Congressional Record, Volume 169 Issue 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)

[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5205-H5214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024

General Leave

Mr. AMODEI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on H.R. 4364, and that I may include tabular
material on the same.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Nevada?
There was no objection.
Mr. AMODEI. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 756, I call
up the bill (H.R. 4364) making appropriations for the Legislative
Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other
purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 756, the
amendment printed in part C of House Report 118-242 is adopted, and the
bill, is considered read.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 4364

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the
following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Legislative
Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for
other purposes, namely:

TITLE I

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses of the House of Representatives,
$1,850,998,000, as follows:

House Leadership Offices

For salaries and expenses, as authorized by law,
$36,560,000, including: Office of the Speaker, $10,499,000,
including $35,000 for official expenses of the Speaker;
Office of the Majority Floor Leader, $3,730,000, including
$15,000 for official expenses of the Majority Leader; Office
of the Minority Floor Leader, $10,499,000, including $17,500
for official expenses of the Minority Leader; Office of the
Majority Whip, including the Chief Deputy Majority Whip,
$3,099,000, including $5,000 for official expenses of the
Majority Whip; Office of the Minority Whip, including the
Chief Deputy Minority Whip, $2,809,000, including $5,000 for
official expenses of the Minority Whip; Republican
Conference, $2,962,000; Democratic Caucus, $2,962,000:
Provided, That such amount for salaries and expenses shall
remain available from January 3, 2024 until January 2, 2025.

Members' Representational Allowances

including members' clerk hire, official expenses of members, and
official mail

For Members' representational allowances, including
Members' clerk hire, official expenses, and official mail,
$810,000,000.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in Member Offices

For the allowance established under section 120 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2019 (2 U.S.C. 5322a)
for the compensation of interns who serve in the offices of
Members of the House of Representatives, $20,638,800, to
remain available through January 2, 2025: Provided, That
notwithstanding section 120(b) of such Act, an office of a
Member of the House of Representatives may use not more than
$46,800 of the allowance available under this heading during
legislative year 2024.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Leadership Offices

For the allowance established under section 113 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2020 (2 U.S.C. 5106)
for the compensation of interns who serve in House leadership
offices, $586,000, to remain available through January 2,
2025: Provided, That of the amount provided under this
heading, $322,300 shall be available for the compensation of
interns who serve in House leadership offices of the
majority, to be allocated among such offices by the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, and $263,700 shall

[[Page H5206]]

be available for the compensation of interns who serve in
House leadership offices of the minority, to be allocated
among such offices by the Minority Floor Leader.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Standing, Special and
Select Committee Offices

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(1) of
the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law
117-103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices
of standing, special, and select committees (other than the
Committee on Appropriations), $2,600,000, to remain available
through January 2, 2025: Provided, That of the amount
provided under this heading, $1,300,000 shall be available
for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the
majority, and $1,300,000 shall be available for the
compensation of interns who serve in offices of the minority,
to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in
consultation with the ranking minority member, of the
Committee on House Administration.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Appropriations Committee
Offices

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(2) of
the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law
117-103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices
of the Committee on Appropriations, $463,000: Provided, That
of the amount provided under this heading, $231,500 shall be
available for the compensation of interns who serve in
offices of the majority, and $231,500 shall be available for
the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the
minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in
consultation with the ranking minority member, of the
Committee on Appropriations.

Committee Employees

Standing Committees, Special and Select

For salaries and expenses of standing committees, special
and select, authorized by House resolutions, $180,587,000:
Provided, That such amount shall remain available for such
salaries and expenses until December 31, 2024, except that
$5,800,000 of such amount shall remain available until
expended for committee room upgrading.

Committee on Appropriations

For salaries and expenses of the Committee on
Appropriations, $31,294,000, including studies and
examinations of executive agencies and temporary personal
services for such committee, to be expended in accordance
with section 202(b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of
1946 and to be available for reimbursement to agencies for
services performed: Provided, That such amount shall remain
available for such salaries and expenses until December 31,
2024.

Salaries, Officers and Employees

For compensation and expenses of officers and employees, as
authorized by law, $324,879,000, including: for salaries and
expenses of the Office of the Clerk, including the positions
of the Chaplain and the Historian, and including not more
than $25,000 for official representation and reception
expenses, of which not more than $20,000 is for the Family
Room and not more than $2,000 is for the Office of the
Chaplain, $41,455,000, of which $9,000,000 shall remain
available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the
Office of the Sergeant at Arms, including the position of
Superintendent of Garages and the Office of Emergency
Management, and including not more than $3,000 for official
representation and reception expenses, $38,793,000, of which
$22,232,000 shall remain available until expended; for
salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief
Administrative Officer including not more than $3,000 for
official representation and reception expenses, $213,072,000,
of which $26,477,000 shall remain available until expended;
for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Whistleblower
Ombuds, $1,250,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office
of the Inspector General, $5,512,000; for salaries and
expenses of the Office of General Counsel, $1,987,000; for
salaries and expenses of the Office of the Parliamentarian,
including the Parliamentarian, $2,000 for preparing the
Digest of Rules, and not more than $1,000 for official
representation and reception expenses, $2,240,000; for
salaries and expenses of the Office of the Law Revision
Counsel of the House, $3,900,000; for salaries and expenses
of the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House,
$14,671,000, of which $2,000,000 shall remain available until
expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of
Interparliamentary Affairs, $934,000; for other authorized
employees, $1,065,000.

Allowances and Expenses

For allowances and expenses as authorized by House
resolution or law, $433,390,200, including: supplies,
materials, administrative costs and Federal tort claims,
$1,555,000; official mail for committees, leadership offices,
and administrative offices of the House, $190,000; Government
contributions for health, retirement, Social Security,
contractor support for actuarial projections, and other
applicable employee benefits, $392,368,200, to remain
available until March 31, 2025, except that $37,000,000 of
such amount shall remain available until expended; salaries
and expenses for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery,
$27,264,000, of which $6,000,000 shall remain available until
expended; transition activities for new members and staff,
$5,895,000, to remain available until expended; Green and
Gold Congressional Aide Program, $3,356,000, to remain
available until expended; Office of Congressional Ethics,
$1,762,000; and miscellaneous items including purchase,
exchange, maintenance, repair and operation of House motor
vehicles, interparliamentary receptions, and gratuities to
heirs of deceased employees of the House, $1,000,000.

House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account

For the House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives
Account established under section 115 of the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act, 2021 (2 U.S.C. 5513), $10,000,000,
to remain available until expended: Provided, That
disbursement from this account is subject to approval of the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives:
Provided further, That funds provided in this account shall
only be used for initiatives approved by the Committee on
House Administration.

