[House Report 118-120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                    {      118-120

======================================================================



 
              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2024

                                _______
                                

 June 27, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

           Mr. Amodei, from the Committee on Appropriations, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                             MINORITY VIEWS

                        [To accompany H.R. 4364]

    The Committee on Appropriations submits the following 
report in explanation of the accompanying bill making 
appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

                        INDEX TO BILL AND REPORT

                                                            Page Number

                                                            Bill Report
Highlights of the Bill.....................................
                                                                      2
Title I--Legislative Branch Appropriations.................     2
                                                                      5
        House of Representatives...........................     2
                                                                      5
        Joint Items:
                Joint Economic Committee...................    11
                                                                     12
                Committee on Taxation......................    11
                                                                     12
                Office of the Attending Physician..........    11
                                                                     13
                Office of Congressional Accessibility 
                    Services...............................    12
                                                                     13
        United States Capitol Police.......................    12
                                                                     14
        Office of Congressional Workplace Rights...........    14
                                                                     16
        Congressional Budget Office........................    14
                                                                     16
        Architect of the Capitol (except Senate Office 
            Buildings).....................................    15
                                                                     17
        Library of Congress................................    19
                                                                     23
        Government Publishing Office.......................    24
                                                                     28
        Government Accountability Office...................    29
                                                                     29
        Congressional Office for International Leadership 
            Fund...........................................    30
                                                                     30
        John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training 
            and Development................................    30
                                                                     30
Title II--General Provisions...............................    31
                                                                     30
Bill-wide Reporting Requirements...........................

Minority Views.............................................
                                                                     53

                         HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL

    The Committee recommendation for fiscal year 2024 for the 
activities under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on 
Legislative Branch totals $5,302,067,000, which is $262,988,000 
(4.7 percent) less than the comparable amount for fiscal year 
2023 in non-emergency discretionary budget authority, excluding 
funds for the Senate and Senate office buildings. Including 
Senate items, the total is $6,735,000,000, which is 
$165,000,000 (2.4 percent) less than the comparable amount for 
fiscal year 2023.
    These appropriations support the operations of the House of 
Representatives, the care, and preservation of the historic 
buildings in which Congress works, and agencies that provide 
research and analysis to assist the legislative process. They 
also support other institutions such as the Library of 
Congress, one of the leading repositories of knowledge and 
culture in the world, as well as the Government Publishing 
Office.
    In keeping with longstanding practice under which each 
chamber of Congress determines its housekeeping requirements 
and the other concurs without intervention, the bill does not 
include funds for the Senate or Senate office buildings. 
Similarly, the Senate will consider a Legislative Branch 
appropriations bill that addresses Senate but not House 
funding.
    The bill provides the Legislative Branch the ability to 
develop legislation to meet national needs, provide oversight 
of government operations, and assist constituents in their 
dealings with government while also showing responsible fiscal 
restraint.

                    Legislative Branch-Wide Matters


          RESULTS, OVERSIGHT, TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

    The Committee on Appropriations of the House (hereinafter 
``the Committee'') recognizes that effective programs, 
projects, and activities must set transparent goals and measure 
progress toward those goals in tangible ways. Data-driven 
results should be the yardstick for measuring success.
    The recommendation continues to prioritize the proper 
management of taxpayer dollars, including strong internal 
controls, reduced inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and waste, 
fraud, or abuse, and a focus on results, and customer service 
for all agencies under the jurisdiction of this Act. The 
Committee continues its focus on reducing unnecessary 
expenditures and expects the agencies funded by this Act to 
identify cost savings and efficiencies where possible.

               Performance Measures and Customer Service

    The Committee believes that development of organizational 
priority goals and outcomes, such as performance outcome 
measures, output measures, and efficiency measures, is 
important for all agencies funded under this bill. The 
Committee also notes the importance of implementing proper 
customer service standards for agencies that provide direct 
services to the public. Development of these service standards 
should include identifying and surveying target customers and 
measuring internal performance against those standards.
    In addition, the Committee understands that, as the largest 
advertiser in the United States, the Federal government should 
work to ensure fair access to its advertising contracts for 
small, disadvantaged businesses and businesses owned by 
minorities and women. The Committee directs each agency under 
the jurisdiction of this Act to include the following 
information in its fiscal year 2025 budget justification: 
expenditures for fiscal year 2023 and expected expenditures for 
fiscal year 2024, respectively, for (1) all contracts for 
advertising services; and (2) contracts for the advertising 
services of (a) socially and economically disadvantaged small 
business concerns (as defined in section 8(a)(4) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(4)), and (b) women- and 
minority-owned businesses disaggregated by race and gender.

 Reprogramming, Notification, Consultation, and Reporting Requirements

    The Committee expects all agencies to notify the Committee 
of any significant departures from budget plans presented to 
the Committee in any agency's budget justifications. The 
Committee recommendation grants limited reprogramming 
authorities to ensure that funds are devoted to the highest 
priorities, particularly due to changes in circumstances. 
Agencies funded through this bill are required to notify the 
Committee prior to any reprogramming of funds in excess of the 
lesser of 10 percent or $750,000 between programs, projects or 
activities, or in excess of $750,000 between object 
classifications (except for shifts within the pay categories, 
object class 11, 12, and 13 or as further specified in each 
agency's respective section). This includes cumulative 
reprogrammings that together total at least $750,000 from or to 
a particular program, activity, or object classification as 
well as reprogramming full time equivalents (FTE) or funds to 
create new organizational entities within the agency or to 
restructure entities that already exist.
    In addition, the Committee must be notified of 
reprogramming actions that involve less than the above-
mentioned amounts if such actions would have the effect of 
changing an agency's funding requirements in future years or if 
programs or projects specifically cited in the Committee' 
reports are affected.
    Prior to initial obligation or reallocation of funds, all 
congressional reprogramming notifications shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, contain detailed information about the 
sources of the funds and why such funds are no longer intended 
to be used as previously justified.
    The Committee emphasizes that all reports are required to 
be completed in the timeframe noted in each respective 
directive. Moreover, the Committee expects that the conditions 
associated with funding appropriated by this Act shall be 
accomplished in the manner as directed in the report, 
consistent with congressional intent.

                   Staffing Data in Budget Documents

    The Committee continues to direct the Legislative Branch 
agencies to include in their budget justifications data on FTE 
levels that would be supported by the associated request or 
enacted funding levels. The Committee also continues to expect 
the Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council to coordinate 
plans for aligning FTE levels with the Legislative Branch 
agencies for consistency in reporting.

                          Zero Base Budgeting

    While the Committee continues to direct all agencies of the 
Legislative Branch to develop budget requests from a zero-base, 
the Committee is concerned that the zero-based budget documents 
lack sufficient detail for making funding decisions. The 
Committee believes that there is room for improvement and 
directs House agencies to work with the Committee to ensure 
budget documents contain the necessary information for 
meaningful savings.

 Congressional Requirements for Legislative Branch Cyber and Physical 
                             Data Security

    The Committee is concerned about the lack of progress by 
Legislative Branch agencies to secure and protect their data or 
collections and to plan for disaster recovery. Consistent with 
the directive in the joint explanatory statement accompanying 
the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2023, agencies are 
encouraged to prioritize compliance to assure continuity of 
operations for the Legislative Branch.

             Science and Technology Assistance for Congress

    The Committee notes the interest among some Members during 
the past several years in reinstituting the Office of 
Technology Assessment (OTA), which was de-funded in 1995. In 
fiscal year 2019, the Committee instructed the National Academy 
of Public Administration (NAPA) to conduct a study to determine 
the best way to increase congressional access to needed in-
depth analysis of fast-breaking technology developments. The 
NAPA report, released in November 2019, recommended 
strengthening the capacity of the Government Accountability 
Office (GAO) and Congressional Research Service (CRS) in 
technology assessment rather than restarting OTA. The Committee 
is pleased with both CRS's and GAO's efforts to increase the 
depth and breadth of their capacity to provide research and 
policy analysis on current and emerging legislative issues 
related to science and technology (S&T) and Federal uses and 
oversight of S&T.
    The Committee encourages the Director of CRS to continue to 
support staffing for the specialized teams working on science 
and technology issues to meet the growing need of Congress for 
timely, complex, and multidisciplinary analysis of policy 
issues related to these rapidly changing technologies; the 
effects of the Federal Government in oversight of such 
technologies; and the effects of the Federal government S&T 
policies across all sectors. The Director of CRS should 
continue outreach efforts to make Members and congressional 
staff more aware of the resources it provides related to S&T 
issues Congress is examining.
    Additionally, in 2019 the GAO established a Science, 
Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team to better 
address the evolving and time-sensitive needs of Congress. The 
Committee encourages the Comptroller General to continue to 
support its STAA S&T team and the Innovation Lab to increase 
the depth, breadth, and diversity of knowledge available to 
meet congressional needs.
    The Committee will continue to review the work of CRS and 
the GAO to determine if other steps may be required in the 
future.

               TITLE I--LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS


                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................    $1,847,571,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................     1,902,831,000
Committee recommendation..............................     1,850,998,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        +3,427,000
    Change from request...............................       -51,833,000
 

    The committee recommends $1,850,998,000 for the operations 
of the House of Representatives. The Committee recommendation 
funds the operations of the House of Representatives in a 
fiscally responsible manner, providing a modest increase of 
$3,427,000 above fiscal year 2023. This funding allows Members 
to effectively serve their constituents and supports the Office 
of the Parliamentarian, Office of Legislative Counsel, and 
Office of Law Revision Counsel to assist the House in carrying 
out its legislative and oversight responsibilities.

                        House Leadership Offices


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $36,560,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        36,560,000
Committee recommendation..............................        36,560,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $36,560,000 for salaries and 
expenses of staff in House Leadership offices.
    The allocation by office follows:

 
 
 
Office of the Speaker.................................       $10,499,000
Office of the Majority Floor Leader...................         3,730,000
Office of the Majority Whip...........................         3,099,000
Republican Conference.................................         2,962,000
Office of the Minority Floor Leader...................        10,499,000
Office of the Minority Whip...........................         2,809,000
Democratic Caucus.....................................         2,962,000
 

                  Members' Representational Allowances


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $810,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       810,000,000
Committee recommendation..............................       810,000,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $810,000,000 for the MRA.

