[House Report 111-557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


111th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     111-557

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    TO IMPROVE CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS OF THE LIBRARY OF 
                    CONGRESS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

 July 22, 2010.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, from the Committee on House Administration, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 5681]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on House Administration, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 5681) to improve certain administrative 
operations of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    H.R. 5681, introduced by Chairman Robert A. Brady on July 
1, 2010, makes administrative improvements to three Library of 
Congress programs.

                   ANALYSIS OF THE BILL (AS REPORTED)

    Section 1. This section authorizes the Librarian of 
Congress to dispose of outdated or obsolete property through 
different means, including sales, trades and inter-agency 
transfers. The proceeds from these transactions will be 
available during the fiscal years the proceeds are received or 
the following fiscal year to acquire the same or similar 
property that has been modernized and updated. This measure 
will save money for the Library of Congress by offsetting the 
cost of purchasing new property.
    Section 2. This section reorganizes the Library of Congress 
student loan repayment program and clarifies that the Librarian 
may use any available funds to pay for student loan benefits 
for employees regardless of the source of their salary. Funds 
for student loan repayment for employees of all Library service 
units will be drawn from the same fund, making repayment easier 
to administer and more accessible to employees.
    Presently, only one Library of Congress employee receives a 
student loan repayment benefit. Under the current system, 
Library service units, if they wish to participate in the 
student loan repayment program, must draw from their own 
operating budgets to make payments for employees. Section 2 of 
H.R. 5681 creates one pool of funds for the entire Library of 
Congress, from which individual service units can draw to cover 
the amount of monthly repayments. As the Library of Congress 
has a large number of employees with advanced degrees, this 
benefit will make it a more attractive destination for 
potential employees and will help the Library retain the 
services and talents of current employees.
    Section 3. This section makes available any unobligated 
amounts of expired appropriations to the Librarian of Congress 
for deposit into the Employees' Compensation Fund pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 8147(b). This measure will help ensure that the 
Employees' Compensation Fund is adequately funded and avoids 
the need for new appropriations.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On July 14, 2010, the Committee on House Administration 
conducted a markup and, by voice vote, ordered H.R. 5681 
reported favorably to the House without amendment.

             MATTERS REQUIRED UNDER THE RULES OF THE HOUSE

Constitutional authority

    Clause 3(d)(1) of House rule XIII requires each committee 
report on a public bill or joint resolution to include a 
statement citing the specific constitutional power(s) granted 
to the Congress on which the Committee relies for enactment of 
the measure under consideration.
    The Committee cites the legislative power broadly granted 
to Congress under Article I. Pursuant to clause 1(j)(4) of 
House rule X, the Committee on House Administration is charged 
with oversight of the Library of Congress, including management 
thereof.

Committee votes

    Clause 3(b) of House rule XIII requires the results of each 
recorded vote on an amendment or motion to report, together 
with the names of those voting for and against, to be printed 
in the committee report. No recorded votes were taken during 
the Committee's consideration of H.R. 5681.

Congressional Budget Office estimate

    Clause 3(c)(3) of House rule XIII requires the report of a 
committee on a measure which has been approved by the committee 
to include a cost estimate prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 403 of the CBA, 
if timely submitted. The Director submitted the following 
estimate:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 21, 2010.
Hon. Robert A. Brady,
Chairman, Committee on House Administration,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5681, a bill to 
improve certain administrative operations of the Library of 
Congress, and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Christina 
Hawley Anthony.
            Sincerely,
                                              Douglas W. Elmendorf.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 5681--A bill to improve certain administrative operations of the 
        Library of Congress, and for other purposes

    H.R. 5681 would allow the Librarian of Congress to sell or 
dispose of obsolete property and use the proceeds of any sale 
to acquire new, replacement property. In addition, the bill 
would allow the Librarian to use funds provided for salaries 
and expenses to repay the student loans of its employees. 
Furthermore, beginning with appropriations made in fiscal year 
2011, the Librarian could use unobligated, expired balances to 
make deposits to the Employee's Compensation Fund.
    Allowing the Librarian to repay student loans and use 
expired balances could increase total outlays from future 
appropriations, beginning with funding for fiscal year 2011.
    CBO expects that enacting H.R. 5681 could affect direct 
spending by allowing the Librarian to sell property and spend 
the proceeds; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply. 
However, CBO estimates that the net effects would be 
insignificant for each year, and in total over the 2011-2020 
period. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Christina Hawley 
Anthony. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

Federal mandates

    Section 423 of the CBA requires a committee report on any 
public bill or joint resolution that includes a federal mandate 
to include specific information about such mandates. The 
Committee states that H.R. 5681 includes no federal mandates.

Preemption clarification

    Section 423 of the CBA requires a committee report on any 
public bill or joint resolution to include a committee 
statement on the extent to which the measure is intended to 
preempt state or local law. The Committee states that H.R. 5681 
is not intended to preempt any state or local law.

Oversight findings

    Clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII requires each committee report 
to contain oversight findings and recommendations required 
pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of House rule X. Oversight findings 
are addressed in the descriptive portions of the report. The 
Committee has general oversight responsibility for the Library 
of Congress.

Statement of general performance goals and objectives

    Clause 3(c)(4) of House rule XIII requires committee 
reports to include a statement of general performance goals and 
objectives. The Committee believes that enactment of H.R. 5681 
will improve the operation and efficiency of administrative 
programs at the Library of Congress.

Congressional ``earmarks''

    Clause 9 of House rule XXI requires committee reports on 
public bills and resolutions to contain an identification of 
congressional ``earmarks,'' limited tax benefits, limited 
tariff benefits, and the names of requesting Members. The bill 
as reported contains no such items.

Congressional Accountability Act applicability

    Section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act 
of 1995 (Pub.L. 104-1) (CAA) requires each report on a public 
bill or joint resolution relating to terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services or accommodations to 
describe the manner in which the legislation applies to the 
Legislative Branch. H.R. 5681 makes no change to the terms and 
conditions of employment, access to public services or 
accommodations in the Legislative Branch.

Changes in Existing Law made by the bill, as reported

    The bill as reported makes no changes in existing law.

                                  
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