Administrative Provisions

requiring amounts remaining in members' representational allowances to
be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt

Sec. 110. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
any amounts appropriated under this Act for ``HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES--Salaries and Expenses--members'
representational allowances'' shall be available only for
fiscal year 2024. Any amount remaining after all payments are
made under such allowances for fiscal year 2024 shall be
deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction (or,
if there is no Federal budget deficit after all such payments
have been made, for reducing the Federal debt, in such manner
as the Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate).
(b) The Committee on House Administration of the House of
Representatives shall have authority to prescribe regulations
to carry out this section.
(c) As used in this section, the term ``Member of the House
of Representatives'' means a Representative in, or a Delegate
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

limitation on amount available to lease vehicles

Sec. 111. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of
Representatives to make any payments from any Members'
Representational Allowance for the leasing of a vehicle,
excluding mobile district offices, in an aggregate amount
that exceeds $1,000 for the vehicle in any month.

cybersecurity assistance for house of representatives

Sec. 112. The head of any Federal entity that provides
assistance to the House of Representatives in the House's
efforts to deter, prevent, mitigate, or remediate
cybersecurity risks to, and incidents involving, the
information systems of the House shall take all necessary
steps to ensure the constitutional integrity of the separate
branches of the government at all stages of providing the
assistance, including applying minimization procedures to
limit the spread or sharing of privileged House and Member
information.

JOINT ITEMS

For Joint Committees, as follows:

Joint Economic Committee

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Economic Committee,
$4,283,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.

Joint Committee on Taxation

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Committee on
Taxation, $13,059,000, to be disbursed by the Chief
Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives.
For other joint items, as follows:

Office of the Attending Physician

For medical supplies, equipment, and contingent expenses of
the emergency rooms, and for the Attending Physician and
their assistants, including:
(1) an allowance of $3,500 per month to the Attending
Physician;
(2) an allowance of $2,500 per month to the Senior Medical
Officer;
(3) an allowance of $900 per month each to three medical
officers while on duty in the Office of the Attending
Physician;
(4) an allowance of $900 per month to 2 assistants and $900
per month each not to exceed 11 assistants on the basis
heretofore provided for such assistants; and
(5) $3,054,000 for reimbursement to the Department of the
Navy for expenses incurred for staff and equipment assigned
to the Office of the Attending Physician, which shall be
advanced and credited to the applicable appropriation or
appropriations from which such salaries, allowances, and
other expenses are payable and shall be available for all the
purposes thereof, $4,270,000, to be disbursed by the Chief
Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives.

Office of Congressional Accessibility Services

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses of the Office of Congressional
Accessibility Services, $1,766,000, to be disbursed by the
Secretary of the Senate.

CAPITOL POLICE

Salaries

For salaries of employees of the Capitol Police, including
overtime, hazardous duty pay, and Government contributions
for health, retirement, social security, professional
liability insurance, and other applicable employee benefits,
$588,070,000 of which overtime shall not exceed $74,976,000
unless

[[Page H5207]]

the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate are
notified, to be disbursed by the Chief of the Capitol Police
or a duly authorized designee: Provided, That of the total
amount appropriated, $15,000,000 shall be available for
retention bonuses.

General Expenses

For necessary expenses of the Capitol Police, including
motor vehicles, communications and other equipment, security
equipment and installation, uniforms, weapons, supplies,
materials, training, medical services, forensic services,
stenographic services, personal and professional services,
the employee assistance program, the awards program, postage,
communication services, travel advances, relocation of
instructor and liaison personnel for the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Centers, and not more than $7,500 to be
expended on the certification of the Chief of the Capitol
Police in connection with official representation and
reception expenses, $192,846,000, to be disbursed by the
Chief of the Capitol Police or a duly authorized designee:
Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the cost of basic training for the Capitol Police at the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers for fiscal year 2024
shall be paid by the Secretary of Homeland Security from
funds available to the Department of Homeland Security.

OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses necessary for the operation of
the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, $8,000,000, of
which $2,500,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2025, and of which not more than $1,000 may be expended on
the certification of the Executive Director in connection
with official representation and reception expenses.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses necessary for operation of the
Congressional Budget Office, including not more than $6,000
to be expended on the certification of the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office in connection with official
representation and reception expenses, $64,637,000:
Provided, That the Director shall use not less than $500,000
of the amount made available under this heading for (1)
improving technical systems, processes, and models for the
purpose of improving the transparency of estimates of
budgetary effects to Members of Congress, employees of
Members of Congress, and the public, and (2) to increase the
availability of models, economic assumptions, and data for
Members of Congress, employees of Members of Congress, and
the public.

ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL

Capital Construction and Operations

For salaries for the Architect of the Capitol, and other
personal services, at rates of pay provided by law; for all
necessary expenses for surveys and studies, construction,
operation, and general and administrative support in
connection with facilities and activities under the care of
the Architect of the Capitol including the Botanic Garden;
Senate and House office buildings, and other facilities under
the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol; including
furnishings and office equipment; including not more than
$5,000 for official reception and representation expenses, to
be expended as the Architect of the Capitol may approve; for
purchase or exchange, maintenance, and operation of a
passenger motor vehicle, $149,073,000, of which $3,200,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Capitol Building

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Capitol, $74,304,000, of which $42,599,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Capitol Grounds

For all necessary expenses for care and improvement of
grounds surrounding the Capitol, the Senate and House office
buildings, and the Capitol Power Plant, $16,365,000, of which
$2,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

House Office Buildings

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the House office buildings, $168,439,000, of
which $53,140,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2028, and of which $41,800,000 shall remain available until
expended for the restoration and renovation of the Cannon
House Office Building.

Capitol Power Plant

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Capitol Power Plant; and all electrical
substations of the Capitol; lighting, heating, power
(including the purchase of electrical energy) and water and
sewer services for the Capitol, Senate and House office
buildings, Library of Congress buildings, and the grounds
about the same, Botanic Garden, Senate garage, and air
conditioning refrigeration not supplied from plants in any of
such buildings; heating the Government Publishing Office and
Washington City Post Office, and heating and chilled water
for air conditioning for the Supreme Court Building, the
Union Station complex, the Thurgood Marshall Federal
Judiciary Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library,
expenses for which shall be advanced or reimbursed upon
request of the Architect of the Capitol and amounts so
received shall be deposited into the Treasury to the credit
of this appropriation, $131,751,000, of which $43,400,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2028: Provided,
That not more than $10,000,000 of the funds credited or to be
reimbursed to this appropriation as herein provided shall be
available for obligation during fiscal year 2024.

Library Buildings and Grounds

For all necessary expenses for the mechanical and
structural maintenance, care and operation of the Library
buildings and grounds, $117,120,000, of which $80,900,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of buildings, grounds and security enhancements of
the United States Capitol Police, wherever located, the
Alternate Computing Facility, and Architect of the Capitol
security operations, $81,172,000, of which $21,100,000 shall
remain available until September 30, 2028.

Botanic Garden

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Botanic Garden and the nurseries, buildings,
grounds, and collections; and purchase and exchange,
maintenance, repair, and operation of a passenger motor
vehicle; all under the direction of the Joint Committee on
the Library, $21,187,000, of which $5,000,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2028: Provided, That, of the
amount made available under this heading, the Architect of
the Capitol may obligate and expend such sums as may be
necessary for the maintenance, care and operation of the
National Garden established under section 307E of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 (2 U.S.C. 2146),
upon vouchers approved by the Architect of the Capitol or a
duly authorized designee.

