[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 31, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H9450-H9452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3754, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1997

  Mr. PACKARD submitted the following conference report and statement 
on the bill (H.R. 3754) making appropriations for the legislative 
branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, and for other 
purposes:

                  Conference Report (H. Rept. 104-733)

       The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the 
     two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 
     3754) ``making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, and for other 
     purposes,'' having met, after full and free conference, have 
     agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective 
     Houses as follows:
       That the Senate recede from its amendments numbered 9, 20, 
     23, and 24.
       That the House recede from its disagreements to the 
     amendments of the Senate numbered 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 
     14, 17, 18, and 19, and agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 3:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 3, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $2,750,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 4:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 4, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $69,356,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 5:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 5, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $33,437,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 7:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 7, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $2,782,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 8:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 8, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $24,532,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 15:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 15, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $9,753,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 16:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 16, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the sum proposed by said amendment, insert: 
     $1,310,000; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 21:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 21, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the matter proposed by said amendment, insert:
       Sec. 314. (A) Upon enactment into law of this Act, there 
     shall be established a program for providing the widest 
     possible exchange of information among legislative branch 
     agencies with the long range goal of improving information 
     technology planning and evaluation. The Committee on House 
     Oversight of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Rules and Administration of the Senate are requested to 
     determine the structure and operation of this program and to 
     provide appropriate oversight. All of the appropriate offices 
     and agencies of the legislative branch as defined below shall 
     participate in this program for information exchange, and 
     shall report annually on the extent and nature of their 
     participation in their budget submissions to the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
       (B) As used in this section--
       (1) the term ``offices and agencies of the legislative 
     branch'' means the office of the Clerk of the House, the 
     office of the Secretary of the Senate, the office of the 
     Architect of the Capitol, the General Accounting Office, the 
     Government Printing Office, the Library of Congress, the 
     Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget 
     Office, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 
     Representatives, and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate; and
       (2) the term ``technology'' refers to any form of computer 
     hardware and software; computer-based systems, services, and 
     support for the creation, processing, exchange, and delivery 
     of information; and telecommunications systems, and the 
     associated hardware and software, that provide for voice, 
     data, or image communication.
       And the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 22:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 22, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the of the first section number named in said 
     amendment, insert: 315; and the Senate agree to the same.
       Amendment Numbered 25:
       That the House recede from its disagreement to the 
     amendment of the Senate numbered 25, and agree to the same 
     with an amendment, as follows:
       In lieu of the of the first section number named in said 
     amendment, insert: 316 and at the end of the matter proposed 
     by said amendment, insert the following:
       Sec. 317. For payment to Jo Ann Emerson, widow of Bill 
     Emerson, late a Representative from the State of Missouri, 
     $133,600.
       And the Senate agree to the same.
     Ron Packard,
     Charles H. Taylor,
     Dan Miller,
     Roger F. Wicker,
     Bob Livingston,
     Ray Thornton,
     Jose Serrano,
     Vic Fazio,
     David R. Obey,
                                Managers on the Part of the House.


[[Page H9451]]


     Connie Mack,
     Robert F. Bennett,
     Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
     Mark O. Hatfield,
     Patty Murray,
     Barbara A. Mikulski,
     Robert C. Byrd,
                               Managers on the Part of the Senate.

       JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCE

       The managers on the part of the House and the Senate at the 
     conference on the disagreeing votes on the two Houses on the 
     amendments of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 3754) making 
     appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1997, and for other purposes, submit the 
     following joint statement to the House and Senate in 
     explanation of the effect of the action agreed upon by the 
     managers and recommended in the accompanying conference 
     report.

                   TITLE I--CONGRESSIONAL OPERATIONS

                                 Senate

       Amendment No. 1: Appropriates $441,208,000 for the 
     operations of the Senate, and contains several administrative 
     provisions. Inasmuch as the amendment relates solely to the 
     Senate and in accord with long practice under which each body 
     determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other 
     concurs without intervention, the managers on the part of the 
     House, at the request of the managers on the part of the 
     Senate, have receded to the Senate amendment.