        Allowance for Compensation of Interns in Member Offices


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $20,638,800
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        20,638,800
Committee recommendation..............................        20,638,800
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $20,638,800 for the compensation 
of interns who serve in the offices of House Members, 
Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner. This recommendation 
maintains the intern allowance cap of $46,800 per Member 
office.

   Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Leadership Offices


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................          $586,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................           586,000
Committee recommendation..............................           586,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $586,000 for the compensation of 
interns who serve in the offices of House Leadership. This 
recommendation includes $322,300 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, 
and $263,700 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


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $2,600,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         2,600,000
Committee recommendation..............................         2,600,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $2,600,000 for the compensation of 
interns who serve in the offices of House Standing, Special and 
Select Committees. This recommendation includes $1,300,000 for 
the compensation of interns who serve in Committee offices of 
the majority, and $1,300,000 for the compensation of interns 
who serve in Committee 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


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................          $463,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................           463,000
Committee recommendation..............................           463,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $463,000 for the compensation of 
interns who serve in the offices of the House Appropriations 
Committee. This recommendation includes $231,500 for the 
compensation of interns who serve in Committee offices of the 
majority, and $231,500 for the compensation of interns who 
serve in Committee offices of the minority, to be allocated by 
the Chair, in consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, of 
the Committee on Appropriations.

                          Committee Employees


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $211,881,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       215,531,000
Committee recommendation..............................       211,881,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................        -3,650,000
 

    The Committee recommends $211,881,000 in total for 
Committee Employees. This account includes funding for salaries 
and expenses of Committees including equipment, 
telecommunications, printing, contract services, and supplies. 
Included in the total is $180,587,000 for standing and select 
Committees and $31,294,000 for the Committee on Appropriations. 
Funding is available until December 31, 2024.
    This account makes available $5,800,000 for committee room 
renovations.

                    Salaries, Officers and Employees


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $324,057,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       340,787,000
Committee recommendation..............................       324,879,000
    Change from enacted level.........................          +822,000
    Change from request...............................       -15,908,000
 

    The Committee recommends $324,879,000, which is $822,000 
more than the enacted level for the salaries and expenses of 
House officers and employees of the various activities funded 
through this consolidated item.
    House Officers and Support Agencies: The Committee 
recommendation provides for the salaries and expenses of House 
officers and employees, including the offices of the Clerk of 
the House, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, 
Parliamentarian and Legislative Counsel, among others.
    Following is a summary of the funding allocation provided 
to each component of the account:

 
 
 
Office of the Clerk...................................       $41,455,000
 

    The Committee recommends $41,455,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Office of the Clerk, an increase of $628,000 
from the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and $3,292,000 below 
the fiscal year 2024 request.

 
 
 
Office of the Sergeant at Arms........................       $38,793,000
 

    The Committee recommends $38,793,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms (SAA). This 
amount is the same as the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and is 
$5,165,000 over the fiscal year 2024 request.
    Congressional Fellowships: Fellowships provide 
opportunities for congressional offices to supplement their 
staff with an in-house subject matter expert who can provide 
valuable insight and perspective, but, when selecting fellows, 
congressional offices must exercise caution to ensure that 
House operations are not compromised. While fellows are subject 
to regulations established by the Committee on Ethics, the 
Committee believes there should be more formalized guidance 
provided to congressional offices regarding congressional 
fellowships. The Committee therefore directs the Sergeant at 
Arms to work with other House offices, as appropriate, to 
develop a comprehensive set of best practices governing the 
onboarding, training, and oversight of fellows serving in 
congressional offices and to submit recommendations for best 
practices to the Committee within 180 days of the enactment of 
this Act.
    District Office Security: The safety of constituents and 
staff is of vital concern for the Committee. The recent violent 
events against congressional staff warrant further 
consideration of the security in Members' district offices. 
Therefore, the Committee directs the Sergeant at Arms to 
undertake a comprehensive review of district office security, 
to include both the scope of the program, the number of 
district offices covered, and different capabilities that could 
be used to secure these offices. The Committee directs that 
within 30 days after the enactment of this Act, the Sergeant at 
Arms shall provide a report to the Committee regarding the 
feasibility and cost of expanding current security capabilities 
for district offices.

 
 
 
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer............      $213,072,000
 

    The Committee recommends $213,072,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer 
(CAO). This represents an increase of $1,500,000 over the 
fiscal year 2023 enacted total and is $14,781,000 less than the 
request.
    Access to Childcare: The House Child Care Center completed 
its expansion in 2020, but pandemic restrictions required the 
extra space to be utilized for the reduction in capacity per 
square feet, allowing the Center to maintain its enrollment 
size, but not alleviate the three-year waiting list for entry. 
For the first time since the expansion, the Center may be fully 
utilized, allowing more staff the opportunity to take advantage 
of the on campus childcare opportunity. The Committee 
encourages the Chief Administrative Officer to expedite the 
hiring of the faculty necessary to fully utilize the House 
Child Care Center expansion to reduce the waitlist and maximize 
this benefit.
    Allergy Safety in House Dining Facilities: The Committee 
underscores the importance of providing an accessible workplace 
for those with food allergies and directs the Chief 
Administrative Officer to provide a report to the Committee and 
the Committee on House Administration, within 90 days of 
enactment of this Act, on steps taken by food service providers 
operating within the House of Representatives to accommodate 
those with food allergies. The report should also include the 
number of allergy safe options, what steps are being taken to 
ensure there is no cross contamination, and if there are 
providers or locations who do not provide allergen information 
or allergy safe options.
    Artificial Intelligence Working Group: The Committee 
acknowledges the efforts of the Chief Administrative Office's 
artificial intelligence (AI) working group to investigate how 
emerging AI tools could improve the efficiency of House 
operations. The Committee encourages the CAO to formalize its 
working group and to conduct meetings with internal and 
external stakeholders that will examine issues presented by the 
emergence of AI in the House. The Chief Administrative Officer 
is directed to provide monthly progress briefings to the House 
Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on House 
Administration on its work and to produce a report examining 
the near-and mid-term opportunities for generative AI tools, as 
well as strategies to mitigate new risks. The report should be 
submitted within 180 days of enactment of this Act to the 
Committees.
    Capitol Flag Program: The Capitol Flag Program allows 
Members of Congress to request a flag to be flown over the U.S. 
Capitol on behalf of their constituents. Each flag is issued a 
keepsake Certificate of Authenticity with the option to 
personalize it. The number of requests and the popularity of 
the Capitol Flag Program grows steadily each year, 
necessitating the continuous modernization of how orders are 
fulfilled. To better assist constituents who order a flag 
through the Capitol Flag Program, the Committee directs that 
within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the Chief 
Administrative Officer, in consultation with the Architect of 
the Capitol, provide a report to the Committee on the 
feasibility and resources necessary to develop a flag tracking 
system to provide constituents the ability to track flags from 
order to receipt.
    Capitol Switchboard: The Committee looks forward to the 
Chief Administrative Officer's final report identifying the 
current House telephone system's technical limitations and 
security risks with detailed recommendations for improving or 
replacing the current system, including timelines and cost 
estimates associated with replacing or upgrading the current 
system.
    Chief Administrative Office Reorganization: Over the last 
few Congresses, the House has made substantive strides to 
support staff recruitment, retention, professional development, 
and well-being through the creation of various initiatives and 
support offices. Each of these offices and initiatives are 
focused on serving staff, to ensure they can best perform on 
behalf of the American people. However, the marketing, 
management, and structure of each vary greatly, making it 
difficult for staff to gain full awareness and utilization of 
all the resources at their disposal. It is important to have a 
comprehensive strategy to minimize inefficiencies and ensure 
tax payer dollars are spent responsibly. To that end, the CAO 
is undertaking a reorganization to streamline and strengthen an 
individuals experience as an employee of the House, which will 
include restructuring the functions of the Office of Diversity 
and Inclusion, and funding is provided consistent with that 
plan.
    Committee Schedule Deconfliction Tool: The Committee 
commends the Chief Administrative Officer for working with the 
Committee on House Administration to launch the Committee 
Schedule Deconfliction Tool. This online scheduling platform 
pulls draft committee events off the Committee Repository to 
populate a joint calendar, allowing committees to see when 
there are scheduling conflicts, to include, business meetings, 
markups, field hearings, and Floor votes. It is important that 
committees use this tool when scheduling committee business to 
best optimize Member schedules.
    Congressional Staff Directory: The Committee looks forward 
to and reiterates the parameters set forth in the report 
requested in House Report 117-389, on the plan to and 
associated costs with the creation of a centralized 
congressional staff directory.
    Cyber Security for Members of Congress: The Chief 
Administrative Officer is directed to provide a briefing to the 
Committee within 60 days of enactment of this Act, on the cyber 
threat landscape that Members face in securing their home 
networks; the potential impact of those threats on official 
House business; and, drawing on lessons learned from the 
Residential Security Program implemented by the House Sergeant 
at Arms, recommendations on how those threats could be 
deterred, prevented, mitigated, or remediated.
    Committee Historical Files: Within 180 days of enactment of 
this Act, the CAO is directed to conduct a feasibility study 
for creating an electronic database of spending to assist House 
Committees with historical tracking. The database would include 
all enacted legislation that authorizes or provides budget 
authority from fiscal year 2000 forward, including all 
mandatory spending in authorizing bills (organized by Committee 
with primary jurisdiction) and discretionary spending in 
regular and emergency appropriations bills (organized by 
Appropriations subcommittee). In conducting this study, CAO is 
directed to consult with the Committees on Appropriations, 
authorizing committees, the Congressional Research Service, 
Government Printing Office, and the Congressional Budget Office 
to determine the sources of data, personnel requirements, and 
costs expected to complete and maintain this electronic 
database. CAO should also assess software options that are 
available to assist in this effort.
    International Travel with House Devices: The Committee 
recognizes the inherent security risks of taking House devices 
abroad and notes the House Security Office recommendation that 
Members and staff use dedicated travel devices when traveling 
internationally. The Committee is interested in what more can 
be done to ensure the House network is kept secure, and directs 
the Chief Administrative Officer, with advisement from the 
Sergeant at Arms, to provide a report on additional actions 
offices can take to keep devices and the House network secure 
when traveling. This report shall be submitted to the Committee 
not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
    Personally Identifiable Information: The Committee is 
concerned about the security of Member and staff Personal 
Identifiable Information (PII) made available to outside 
vendors and contractors. The Committee directs the Chief 
Administrative Officer to conduct a thorough review of 
contracts held by the CAO with external platforms having access 
to Member and staff PII in order to ensure that these 
contractors are consistent with House polices and procedures. 
The CAO is directed to report to the Committee within 60 days 
of enactment of this Act on any vendors who fail to properly 
follow these policies and procedures and provide 
recommendations on a path forward.
    Protecting Online Activities: The Committee recognizes that 
Members' online activities may present opportunities for 
hacking, cyberattacks, and fraud. The Committee directs the 
Chief Administrative Officer, working with the Sergeant at 
Arms, to brief the Committee and the Committee on House 
Administration on opportunities to provide Members assistance 
with mitigating these threats.