Capitol Visitor Center

For all necessary expenses for the operation of the Capitol
Visitor Center, $27,692,000.

Administrative Provisions

no bonuses for contractors behind schedule or over budget

Sec. 113. None of the funds made available in this Act for
the Architect of the Capitol may be used to make incentive or
award payments to contractors for work on contracts or
programs for which the contractor is behind schedule or over
budget, unless the Architect of the Capitol, or agency-
employed designee, determines that any such deviations are
due to unforeseeable events, government-driven scope changes,
or are not significant within the overall scope of the
project and/or program.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Salaries and Expenses

For all necessary expenses of the Library of Congress not
otherwise provided for, including development and maintenance
of the Library's catalogs; custody and custodial care of the
Library buildings; information technology services provided
centrally; special clothing; cleaning, laundering and repair
of uniforms; preservation of motion pictures in the custody
of the Library; operation and maintenance of the American
Folklife Center in the Library; preparation and distribution
of catalog records and other publications of the Library;
hire or purchase of one passenger motor vehicle; and expenses
of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board not properly
chargeable to the income of any trust fund held by the Board,
$582,605,481, and, in addition, amounts credited to this
appropriation during fiscal year 2024 under the Act of June
28, 1902 (chapter 1301; 32 Stat. 480; 2 U.S.C. 150), shall
remain available until expended: Provided, That the Library
of Congress may not obligate or expend any funds derived from
collections under the Act of June 28, 1902, in excess of the
amount authorized for obligation or expenditure in
appropriations Acts: Provided further, That of the total
amount appropriated, not more than $18,000 may be expended,
on the certification of the Librarian of Congress, in
connection with official representation and reception
expenses, including for the Overseas Field Offices: Provided
further, That of the total amount appropriated, $12,739,000
shall remain available until expended for the Teaching with
Primary Sources program: Provided further, That of the total
amount appropriated, $1,509,000 shall remain available until
expended for upgrade of the Legislative Branch Financial
Management System: Provided further, That of the total
amount appropriated, $250,000 shall remain available until
expended for the Surplus Books Program to promote the program
and facilitate a greater number of donations to eligible
entities across the United States: Provided further, That of
the total amount appropriated, $4,205,000 shall remain
available until expended for the Veterans History Project to
continue digitization efforts of already collected materials,
reach a greater number of veterans to record their stories,
and promote public access to the Project: Provided further,
That of the total amount appropriated, $1,500,000 shall
remain available until expended for the COVID-19 American
History Project.

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses of the Copyright Office,
$101,011,000, of which not more than $38,025,000, to remain
available until expended, shall be derived from collections

[[Page H5208]]

credited to this appropriation during fiscal year 2024 under
sections 708(d) and 1316 of title 17, United States Code:
Provided, That the Copyright Office may not obligate or
expend any funds derived from collections under such section
in excess of the amount authorized for obligation or
expenditure in appropriations Acts: Provided further, That
not more than $7,566,000 shall be derived from collections
during fiscal year 2024 under sections 111(d)(2), 119(b)(3),
803(e), and 1005 of such title: Provided further, That the
total amount available for obligation shall be reduced by the
amount by which collections are less than $45,591,000:
Provided further, That of the funds provided under this
heading, not less than $10,300,000 is for modernization
initiatives, of which $9,300,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2025: Provided further, That not more than
$100,000 of the amount appropriated is available for the
maintenance of an ``International Copyright Institute'' in
the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress for the
purpose of training nationals of developing countries in
intellectual property laws and policies: Provided further,
That not more than $6,500 may be expended, on the
certification of the Librarian of Congress, in connection
with official representation and reception expenses for
activities of the International Copyright Institute and for
copyright delegations, visitors, and seminars: Provided
further, That, notwithstanding any provision of chapter 8 of
title 17, United States Code, any amounts made available
under this heading which are attributable to royalty fees and
payments received by the Copyright Office pursuant to
sections 111, 119, and chapter 10 of such title may be used
for the costs incurred in the administration of the Copyright
Royalty Judges program, with the exception of the costs of
salaries and benefits for the Copyright Royalty Judges and
staff under section 802(e).

Congressional Research Service

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
section 203 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2
U.S.C. 166) and to revise and extend the Annotated
Constitution of the United States of America, $135,797,000:
Provided, That no part of such amount may be used to pay any
salary or expense in connection with any publication, or
preparation of material therefor (except the Digest of Public
General Bills), to be issued by the Library of Congress
unless such publication has obtained prior approval of either
the Committee on House Administration of the House of
Representatives or the Committee on Rules and Administration
of the Senate: Provided further, That this prohibition does
not apply to publication of non-confidential Congressional
Research Service (CRS) products: Provided further, That a
non-confidential CRS product includes any written product
containing research or analysis that is currently available
for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional
Intranet, or that would be made available on the CRS
Congressional Intranet in the normal course of business and
does not include material prepared in response to
Congressional requests for confidential analysis or research.

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses to carry out the Act of March 3,
1931 (chapter 400; 46 Stat. 1487; 2 U.S.C. 135a),
$69,924,519: Provided, That of the total amount
appropriated, $650,000 shall be available to contract to
provide newspapers to blind and print disabled residents at
no cost to the individual.

Administrative Provision

reimbursable and revolving fund activities

Sec. 114. (a) In General.--For fiscal year 2024, the
obligational authority of the Library of Congress for the
activities described in subsection (b) may not exceed
$324,110,000.
(b) Activities.--The activities referred to in subsection
(a) are reimbursable and revolving fund activities that are
funded from sources other than appropriations to the Library
in appropriations Acts for the Legislative Branch.

GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Congressional Publishing

(including transfer of funds)

For authorized publishing of congressional information and
the distribution of congressional information in any format;
publishing of Government publications authorized by law to be
distributed to Members of Congress; and publishing, and
distribution of Government publications authorized by law to
be distributed without charge to the recipient, $82,992,000:
Provided, That this appropriation shall not be available for
paper copies of the permanent edition of the Congressional
Record for individual Representatives, Resident Commissioners
or Delegates authorized under section 906 of title 44, United
States Code: Provided further, That this appropriation shall
be available for the payment of obligations incurred under
the appropriations for similar purposes for preceding fiscal
years: Provided further, That notwithstanding the 2-year
limitation under section 718 of title 44, United States Code,
none of the funds appropriated or made available under this
Act or any other Act for printing and binding and related
services provided to Congress under chapter 7 of title 44,
United States Code, may be expended to print a document,
report, or publication after the 27-month period beginning on
the date that such document, report, or publication is
authorized by Congress to be printed, unless Congress
reauthorizes such printing in accordance with section 718 of
title 44, United States Code: Provided further, That
unobligated or unexpended balances of expired discretionary
funds made available under this heading in this Act for this
fiscal year may be transferred to, and merged with, funds
under the heading ``Government Publishing Office Business
Operations Revolving Fund'' no later than the end of the
fifth fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such
funds are available for the purposes for which appropriated,
to be available for carrying out the purposes of this
heading, subject to the approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate: Provided further, That notwithstanding sections 901,
902, and 906 of title 44, United States Code, this
appropriation may be used to prepare indexes to the
Congressional Record on only a monthly and session basis.

Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents

salaries and expenses

(including transfer of funds)

For expenses of the public information programs of the
Office of Superintendent of Documents necessary to provide
for the cataloging and indexing of Government publications in
any format, and their preservation and distribution to the
public, Members of Congress, other Government agencies, and
designated depository and international exchange libraries as
authorized by law, $35,257,000: Provided, That amounts of
not more than $2,000,000 from current year appropriations are
authorized for producing and disseminating Congressional
serial sets and other related publications for the preceding
two fiscal years to depository and other designated
libraries: Provided further, That unobligated or unexpended
balances of expired discretionary funds made available under
this heading in this Act for this fiscal year may be
transferred to, and merged with, funds under the heading
``Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving
Fund'' no later than the end of the fifth fiscal year after
the last fiscal year for which such funds are available for
the purposes for which appropriated, to be available for
carrying out the purposes of this heading, subject to the
approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate.

Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund

For payment to the Government Publishing Office Business
Operations Revolving Fund, $11,605,000, to remain available
until expended, for information technology development and
facilities repair: Provided, That the Government Publishing
Office is hereby authorized to make such expenditures, within
the limits of funds available and in accordance with law, and
to make such contracts and commitments without regard to
fiscal year limitations as provided by section 9104 of title
31, United States Code, as may be necessary in carrying out
the programs and purposes set forth in the budget for the
current fiscal year for the Government Publishing Office
Business Operations Revolving Fund: Provided further, That
not more than $7,500 may be expended on the certification of
the Director of the Government Publishing Office in
connection with official representation and reception
expenses: Provided further, That the Business Operations
Revolving Fund shall be available for the hire or purchase of
not more than 12 passenger motor vehicles: Provided further,
That expenditures in connection with travel expenses of the
advisory councils to the Director of the Government
Publishing Office shall be deemed necessary to carry out the
provisions of title 44, United States Code: Provided
further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund shall be
available for temporary or intermittent services under
section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates
for individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the
annual rate of basic pay for level V of the Executive
Schedule under section 5316 of such title: Provided further,
That activities financed through the Business Operations
Revolving Fund may provide information in any format:
Provided further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund
and the funds provided under the heading ``Public Information
Programs of the Superintendent of Documents'' may not be used
for contracted security services at Government Publishing
Office's passport facility in the District of Columbia.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

Salaries and Expenses

For necessary expenses of the Government Accountability
Office, including not more than $12,500 to be expended on the
certification of the Comptroller General of the United States
in connection with official representation and reception
expenses; temporary or intermittent services under section
3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for
individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the annual
rate of basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule
under section 5315 of such title; hire of one passenger motor
vehicle; advance payments in foreign countries in accordance
with section 3324 of title 31, United States Code; benefits
comparable to those payable under sections 901(5), (6), and
(8) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081(5),
(6),

[[Page H5209]]

and (8)); and under regulations prescribed by the Comptroller
General of the United States, rental of living quarters in
foreign countries, $806,004,000, of which $5,000,000 shall
remain available until expended: Provided, That, in
addition, $73,976,000 of payments received under sections
782, 791, 3521, and 9105 of title 31, United States Code,
shall be available without fiscal year limitation: Provided
further, That this appropriation and appropriations for
administrative expenses of any other department or agency
which is a member of the National Intergovernmental Audit
Forum or a Regional Intergovernmental Audit Forum shall be
available to finance an appropriate share of either Forum's
costs as determined by the respective Forum, including
necessary travel expenses of non-Federal participants:
Provided further, That payments hereunder to the Forum may be
credited as reimbursements to any appropriation from which
costs involved are initially financed.

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE FOR INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND

For a payment to the Congressional Office for International
Leadership Fund for financing activities of the Congressional
Office for International Leadership under section 313 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 1151),
$6,000,000.

JOHN C. STENNIS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

For payment to the John C. Stennis Center for Public
Service Development Trust Fund established under section 116
of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and
Development Act (2 U.S.C. 1105), $430,000.

TITLE II

GENERAL PROVISIONS

maintenance and care of private vehicles

Sec. 201. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act
shall be used for the maintenance or care of private
vehicles, except for emergency assistance and cleaning as may
be provided under regulations relating to parking facilities
for the House of Representatives issued by the Committee on
House Administration and for the Senate issued by the
Committee on Rules and Administration.

fiscal year limitation

Sec. 202. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act
shall remain available for obligation beyond fiscal year 2024
unless expressly so provided in this Act.

rates of compensation and designation

Sec. 203. Whenever in this Act any office or position not
specifically established by the Legislative Pay Act of 1929
(46 Stat. 32 et seq.) is appropriated for or the rate of
compensation or designation of any office or position
appropriated for is different from that specifically
established by such Act, the rate of compensation and the
designation in this Act shall be the permanent law with
respect thereto: Provided, That the provisions in this Act
for the various items of official expenses of Members,
officers, and committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives, and clerk hire for Senators and Members of
the House of Representatives shall be the permanent law with
respect thereto.

consulting services

Sec. 204. The expenditure of any appropriation under this
Act for any consulting service through procurement contract,
under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, shall be
limited to those contracts where such expenditures are a
matter of public record and available for public inspection,
except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under
existing Executive order issued under existing law.

costs of legislative branch financial managers council

Sec. 205. Amounts available for administrative expenses of
any legislative branch entity which participates in the
Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council (LBFMC)
established by charter on March 26, 1996, shall be available
to finance an appropriate share of LBFMC costs as determined
by the LBFMC, except that the total LBFMC costs to be shared
among all participating legislative branch entities (in such
allocations among the entities as the entities may determine)
may not exceed $2,000.

limitation on transfers

Sec. 206. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality
of the United States Government, except pursuant to a
transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act
or any other appropriation Act.

guided tours of the capitol

Sec. 207. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), none of
the funds made available to the Architect of the Capitol in
this Act may be used to eliminate or restrict guided tours of
the United States Capitol which are led by employees and
interns of offices of Members of Congress and other offices
of the House of Representatives and Senate, unless through
regulations as authorized by section 402(b)(8) of the Capitol
Visitor Center Act of 2008 (2 U.S.C. 2242(b)(8)).
(b) At the direction of the Capitol Police Board, or at the
direction of the Architect of the Capitol with the approval
of the Capitol Police Board, guided tours of the United
States Capitol which are led by employees and interns
described in subsection (a) may be suspended temporarily or
otherwise subject to restriction for security or related
reasons to the same extent as guided tours of the United
States Capitol which are led by the Architect of the Capitol.

