/Accessed April 21, 2020.

    [This statement was submitted by Joe Goldman, President.]
                                 ______
                                 
                    Prepared Statement of Issue One
    Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Subcommittee 
members--thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony and to 
address the capacity of the legislative branch.
    My name is Meredith McGehee, and I have been a public interest 
lobbyist for more than three decades, with an emphasis on promoting 
transparency, accountability, and strong ethics in our government. I am 
currently the Executive Director of Issue One, a leading crosspartisan 
organization working with Republicans, Democrats, and independents to 
advance commonsense reforms to fix our broken political system.
    Issue One's mission is to ``fix democracy first.'' We advocate for 
a range of solutions, including rebalancing the role of money in 
politics, securing our elections, and strengthening Congress so that it 
may fulfill its Article One responsibilities. To support our advocacy 
efforts, we formed the bipartisan ReFormers Caucus, which brings 
together more than 200 former members of Congress, governors, and 
Cabinet officials.
    Issue One is deeply concerned about the state of our politics, 
including the polarization that has made it increasingly difficult for 
Congress to get any work done. The current COVID-19 pandemic 
demonstrates that Congress is capable of working together under 
extraordinary circumstances--but Americans also deserve a strong, 
functioning Congress that can address the issues that affect them every 
day. Which is why I would like to highlight a key driver of dysfunction 
in Washington that is hindering Congress' ability to consistently and 
effectively serve the American people. I'm referring to Congress' 
capacity--its capacity to legislate, deliberate, and represent 
Americans. Put simply: Congress' ability to perform these critical 
functions has not kept pace with the challenges of governing a large 
and diverse nation in an increasingly complex world.
    The numbers themselves paint a sobering picture. In the last four 
decades, the U.S. population has nearly doubled \1\ and federal 
spending has increased almost 800 percent \2\--but the total number of 
congressional staff has declined 27 percent.\3\ In the same period, 
Senate committee staff has decreased by 30 percent,\4\ and the staff of 
three crucial supporting agencies--the Congressional Research Service 
(CRS), Government Accountability Office, and Congressional Budget 
Office--has been cut by 40 percent.\5\
    This decrease in Hill staff impacts members of Congress' ability to 
craft policy. Let's be honest: the amount of time that many members 
spend on policymaking has to compete with the demands of the campaign 
cycle. Issue One's research shows that in the last quarter, the typical 
Senator raised an average of $1,700 per day, while Senators up for re-
election in 2020 raised an average of $15,300 per day.\6\ The need to 
spend hours per week dialing for dollars can leave members with little 
time to focus on policy. As a result, members have to rely more and 
more on staff, many of whom are inexperienced and leave the Hill just 
as they are gaining substantive policy expertise.
    As anyone who visits the Hill regularly knows, staff skew young in 
age and turnover is high. As a recent CRS study shows, the average 
Senate staffer has only been in their position for 2.7 years.\7\ For 
legislative assistants, who advise Senators on key subject-matter 
areas, the average tenure in the position is only 2.1 years.\8\ To put 
this in perspective, if you are a member of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, and the staffer advising you on the National Defense 
Authorization Act is only in the position for one cycle of the bill's 
annual review, your ability to impact that legislation will be 
seriously undercut.
    Unfortunately, low pay is a major factor contributing to staff 
turnover. Staff who play a vital role in crafting and negotiating 
legislation often earn half of what they can make in the private sector 
or federal government. As a result, staffers get their ``Hill ticket'' 
punched and leave, taking with them valuable expertise and 
institutional knowledge.
    Moreover, low entry-level pay can prevent those from middle and 
working-class backgrounds from taking a job on the Hill in the first 
place. Staff assistants--the entry level position in most Senate 
offices--make an average of $43,898 a year,\9\ which is 14 percent less 
than the national average for recent college graduates.\10\ It is worth 
noting that this comparison does not account for the high cost of 
living in Washington, DC. For jobseekers with student loans to repay, 
or those who cannot rely on support from family members to live and 
work in an expensive city, this is simply not a job they can afford to 
take.
    These factors combine to exacerbate a lack of diversity in Hill 
offices, which undermines Congress' ability to represent all Americans.
    Let me be clear, by setting out this state of affairs, I do not 
mean to disparage Hill staff. In more than 30 years of public interest 
lobbying, I have found the vast majority of staffers to be 
exceptionally bright and highly motivated.
    However, pitting staff in their mid-twenties--no matter how 
capable--against lobbyists and executive branch officials with decades 
of experience is a recipe for having special interests or the executive 
branch win every time.
    So, what can be done?
    I want to start by thanking you and the leaders of this Committee 
for the increase you were able to secure for the Senators' Official 
Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) for Fiscal Year 2019. 
This funding was a critically important step to improving congressional 
capacity, and Issue One hopes there will be more targeted increases to 
the SOPOEA and committee funding in the future.
    For those who might complain about Congress ``spending money on 
itself,'' I would argue forcefully that having an experienced and 
diverse Hill staff is not about members themselves, but rather about 