 
 
 
Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds....................        $1,250,000
Office of the Inspector General.......................        $5,512,000
 

    The Committee recommends $5,512,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Office of the Inspector General. This 
represents an increase of $374,000 over the fiscal year 2023 
enacted total and meets the fiscal year 2024 request.
    Audit of House Devices: The Committee believes that having 
strong management controls to account for the electronic 
equipment issued to House personnel in an evolving work 
environment has become increasingly important. Building on its 
2022 Audit of CAO IT Asset Management Controls, the House of 
Representatives Inspector General is directed to work with the 
Chief Administrative Officer to ensure the recommendations in 
the report have been implemented to ensure House issued devices 
are accounted for, to prevent fraud waste, and lessen cyber 
security vulnerabilities.

 
 
 
Office of General Counsel.............................        $1,987,000
Office of the Parliamentarian.........................        $2,240,000
Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House.......        $3,900,000
Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House........       $14,671,000
Office of Interparliamentary Affairs..................          $934,000
Other authorized employees............................        $1,065,000
 

                        Allowances and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $430,785,200
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       465,665,200
Committee recommendation..............................       433,390,200
    Change from enacted level.........................        +2,605,000
    Change from request...............................       -32,275,000
 

    The Committee recommends a total of $433,390,200 for 
allowances and expenses, $32,275,000 below the requested level, 
due to a larger-than anticipated carry-over surplus from prior-
year funds.
    The following table summarizes the funding allocation 
provided to each major component of the account:

 
 
 
Supplies, materials, administrative costs and Federal         $1,555,000
 tort claims..........................................
Official mail (Committees, administrative, and                  $190,000
 leadership offices)..................................
Government Contributions..............................      $392,368,200
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.............       $27,264,000
Transition Activities.................................        $5,895,000
Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program.............        $3,356,000
 

    Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program: The Green and 
Gold program was established to create long-term employment 
opportunities for veterans and families of our fallen within 
the House of Representatives. The Committee recommendation 
provides the fiscal year 2024 requested amount of $3,356,000. 
Despite the record high average salary ensuring these 
employment opportunities are competitive, the program has 
experienced a steep decline in applications. The Committee 
encourages the Chief Administrative Officer to work with the 
Committee on House Administration to broaden the pool of 
potential applicants through programmatic changes, such as 
allowing active-duty spouses to be incorporated into the 
program and allowing Members to request extensions for 
participants.

 
 
 
Office of Congressional Ethics........................        $1,762,000
Miscellaneous items...................................        $1,000,000
 

       House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account


                     (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $10,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        10,000,000
Committee recommendation..............................        10,000,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends a total of $10,000,000 for the 
House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account. The 
Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress proposed 
recommendations to improve the way Congress works. The 
Modernization Initiatives Account was created to help implement 
these recommendations. The Committee believes that investing in 
these recommendations will improve the efficiency and 
effectiveness of the Legislative Branch so that it can better 
serve the American people. The Committee reminds the Chief 
Administrative Officer that disbursement from this account is 
subject to approval of the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives.

                       Administrative Provisions

    Section 110 continues to provide for unspent amounts 
remaining in the Members' Representational Allowances account 
to be used for deficit or debt reduction.
    Section 111 continues a limitation on the amount available 
to lease vehicles.
    Section 112 continues to allow cybersecurity assistance for 
the House of Representatives.

                              JOINT ITEMS


                        Joint Economic Committee


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $4,283,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         4,283,000
Committee recommendation..............................         4,283,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $4,283,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Joint Economic Committee.
    The Joint Economic Committee was created by the Employment 
Act of 1946. The primary tasks of the Committee are to review 
economic conditions and to recommend improvements in economic 
policy. The Committee performs research and economic analysis 
and monitors and analyzes current economic, financial, and 
employment conditions.

                      Joint Committee on Taxation


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $12,948,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        14,125,000
Committee recommendation..............................        13,059,000
    Change from enacted level.........................          +111,000
    Change from request...............................        -1,066,000
 

    The Committee recommends $13,059,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).
    The JCT operates under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
and its predecessors dating to the Revenue Act of 1926. It has 
responsibility to (1) investigate the operation and effects of 
internal revenue taxes and the administration of such taxes, 
(2) investigate measures and methods for the simplification of 
such taxes, (3) make reports to the House Committee on Ways and 
Means and the Senate Committee on Finance (or to the House of 
Representatives and the Senate) on the results of such 
investigations and studies and to make recommendations, and (4) 
review any proposed refund or credit of income or estate and 
gift taxes or certain other taxes set forth in U.S. Code 
section 6405 in excess of $2,000,000 ($5,000,000 in the case of 
a C corporation). In addition to these functions that are 
specified in the Internal Revenue Code, the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 requires the JCT to provide revenue 
estimates for all tax legislation considered by either the 
House or the Senate.

                   Office of the Attending Physician


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $4,181,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         6,299,000
Committee recommendation..............................         4,270,000
    Change from enacted level.........................           +89,000
    Change from request...............................        -2,029,000
 

    The Committee recommends $4,270,000 for the Office of the 
Attending Physician (OAP).

             Office of Congressional Accessibility Services


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $1,702,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         1,766,000
Committee recommendation..............................         1,766,000
    Change from enacted level.........................           +64,000
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $1,766,000 for the operation of 
the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services (OCAS).
    The OCAS provides and coordinates a variety of 
accessibility services for individuals with disabilities 
including Members of Congress, staff, and visitors in the 
United States Capitol complex.
    Accessibility Applications: The Committee directs the 
Director of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 
(OCAS) and the Mobile Security Team to submit a report to the 
Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act 
on the approval process for accessibility applications, the 
average time for approval, and to provide recommendations on 
how this process may be expedited. In addition, the Committee 
requests the Director of OCAS in consultation with the House 
Recording Studio to submit a report to the Committee not later 
than 180 days after enactment of this Act to determine the 
appropriateness of using artificial intelligence captioning 
services during committee activity, including potential 
advantages and disadvantages for the Deaf and hard of hearing, 
projected costs, and challenges to implementation and usage.

                      UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE


                                Salaries


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $541,730,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       612,270,000
Committee recommendation..............................       588,070,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       +46,340,000
    Change from request...............................       -24,200,000
 

    The Committee recommends $588,070,000 for the personnel 
salaries, benefits, student loan repayment, and overtime 
requirements, to include the cost of overtime necessary for 
providing training of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP). The 
recommendation provides full funding for 2,204 sworn officers, 
as requested, in fiscal year 2024.
    Civilian Staffing: The Committee supports the Department's 
hiring goals but recognizes that, while the Department has 
aggressively sought qualified civilian applicants, it has had 
difficulty finding candidates that meet the Department's 
rigorous standards. The Department's projections for fiscal 
year 2023 civilian hiring are below the authorized and 
appropriated levels and the Committee believes it will be 
difficult to hire the requested civilians for fiscal year 2024. 
While the authorized number of civilians is supported, the 
Committee's recommendation includes a reduction to the account 
due to historical under execution for civilian personnel.
    Motorized Devices: As noted in House Report 117-389, the 
Committee expects the Capitol Police to continue its outreach 
efforts to dockless scooter and bicycle companies and the 
District of Columbia, and to work to better educate users, 
including congressional staff, District residents and visitors, 
on the appropriate operation of dockless scooters and bicycles 
on Capitol Grounds.
    Risk-Based Protections for Members of Congress: The 
Committee continues to expect the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to 
continue working closely with the House and Senate Sergeants at 
Arms and local law enforcement partners on the USCP strategy 
for Members' protection within the NCR while outside the 
Capitol Grounds, and to educate Member offices on this topic. 
The Committee instructs the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to 
coordinate with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms to 
direct patrols to buildings or locations where the Members tend 
to congregate in order to fulfill its mission under 2 U.S.C. 
1966.
    U.S. Capitol Police Retirement: The Committee remains 
supportive of a healthy overtime and retirement structure for 
U.S. Capitol Police officers. The joint explanatory statement 
accompanying the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022, 
directed the Department to explore options for expanding sworn 
retirement benefits. The Capitol Police report evaluated 
several options, and the Committee worked closely with the 
Department and interested parties on an adjustment to the sworn 
pay schedule that resulted in more competitive salaries. This 
has provided an immediate benefit to sworn officers in the form 
of higher monthly compensation, as well as the long-term 
benefit of increased annuities at retirement.
    Preserving a stable and fair retirement system that 
encourages and incentivizes sworn officers to continue serving 
at all stages of their career is of utmost importance to the 
Committee. The Committee is aware of another proposal to add 
overtime to the retirement calculation. This proposal was 
considered during the fiscal year 2022 deliberations and was 
determined to be less sustainable than the resulting pay 
adjustment. Given the recent pay schedule adjustment, the 
Committee is interested in reviewing quantifiable recruitment 
and retention data to determine the effects from the pay 
adjustment. The Committee is committed to reviewing the impacts 
from the 2022 agreement, and considering further adjustments 
that are both meaningful and sustainable in the future.
    Use of Grounds: As instructed in House Report 117-389, the 
USCP should continue to forebear enforcement of 2 U.S.C. 1963 
and the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol 
Grounds when encountering snow sledders on the grounds.