limitation on telecommunications equipment procurement

Sec. 208. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available under this Act may be used to acquire
telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies
Company or ZTE Corporation for a high or moderate impact
information system, as defined for security categorization in
the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)
Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 199,
``Standards for Security Categorization of Federal
Information and Information Systems'' unless the agency,
office, or other entity acquiring the equipment or system
has--
(1) reviewed the supply chain risk for the information
systems against criteria developed by NIST to inform
acquisition decisions for high or moderate impact information
systems within the Federal Government;
(2) reviewed the supply chain risk from the presumptive
awardee against available and relevant threat information
provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other
appropriate agencies; and
(3) in consultation with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation or other appropriate Federal entity, conducted
an assessment of any risk of cyber-espionage or sabotage
associated with the acquisition of such telecommunications
equipment for inclusion in a high or moderate impact system,
including any risk associated with such system being
produced, manufactured, or assembled by one or more entities
identified by the United States Government as posing a cyber
threat, including but not limited to, those that may be
owned, directed, or subsidized by the People's Republic of
China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, or the Russian Federation.
(b) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available under this Act may be used to acquire a high or
moderate impact information system reviewed and assessed
under subsection (a) unless the head of the assessing entity
described in subsection (a) has--
(1) developed, in consultation with NIST and supply chain
risk management experts, a mitigation strategy for any
identified risks;
(2) determined, in consultation with NIST and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, that the acquisition of such
telecommunications equipment for inclusion in a high or
moderate impact system is in the vital national security
interest of the United States; and
(3) reported that determination to the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
in a manner that identifies the telecommunications equipment
for inclusion in a high or moderate impact system intended
for acquisition and a detailed description of the mitigation
strategies identified in paragraph (1), provided that such
report may include a classified annex as necessary.

prohibition on certain operational expenses

Sec. 209. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act
may be used to maintain or establish a computer network
unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and
exchanging of pornography.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds
necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law
enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal
investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities or
other official government activities.

limitation on treatment as fiduciary relationship

Sec. 210. (a) Section 13144 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) Limitation on Treatment as Fiduciary Relationship.--
For purposes of this section, the relationship between a
Member who is providing care directly to a patient in the
form of medical services or dental services and the patient
to whom such care is provided shall not be considered a
fiduciary relationship.''.
(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to compensation received in fiscal year 2024 or any
succeeding fiscal year.
Sec. 211. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used for any office, program, or activity for the purposes
of diversity, equity, and inclusion training or
implementation that promotes or perpetuates divisive concepts
related to race or sex, such as the concepts that one race or
sex is inherently superior to another, or that an
individual's moral character or worth is determined by their
race or sex.
Sec. 212. (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 7 of
title 1, United States Code, section 1738C of title 28,
United States Code, or any other provision of law, none of
the funds provided by this Act, or previous appropriations
Acts, shall be used in whole or in part to take any
discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially,
on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance
with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction,
that marriage is, or should be recognized as, a union of one
man and one woman.
(b) Discriminatory Action Defined.--As used in subsection
(a), a discriminatory action means any action taken by the
Federal Government to--
(1) alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause
any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny,
delay,

[[Page H5210]]

or revoke an exemption from taxation under section 501(a) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of, any person referred to
in subsection (a);
(2) disallow a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any
charitable contribution made to or by such person;
(3) withhold, reduce the amount or funding for, exclude,
terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any Federal
grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement,
guarantee, loan, scholarship, license, certification,
accreditation, employment, or other similar position or
status from or to such person;
(4) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make
unavailable or deny, any entitlement or benefit under a
Federal benefit program, including admission to, equal
treatment in, or eligibility for a degree from an educational
program, from or to such person; or
(5) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make
unavailable or deny access or an entitlement to Federal
property, facilities, educational institutions, speech fora
(including traditional, limited, and nonpublic fora), or
charitable fundraising campaigns from or to such person.
(c) Accreditation; Licensure; Certification.--The Federal
Government shall consider accredited, licensed, or certified
for purposes of Federal law any person that would be
accredited, licensed, or certified, respectively, for such
purposes but for a determination against such person wholly
or partially on the basis that the person speaks, or acts, in
accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral
conviction described in subsection (a).

spending reduction account

Sec. 213. $11,000,000.
Sec. 214. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no
adjustment shall be made under section 601(a) of the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501)
(relating to cost of living adjustments for Members of
Congress) during fiscal year 2024.
This division may be cited as the ``Legislative Branch
Appropriations Act, 2024''.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour,
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member
of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees.
The gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei) and the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Espaillat) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada.
Mr. AMODEI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The legislative branch bill is what we do to ourselves. We don't need
the President's budget. This is what the House, in its wisdom, does for
spending with respect to the House accounts and also some accounts we
share with the Senate--Capitol Police, Congressional Budget Office,
other agencies like that.
As we look at what we are doing here in the context of this
appropriations season, the amount of money that is spent on this
represents about a 4.7 percent cut from the previous budget year for
purposes of the legislative branch. It gets a little bit less when you
add the Senate in, but the House has done its job in terms of leading
by example.
Now, you may say, how have you done your job? Let me tell you this:
What we have done with respect to Members' office budgets, committee
budgets, and some of the support functions--for instance, in the
Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, and the General
Accountability Office--we have left those accounts at or near what
their previous levels were.
Some of them enjoy modest increases, but if you care about
constituent services, if you care about doing a good job of being able
to hold the Senate's feet to the fire, the White House's feet to the
fire, or the people on the other side of the aisle's feet to the fire,
you need resources to do that.
The time has never been more important than it is now for us to be
able to do our jobs in a way that is appropriate for the challenges
that confront our country.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. Today I rise in opposition to H.R. 4364, the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act of 2024.
First, let me thank Mr. Amodei for his efforts and, of course, my
Democratic staffers, Faye Cobb, Monica Garay, and Raquel Spencer, as
well as our Republican staffers, Michelle Reinshuttle and Jacquelynn
Ripke for their tireless contributions to this subcommittee.
As the chairman indicated, the bill before us today includes $5.3
billion in discretionary appropriations to fund the offices of the
House of Representatives and joint legislative branch items. It also
has a decrease of 4.7 percent from the fiscal year 2023 enacted House
level and a 2.4 percent decrease in total allocation including Senate
items. This bill merely keeps the lights on, but it could and should
have done so much better.
Unfortunately, extreme MAGA culture war provisions have haunted all
12 of the House appropriations bills and, of course, legislative branch
was not spared. This bill, too, contains provisions that harm
diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and the LGBTQ+ community.
Moreover, this bill does not allow legislative branch agencies to
employ individuals under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program, the DACA program. These are young kids who are capable and
have contributed to this Nation. All they are missing is a piece of
paper, but they are Americans in every sense of the word you can
imagine.
This bill eliminates funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion
training or program implementation, including our very own House Office
of Diversity and Inclusion, which Republicans have benefited from. All
of us have benefited from the efforts of diversity and inclusion. We
have more women in our staff. We have greater diversity, greater life
experiences. I think that makes this House stronger. Yet, this bill
eliminates funding for that.
This House and the many agencies that make up the entire legislative
branch of government should make every effort possible to be reflective
and considerate of all the people that exist in our great Nation and
the many districts that our Members represent.
This bill does nothing to facilitate the use of funds for collective
bargaining rights to congressional staffers. Our staffers should be
able to do that.
This bill removes a provision to eliminate or reduce plastic waste
across the legislative branch of government, further contributing to
the impacts of climate change. We are here at the center of government,
and we should be fighting climate change, but we are not reducing the
use of plastic.
Mr. Speaker, after the attack on January 6, the attack on two
congressional staffers in their Virginia district office, and numerous
threats to our cybersecurity, I feel strongly that our staff deserves
to have a safe place to work, and our visitors deserve to have an even
safer place to visit and receive services.