                        House of Representatives

       The managers on the part of the House, with the concurrence 
     of the managers on the part of the Senate, support the policy 
     of disposing of excess House computer equipment for the use 
     of elementary and secondary schools, comparable to the 
     program established by the Senate. The House managers note 
     that, under current statute, the Committee on House Oversight 
     has the authority to make such dispositions.

                              JOINT ITEMS

            Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 1997

       Amendment No. 2: Deletes $950,000, and related provisions, 
     appropriated for the Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies 
     of 1997 as proposed by the House and inserts $950,000, 
     together with related provisions, appropriated for the Joint 
     Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 1997 as proposed by the 
     Senate. These funds are provided in accordance with Senate 
     Concurrent Resolutions 47 and 48, 104th Congress, agreed to 
     in the Senate on March 20, 1996.

                        Joint Economic Committee

       Amendment No. 3: Appropriates $2,750,000 for the Joint 
     Economic Committee instead of $3,000,000 as proposed by the 
     House and $750,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conferees 
     agree that the long term need for this committee should be 
     reviewed and expect the funding to be phased down to zero in 
     the future.

                          Capitol Police Board

                             Capitol Police


                                salaries

       Amendment No. 4: Appropriates $69,356,000 for the salaries 
     and related personnel expenses of the Capitol Police instead 
     of $68,392,000 as proposed by the House and $70,132,000 as 
     proposed by the Senate. The conferees believe that the 
     information and systems that support Capitol Police financial 
     management processes are in need of improvement. To some 
     extent, the transfer of payroll/personnel recordkeeping to 
     the National Finance Center will lead to significant 
     improvement in the reliability and accuracy of financial 
     data, but other accounting and management information systems 
     also require attention.
       Amendment No. 5: Provides $33,437,000 to the Sergeant at 
     Arms of the House of Representatives, to be disbursed by the 
     Chief Administrative Officer of the House, for the Capitol 
     Police assigned to the House rolls instead of $32,927,000 as 
     proposed by the House and $34,213,000 as proposed by the 
     Senate.
       Amendment No. 6: Provides $35,919,000 to the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, to be disbursed by the 
     Secretary of the Senate, for the Capitol Police assigned to 
     the Senate rolls as proposed by the Senate instead of 
     $35,465,000 as proposed by the House.


                            general expenses

       Amendment No. 7: Appropriates $2,782,000 for general 
     expenses of the Capitol Police instead of $2,685,000 as 
     proposed by the House and $2,880,000 as proposed by the 
     Senate. The additional funds provided above the House bill 
     are provided for vehicle replacement.

                      Congressional Budget Office


                         salaries and expenses

       Amendment No. 8: Appropriates $24,532,000 for salaries and 
     expenses, Congressional Budget Office, instead of $24,288,000 
     as proposed by the House and $24,775,000 as proposed by the 
     Senate.

                        Architect of the Capitol


                     capitol buildings and grounds

                           capitol buildings

       Amendment No. 9: Appropriates $23,255,000 for Capitol 
     buildings, Architect of the Capitol as proposed by the House 
     instead of $23,555,000 as proposed by the Senate.
       The conferees note that the Capitol Police, due to 
     legislation enacted in the District of Columbia 
     Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1996, will inherit the 
     D.C. canine facility located at Blue Plains at a site 
     adjacent to the Botanic Garden plant nursery. In the 
     meantime, through a reprogramming of funds made available by 
     the Committees on Appropriations, the Capitol Police canine 
     operation was relocated, on July 24, 1996, to a site adjacent 
     to the buildings, training grounds, and kennels they will 
     occupy when the D.C. canine operation vacates. This recent 
     Capitol Police relocation was accomplished within a few 
     months of learning of extremely hazardous conditions at the 
     former location, and includes new kennels, training grounds, 
     temporary office and classroom buildings, and other 
     facilities necessary to continue this very important security 
     program. The Committees on Appropriations have been advised 
     that the space being developed for the D.C. canine operation 
     will be completed by February 27, 1997. The conferees expect 
     that the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police will 
     make the necessary arrangements to move into those quarters 
     immediately upon their availability. In the meantime, the 
     conferees believe that the Architect of the Capitol should 
     survey the need for renovations at the D.C. canine facility. 
     If it is determined that renovations are necessary, the 
     Committees on Appropriations will entertain a request to 
     reprogram funds based upon the receipt of adequate 
     engineering estimates, plans, and design documentation.