                            General Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $192,846,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       228,672,000
Committee recommendation..............................       192,846,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................       -35,826,000
 

    The Committee recommends $192,846,000 for general expenses 
to support the responsibilities for law enforcement, Capitol 
complex physical and technological security, dignitary 
protection, intelligence analysis, event management, hazardous 
material/devices, IT, and other specialized responses, as well 
as logistical and administrative support.
    General Expenses for Fiscal Year 2024: The Committee 
supports resourcing the Department to meet its essential needs 
and believes that the Department can fulfill its mission with a 
maintained level of funding for general expenses. The Capitol 
Police's budget has seen a significant increase in recent 
years, which has been widely supported, but the Committee 
acknowledges that full execution of funding has been a 
challenge. Additionally, the Committee notes that investments 
provided for in recent years are being considered for 
replacement in the Department's fiscal year 2024 request. For 
example, new handguns funded in fiscal years 2019 and 2021 are 
being considered for replacement. Properly equipping sworn 
officers is imperative, but the operational requirement for 
this request of over $12,000,000 for new handguns, holsters and 
ammunition is early to need. It is for these reasons that the 
Committee is recommending level funding, which should not be 
taken as a lack of support for the Capitol Police or its 
mission, but rather in line with a requirement for prudent 
fiscal decisions.
    Two-Way Sharing of Critical Information: The Committee is 
in receipt of the report requested in House Report 117-389 
regarding the Department's two-way sharing of critical 
information. The Committee commends the USCP for developing a 
robust threat identification, investigation, and mitigation 
process. To further enhance these processes, the U.S. Capitol 
Police Chief is directed to continue plans to expand the use of 
other local, state, and Federal law enforcement entities 
through reimbursable mutual aid agreements and to ensure 
collaborative two-way sharing of critical information is used 
to meet mission requirements.
    USCP Office of Inspector General: The Committee appreciates 
the diligent work that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) 
has done with the increased workload due to Committee and Board 
project requests, and the recommendation includes $850,000, an 
increase of $376,000 from fiscal year 2023, for the OIG. As the 
Department's budget increases, the complexities of the 
financial statement audit have necessitated its outsourcing so 
that the OIG may continue to fulfill its statutory 
responsibilities for auditing Department programs and 
operations to ensure efficacy and investigation of complaints 
for potential fraud, waste, or abuse.
    USCP Office of the Inspector General Report Disclosure: In 
response to previous House Reports 117-80 and 117-389, the 
Committee is encouraged that the Office of the lnspector 
General has begun making its reports publicly available 
whenever practicable and has started publishing reports on its 
website. The Committee is supportive of the process initiated 
by the Office of the lnspector General to gain approval for the 
public posting of its reports and directs the Capitol Police 
Board to further these efforts to expedite the process.
    Wellness Programs for Law Enforcement: The Committee 
appreciates the efforts undertaken by the USCP to develop and 
implement a holistic wellness and resiliency program for its 
workforce, including the Howard C. `Howie' Liebengood Center 
for Wellness. The Committee directs the U.S. Capitol Police 
Chief to survey the force to help shape updates to the wellness 
program and its assessibility to the USCP workforce and submit 
a report to the Committee not later than 180 days after 
enactment of this Act that includes the results of the survey, 
a prioritization of updates to be considered, and their 
associated cost projections.

                OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $8,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         8,549,646
Committee recommendation..............................         8,000,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................          -549,646
 

    The Committee recommends $8,000,000 for salaries and 
expenses of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights 
(OCWR). Funding will provide the OCWR 34 FTE positions, 
consistent with fiscal year 2023 levels, and the resources 
needed to continue OCWR's mandate to administer the 
Congressional Accountability Reform Act. Of the total, 
$2,500,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2025.
    Consistent with Section 3(b) of H.Res. 5, One Hundred 
Eighteenth Congress, no funds are provided to facilitate House 
Resolution 1096, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress.

                      CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $63,237,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        70,775,000
Committee recommendation..............................        64,637,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        +1,400,000
    Change from request...............................        -6,138,000
 

    The Committee recommends $64,637,000 for salaries and 
expenses of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO is 
responsible for producing independent analyses of budgetary and 
economic issues to support the congressional budget process. 
Each year, the agency produces dozens of reports, including its 
outlook on the budget and economy, and hundreds of cost 
estimates for proposed legislation.
    Agency Requests: Budgetary and administrative data, as well 
as other information held by Executive Branch agencies, are 
critical to the work of the Congress. To the greatest extent 
practicable under existing legal requirements, Executive Branch 
agencies should prioritize requests from the Congressional 
Budget Office for data and other information and ensure agency 
procedures and permissions are in place to expedite responses 
to CBO requests.
    Analysis of Legislation: The Committee directs the 
Congressional Budget Office, in coordination with the Joint 
Committee on Taxation, to provide a report to the Committee, 
within 90 days of enactment of this Act, on the impacts of 
adding debt-service costs to CBO's estimates. The Committee 
further directs the Congressional Budget Office to survey and 
report, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, on 
institutions of higher learning currently using research-based 
budget modeling to provide economic analysis of legislation to 
Members of Congress.
    Outreach to Congressional Offices: The Committee requests 
that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that 
their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt 
and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. As such, 
the Committee requests that the Director of CBO expand the 
agency's outreach to better inform Congress of the products and 
services the CBO provides.
    Responsiveness to Congress: The Committee continues to 
expect CBO to ensure a high level of responsiveness to 
committees, leadership and Members, to the greatest extent 
practicable under the priorities for CBO set by law, especially 
when working on current pending legislation. As an agency that 
prides itself as being nonpartisan, CBO should be providing the 
same information to all stakeholders at the appropriate time 
when addressing legislation that has been made public.

                        ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL


                  (EXCLUDING SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGS)

 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................    $1,130,406,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       957,505,000
Committee recommendation..............................       787,103,000
    Change from enacted level.........................      -343,303,000
    Change from request...............................      -170,402,000
 

    The Committee recommends $787,103,000 for the activities of 
the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). The recommendation is 
$170,402,000 less than the request. (These totals do not 
include appropriations for Senate Office Buildings requested at 
$170,581,000 which are traditionally left for consideration of 
the Senate.) The Architect is responsible for the maintenance, 
operation, development, and preservation of the United States 
Capitol complex. This includes mechanical and structural 
maintenance of the Capitol, congressional office buildings, the 
Library of Congress buildings, the United States Botanic 
Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities, as well 
as the upkeep and improvement of the grounds surrounding the 
Capitol complex.
    The following table summarizes the allocation of funds by 
appropriation account:

 
 
 
Capital Construction and Operations...................      $149,073,000
Capitol Building......................................        74,304,000
Capitol Grounds.......................................        16,365,000
House Office Buildings................................       168,439,000
Capitol Power Plant...................................       131,751,000
Library Buildings and Grounds.........................       117,120,000
Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security........        81,172,000
Botanic Garden........................................        21,187,000
Capitol Visitor Center................................        27,692,000
 

    The Committee recommendation funds the operating expenses, 
less the Senate office building request, throughout these 
accounts.

                  Capital Construction and Operations


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $145,843,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       175,765,000
Committee recommendation..............................       149,073,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        +3,230,000
    Change from request...............................       -26,692,000
 

    The Committee recommends $149,073,000 for campus-wide 
architectural and engineering design; project, property, and 
construction management; financial management; procurement; 
personnel services; equipment; communications; and other 
central support activities of the AOC. Of the total, $3,200,000 
shall remain available until September 30, 2028.
    Budget Justifications: The Committee thanks the AOC for 
including in the congressional budget justifications the 
description of the activities of the AOC Construction Division, 
as requested. The Committee requests that this information 
identifying the number and scope of projects, and the number of 
staff funded through Construction Division activities, and the 
funding provided to the Division from AOC jurisdiction accounts 
continue to be included in the budget justification material. 
The Committee directs that the justifications include, in each 
jurisdiction's section, the appropriations bill language 
requested, along with any changes to be identified with 
brackets and italicization.
    Energy Resiliency and Efficiency: The Committee recognizes 
the AOC's Capitol Power Plant cogeneration project and the 
energy savings performance contracts at the Capitol, House, and 
Senate have resulted in roughly $100,000,000 in cost avoidance 
and serve as an important effort in grid resiliency and 
domestic renewable energy production. The AOC is encouraged to 
continue to address facility needs in an energy efficient and 
fiscally responsible manner and seek ways to increase Capitol 
campus resiliency and efficiency.
    Inspector General: Within the total, the Committee provides 
no less than $6,110,000 for the AOC Inspector General office.
    Succession Planning: The Committee supports the bipartisan 
efforts of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and 
the Committee on House Administration to reform the appointment 
process for the Architect of the Capitol, including the 
appointment of a Deputy Architect, and directs the Architect of 
the Capitol to brief to the Committee on implementation of that 
effort not later than 60 days after it takes effect.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................       $145,873,000
Projects:
    BASnet Cybersecurity Hardware and Network                  2,100,000
     Programming Upgrades............................
    Capital Planning and Programming.................          1,100,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            Capitol Building


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $80,589,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       119,267,000
Committee recommendation..............................        74,304,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        -6,285,000
    Change from request...............................       -44,963,000
 

    The Committee recommends $74,304,000 for the operation, 
maintenance, and care of the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Visitor 
Center (CVC). Of the total, $42,599,000 shall remain available 
until September 30, 2028.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $31,705,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................          6,000,000
    Building Envelope Repairs, Capitol--Phase IV.....         25,000,000
    Conservation of Fine and Architectural Art.......            599,000
    Presidential Inaugural Stands Construction,               11,000,000
     Capitol.........................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Wireless Connectivity: The Committee recognizes the 
necessity for wireless connectivity throughout the Capitol 
complex. The Committee continues to urge the Architect to 
assess the feasibility of upgrading the wireless local area 
network to ensure the highest level of connectivity in all 
areas of the Capitol complex.
    Recognition of Women in Congress: The Committee continues 
to support the work of the Architect of the Capitol, the House 
Curator, and the Capital Historical Society to increase images 
of women in public spaces in Congress.