However, in my opinion, this bill misses opportunities to further
invest in and enhance our physical and cybersecurity posture.
Our men and women who work hard every day to secure this campus
deserve to have the best equipment, tools, and state-of-the-art
technology resources readily available to them. Securing this campus
both physically and virtually has always been a priority of this
subcommittee. Various requests from the Capitol Police and the
legislative branch cybersecurity offices have not been met. We must
work to protect the campus that supports the governance of our
democracy.
The legislative branch bill should never be a place for divisive
politics. This bill should be used to ensure that Congress has all the
tools it needs to legislate and support the constituents we serve. It
should be used to ensure we have a successful democracy through
effective and responsible governance.
Folks on the other side of the aisle are obsessed with cutting
Federal funding and eliminating programs that help to grow and
diversify our country as well as welcome everybody to the table, a big
tent approach to government.
Mr. Speaker, when I took the role as the ranking member of this
subcommittee, I was looking forward to working with my colleagues on
creating a bipartisan bill. However, this bill does not represent a
collaboration between two parties. Instead, it includes provisions that
have no place within the legislative branch appropriations bill and are
hurtful to many Americans, including many of the staff who support this
great institution.
Extreme rightwing politics that were so focused on silencing the
voices of many in this country turned around and silenced themselves.
They created

[[Page H5211]]

a situation where no one had a voice, rendering at times this body
inoperable for many weeks.
Mr. Speaker, I don't agree with these divisive ideas and tactics. For
these reasons, I cannot support this bill, and I reserve the balance of
my time.

{time} 1630

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I was remiss in not saying thank you, so I
will follow the lead of my esteemed ranking member and thank him and
his staff as well as my staff for the way we were able to conduct the
committee's business. Even though we disagreed on many things, we
weren't disagreeable about it, which, some days, is quite a unique
thing in this business. My hat is off to them, and my thank-you is on
the record for the help from everybody on both sides.
I will cover a couple of areas in the spirit that the committee
worked. My colleague has mentioned the DACA program, which is, frankly,
something that, while we may have some disagreements on it, overall, we
may agree on more than we disagree. However, as the clerk indicated,
this is the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. When we are talking
about issues that deal with immigration or the DACA program or anything
else, that is the appropriate jurisdiction, in most cases, of the
Judiciary Committee.
Therefore, the folks standing up on either side of you, Mr. Speaker,
from the Parliamentarian's Office go through that drill and figure out
the appropriate jurisdiction for this bill. We came to the conclusion
that it wasn't. It doesn't mean that we disagree on a lot of that
stuff, but nonetheless, you can't do that in the Legislative Branch
bill, so we didn't.
On the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, I am not going to go
through what happened in that office over the last few years. I will
just say this: It was created by a rule in a previous Congress.
In exercising our appropriate oversight authority in seeing how that
money was spent, I will just say that there was a sincere belief that
that was not what was intended. When we talk about retreats, gift cards
for employees, office bling, and multiple other things, it is not that
the mission isn't important. It is, which is why the mission was
preserved and moved under the supervision of the Chief Administrative
Officer for the House, and an appropriate budget to do that work is
fine.
There was part of a reorganization, which now puts them under a
different office that is a subset of the Chief Administrative Officer
for the House. However, to continue on in a largely unsupervised,
autonomous role, where the use of funds was not impressive, the
committee thought that it was appropriate to maintain the mission but
change the structure for more supervision.
Also, when we talk about staff security, my colleague, the ranking
member, is absolutely right. It is a concern for everybody. What the
committee has done was say that we don't want to just throw a bunch of
money at it and say go do good things with security. We wanted to have
a plan.
I will tell you this: Each office can designate one of their district
offices for planning. My colleague's district is in the Big Apple
downtown. Mine is a long way away from there. One size doesn't fit all,
so we wanted to be a little thoughtful about that. That is why we
deferred from just going in whole hog.
You need to know that the Office of the Sergeant at Arms will now
provide cybersecurity. This was done after the committee adjourned. It
will now provide cybersecurity support to offices that ask for it.
By the way, my figures indicate there are 364 Members who have
availed themselves of some form of funding through the Office of the
Sergeant at Arms for security for those offices.
I look forward to continuing that when we get plans that are
appropriate for the settings that those district offices are in so we
can make a rational, well-based, intelligent decision on how to spend
that money.
Mr. Speaker, while we may not be in agreement over the amounts we are
spending on each one, I don't know if there is a lot of disagreement on
the mission. It is just how much emphasis it gets and how we use
taxpayer dollars in a responsible manner to go ahead and pursue those
goals.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Morelle), the distinguished ranking member of the
Committee on House Administration and a member of the Appropriations
Committee.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, first, to my colleagues on Appropriations'
Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Mr. Amodei as well as my longtime dear
friend Mr. Espaillat, I thank them for their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4364 because it
inadequately funds the legislative branch, which is the branch charged
with funding responsibilities under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
It dramatically underfunds the Capitol Police, drastically cuts funding
to the Architect of the Capitol, and guts the House Office of Diversity
and Inclusion.
As my colleague has mentioned, I serve as the ranking member of the
Committee on House Administration. I know firsthand how important it is
that our House officers and congressional support agencies are
adequately resourced.
We all rely on our nonpartisan institutional partners, some of whom
are in this Chamber right now, helping us carry out our constitutional
obligations, keeping us safe, providing subject matter expertise, and
facilitating the legislative process.
For that reason, I am very disappointed. This bill, which includes a
nearly 5 percent cut to House and joint legislative branch items,
inadequately funds many of these entities and the responsibilities that
they are required to carry out.
For example, at a time in which the Capitol Police is experiencing an
officer shortage crisis, this bill fails to fully fund the department's
salaries appropriation requests. How can we hope to attract qualified
officers if we don't provide competitive salaries? How can we ensure
officers are better trained if they are regularly forced to work
overtime rather than attend training sessions? How do we improve
officer morale if they need to work double shifts instead of going home
to spend time with their families?
The men and women of the Capitol Police have our backs. They have
demonstrated that in a time of crisis in this Chamber. We need to have
theirs with more than just words.