protecting and strengthening the voices of the people they serve--their 
constituents.
    It is also worth noting that this is a completely separate issue 
from that of Senator pay--the staff positions I'm referring to when 
expressing concern about retention are not earning anywhere near the 
current cap in staff pay.
    That said, Issue One recognizes Congress is operating in a 
resource-constrained environment, particularly in this current 
appropriations cycle. So, we would also urge you to focus on other, 
cost-effective ways to improve staff retention.
    First, we recommend that this Committee examine options to boost 
the Senate's human resources capacity. One option is to create a ``one-
stop-shop'' that all Senate offices could turn to for help with hiring 
and management. It could provide hiring managers with tools to recruit 
candidates from a more diverse talent pool, assist them in 
understanding staff benefits and competitive compensation levels, and 
generally identify HR best practices. Expanding HR support Senate-wide 
could improve staff retention and diversity while lessening the 
administrative burden for Senators and staff alike.
    We would also like to highlight the potential to boost retention 
through improved management training for staff. Over my career, when I 
have asked departing staffers why they chose to leave the Hill, about 
half have cited the need to earn more money. But the other half cited 
challenges with their managers.
    I've seen and heard about these management problems time and time 
again. Since there is no required management training as staff move 
``up the ladder'' on the Hill, staffers find themselves suddenly 
managing people without preparation, as they move from policy-only 
positions to legislative or district director roles. This is just a bad 
business practice that leads to inefficiencies and increased turnover, 
all of which undermines Congress' ability to serve the American people.
    Finally, we urge you to consider, in the next Congress, creating a 
Joint Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to examine and 
improve congressional operations. As I, along with a number of other 
congressional and public policy experts, wrote to Senate and House 
leadership in a 2016 letter, establishing a Joint Committee could help 
Congress boost its internal policy capacity so it can better compete 
with lobbyists and the executive branch. The current pandemic has 
demonstrated that, ultimately, if Congress is to fulfill its 
constitutional duties effectively, the institution must commit to 
thoroughly examining solutions to these issues.
    One last observation is that work to modernize and improve Congress 
has inspired action from a wide range of organizations with differing 
missions and ideologies, but who still agree that a strong and 
functional Congress is an essential part of our democracy. For our 
part, Issue One has been meeting regularly with an informal coalition 
of nonprofit and advocacy groups, with the goal of better supporting 
critical, bipartisan work to strengthen the legislative branch. We have 
been heartened to see a formalized effort on the House side to improve 
congressional functioning, capacity, and effectiveness through the 
House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. We've also 
been impressed at how this desire to improve our first branch has 
united so many of us on the left, right, and in between. We hope that 
this broad support is reflected in this testimony and in the feedback 
you receive ahead of this appropriations cycle.
    In closing, thank you for considering these recommendations, and 
for all your work to promote a strong and competent staff within the 
legislative branch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Data compiled between 1979-2019 from: United States Census 
Bureau. Historical National Population Estimates: July 1, 1900 to July 
1, 1999. https://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/
popclockest.txt; and: United States Census Bureau (2019, July 1). U.S. 
and World Population Clock. https://www.census.gov/popclock/
    \2\ Data compiled between 1979-2019 from: Chantrill, C. Federal 
1979 Spending by Function. https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/
fed_spending_1979USmn; and: Chantrill, C. Federal 2019 Spending by 
Function. https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/fed_spending_2019USmn
    \3\ Data compiled between 1979-2015 from: Brookings Institute Vital 
Statistics on Congress. Congressional Staff, 1979-2015. https://
www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/vitalstats_ch5_tbl1.pdf
    \4\ Data compiled between 1979-2015 from: Brookings Institute Vital 
Statistics on Congress. Staffs of Senate Standing Committees, 1947-
2015. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/
vitalstats_ch5_tbl7.pdf
    \5\ Data compiled between 1979-2015 from: Brookings Institute Vital 
Statistics on Congress. Staffs of Congressional Support Agencies, 
FY1946-FY2015. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/
vitalstats_ch5_tbl8.pdf
    \6\ Ratliff, A. (2020, February 5). Four Things We Learned from the 
Latest House and Senate Campaign Finance Filings. Issue One. https://
www.issueone.org/four-things-we-learned-from-the-latest-house-and-
senate-campaign-finance-filings/
    \7\ Petersen, R. E. and Eckman, S. J. (2016, November 9). Staff 
Tenure in Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, 2006-2016. 
Congressional Research Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44684.pdf
    \8\ Id.
    \9\ Petersen, R. E. and Williams, R. T. (2019, June 11). Staff Pay 
Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2018. 
Congressional Research Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44324.pdf
    \10\ Koc., E. et al. (2019, Summer). NACE Salary Survey: Final 
Starting Salaries for Class of 2018 New College Graduates, Executive 
Summary. National Association of Colleges and Employers. https://
www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/files/2019/publication/executive-summary/
2019-nace-salary-survey-summer-executive-summary.pdf
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                                 ______
                                 