                            Capitol Grounds


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $16,365,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        17,556,000
Committee Recommendation..............................        16,365,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................        -1,191,000
 

    The Committee recommends $16,365,000 for the care of the 
grounds surrounding the Capitol. Of the total, $2,000,000 shall 
remain available until September 30, 2028.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $14,365,000
Project:
    Minor Construction...............................          2,000,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accessibility: The Committee directs the Architect of the 
Capitol to provide a report to the Committee, within 60 days of 
enactment of this Act, on the cost estimates associated with 
the annual Americans with Disabilities Act progress report on 
removing the accessibility barriers.
    Road and Traffic Conditions around the Capitol: To mitigate 
traffic and pedestrian safety concerns, the Committee 
encourages the AOC to work with the District of Columbia 
Department of Transportation (DDOT) to evaluate and improve 
road conditions and traffic light sequences to the roads 
immediately surrounding the House Office Buildings.
    Bike Lanes: As stated in House Report 117-389, the AOC is 
commended for and should continue its efforts to develop a safe 
and accessible street system to better connect all road users 
to the U.S. Capitol, Union Station, and the National Mall.

                         House Office Buildings


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $126,279,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       195,277,000
Committee recommendation..............................       168,439,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       +42,160,000
    Change from request...............................       -26,838,000
 

    The Committee recommends $168,439,000 for the operation, 
maintenance, and care of the Rayburn, Cannon, Longworth, Ford, 
and O'Neill House Office Buildings, and the House underground 
garages. Of the total provided, $53,140,000 shall remain 
available until September 30, 2028. The bill includes 
$41,800,000 for the continuation of the Cannon House Office 
Building renovation project, which shall remain available until 
expended.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $73,499,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................         10,250,000
    Steam Pipe Replacement, Longworth................         11,300,000
    Steam Distribution Replacement, Rayburn..........          9,300,000
    Fire Alarm Panel Replacement, Rayburn............          7,700,000
    CAO Project Support..............................         12,050,000
    Emergency Generator and Backup Power Replacement           2,540,000
     Design, O'Neill.................................
    Cannon Building Restoration......................         41,800,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Cannon Building Costs: The Committee recognizes the urgent 
need to complete the Cannon Building renewal, which will 
replace outdated building systems, conserve historic aspects of 
the building, and optimize the functionality of Member suites, 
among other improvements. The Committee remains concerned that 
the cost of the Cannon renovation has continued to increase 
from an initial project estimate of $752,700,000 to the current 
project estimate of $971,300,000.
    The Committee continues to receive periodic reports from 
the Architect, the AOC IG, and the Government Accountability 
Office on the Cannon project schedule, actual costs incurred 
and expected future costs, and design and construction 
modifications. The Committee expects to receive prompt notice 
of any further cost increases and how the AOC expects to absorb 
them, as detailed in periodic report submission. The AOC is 
reminded of the administrative provision in the bill 
prohibiting funding for incentive or award payments to 
contractors for projects that are behind schedule or over 
budget.
    Funding Priorities: The House Office Buildings jurisdiction 
is responsible for the operation, maintenance and preservation 
of more than 5 million square feet of facility space, including 
Cannon, which is in the middle of an approximately 10-year 
renewal project; Ford; Longworth; O'Neill, which the AOC 
received stewardship responsibility for in 2017; and Rayburn 
House Office Buildings. The Committee recommends the Architect 
of the Capitol review current funding priorities for the House 
Office Buildings and directs a briefing to the Committee not 
later than 90 days after enactment of this Act to explain the 
expanding size and scope of projects as well as the growing 
list of deferred maintenance.
    Pest Management: The Committee is in receipt of the 
Architect of the Capitol's Integrated Pest Management Program 
report and notes the AOC's continuing commitment to addressing 
pests in an environmentally responsible manner to create a safe 
workplace for all who work at and visit the Capitol campus, and 
further expects the AOC to continue its efforts in proactive 
pest management and mitigation.

                          Capitol Power Plant


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $166,951,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       158,024,000
Committee recommendation..............................       131,751,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       -35,200,000
    Change from request...............................       -26,273,000
 

    The Committee recommends $131,751,000 in direct 
appropriations for the operations of the Capitol Power Plant, 
which is the centralized provider of utility services for the 
Capitol campus. Of the total, $43,400,000 shall remain 
available until September 30, 2028. In addition, $10,000,000 in 
offsetting collections is available from reimbursements for 
steam and chilled water.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $98,351,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................          5,000,000
    Pipe Expansion Joint Repairs, G Tunnel...........          7,600,000
    Mechanical System Replacement, Refrigeration              30,800,000
     Plant-Phase VII.................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Library Buildings and Grounds


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $144,220,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       120,766,000
Committee recommendation..............................       117,120,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       -27,100,000
    Change from request...............................        -3,646,000
 

    The Committee recommends $117,120,000 for the care and 
maintenance of the Thomas Jefferson Building, James Madison 
Memorial Building, John Adams Building, Packard Campus, Ft. 
Meade Collection Storage Facility, National Library Services 
Facility, and the St. Cecilia Special Services Facilities 
Center. Of the total, $80,900,000 shall remain available until 
September 30, 2028.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $36,220,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................          4,000,000
    Fire Alarm System Repairs, Jefferson.............         13,600,000
    Building Envelope Repairs, Jefferson.............         33,400,000
    Roof Replacement, Adams--Phase II................         23,800,000
    Elevator Repairs, Adams..........................          6,100,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Visitor Experience Master Plan: In September 2019, Congress 
approved the Visitor Experience Master Plan (VEMP), a 
$60,000,000 Public-Private Partnership ($40,000,000 
appropriated funds, $20,000,000 donated funds) that will 
transform how the Library of Congress' visitors will engage 
with the Thomas Jefferson Building's architecture, interiors, 
exhibits and experiences. The Committee appreciates the bi-
weekly project status reports produced by the Architect of the 
Capitol (AOC) and the Library of Congress (LOC) but remains 
concerned with the accuracy of construction cost estimates, 
schedules, and overall evolution of the project. Every effort 
must be made to complete this project in time for the nation's 
semiquincentennial celebration. The AOC, in collaboration with 
the LOC, is directed to continue the bi-weekly project status 
reports to the Senate and House appropriations and 
authorization committees of jurisdiction.

            Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds, and Security


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $402,907,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       119,828,000
Committee recommendation..............................        81,172,000
    Change from enacted level.........................      -321,735,000
    Change from request...............................       -38,656,000
 

    The Committee recommends $81,172,000 for the maintenance, 
care and operation of buildings, grounds and security 
enhancements of the United States Capitol Police and AOC 
security operations. Of the total, $21,100,000 shall remain 
available until September 30, 2028.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $60,072,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................         10,000,000
    Generator Addition and New Utility Service.......          5,800,000
    Air Conditioning Unit Replacement--Phase II......          5,300,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Botanic Garden


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $23,560,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        21,187,000
Committee recommendation..............................        21,187,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        -2,373,000
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $21,187,000 for the improvement, 
operation, care, and maintenance of the United States Botanic 
Garden (USBG) Conservatory; the National Garden; the 
Administration Building; the Bartholdi Park and Fountain; 
heritage and other plant collections; and the USBG Production 
Facility at DC Village. Of the total, $5,000,000 shall remain 
available until September 30, 2028.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Committee
                         Item                            recommendation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Expenses...................................        $16,187,000
Projects:
    Minor Construction...............................          5,000,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Collaboration with the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA): The Committee continues to recognize the 
value of the USBG supporting the evolution of urban 
agriculture. The Committee encourages USBG to continue to 
collaborate with USDA to support the USBG's efforts to host and 
serve as an educational and training location for local and 
national audiences.

                         Capitol Visitor Center


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $27,692,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        29,835,000
Committee recommendation..............................        27,692,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................        -2,143,000
 

    The Committee recommends $27,692,000 for the operations of 
the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). The CVC was established to 
provide a secure public environment to welcome and manage the 
large number of visitors and to protect the Capitol, its 
occupants, and guests in an atmosphere of open access.

                        Administrative Provision

    Section 113 prohibits payment of bonuses to contractors 
behind schedule or over budget during fiscal year 2024.

                          LIBRARY OF CONGRESS


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $828,548,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       895,204,000
Committee recommendation..............................       843,747,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       +15,199,000
    Change from request...............................       -51,457,000
 

    The Committee recommends $843,747,000 for the activities of 
the Library of Congress (LOC). Established by Congress in 1800, 
the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, 
with a collection of more than 170,000,000 print, audio, and 
video items in 470 languages. Among its major programs are 
acquisitions, preservation, administration of United States 
copyright laws by the Copyright Office, research and analysis 
of policy issues for the Congress by the Congressional Research 
Service, and administration of a national program to provide 
reading material to the blind and print disabled. The LOC 
maintains a significant number of collections and provides a 
range of services to libraries in the United States and abroad.
    The following table summarizes the allocation of funds by 
appropriation account:

 
 
 
Salaries and Expenses.................................      $582,605,481
Copyright Office......................................        55,420,000
Congressional Research Service........................       135,797,000
National Library Service for the Blind and Print              69,924,519
 Disabled.............................................
 

                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $582,529,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       618,570,000
Committee recommendation..............................       582,605,481
    Change from enacted level.........................           +76,481
    Change from request...............................       -35,964,519
 