The bill would also cut funding for the Architect of the Capitol by
hundreds of millions of dollars and fail to meet the agency's budget
request for the Capitol Police buildings, grounds, and security
account. This would hinder the AOC's ability to fulfill all of its
responsibilities, making Congress less secure, harming our national
security, and putting Members, staff, and our visiting constituents at
risk during a time of heightened threats.
Finally, I am deeply frustrated that this bill includes culture war
initiatives like eliminating the House Office of Diversity and
Inclusion. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was established based
on a bipartisan, unanimous modernization committee recommendation. It
provides important services for and works closely with offices on both
sides of the aisle. In fact, since its inception in 2019, 225
Republican offices have utilized its services.
It is astonishing that my majority colleagues are going to sabotage
their own ability to recruit the best and brightest just to satisfy
rightwing extremist grievances about diversity.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons and more, I cannot support the bill,
and I urge that we do not adopt this bill.
Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I guess since we are going to stay on it for
a minute, I will go ahead and stay on it.
Nobody is opposed to diversity or inclusion. Here are some of the
reasons why this office was focused on. This bill that you have before
you, Mr. Speaker, is consistent with administrative restructuring to
streamline human resources activities consistent with the House
Committee on Administration. Bringing the best person for the job in
any agency or office under this bill is what we are trying to
encourage.
There are currently multiple staff support offices focused on human
resources that can be reorganized and streamlined into one. The Chief
Administrative Office is consumer focused

[[Page H5212]]

and is best suited to create a House-wide office of talent and
development. That is a new office that is created under this bill,
which, by the way, has the mission of the old ODI.
ODI was created under House rules as its own office but will be
moving to the reproposed CAO to become a part of the new office of
talent and development. By this restructuring, we expect to increase
accessibility to resources provided to House staff by creating a one-
stop shop while also saving millions by streamlining duplicative
efforts. Not only will the reorganization make activities more
efficient, but it will help with oversight.
Now, let's talk about the Capitol Police for a minute. Yes, there
were cuts in the requested budget for Capitol Police, but let's talk
about uniformed personnel. Let's talk about the Intelligence Division.
Let's talk about what the Capitol Police do to protect our campus and
our operations. By the way, that is leadership details, as well.
When we talk about all those functions, all of their uniformed
officer positions have been fully funded. I will say that again: fully
funded. Now, it takes a while to recruit, vet, and train a Capitol
Police officer. It is not one of those things where you throw the
switch and say we need 500 or 600 more so that we are at our full
complement of around 2,200.
It takes a while to train them in the academy before we turn them
loose on the job. For the ones you see that they are fully trained,
fully vetted, and ready to go, that takes time. It is not a budget
function. They were fully funded for that.
We also maintain their intelligence functions, and we also maintain
their protective detail functions. There were cuts to the Capitol
Police budget, but not in those areas. I will also point out that some
of the cuts were in funds that they weren't able to spend in this cycle
anyhow.
As we are looking for savings to do the best job in terms of budget
responsibility, we also wanted to recognize the reality that if you
can't spend it in this cycle, let's not keep it in this cycle.
Mr. Speaker, I will indicate that those were not things that were in
a MAGA rush to do this, that, or the other sort of thing. It was trying
to be responsible with the legislative branch allocation that we have,
which, by the way, is four-tenths of 1 percent of all spending. That
doesn't mean that because it is that, we don't care about it. It means
we need to do our part, too.
Similarly, the part that you didn't hear is that MRAs were kept the
same so Members can keep doing their thing. Committee accounts on both
sides were kept the same so Members could keep doing the committees'
work on both sides of the aisle. Frankly, in the context that we live
in, we think it was the responsible way to lead by example.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I think it is undeniable that during
these uncertain times, particularly when we witnessed the regrettable
incident in Virginia, where staffers in one of our colleague's district
offices were hurt, and given the tension in the world, in our
communities, in our cities, and in our district offices, it requires
greater investment in security for our constituents that visit on a
regular basis our offices, for our staff who are on the front lines in
what we do, and for ourselves. I think that, in many ways, we are wide
open, and we require the kind of investment that we have not seen in
this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut
(Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished ranking member of the Appropriations
Committee.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the House Republican 2024
Legislative Branch funding bill.
This bill falls short of ensuring we can continue to grow a strong
and well-functioning legislative branch that is essential to our
democracy.
As an institution, we should be increasing our ability to serve our
constituents and recruit and retain talented staff and United States
Capitol Police officers. We should not merely be treading water.
This bill eliminates the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and does
nothing to facilitate the use of funds for collective bargaining rights
for congressional staffers.
This bill also does not allow legislative branch agencies to employ
individuals who are authorized for employment under the Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals Act, DACA.

{time} 1645

We made progress in the last Congress, but this bill will take us
backwards.
Ranking Member Espaillat said during the markup of this bill, but I
believe it is a point that we should emphasize again today: We all have
an obligation to make sure that our staff, whether they serve here in
Washington, D.C., or if they serve in our home districts, are safe.
I support my colleague's efforts to increase funding to bolster that
safety.
This bill is not an appropriate venue for divisive and partisan
language, especially the extreme and offensive culture wars riders that
House Republicans have placed in each one of the appropriations bills
that we have considered.
We should be working together to ensure that the Congress is able to
serve the American people, complete the people's business safely,
securely, and efficiently, our political differences notwithstanding.
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation is required to keep the government
open. Otherwise, the President will not sign a bill. Bipartisan,
bicameral legislation is required to fully fund the legislative branch.
It is time for House Republicans to abandon a partisan path to nowhere
and to join House Democrats at the negotiation table.
We have wasted enough time. Let us move forward. We are here. We are
ready to get to work for the American people.
For all of these reasons, I cannot support this bill, and I ask
others not to support it.
Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), the Buckeye State of Ohio.
Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in fierce opposition to H.R.
4364. I thank the chairman, but I specifically thank our ranking member
for allowing me to speak.
This totally eliminates the funding for the House Office of Diversity
and Inclusion. As former chair of the first-ever House Committee on
Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, I have long
been an ardent and vocal champion for diversity and inclusion.
As stated in the 116th Congress, the House Office of D&I was created
to cultivate a workplace at the United States House of Representatives
that reflects the rich diversity of the districts and the constituents
we represent.
While I heard what the chairman says, the records do not reflect that
in the talent development office. This office also helps place numerous
diverse applicants into staff positions on Capitol Hill. It is critical
because, in a 2019 House office study, it found that 70 percent of
House employees at that time were White, demonstrating in statistical
terms the stunning lack of diversity among House employees.
The Republican effort to eradicate the $3 million in funding for this
office is yet another shortsighted attempt to turn back the clock and
to undo the hard-fought gains won by Congress, the people's House.
Study after study shows the countless benefits of diversity and
inclusion in the workplace, most importantly given the indisputable
importance of the congressional staffers on the legislative process,
and the direct effect they have on the lives of millions of Americans,
the constituents, our constituents that they work with in our
districts.
For reference, Mr. Speaker, Speaker Johnson's district is almost 50-
50 White to Blacks and minorities. Former Speaker McCarthy's district
is 50-50. California's 13th District is actually 66 percent persons of
color, and I think, when you look at that, it is very important for us
to have staff who reflect that.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Ohio.