                 Prepared Statement of Lincoln Network
Dear Chairman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and members of the 
committee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. Over the past 
two years, there has been considerable interest and new research 
surrounding the question of how to enhance science and technology 
capacity in the legislative branch, and in particular whether it should 
revive the Office of Technology Assessment or a invest in a similar 
entity such as the Government Accountability Office's Science, 
Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team. Given our current 
crisis with COVID-10, and the unprecedented new expenditures 
surrounding it, the conversation around building deeper science and 
technology expertise and oversight capacity is more important than 
ever.
    As you know, following a provision in the fiscal year 2019 
appropriations bill, the National Academy of Public Administration 
conducted a wide-ranging study examining science and technology 
resources within Congress.\1\ NAPA's report identified important gaps, 
and reaffirmed a narrative of historical decline in the legislative 
branch's staffing and capacity. This narrative has been supported and 
augmented with additional studies by Harvard University (including one 
I co-authored),\2\ and numerous reports by think tanks on both the left 
and right. This literature, including the NAPA recommendations, is also 
reviewed in-depth in a new report from the Congressional Research 
Service.\3\
    In its report, CRS outlines five approaches:

    1.  Reestablish OTA Without Changes to Its Statute
    2.  Reestablish OTA with Changes to Its Statute
    3.  Charge an Existing Agency or Agencies with New or Expanded 
Technology Assessment Authorities and Duties
    4.  Use the National Academies for Technology Assessment
    5.  Rely on a Broad Range of Existing Organizations for Scientific 
and Technical Analysis and Technology Assessment

    Of these options, (2) and (3) have drawn the greatest support, and 
arguably have the fewest drawbacks. While there are many both inside 
and outside of Congress who favor restoring the Office of Technology 
Assessment, most recognize the need to update its model, which was 
conceived in the 1960s and designed for how Congress worked in that 
era. Other analysts have pointed to STAA as a more politically feasible 
vehicle for this work, but also warn of the institutional challenges it 
has yet to overcome.
    Since 2019, STAA has grown to over 80 FTE staff and undertaken 
thorough reviews of its methodological approach for technology 
assessment (as well as developing other products). But if it is to fill 
this role, there is still much that needs to happen for it to mature 
both institutionally and in terms of staffing capacity. The remainder 
of my remarks are focused on addressing this challenge.
                   serving congress beyond committees
    A major design limitation of OTA was that it primarily served 
committee leadership (this small support base also facilitated its 
political downfall). GAO's request process, governed by its 
congressional protocols, operates along similar lines. Yet, the need 
for science and technology expertise and analysis extends beyond just 
committee chairmen and ranking members. While this system is meant in 
part to manage scarce resources, there are potential approaches to open 
up shorter form analytic products to a broader constituency within 
Congress. To that end, we request the following report language:

        Review of Congressional Protocols for S&T.--The Government 
        Accountability Office is requested to provide a report within 
        180 days on options to amend its congressional protocols, with 
        respect to technology assessments and other non-audit reports 
        generated by its STAA team, to address requests from 
        congressional committees on a bipartisan basis, as well as make 
        services available to individual member offices. This analysis 
        may wish to consider factors in request prioritization such as 
        bicameral and bipartisan requests, report type and length, as 
        well as the number of Members making the request.
                       leveraging outside talent
    As Comptroller General Gene Dodaro discusses in his recent 
testimony in the House of Representatives, GAO is actively exploring 
this use of temporary project-based staff for science and technology 
work at STAA. The use of rotators and project-based staff helps promote 
an interchange between academia and government, leading to the 
development of expert networks and staff expertise that otherwise 
wouldn't be possible to get in government. To encourage utilization and 
adoption of this model, we request the following report language:

        Report on Hiring Authorities.--The Government Accountability 
        Office is requested to provide a report to this committee and 
        to publish online within 180 days a report on available hiring 
        authorities and their utilization for science and technology 
        work in STAA, as well as how it might adapt talent and 
        networking models from DARPA, the National Science Foundation, 
        and the former Office of Technology Assessment.
                        creating a stronger staa
    Recent criticism of STAA, including analysis in the NAPA report and 
from CRS, have pointed to its challenges in moving quickly and 
separating itself from GAO's audit-focused culture and bureaucracy. To 
address these issues and build consensus around STAA, policymakers 
should explore additional ways to give STAA greater autonomy. This 
might include a separate appropriations line item, or modeling the 
relationship between the Congressional Research Service and the Library 
of Congress (see: 2 U.S.C. Sec. 166). This issue could also potentially 
be addressed through report language, such as:

        Research Independence.--The Comptroller General is requested to 
        study and implement changes to afford STAA and its director the 
        maximum practicable research administrative independence within 
        GAO, including hiring and firing authority, consistent with its 
        strategic objectives to serve as a science and technology 
        advisor to the Congress.

    Additionally, while we know there are significant limitations to 
what can be funded, we respectfully urge you to support GAO's budget 
request to provide additional resources for this important work. As 
with GAO and the original OTA, we believe a fully-funded STAA can 
provide a return to taxpayers that greatly exceeds its budget.
    Thank you for your ongoing attention to this issue, and thank you 
for the opportunity to testify.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ We've conducted a detailed examination of its findings here: 
https://lincolnpolicy.org/2019/12/04/evaluating-the-2019-napa-report-
on-st-policy-assessment-and-resources-for-congress/.
    \2\ See: Mike Miesen, Laura Manley, et al., ``Building a 21st 
Century Congress: Improving Congress's Science and Technology 
Expertise,'' Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 
September 2019. https://www.belfercenter.org/CongressSciTech; Zach 
Graves and Daniel Schuman, ``Science, Technology, & Democracy: Building 
a Modern Congressional Technology Assessment Office,'' Ash Center for 
Democratic Governance and Innovation, January 2020. https://
ash.harvard.edu/publications/science-technology-and-democracybuilding-
modern-congressional-technology-assessment.
    \3\ ``The Office of Technology Assessment: History, Authorities, 
Issues, and Options,'' Congressional Research Service, April 29, 2020. 
https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R46327.html.