    The Committee recommends $582,605,481 for Salaries and 
Expenses. Within the total, the Committee provides no less than 
$4,500,000 for the LOC Inspector General office to support no 
less than 14 FTE. The recommendation makes the following 
amounts available until expended: $12,739,000 for the Teaching 
with Primary Sources Program, $1,509,000 for the Legislative 
Branch Financial Management System, $250,000 for the Surplus 
Books Program, and $4,205,000 for the Veterans History Project.
    Exhibit on American Exceptionalism: The Committee believes 
that the American public would benefit from an exhibition on 
the exceptional contributions of Americans throughout history. 
For this reason, the Committee directs the Librarian of 
Congress to provide a design concept, including the scope and 
cost of creating an exhibit celebrating American 
exceptionalism. This study shall be submitted to the Committee 
not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act.
    Archival Preservation of Central and Eastern European 
Collections: The Committee recognizes the cultural 
contributions of the American diasporic groups from nations and 
communities of the former Soviet Union and its Republics and 
appreciates the value in preserving their histories and 
traditions. The Committee commends the important work the 
Library of Congress is doing to identify, collect, and archive 
stories, documents, and other historical materials from 
cultural and ethnic diasporas across Europe and requests the 
Library further strengthen its partnerships with museums, non-
profits, and ethnic heritage centers across the country to 
collect additional stories, documents and visual materials and 
recordings from families and institutions dedicated to Eastern 
and Central European historical collections, and encourages the 
Library to disseminate them for public use.
    Public Access to Legislative Information: In House Report 
116-64, the Committee urged the LOC to convene a public meeting 
at least once a year during the following two years to discuss 
public input into the Library's legislative information 
services. The Library held three public forums which were 
widely attended and viewed as a success by both the LOC and the 
participants. The Library should continue to host these public 
forums, both in person and virtually, at least once a year and 
continue to report on the recommendations it receives, 
including making those recommendations available to the public.
    COVID-19 American History Project: The COVID-19 American 
History Project Act is an educational and commemorative program 
that collects, preserves, and makes available to the public an 
archive of submitted oral stories of those who were impacted by 
the COVID-19 pandemic, survivors of loved ones who lost their 
lives to the disease, and frontline healthcare workers who 
tirelessly worked to eradicate this virus. The Committee 
recommends $1,500,000 for the continuation of this program and 
directs the LOC to provide an update on the status of the 
project to the Committee 180 days after enactment of this Act.
    Preservation of America's Civil Rights Legacy Abroad: The 
Committee continues to support the Library of Congress's 
efforts to make available, as appropriate, their expertise for 
projects aimed at preserving America's civil rights history 
abroad.
    Preservation of the Collection: As a means to preserve the 
LOC's literary and historical treasures, the Committee provides 
$943,000 to continue the deacidification preservation program.
    Teaching with Primary Sources: The Committee commends the 
Library of Congress for the important work of educational 
programs like Teaching with Primary Sources, which offers 
classroom materials and professional development to help 
teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's 
vast digital collections in their teaching. Primary sources 
help students relate in a personal way to events of the past 
and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of 
human events. One example is the opportunity to develop a 
personal understanding of antisemitism through original 
materials. Some of the organizations that have received 
Teaching with Primary Sources regional grants have used Library 
collections to develop curriculum material and professional 
development opportunities for teachers related to combatting 
antisemitism. The Committee recognizes the importance of these 
educational tools in promoting understanding, respect and 
tolerance.

                            Copyright Office


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $53,762,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        57,537,000
Committee recommendation..............................        55,420,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        +1,658,000
    Change from request...............................        -2,117,000
 

    The Committee recommends $55,420,000 in direct 
appropriations to the Copyright Office. An additional 
$44,591,000 is made available from receipts for salaries and 
expenses and $1,000,000 is available from prior-year 
unobligated balances for a total of $101,011,000.
    Copyright Modernization: Few government bodies are more 
important to the growth of creativity and commercial artistic 
activity in our nation than the Copyright Office. The Committee 
continues to support the Copyright Office's efforts to 
modernize its IT infrastructure to effectively serve its 
customers. The Librarian of Congress shall coordinate with the 
Director of the Copyright Office in implementing its 
information technology continuous development plan, and the 
Library shall expend funds on IT infrastructure for the 
Copyright Office in furtherance of that plan. The Committee 
encourages the Librarian of Congress to remain sensitive to the 
specialized requirements of the Copyright Office as the Office 
implements its IT continuous development in conjunction with 
the overall Library IT modernization effort.
    Copyright Expertise: The Committee continues to support the 
Office's use of funds to offer expertise on copyright matters 
to the Executive Branch, including participation in 
international discussions. Consistent with historical practice, 
the Committee expects the Library to continue to defer to the 
copyright expertise of the Register of Copyrights and to ensure 
direct consultation between the Copyright Office and Congress.

                     Congressional Research Service


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $133,600,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       146,574,000
Committee recommendation..............................       135,797,000
    Change from enacted level.........................        +2,197,000
    Change from request...............................       -10,777,000
 

    The Committee recommends $135,797,000 for salaries and 
expenses of Congressional Research Service (CRS), which 
supports Members and Committees in legislative, oversight, and 
representational functions by providing nonpartisan and 
confidential research and policy analysis. The organization 
provides an important service for Members and staff, publishing 
hundreds of reports annually free of charge and providing 
briefings on pertinent policy issues considered by Congress. 
The expert nonpartisan analysts at CRS keep Congress informed, 
contributing to intelligent and responsible policymaking.
    Congressional Research Service (CRS) Detailees: CRS 
analysts detailed to Congressional committees can offer a 
tremendous asset to both organizations, though it is noted that 
details are less common now than in the past, partially due to 
staffing challenges and the structure of CRS portfolios making 
an analyst's absence pronounced and management of congressional 
inquiries more difficult. Given the interest for CRS details to 
Congressional committees, the Director of CRS is directed to 
submit a report to the House Appropriations Committee and the 
House Administration Committee, not later than 90 days after 
enactment of this Act, on the number and duration of CRS 
details since fiscal year 2013; factors CRS leadership consider 
in determining availability of CRS analysts for non-
reimbursable details with committees; impact of details on CRS 
responsiveness to congressional inquiries; impact on retention, 
impact to CRS's mission to provide analysis in a non-partisan 
fashion; professional growth and development for CRS analysts 
that serve as detailees; and plans to notify committees of the 
availability of detailees to Congressional committees in fiscal 
year 2024.
    Congressional Research Service Reports in HTML: The 
Committee directs the Library of Congress to make available to 
the public the most recent version of all non-confidential CRS 
Reports contained on the public crsreports.congress.gov website 
in HTML format, or a successor format when appropriate, to 
facilitate use and reuse of information contained in the 
reports. To the extent practical, this enhancement of the 
public CRS report site should be implemented within one year of 
the enactment of this legislation. The Library can satisfy this 
requirement by contemporaneously publishing this information in 
bulk, such as through the Government Publishing Office's bulk 
data repository.
    Continuing Education for Congressional Staff: In House 
Report 117-80, the Committee recommended the creation of a 
Legal Institute with introductory and advanced programs, geared 
towards senior Congressional staff who have not attended law 
school, which would educate participants on legal fundamentals 
that inform Congress's lawmaking and oversight functions. The 
Committee supports the Congressional Legal Education Forum and 
provided $1,000,000 to begin the program in February 2023. The 
Committee directs $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 to continue to 
grow the program.
    Employee Survey: The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey 
(FEVS) offers unique insight into an organization's climate, 
and employee workplace wellbeing and satisfaction. To ensure 
CRS employees can best fulfill their mission to serve 
Congress's needs, the Committee directs the Director of CRS to 
share the results of the FEVS with the Committee and employees.
    Outreach to the Congressional Offices: The Committee 
requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure 
that their products, services, and outreach are designed to 
adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. In 
particular, the Committee requests that the Director of CRS 
regularly and proactively engage in outreach efforts to 
Congress to determine where improvements can be made and where 
new approaches are appropriate.
    Updates to Congress.gov: The Committee looks forward to the 
report ordered in the joint explanatory statement accompanying 
P.L. 117-328 to gain insight on how Congress.gov could better 
track the legislative process.

       National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $58,657,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        72,523,000
Committee recommendation..............................        69,924,519
    Change from enacted level.........................       +11,267,519
    Change from request...............................        -2,598,481
 

    The Committee recommends $69,924,519 for salaries and 
expenses of the National Library Service for the Blind and 
Print Disabled (NLS).
    The NLS is a free braille and talking book library service 
for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, 
or a disability that prevents them from reading or holding the 
printed page. Through a national network of regional and sub-
regional libraries, NLS circulates books and magazines in 
braille and audio formats, which are delivered by postage-free 
mail or are instantly downloadable.
    BARD Modernization: The Committee also continues to support 
the modernization of Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) 
Infrastructure, which distributes audio and electronic braille 
materials. The program's objective is to transition these 
services to a cloud-based environment.
    Braille eReader and Talking Book Machine Initiative: The 
Committee continues to support the Braille eReader and Talking 
Book Machine initiatives. The recommendation provides for the 
continued acquisition new e-Reader devices for distribution 
through the NLS Machine Lending Agencies, which also distribute 
talking book machines.

                      GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    The Government Publishing Office (GPO) publishes and 
disseminates Federal government publications to Congress, 
Federal agencies, Federal depository libraries, and the 
American public.

                        Congressional Publishing


                     (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $82,992,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        83,000,000
Committee recommendation..............................        82,992,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................            -8,000
 

    The Committee recommends $82,992,000 for Congressional 
Publishing. This account funds the costs of publishing 
congressional information products in both digital and print 
formats.
    Updating Publication Software: The Committee commends the 
efforts made to update the software and to ensure legislative 
drafting and publishing platforms can accommodate UTF-8 
characters. The Committee directs the GPO, along with the 
Office of the Clerk and the Library of Congress, to brief the 
Committee within 60 days of the enactment of this Act on its 
current capacity to support diacritical marks and its plans to 
expand and develop this capacity.

     Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents


                         Salaries and Expenses


                     (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $35,257,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        37,388,000
Committee recommendation..............................        35,257,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................        -2,131,000
 

    The Committee recommends $35,257,000 for the salaries and 
expenses of the Public Information Programs of the 
Superintendent of Documents.
    This appropriation primarily supports the cataloguing and 
indexing of Federal Government publications (the results of 
which are now available online) and for operating the Federal 
Depository Library system and providing Federal documents to 
the network of 1,133 depository libraries nationwide.

    Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................       $11,605,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................        12,100,000
Committee recommendation..............................        11,605,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................          -495,000
 

    The Committee recommends $11,605,000 for the Government 
Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund, which 
finances GPO's publishing operations.
    This business-like fund is used to pay GPO's costs in 
performing or procuring from private-sector sources 
congressional and agency publishing, information product 
procurement, and publications dissemination activities. The 
fund is reimbursed from payments from customer agencies, sales 
to the public, appropriations to the fund, and transfers from 
GPO's two annual appropriations.