[[Page H5213]]

Mrs. BEATTY. The recent Speaker pro tempore said that diversity and
inclusion would be the top priority.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that we reconsider this.
Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, can I inquire as to how much time is
remaining on either side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Nevada has 20 minutes
remaining, and the gentleman from New York has 15 minutes remaining.
Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise again to oppose this bill. This bill doesn't do
enough. It just doesn't do enough to support critical investment for
the future of the legislative branch of government, including critical
enhancement to strengthen our physical and cybersecurity posture or
provide dedicated funding for the House Office of Diversity and
Inclusion.
In addition, I was shocked not to see bipartisan language that has
been supported by both sides of the House for years to allow the
legislative branch agencies to employ individuals under the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, Program. Every Member's staffer
should feel safe as they serve the American people. Every office and
committee in Congress should be able to benefit from the bipartisan
work carried out by the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Importantly, every Member from every district across the Nation
should have access to every resource that will allow them to serve the
constituency with the services that they need. This includes the
ability to hire a staffer who represents the makeup of their district.
That is fundamental in a democracy.
This committee has a long tradition of protecting individual Members'
ability to operate their offices how they see fit and employing
individuals under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program
should be no exception.
For this reason, Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will offer a
motion to recommit this bill back to the committee. If the House rules
permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment
to this bill.

My amendment includes language that would permit funds in the Act to
be used to employ individuals with an employment authorization document
under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, Program.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of this
amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion
to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in
voting for the motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me repeat that the legislative branch
should never be a place for divisive politics. The legislative branch
bill should be used to ensure Congress has the tools it needs to
legislate and support the constituents we serve. It should be used to
ensure we have a successful democracy through effective and responsible
governance.
The Republicans, again, are obsessed with cutting and cutting Federal
funds and eliminating programs that help to grow and diversify our
country. Passing these partisan bills will not help keep the government
open. It just will not make that happen. We should be really focused on
keeping our government open and preventing a pending shutdown.
The former Speaker met with the President and had a handshake. Let's
honor that handshake. Let's not cut to the bone and hurt the American
people. I don't agree also with these divisive ideas and partisan
tactics. I believe we can and should do much better.
For these reasons, I cannot support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, there have been a few areas covered, and so
I will try to be brief. I yield myself the balance of my time.
I want to thank my colleague from New York for his collegiality and
professionalism in the way that we have gone through this process this
year and I look forward to working with him in the future.
Architect of the Capitol, their top ten projects were funded. I know
there has been some discussion about it. We didn't pick them. We asked
them to pick them, and so they did.
In these times, when we are running deficits that are in the t
neighborhood, not the b neighborhood, I don't think it is inappropriate
to say we probably ought to look at some of the largest areas that we
spend money on. When you look at the leg branch allocation, that pie
chart, the biggest slice of the pie in the whole thing, other than
running our offices and our committees and paying our employee
benefits, is Architect of the Capitol.
Give us your ten top priorities. I don't think that is partisan. I
think that is responsible fiscal management. You can keep moving
forward, but it is not like we don't have to eventually pay those
bills.
The Sergeant at Arms office, as I have indicated--and I won't spend a
lot of time on it--is there and funded under this bill for
cybersecurity and for one district office. If you have multiple ones,
that doesn't make you a bad person. It just means you have to submit a
plan, and we have to talk about how we deal with one district versus
another based upon the realities on the ground of making that district
office secure.
Maybe it is a panic button. Maybe there is something else depending
on that. I don't think it is irresponsible for Americans to expect the
people who are responsible for spending their money to ask that we ask
a few questions before we just say, Go do what you think you need to,
and we will figure out a way to pay for it. That won't work.
They want to make an exception for the House of Representatives that
isn't there for most other folks. We are not going to do it. We need to
deal with DACA comprehensively, and we should, and I will be there at
the first meeting, the middle meeting, and the last meeting to deal
with them.
As a matter of fact, in previous Congresses, I have supported some
DACA measures, which, quite frankly, weren't in compliance with what
some people think a good Republican ought to be doing or whatever, but
it was trying to solve a problem. It does not solve the DACA problem by
carving out a tiny exception for Congress to be able to pretend like
the rules on DACA shouldn't apply to us just like they do everybody
else, so that is why we are at where we are at.
Finally, I hadn't wanted to do this, but since this is an
appropriations subcommittee and we talk about money and we are worried
about the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, let me tell you why it was
decided to move it. It spent $15,000 on a staff retreat at the
Salamander, a luxury resort in Middleburg, Virginia; spent thousands of
taxpayer dollars on customized swag, including windbreakers; spent tens
of thousands of dollars on partisan diversity events we talked about
not being partisan for Black History Month, Women's History Month, as
well as $25,000 for racial equity group training.
The office went over a year without a director as House Democrats
failed to fill the position and even put one of their own staffers down
there temporarily in an acting capacity while still serving as the
assigned oversight staffer for House admin Democrats, a clear conflict
of interest.
It used taxpayer dollars to give away gift cards to staff for
attending their programming; spending that is not allowed in any other
context, committee or personal office budgets, and which could raise
ethics questions. It is not like somebody wanted to be mean to somebody
because they had a political disagreement. This is fiscal
irresponsibility and needs to be addressed.
I will finish with this: We addressed the oversight problem, which
appropriations does, but kept the mission intact in the Chief
Administrative Officer.
With that, I would hope that Members would see their way clear to
support this bill as a logical step for leading by example, but not
basically handicapping us.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4364, the
Republican FY24 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act.

[[Page H5214]]

The Legislative Branch Appropriations bill provides the funding that
all of our offices rely on for the resources we need to serve our
constituents and legislate for the good of the nation. It funds our
Capitol Police, Sergeant at Arms, and Architect of the Capitol to keep
the Capitol complex safe, secure, and functioning for staff and
visitors. It supports the research and preservation work at the Library
of Congress and the beloved Botanic Garden.
I am disappointed that the bill before us today stalls the progress
that we made under a Democratic majority in recent years by not
investing enough in the resources needed to operate Congress as a
modern, effective, and co-equal branch of our democratic government.
My opposition to the bill is not solely due to the inadequate funding
levels. This bill, like all of the Republican appropriations measures,
embraces right-wing social policy fights that have no place in the
bills that fund our government.
It eliminates direct funding for the Office of Diversity and
Inclusion and prohibits funding from being used to train staff and
improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the Congressional
workplace. It does not include the language that allows the legislative
branch to employ Americans certified under the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It creates a license to blatantly
discriminate against LGBTQI+ people under the guise of religious
liberty and face no penalties for that blatant discrimination.
The People's House should be a place where all people of this diverse
nation are welcomed, included, and treated equitably. Instead, this
bill advances an agenda that is hurtful to many of the staff that work
here and the constituents we represent.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. We may have
a new Speaker in this chamber, but Republicans are still pursuing the
same partisan path on appropriations bills.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moore of Utah). All time for debate has
expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 756, the previous question is ordered on
the bill.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further consideration of H.R.
4364 is postponed.

____________________