    [This statement was submitted by Zachary Graves, Head of Policy.]
                                 ______
                                 
 Prepared Statement of the National Association of Latino Elected and 
                      Appointed Officials (NALEO)
Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy and Members of the U.S. 
Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee:

    On behalf of the National Association of Latino Elected and 
Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, I respectfully write you 
to urge the U.S. Senate to establish a Senate Office on Diversity and 
Inclusion and fund it adequately to operate in an independent and non-
partisan manner.
    NALEO Educational Fund is the nation's leading nonprofit 
organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the 
American political process, from citizenship to public service. Our 
Board members and constituency encompass the nation's more than 6,800 
Latino elected and appointed officials and include Republicans, 
Democrats, and Independents.
    In November 2017, NALEO Educational Fund launched ``Staff Up 
Congress,'' a national initiative to build a representative 
congressional workforce. The initiative is working to grow the pool of 
candidates of color for senior positions, develop candidates' skills 
and networks, build a sustainable pipeline of candidates from entry-
level to the chief of staff, and urge hiring managers to actively 
consider, recruit, and hire in an inclusive manner.
           inclusion helps legislatures function effectively
    Congressional staff provides indispensable assistance and 
irreplaceable institutional knowledge that legislators need to meet 
their policymaking, oversight, and constituent service 
responsibilities. As the Congressional Management Foundation notes, 
``talented and experienced employees are the most valuable assets in 
any knowledge-based workplace, and Congress is one of the most 
important, complex and information-rich knowledge-based workplaces in 
the world.''
    Extensive research has shown that teams of capable, intelligent 
people with diverse personal characteristics work better than 
homogenous groups. For example, social scientists have observed that 
when people of varied backgrounds work together, they surpass groups 
with similar personal characteristics in recognizing broad ranges of 
needs and opportunities, brainstorming, and generating creative 
solutions to emerging problems.
    Emerging research also provides increasingly direct and conclusive 
proof that inclusive teams make Members more effective policymakers. A 
2018 study of Congressional committees' work determined that the more 
racially diverse the members of a committee were, the less likely it 
was that that the committee's reports and other written products would 
include minority or dissenting views. According to this study's author, 
diverse perspectives help build legislative consensus, and therefore 
``efforts underway to further increase diversity in Congress are 
important in potentially contributing to a better functioning 
legislature.''
    In addition to positively influencing the speed and effectiveness 
of policymaking, inclusive legislative staff teams enhance Congress's 
legitimacy in the eyes of its constituents. Researchers have found that 
constituents tend to trust and engage more with their representatives 
when those elected officials are individuals who share the experiences 
of constituents' racial or ethnic communities.
    This suggests that inclusive staffing will also tend to strengthen 
democracy by increasing voter participation and other civic activity. 
Staff who reflect the diversity of Members' constituencies also are 
ideally equipped to anticipate and effectively address those 
constituents' concerns.
    Congress has much to gain from taking action on a public commitment 
to inclusive hiring. As the partisan conflict has intensified, Congress 
has found itself in ever more acute need of people who are willing and 
able to work together across dividing lines. Congress must improve its 
ability to reach consensus by deliberately pursuing greater inclusivity 
in staffing.
                congress has fallen short on inclusivity
    Members of Congress and the workforce that powers the legislative 
branch do not yet reflect the diversity of the constituents for whom 
they work. Congress works to ensure that federal agencies and private 
employers make inclusion a priority, but it has not yet held itself 
accountable in the same way. Congress must take concrete steps and 
remain open to new administrative approaches to make progress and 
demonstrate a meaningful commitment to diversity to its constituents.
    Although there are few data available from official sources, 
available indicators universally show that the Congressional workforce 
is not representative of the population for which it works. In its 2015 
report on Senate staff, George Washington University's Joint Center for 
Political and Economic Studies found that while 37.9 percent of United 
States residents were people of color, just 7.1 percent of Senate 
Chiefs of Staff, Legislative Directors, Communications Directors, and 
Staff Directors were people of color. Congress can take effective 
action to address these disparities. For example, since initiating 
annual surveys, creating an inclusive resume bank, and urging Member 
offices to adopt policies like the Rooney Rule, the Senate Democratic 
Caucus has measured incremental and consistent improvement in markers 
of inclusive hiring. It is essential that Congress make an explicit and 
active commitment to building a workforce that more closely resembles 
the nation's broad diversity.
                house office of diversity and inclusion
    The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Rules package that 
established the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2019, a 
significant step toward increasing staff diversity and inclusion in the 
House of Representatives. In addition to establishing the Office of 
Diversity and Inclusion, the Rules package required the appointment of 
a Chief Diversity Officer and the development of a diversity plan, to 
include a survey to evaluate diversity in House offices and policies to 
direct and guide House offices to recruit, hire, train, develop, 
advance, promote, and retain a diverse workforce.
    The House of Representatives administered the required diversity 
survey in the summer of 2019, and the responses will be incorporated 
into a series of recommendations to help enhance diversity and 
inclusion across the chamber. In March 2020, the House of 
Representatives appointed a Chief Diversity Officer to lead the House 
Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and it will add a Deputy Director to 
address effective and inclusive and hiring in a bipartisan manner.
    The bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress 
unanimously endorsed the efforts of the House Office of Diversity and 
Inclusion, and the full House overwhelmingly adopted House Resolution 
756, which charged the Office with submitting reports for the 
foreseeable future and anticipates its findings.
                senate office of diversity and inclusion
    NALEO Educational Fund urges the United States Senate to bring 
itself into parity with the House of Representatives by establishing a 
Senate Office of Diversity and Inclusion, appointing a Senate Office of 
Diversity and Inclusion Director, and preparing a Senate Inclusion 
Report. The Senate falls behind the House at the task of diversifying 
its workforce at its own peril: over the long term, it risks becoming a 
less-attractive workplace that is not as creative or effective as it 
could be.
    Employers across the nation in both large and small enterprises 
increasingly implement inclusive hiring practices because they ensure a 
workforce that is representative of their communities, and they 
generate efficiency, innovation, and other strategic advantages. The 
United States Senate should attract the best and should be proactive 
and transparent about diversity, and implement strategies that address 
fair employment opportunities for individuals of diverse races, 
ethnicities, religions, genders, disabilities, and veteran status.
                               conclusion
    NALEO Educational Fund urges the creation of the United States 
Senate Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and we look forward to 
working with Senators to implement measures that make future Congresses 
more representative and more effective as public servants. Thank you 
for your attention to this important matter.