                    GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE


                         Salaries and Expenses


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................      $790,319,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................       859,653,000
Committee recommendation..............................       806,004,000
    Change from enacted level.........................       +15,685,000
    Change from request...............................       -53,649,000
 

    Established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) works for Congress by 
responding to requests for studies of Federal government 
programs and expenditures and may also initiate its own work. 
The Committee recommends $806,004,000 in direct appropriations 
for GAO. In addition, $73,976,000 is available in offsetting 
collections derived from reimbursements for conducting 
financial audits of government corporations and the rental of 
space in the GAO building. Within the total, the Committee 
provides no less than $2,898,000 for the GAO Inspector General 
office to support no less than 14 FTEs.
    Community Funding Projects: The Committee directs the GAO 
to again undertake an audit of Community Project Funding 
contained in fiscal year 2024 appropriations legislation. The 
audit shall include the same characteristics GAO adhered to in 
its fiscal year 2022 CPF directive after consulting with the 
Committees on Appropriations. In conducting its audit, GAO 
shall provide periodic briefings and reports based on available 
data to the Committees.
    Duplicative Government Programs: Each year, GAO identifies 
and reports on Federal agency programs with fragmented, 
overlapping, or duplicative goals or activities and ways to 
reduce costs or enhance revenue. The Committee continues to 
direct GAO to issue these reports and urges the Executive 
Branch to address duplicative programs.
    Improving Access to Information: The Committee is aware of 
the GAO's efforts to improve congressional and public access to 
the information contained in its reports and testimony by 
issuing products in HTML through the agency's New Blue program. 
Through this program, the GAO is starting a pilot to issue more 
reports in HTML along with the traditional PDF formats. The 
Committee encourages the Comptroller General to continue 
furthering efforts in this program and report to the Committee 
its progress 90 days after enactment of this Act.
    Outreach to Congressional Staff: The Committee requests 
that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that 
their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt 
and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. As such, 
the Committee requests that GAO expand its outreach to better 
inform Congress of the products and services the agency 
provides.
    Unimplemented Recommendations: The joint explanatory 
statement accompanying P.L. 117-328 directed the GAO to publish 
on its website and provide a report estimating the cost savings 
that could be achieved if agencies acted on GAO's 
recommendations organized by agency. The Committee looks 
forward to the report upon completion in June 2023.

           CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE FOR INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................        $6,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................         7,200,000
Committee recommendation..............................         6,000,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................        -1,200,000
 

    The Committee recommends $6,000,000 for salaries and 
expenses of the Congressional Office for International 
Leadership.
    Ukraine: The Committee continues to be deeply troubled by 
the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supports COIL's engagement 
with Ukrainians outside of Ukraine to maintain democratic 
advancement throughout wartime.
    Poland: The Committee is pleased with COIL's efforts to 
explore increased exchange with Poland as a former Communist 
country in Central and Eastern Europe.
    Hungary: The Committee continues to support COIL's efforts 
to explore increased exchange with Hungary as a former 
Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe.

   JOHN C. STENNIS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT


 
 
 
Appropriation, fiscal year 2023.......................          $430,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2024......................           430,000
Committee recommendation..............................           430,000
    Change from enacted level.........................                 0
    Change from request...............................                 0
 

    The Committee recommends $430,000 for salaries and expenses 
for the Stennis Center. The Center provides congressional staff 
training and development opportunities to promote and 
strengthen public service leadership in America.

                      TITLE II--GENERAL PROVISIONS

    The Committee continues several provisions from prior 
years, including language regarding maintenance and care of 
private vehicles, fiscal year limitation, rates of compensation 
and designation, consulting services, the Legislative Branch 
Financial Managers Council, a limitation on transfers, guided 
tours of the Capitol, limitations on telecommunications 
equipment procurement, and prohibition on certain operational 
expenses, as well as a new provision to exempt the practice of 
medicine from the fiduciary relationship restrictions for a 
Member of Congress, a new provision to prohibit funding for 
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a new provision to 
prohibit funding for discriminatory actions against certain 
religious beliefs, and a spending reduction account.

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the following is a statement of 
general performance goals and objectives for which this measure 
authorizes funding:
    The Committee on Appropriations considers program 
performance, including a program's success in developing and 
attaining outcome-related goals and objectives, in developing 
funding recommendations.

                              Rescissions

    Pursuant to clause 3(f)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the bill contains no recissions.

                           Transfer of Funds

    Pursuant to clause 3(f)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the following lists the transfers of 
funds included in the accompanying bill:
    Within the Government Publishing Office, provisos in the 
appropriations for ``Congressional Publishing'' and ``Public 
Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents, 
Salaries and Expenses'' authorize transfer of unobligated or 
unexpended balances of expired discretionary funds appropriated 
under those headings for fiscal year 2024 to the ``Government 
Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund'' account.

   Dlsclosure of Earmarks and Congressionally Directed Spending Items

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, neither the bill nor this report contains 
any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited 
tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives.

          Compliance With Rule XIII, Cl. 3(e) (Ramseyer Rule)

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italics and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

                      TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE




           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
PART IV--ETHICS REQUIREMENTS

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


CHAPTER 131--ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SUBCHAPTER III--LIMITATIONS ON OUTSIDE EARNED INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



Sec. 13144. Limitations on outside employment

  (a) Limitations.--A Member or an officer or employee who is a 
noncareer officer or employee and who occupies a position 
classified above GS-15 of the General Schedule or, in the case 
of positions not under the General Schedule, for which the rate 
of basic pay is equal to or greater than 120 percent of the 
minimum rate of basic pay payable for GS-15 of the General 
Schedule shall not--
          (1) receive compensation for affiliating with or 
        being employed by a firm, partnership, association, 
        corporation, or other entity which provides 
        professional services involving a fiduciary 
        relationship;
          (2) permit that Member's, officer's, or employee's 
        name to be used by any such firm, partnership, 
        association, corporation, or other entity;
          (3) receive compensation for practicing a profession 
        which involves a fiduciary relationship;
          (4) serve for compensation as an officer or member of 
        the board of any association, corporation, or other 
        entity; or
          (5) receive compensation for teaching, without the 
        prior notification and approval of the appropriate 
        entity referred to in section 13142 of this title.
  (b) Teaching Compensation of Justices and Judges Retired From 
Regular Active Service.--For purposes of the limitation under 
section 13143(a) of this title, any compensation for teaching 
approved under subsection (a)(5) of this section shall not be 
treated as outside earned income--
          (1) when received by a justice of the United States 
        retired from regular active service under section 
        371(b) of title 28;
          (2) when received by a judge of the United States 
        retired from regular active service under section 
        371(b) of title 28, for teaching performed during any 
        calendar year for which such judge has met the 
        requirements of subsection (e) of section 371 of title 
        28, as certified in accordance with such subsection; or
          (3) when received by a justice or judge of the United 
        States retired from regular active service under 
        section 372(a) of title 28.
  (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.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


               Changes in the Application of Existing Law

    Pursuant to clause 3(f)(1)(A) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the following statements are 
submitted describing the effect of provisions in the 
accompanying bill that directly or indirectly change the 
application of existing law:
    1. The bill provides that certain appropriation items 
remain available for more than one year, where programs or 
projects are continuing in nature under the provisions of 
authorizing legislation but for which that legislation does not 
specifically authorize such extended availability.
    2. The bill includes several provisions which place 
limitations on or change or extend existing limitations, 
appropriations, or authorizations, and which under some 
circumstances might be construed as changing the application of 
existing law.
    3. The bill continues the practice of providing official 
reception and representation allowances for officers and 
offices of the Legislative Branch.
    4. The bill authorizes disbursal of funds for various 
agencies.
    5. The bill authorizes transfer authority between accounts 
for certain agencies in the bill.
    6. The bill includes language allowing the use of funds for 
studies and examinations of executive agencies and temporary 
personnel services. Funds can also be available for 
reimbursement to agencies for services performed.
    7. The bill includes language providing funds for the 
Family Room, the Superintendent of Garages, Office of Emergency 
Management, and preparing the Digest of Rules.
    8. The bill includes language providing funds for House 
motor vehicles, interparliamentary receptions, and gratuities.
    9. The bill requires unspent funds remaining in Members' 
Representational Allowances to be used for deficit or debt 
reduction.
    10. The bill includes language that places a limitation on 
the amount that a Member can spend on a leased vehicle per 
month.
    11. The bill includes language requiring that any Federal 
agencies that are assisting the House with cybersecurity risks 
ensure the constitutional integrity of the separate branches of 
government.
    12. The bill authorizes allowances for employees of the 
Office of the Attending Physician and provides reimbursement to 
the Department of the Navy.
    13. The bill authorizes expenses of the Capitol Police for 
motor vehicles, communications and other equipment, 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, and relocation expenses.
    14. The bill provides that the cost of Capitol Police basic 
training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers be 
paid by the Department of Homeland Security.
    15. The bill allows the Architect of the Capitol to 
purchase or exchange, maintain, and operate one passenger motor 
vehicle.
    16. The bill includes authorization allowing reimbursements 
for chilled water and steam provided to the Government 
Publishing Office, the Washington City Post Office, the Supreme 
Court, the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, Union 
Station Complex, and the Folger Shakespeare Library to be 
credited to the AOC Capitol Power Plant appropriation and made 
available for obligation.
    17. The bill allows the Architect of the Capitol to expend 
funds to maintain, care for, and operate the National Garden.
    18. The bill prohibits paying bonuses for contractors who 
are behind schedule or over budget.
    19. The bill establishes that the amount available for 
obligation by the Library of Congress is reduced by offsetting 
collections.
    20. The bill provides specific funding for the American 
Folklife Center, the Teaching with Primary Sources program, the 
Legislative Branch Financial Management System, the Surplus 
Books Program, the Veterans History Project, and the Visitors 
Experience project.
    21. The bill allows the Library of Congress to hire or 
purchase one passenger motor vehicle.
    22. The bill allows funds from offsetting collections to be 
used for the Library's Copyright Office.
    23. The bill includes language authorizing the expenditure 
of receipts, with the exception of salaries and benefits, for 
the administration of the Copyright Royalty Judges program.
    24. The bill contains language which provides that no funds 
in the Congressional Research Service can be used to publish or 
prepare material to be issued by the Library of Congress unless 
approved by the appropriate Committee, with an exception.
    25. The bill provides funds to provide newspapers to the 
blind and print disabled.
    26. The bill contains language under the Library of 
Congress placing a limitation on obligations for Reimbursable 
and Revolving Fund activities.
    27. The bill contains language restricting the use of funds 
appropriated to the Government Publishing Office for the 
permanent edition of the Congressional Record for individual 
Representatives and Senators, Resident Commissioners or 
Delegates, and language providing that appropriations 
recommended shall be available for the payment of obligations 
incurred under appropriations for similar purposes for 
preceding fiscal years, limiting the printing of certain 
documents to a time certain, and authorizing the transfer of 
unobligated balances.
    28. The bill includes language authorizing the Public 
Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents to pay 
for printing certain publications in prior years for the 
depository library program. There is language authorizing the 
transfer of unexpended balances.
    29. There is language authorizing the operation of the 
Government Publishing Office Revolving Fund, and which 
authorizes travel expenses for advisory councils, the purchase 
of not more than 12 passenger motor vehicles and that the 
revolving fund may be used to provide information in any 
format.
    30. The bill includes language relating to the Government 
Accountability Office, authorizing the direct procurement of 
expert and consultant services under 5 U.S.C. 3109 at certain 
rates; authorizing the hire of one passenger motor vehicle, as 
required by 31 U.S.C. 1343; authorizing the Government 
Accountability Office to make advance payments in foreign 
countries in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3324; and providing 
certain benefits, including rental of living quarters in 
foreign countries. Appropriations are authorized for 
administrative expenses of any other member department or 
agency to finance an appropriate share of the costs of the 
National Intergovernmental Audit Forum or a Regional 
Intergovernmental Audit Forum.
    31. The bill includes language prohibiting the use of funds 
in the Act 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 
issued by the Committee on House Administration and for the 
Senate by the Committee on Rules and Administration.
    32. The bill provides 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.
    33. The bill provides that whenever any office or position 
not specifically established by the Legislative Pay Act of 1929 
is appropriated for herein, or whenever the rate of 
compensation or designation of any position appropriated for 
herein is different from that specifically established for such 
position by such Act, the rate of compensation and the 
designation of the position, either appropriated for or 
provided herein, shall be the permanent law with respect 
thereto. The bill also provides that the provisions herein for 
the various items of official expenses of Members, officers, 
and the Committees, and clerk hire for Senators and Members 
shall be the permanent law with respect thereto.
    34. The bill requires that certain information regarding 
consulting services shall be a matter of public record.
    35. The bill authorizes Legislative Branch entities to 
share the costs of the Legislative Branch Financial Managers 
Council.
    36. The bill limits the transfer of funds in this Act.
    37. The bill prohibits funds in this Act being used to 
eliminate or restrict staff-led guided tours.
    38. The bill prohibits funds from being used to acquire 
telecommunications equipment from a particular class of 
vendors.
    39. The bill prohibits funds from being used to maintain or 
establish a computer network unless the network blocks 
pornography.
    40. The bill includes a change to the limitations on 
outside earned income and employment as it relates to fiduciary 
relationships.