                         house office buildings

       The managers on the part of the House, with the concurrence 
     of the managers on the part of the Senate, direct that all 
     employees displaced by the custodial contract at the Ford 
     House Office Building will be absorbed in available vacant 
     positions and expect every effort to be made to place them in 
     positions of equal or comparable pay.


                        senate office buildings

       Amendment No. 10: Appropriates $39,640,000, of which 
     $3,200,000 shall remain available until expended, for the 
     operations of the Senate office buildings. Inasmuch as the 
     amendment relates solely to the Senate and in accord with 
     long practice under which each body determines its own 
     housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without 
     intervention, the managers on the part of the House, at the 
     request of the managers on the part of the Senate, have 
     receded to the Senate amendment.

                        TITLE II--OTHER AGENCIES

                          Library of Congress


                         salaries and expenses

       Amendment No. 11: Provides $216,007,000 for salaries and 
     expenses, Library of Congress as proposed by the Senate 
     instead of $215,007,000 as proposed by the House. The 
     conferees agree with the Senate report language regarding the 
     deputy Librarian of Congress.
       Amendment No. 12: Earmarks $928,800 for the operation of 
     the American Folklife Center as proposed by the Senate.


                       administrative provisions

       Amendment No. 13: Deletes a provision proposed by the House 
     and stricken by the Senate authorizing account-to-account 
     transfers, subject to approval, of funds appropriated in the 
     bill to the Library of Congress.
       Amendment No. 14: Provides a two-year authorization for the 
     American Folklife Center as proposed by the Senate.

                        Architect of The Capitol


                     library buildings and grounds

                     structural and mechanical care

       Amendment No. 15: Appropriates $9,753,000 for structural 
     and mechanical care, Library buildings and grounds, Architect 
     of the Capitol instead of $9,003,000 as proposed by the House 
     and $10,453,000 as proposed by the Senate. These funds 
     include $750,000 above the House bill for an uninterruptible 
     power supply. The conferees note that the additional amounts 
     provided were not included in the budget request transmitted 
     to the Congress.
       Amendment No. 16: Provides that $1,310,000 shall remain 
     available until expended for structural and mechanical care, 
     Library buildings and grounds instead of $560,000 as proposed 
     by the House and $1,910,000 as proposed by the Senate.

                       General Accounting Office


                         salaries and expenses

       The conferees agree that funding included for the General 
     Accounting Office contract audit services is $8,000,000.

                     TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS

       Amendment No. 17: Deletes a provision proposed by the House 
     and stricken by the Senate regarding dynamic macroeconomic 
     scoring of certain spending and revenue legislation.
       Amendment No. 18: Authorizes law enforcement personnel of 
     the Capitol Police to elect to receive compensatory time off 
     in lieu of overtime compensation in excess of the maximum for 
     their work period as proposed by the Senate.
       Amendment No. 19: Makes a date change in section 316 of 
     Public Law 101-302 regarding Senate artwork as proposed by 
     the Senate.
       Amendment No. 20: Deletes a provision proposed by the 
     Senate that the Government Printing Office shall be 
     considered an agency and the Public Printer shall be 
     considered the head of the agency for purposes of sections 
     801(b)(2)(B) and 801(b)(2)(C), respectively, of the National 
     Energy Conservation Policy Act.
       Amendment No. 21: Changes a section number and amends a 
     provision inserted by