    [This statement was submitted by Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive 
Office.]
                                 ______
                                 
           Prepared Statement of the National Taxpayers Union
Dear Chairwoman Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Murphy, and Members of the 
Subcommittee:

    Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony regarding the 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. On 
behalf of National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation's oldest taxpayer 
advocacy organization, we urge you to require a report from the 
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the costs, benefits, and 
feasibility of allowing lawmakers to request and receive formal CBO 
cost estimates prior to legislative markups. NTU recently submitted 
similar testimony on this proposal to the House Appropriations 
Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.\1\
    CBO produces hundreds of formal cost estimates for proposed 
legislation every year, but almost 90 percent of these estimates are 
produced after a bill has been reported out of committee and to the 
full House or Senate.\2\ While CBO receives ``thousands of requests for 
informal reviews each year,'' and will provide informal cost estimates 
for some bills prior to committee markup, it is clear that the vast 
majority of legislation marked up by Congressional committees come with 
no formal cost estimate.\3\
    For a group like NTU, this is troubling. NTU has had a major impact 
on tax, spending, and regulatory policies for decades, and like the 
Committees of Congress we rely in part on CBO cost estimates to make 
the case for or against legislation with our grassroots network. 
Providing lawmakers with access to official, public cost estimates 
prior to legislative markups would allow Committee Members, NTU, and 
other stakeholders to address the spending, revenue, and deficit 
impacts of legislation before bills are considered by the full 
chambers.
    Fortunately, there is bipartisan interest in asking CBO to produce 
more formal cost estimates prior to legislative markups. In 2017, 
amidst the debate over House Republican replacements for the Affordable 
Care Act (ACA), Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation 
that would have required CBO to produce cost estimates before any ACA-
related legislation was considered by the House Committees on Ways and 
Means, Energy and Commerce, or Rules.\4\ The legislation garnered 13 
Democratic co-sponsors representing 10 states.\5\
    Many Republicans are also interested in this policy. The Republican 
Study Committee (RSC), which includes 147 House Republicans, included 
the following proposal in their FY 2020 Budget:

        `` . . . allow the chairman of a committee or the chair of the 
        Committee on the Budget to request CBO prepare a preliminary 
        report including estimated budgetary authority on legislation 
        to be considered in committee.'' \6\

    In 2018, then-House Budget Committee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR) 
asked CBO how feasible it would be for CBO to provide cost estimates 
prior to markups. CBO answered in short, ``about 65 analysts are 
devoted to producing cost estimates after full committee markup, but 
producing estimates [on a routine basis] before markup would eliminate 
some of the work that now occurs afterward. Nevertheless, the 
additional resources that would be required would probably be 
substantial.'' \7\ CBO added it would be happy to prepare a detailed 
estimate if helpful.
    Despite the potential need for additional resources at CBO, making 
cost estimates available prior to markups would allow lawmakers to more 
fully analyze and consider the budgetary impact of bills at an early 
stage in the legislative process. CBO should conduct a detailed study 
of this proposal. To that end, NTU is requesting that the following 
language be included in the FY 2021 Legislative Branch appropriations 
bill:
    Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimates Prior to Committee 
Markups.--Within 180 days of enactment of this legislation, the 
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shall provide to appropriators and 
make publicly available a report on the costs and benefits of allowing 
certain lawmakers to request and receive formal cost estimates of 
legislation prior to committee markups. CBO should examine the 
feasibility, cost, benefits, and drawbacks of allowing either the Chair 
of a committee, or the Chair and Ranking Member of a committee, or the 
Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committees on the Budget, to request 
formal cost estimates, and provide guidance on the amount of time and 
resources such requests would demand from CBO. It also shall assess 
whether and how many additional personnel might be required to 
accomplish this task.
    As previously mentioned, NTU strongly supports allowing lawmakers 
to request formal cost estimates from CBO prior to legislative markups. 
However, we seek a clear picture of the additional burdens such a 
proposal will put on CBO, and request their input on the matter. We 
believe a report from CBO is the best way to receive this input. Thank 
you for your time and consideration, and I am happy to answer any and 
all questions the Subcommittee may have.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Lautz, Andrew. ``NTU Testifies to House Subcommittee on 
Congressional Budget Office Reform.'' National Taxpayers Union, March 
5, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.ntu.org/publications/detail/ntu-
testifies-to-house-subcommittee-on-congressional-budget-office-reform
    \2\ Congressional Budget Office. (February 2018). ``How CBO 
Prepares Cost Estimates.'' Retrieved from: https://www.cbo.gov/system/
files/115th-congress-2017-2018/reports/53519-costestimates.pdf
    \3\ Edelberg, Wendy, and Gullo, Teri. ``CBO's Cost Estimates.'' 
Congressional Budget Office, October 29, 2015. Retrieved from: https://
www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/presentation/
50934-costestimates.pdf#page=7
    \4\ Congressman Ro Khanna. (March 8, 2017). ``Release: CBO Score 
Needed Before Health Care Replacement Bill Markup.'' Retrieved from: 
https://khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/release-cbo-score-needed-
health-care-replacement-bill-markup-2
    \5\ Congress.gov. ``Cosponsors: H.Res.178--115th Congress (2017-
2018).'' Retrieved from: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/
house-resolution/178/cosponsors?searchResultViewType=
expanded&KWICView=false
    \6\ Republican Study Committee. (May 2019). ``Preserving American 
Freedom: Republican Study Committee Fiscal Year 2020 Budget.'' 
Retrieved from: https://mikejohnson.house.gov/sites/
mikejohnson.house.gov/files/
Final%20RSC%20FY%202020%20FOR%20PRINT.pdf#page=135
    \7\ Congressional Budget Office. (July 26, 2018). ``Answers to 
Questions for the Record Following a Hearing Conducted by the House 
Committee on the Budget on CBO Oversight: Economic Assumptions, 
Baseline Construction, Cost Estimating, and Scoring.'' Retrieved from: 
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2018-07/54205-QFR-
9HBC_Oversight.pdf#page=8

    [This statement was submitted by Andrew Lautz, Policy and 
Government Affairs Associate.]
                                 ______
                                 