                  Appropriations Not Authorized by Law

    Pursuant to clause 3(f)(1)(B) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the following lists the 
appropriations in the accompanying bill which are not 
authorized by law for the period:
    The accompanying bill contains no appropriations not 
authorized by law.

BUDGETARY IMPACT OF THE FY 2024 LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL 
PREPARED IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PURSUANT 
       TO SECTION 308(A) OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT OF 1974

                   COMPARISON WITH BUDGET RESOLUTION

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives and section 308(a)(1)(A) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the following table compares 
the levels of new budget authority provided in the bill with 
the appropriate allocation under section 302(b) of the Budget 
Act.

                                            [In millions of dollars]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             302(b) Allocation                           This Bill
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Budget Authority         Outlays        Budget Authority         Outlays
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison of amounts in the
 bill with Committee allocations
 to its subcommittees:
 Subcommittee on Legislative
 Branch
    Discretionary
        All Except Senate.......               5,313                n.a.               5,302               5,531
        Senate items............               1,433                n.a.                   0                   0
            Total...............               6,746               6,630               5,302               5,531
    Mandatory...................                 137                 137                 137              \1\137
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Includes outlays from prior-year budget authority.
[Note placeholder, if needed].

                      FIVE-YEAR OUTLAY PROJECTIONS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII and section 
308(a)(1)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
following table contains five-year projections associated with 
the budget authority provided in the accompanying bill as 
provided to the Committee by the Congressional Budget Office.

                        [In millions of dollars]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Outlays
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Projection of outlays associated with the
 recommendation:
    2024............................................            \1\4,373
    2025............................................                 618
    2026............................................                 140
    2027............................................                  64
    2028 and future years...........................                 43
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Excludes outlays from prior-year budget authority.

          FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII and section 
308(a)(1)(C) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Congressional Budget Office has provided the following 
estimates of new budget authority and outlays provided by the 
accompanying bill for financial assistance to State and local 
governments.

                        [In millions of dollars)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Budget Authority         Outlays
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial assistance to State                     0               \1\0
 and local governments for 2024.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Excludes outlays from prior-year budget authority.

                          Program Duplication

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the following states that: No 
provision of this bill establishes or reauthorizes a program of 
the Federal Government known to be duplicative of another 
Federal program, a program that was included in any report from 
the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

                           Committee Hearings

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the following hearings were used to 
develop or consider the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 
2024:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Date                 Title of Hearing        Witnesses
------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 8, 2023...................  Budget Hearing--    Mr. Patrick N.
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Findlay, Request
                                   for the Office of   Executive
                                   Congressional       Director Office
                                   Workplace Rights.   of Congressional
                                                       Workplace Rights.
March 8, 2023...................  Budget Hearing--    Dr. Phillip L.
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Swagel, Director,
                                   Request for the     Congressional
                                   Congressional       Budget Office.
                                   Budget Office.
March 9, 2023...................  Budget Hearing--    The Honorable Hugh
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Nathanial
                                   Request for the     Halpern,
                                   United States       Director,
                                   Government          Government
                                   Publishing Office.  Publishing
                                                       Office.
March 23, 2023..................  Budget Hearing--    The Honorable Gene
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    L. Dodaro,
                                   Request for the     Comptroller
                                   Government          General of the
                                   Accountability      United States
                                   Office.             Government
                                                       Accountability
                                                       Office.
March 23, 2023..................  Budget Hearing--    Dr. Carla Hayden,
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Librarian of
                                   Request for the     Congress, Maria
                                   Library of          Strong, Associate
                                   Congress.           Register
                                                       Copyrights &
                                                       Director of
                                                       Policy and
                                                       Internal Affairs,
                                                       Dr. Mary Mazanec,
                                                       Director,
                                                       Congressional
                                                       Research Service.
March 24, 2023..................  Legislative Branch  The Honorable
                                   Member and Public   Derek Kilmer.
                                   Witness Day.
March 28, 2023..................  Budget Hearing--    The Honorable
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Cheryl L.
                                   Request for the     Johnson, Clerk,
                                   House of            U.S. House of
                                   Representatives.    Representatives,
                                                       The Honorable
                                                       William
                                                       McFarland, Acting
                                                       Sergeant at Arms,
                                                       U.S. House of
                                                       Representatives,
                                                       The Honorable
                                                       Catherine L.
                                                       Szpindor, Chief
                                                       Administrative
                                                       Officer, U.S.
                                                       House of
                                                       Representatives
                                                       Accompanied by:
                                                       Dr. Sesha Joi
                                                       Moon, Director,
                                                       Office of
                                                       Diversity and
                                                       Inclusion, U.S.
                                                       House of
                                                       Representatives,
                                                       Mr. Matthew
                                                       Barry, General
                                                       Counsel, U.S.
                                                       House of
                                                       Representatives,
                                                       Mr. Joseph C.
                                                       Picolla,
                                                       Inspector
                                                       General, U.S.
                                                       House of
                                                       Representatives,
                                                       Mr. Ralph V.
                                                       Seep, Law
                                                       Revision Counsel,
                                                       U.S. House of
                                                       Representatives,
                                                       Mr. E. Wade
                                                       Ballou, Jr.,
                                                       Legislative
                                                       Counsel, U.S.
                                                       House of
                                                       Representatives.
March 28, 2023..................  Budget Hearing--    Mrs. Chere
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Rexroat, Acting
                                   Request for the     Architect of the
                                   Architect of the    Capitol.
                                   Capitol.
March 29, 2023..................  Budget Hearing--    Mr. J. Thomas
                                   Fiscal Year 2024    Manger, Chief of
                                   Request for the     Police, United
                                   United States       States Capitol
                                   Capitol Police.     Police.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                                                       

                             MINORITY VIEWS

    We appreciate the efforts of Chairman Amodei and his staff 
to produce the Legislative Branch bill for Fiscal Year 2024. We 
are thankful for their efforts to include requests submitted by 
the Democratic Committee. However, this bill, like several 
others that the House Appropriations Committee recently 
reported, continues the Republican's obsession with cutting 
federal funds and eliminating programs that help to grow and 
diversify our country.
    The bill includes $5.302 billion in discretionary 
appropriations to fund the offices of the House of 
Representatives and joint legislative branch items, a decrease 
of $262.9 million (or 4.7%) from the FY23 enacted level. 
Including Senate items, the total amount provided is $6.735 
billion, a 2.4% reduction from the FY23 enacted level. The 
Majority took a separate vote to decrease funding for the 
construction of the Presidential Inaugural Stands.
    The bill does not carry longstanding legislation that would 
allow Legislative Branch agencies to employ individuals with an 
employment authorization document under the Deferred Action for 
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.
    The bill eliminates dedicated funding for the House Office 
of Diversity and Inclusion, an office put in place to diversify 
and expand access to the House of Representatives. This House 
should make every effort to be reflective of the ENTIRE nation 
we serve, and the districts Members represent.
    The bill does nothing to facilitate House Resolution 1096, 
which extends the collective bargaining rights prescribed in 
the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to employees of 
the House of Representatives and restore these rights to 
Congressional staffers.
    The bill does not do enough to implement security 
enhancements at more than just one district office through the 
Sergeant at Arms district office security program, a matter of 
great importance given the recent attack on two Congressional 
staffers in Virginia.
    The bill removes a provision to eliminate or reduce plastic 
waste across the Legislative Branch of Government, further 
contributing to the impacts of climate change.
    Amendments voted on in the Full Committee add unnecessary 
messaging provisions to the Legislative Branch bill, including 
a funds prohibition across the Legislative Branch for 
diversity, equity, and inclusion training or implementation 
that promotes or perpetuates divisive concepts related to race 
or sex. In addition, this bill prohibits funding that would be 
used in whole or in part to take any discriminatory action 
against a person who believes that marriage is, or should be 
recognized as, a union of one man and one woman.
    The Legislative Branch bill 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.

                                   Rosa DeLauro.
                                   Adriano Espaillat.

                                  [all]