[[Page H9452]]

     the Senate regarding technology planning, evaluation, 
     development, and management in the legislative branch. The 
     conference agreement requests the Senate Committee on Rules 
     and the Committee on House Oversight to oversee a program for 
     providing the widest possible exchange of information among 
     legislative branch agencies with the long range goal of 
     improving information technology planning and evaluation.
       The conferees note that the Committee on House Oversight 
     and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration have 
     begun a process to develop a common information system. The 
     Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate have been 
     called upon to coordinate the project with the oversight of 
     those Committees and to ultimately propose the standards for 
     a legislative branch wide information system to the 
     Committees for approval.
       An open exchange of technology, projects, plans and 
     developments is crucial to the success of a legislative 
     branch wide information system. The conferees expect, 
     therefore, that the following organizations will be relied 
     upon to participate and assist in this effort: the Clerk of 
     the House, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House, the 
     office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms 
     of the Senate, the Library of Congress, the Government 
     Printing Office, House Information Resources, the Senate 
     Computer Center, the General Accounting Office, the 
     Congressional Budget Office, and the office of the Architect 
     of the Capitol.
       Section 209 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 
     1996, directed the Library of Congress to develop a plan and 
     supporting analyses for this system. In so doing, the Library 
     identified the major programs under development in various 
     parts of the legislative branch as well as a significant 
     amount of duplication. The process begun by the oversight 
     committees will enable the strengths of each program to be 
     recognized and integrated into a system that will benefit 
     Congress as a whole.
       Amendment No. 22: Retains a provision proposed by the 
     Senate, amended to change a section number, that amends 
     section 3303 of Title 5, United States Code, together with 
     technical and conforming amendments, regarding 
     recommendations made by Senators and Representatives for 
     applicants to the competitive service.
       Amendment No. 23: Deletes a provision proposed by the 
     Senate regarding an electronic information system. The 
     managers on the part of the House and Senate agree that the 
     Congressional Research Service, upon the request of the 
     Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and in 
     consultation with the Secretary of the Senate and the heads 
     of the appropriate offices and agencies of the legislative 
     branch, shall coordinate the development of an electronic 
     congressional legislative information and document retrieval 
     system to provide for the legislative information needs of 
     the Senate through the exchange and retrieval of information 
     and documents among legislative branch offices and agencies. 
     The managers on the part of the House and the Senate also 
     agree that the Library of Congress shall assist the 
     Congressional Research Service in supporting the Senate in 
     this effort, and shall provide technical staff and resources 
     as may be necessary.
       Amendment No. 24: Deletes a provision inserted by the 
     Senate regarding employment limitations under section 207(e) 
     of title 18, United States Code.
       Amendment No. 25: Retains a provision proposed by the 
     Senate, amended to change a section number, that amends 
     Chapter 1 of title 17, United States Code, to exempt from 
     infringement of copyright the reproduction or distribution of 
     certain publications in specialized formats exclusively for 
     use by blind or other persons with disabilities. In addition, 
     the conferees, at the request of the managers on the part of 
     the House, have inserted a provision that provides the 
     traditional death gratuity for the widow of Bill Emerson, 
     late a Representative from the State of Missouri.

                   CONFERENCE TOTAL--WITH COMPARISONS

       The total new budget (obligational) authority for the 
     fiscal year 1997 recommended by the Committee of Conference, 
     with comparisons to the fiscal year 1996 amount, the 1997 
     budget estimates, and the House and Senate bills for 1997 
     follow:

New budget (obligational) authority, fiscal year 1996....$2,187,356,000
Budget estimates of new (obligational) authority, fiscal y2,339,421,000
House bill, fiscal year 1997..............................1,681,311,000
Senate bill, fiscal year 1997.............................2,165,081,000
Conference agreement, fiscal year 1997....................2,165,097,600
Conference agreement compared with:
    New budget (obligational) authority, fiscal year 1996...-22,258,400
    Budget estimates of new (obligational) authority, fisca-174,323,400
    House bill, fiscal year 1997...........................+483,786,600
    Senate bill, fiscal year 1997...............................+16,000

     Ron Packard,
     Charles H. Taylor,
     Dan Miller,
     Roger F. Wicker,
     Bob Livingston,
     Ray Thornton,
     Jose Serrano,
     Vic Fazio,
     David R. Obey,
                                Managers on the Part of the House.
     Connie Mack,
     Robert F. Bennett,
     Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
     Mark O. Hatfield,
     Patty Murray,
     Barbara A. Mikulski,
     Robert C. Byrd,
     Managers of the Part of the Senate.

                          ____________________