     Prepared Statement of Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH)
    Good afternoon Members, I am Jackie Lewis, CEO and founder of 
Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH). Thank you for the opportunity 
to present a witness testimony regarding Fiscal Year 2021 
Appropriations.
    WISH provides fully-furnished, intern-only housing for students who 
wish to live and work in Washington, DC. More specifically, WISH is 
dedicated to providing a safe and affordable short-term residential 
option for interns working on the Hill. It is important that interns 
who are traveling to Washington, DC receive compensation, either 
through a stipend or hourly pay, for their hard work in Congressional 
Members' offices.
                   intern compensation helps congress
    Paid congressional internships provide opportunities for more young 
Americans who simply do not have the financial means to dedicate an 
entire semester or summer to a congressional internship without pay. 
Young people from the middle class or from more modest backgrounds are 
unable to live without income in an expensive city such as Washington, 
DC. Paid internships will diversify the applicant pool and make the 
Congress more inclusive and representative of the United States of 
America.
              further assistance to congressional interns
    Today, many offices are able to take on multiple interns, including 
those from university-sponsored programs, volunteers from members' 
districts, and stipends provided through appropriated funds.
    For FY2020, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill provided $6 
million for Senate intern pay, an increase of $1 million from FY2019, 
which allowed for an average of $60,000 to each Senator's office. Due 
to the success of the intern compensation, Congress is now able to 
attract and hire the most qualified interns, regardless of 
socioeconomic status.
    For this reason, we urge the Legislative Bran Appropriations 
Subcommittee to continue to retain and expand funding for stipends for 
congressional interns.
    WISH and its Foundation strive to create opportunities that allow 
disadvantaged students to complete congressional internships and use 
their experience to advance their careers in public service. A 
congressional internship provides an immense amount of legislative 
experience, firsthand know-how on the political processes of the U.S. 
government, and the ability to forge professional relationships with 
congressional staffers. Yet all of these rewarding experiences do not 
outweigh the need for offices to provide monetary compensation.
    We are pleased that each office has provided a stipend as 
compensation for the interns, but we believe that more needs to be done 
given the high expenses of living in Washington, DC.
    Washington, DC is a very expensive city. Housing, food, 
transportation, and everyday living expenses are much higher than in 
the typical city or town that potential interns call home. Without a 
stipend, many congressional interns struggle to cover the expenses that 
arise over the course of their congressional internship.
    We propose that all offices be allocated a $3,000 stipend for high 
living expenses in Washington, DC. If there are students at a four-year 
institution and need further assistance, this $3,000 stipend will 
enable them to come to study and work in Washington, DC for a semester 
or summer.
    We suggest each Senate office receive $3,000 stipends for fall, 
spring and summer sessions with a range of 2-6 stipends per office 
depending on the office's size.
                offices vary their intern pay schedules
    Even before dedicated funding was available, Senate offices were 
familiar with paying interns out of their standard office allowances. 
Some offices were able to pay some of their interns, but not all. Many 
offices selected college students with the understanding they wouldn't 
have been able to receive academic credit for their internship if they 
received compensation.
    For other offices, paying interns depends on the time of the year. 
It is quite common to see some Congressional offices choose to use 
funds out of their own annual staff appropriations in order to pay for 
fall and spring interns, but not summer interns. Essentially, these 
offices are able to take advantage of the surplus of student applicants 
who are only able to come to D.C. for a congressional internship during 
the summer.
    Our proposal will ensure that students who are interested in spring 
and fall internships, as well as summer internships, have equal access 
to stipends that will help cover their living expenses and 
transportation costs to Washington, DC.
    Our mission at WISH is to create upward mobility for first 
generation college students my giving them the chance to have a 
rewarding, productive, and intellectually stimulating careers. Our 
proposal for $3,000 stipends is meant to further support students 
interested in completing a congressional internship as a step towards 
their post-graduate career.
    With the well-being of congressional interns and the success of 
FY2020's appropriation for Senate intern pay in mind, we suggest that 
the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch should 
appropriate $3,000 stipends for congressional interns.
    Thank you for your consideration.