[Senate Report 114-112] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 114th Congress } { Report SENATE 1st Session } { 114-112 ====================================================================== AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES BY COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE _______ August 4, 2015.--Ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Blunt, from the Committee on Rules and Administration, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany S. Res. 73] The Committee on Rules and Administration, having considered an original resolution (S. Res. 73) authorizing expenditures by committees of the Senate for the periods March 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015, October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016, and October 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017, reports it favorably without amendment and recommends that the resolution pass. Chairman's Statement Since the 101st Congress, the Rules Committee has favorably reported out and the Senate has agreed to an omnibus biennial committee funding authorization for the standing, special, and select committees of the Senate. This procedure has consistently received strong support from committee chairmen and ranking members. During the 113th Congress, the Rules Committee reported two separate funding resolutions and issued ``expenditure guidance'' to address sequester and appropriations reductions. The result of these efforts was to bring committee spending into closer alignment with available appropriations. For the 114th Congress, S. Res. 73 authorizes $198,175,601 for committees, which is slightly less than the total amount authorized for the 113th Congress by S. Res. 64 and S. Res. 253. While this authorization is consistent with current and anticipated appropriations levels for the Congress, the Rules Committee will continue to monitor appropriations and will provide additional guidance to committees if necessary. Prior to the 107th Congress, most committees allocated their funding two-thirds for the majority and one-third for the minority pursuant to Rule XXVII. Beginning with the 107th Congress, biennial negotiations over the allocation ratios for committee funding produced Leadership guidance, which the Rules Committee used to develop committee budget guidelines. In the 112th Congress, on February 3, 2011, the Leadership agreed on a new funding approach and stated their intention that it be used in future Congresses in place of biennial negotiations. That funding approach is based on the party division of the Senate but recognizes the majority's need for resources commensurate with its responsibilities in administering the committee. The Leadership agreed that 10 percent of the total majority and minority baseline salary amount, after allocations for administrative expenses and non- designated staff, would be set aside for the majority. The remaining 90 percent would be divided according to the party division of the Senate. The division of committee office space follows the same approach. For the 114th Congress, the party division for funding and office space purposes is 54 percent for the majority, 46 percent for the minority. The Leadership colloquy further specified that regardless of the party division of the Senate, however, the minority share would never be less than 40 percent, and the majority would never exceed 60 percent including the 10 percent set aside for the majority. When Senate party ratios change, this approach provides greater stability than the earlier division of two-thirds for the majority and one-third for the minority. The chairman and ranking member of any committee may, by mutual agreement, modify the apportionment of committee funding and office space. The January 7, 2015, Joint Leadership colloquy and letter, submitted by the majority leader and the minority leader, are included below for informational purposes. Colloquy Mr. McConnell. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to engage in a colloquy with Senator Durbin on behalf of the Democratic leader. The Presiding Officer. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. McConnell. Mr. President, in the 112th Congress the Senate adopted a new funding allocation for Senate committees. This approach has served the Senate for the past two Congresses when the Democrats controlled the majority. I believe this approach will continue to serve the interests of the Senate and the public, regardless of which party is in the majority, by helping to retain core committee staff with institutional knowledge. This funding allocation is based on the party division of the Senate, with 10 percent of the total majority and minority salary baseline going to the majority for administrative expenses. However, regardless of the party division of the Senate, the minority share of the majority and minority salary baseline will not be less than 40 percent, and the majority share will not exceed 60 percent. It is my intent that this approach will continue to serve the Senate for this Congress and future Congresses. Mr. Durbin. Mr. President, this approach met our needs for the last two Congresses, and I too would like to see it continue. In addition, last Congress, special reserves was restored to its historic purpose. We should continue to fund special reserves to the extent possible in order to be able to assist committees that face urgent, unanticipated, nonrecurring needs. Recognizing the tight budgets we will face for the foreseeable future, it is necessary to continue to bring funding authorizations more in line with our actual resources while ensuring that committees are able to fulfill their responsibilities. I look forward to continuing to work with the majority leader to accomplish this. Mr. McConnell. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a joint leadership letter be printed in the RECORD. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, DC, January 7, 2015. We Mutually Commit to the Following for the 114th Congress: The Rules Committee is to determine the budgets of the committees of the Senate. The budgets of the committees, including joint and special committees, and all other subgroups, shall be apportioned to reflect the ratio of the Senate as of this date, including an additional ten percent (10%) from the majority and minority salary baseline to be allocated to the chairman for administrative expenses. Special Reserves has been restored to its historic purpose. Requests for funding will only be considered when submitted by a committee chairman and ranking member for unanticipated, non- recurring needs. Such requests shall be granted only upon the approval of the chairman and ranking member of the Rules Committee. Funds for committee expenses shall be available to each chairman consistent with the Senate rules and practices of the 113th Congress. The division of committee office space shall be commensurate with this funding agreement. The chairman and ranking member of any committee may, by mutual agreement, modify the apportionment of committee funding and office space. Mitch McConnell. Harry Reid. Background Beginning in the 106th Congress, the biennial committee funding cycle was divided into three segments: the 7-month period from March 1 through September 30 of the first calendar year of the Congress; the 12-month period from October 1 of the first calendar year through September 30 of the second calendar year; and the 5- month period from October 1 of the second calendar year through the last day of February of the third calendar year. S. Res. 73, the omnibus committee funding resolution for the 114th Congress, was reported in lieu of Senate Resolutions 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 39, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 55 and 57 which were reported by the Senate committees in conformance with paragraph 9 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. An original resolution, S. Res. 54, authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Rules and Administration, is on the Senate calendar (Order No. 9) and is obviated by passage of S. Res. 73, since funding for the Rules Committee's expenditures in the 114th Congress is included in the omnibus funding resolution. The funding will be allocated according to the ratios in the Leadership colloquy. There are no amounts authorized for COLAs in the 114th Congress for fiscal year 2015, 2016 and 2017. Therefore, committees were advised not to include COLAs in their budgets. As stated in the Joint Leadership letter, the special reserves fund is being restored to its historic purpose. Requests for funding from special reserves will be considered only when submitted by a committee chairman and ranking member for unanticipated, non- recurring needs and to the extent that appropriated funds are available for special reserves. The request must be approved by the chairman and ranking member of the Rules Committee. Similar to procedures used during the previous five Congresses, the Rules Committee offered committees the opportunity to streamline the authorization process. Committees whose budget requests were within guidelines specified by the Joint Leadership agreement and whose questionnaires were jointly signed by the chairman and ranking member were not required to testify on their funding resolution before the Rules Committee. All committees funded by S. Res. 73 submitted budgets and questionnaires that conformed to the guidelines. For the 114th Congress, the Rules Committee prepared an original funding resolution incorporating a budget amount at the guidelines level for every committee included in the resolution. The Senate passed S. Res.73, on February 12, 2015, by unanimous consent and without amendment. TEXT OF S. RES. 73 Sec. 1. Aggregate Authorization. (a) In General.--For purposes of carrying out the powers, duties, and functions under the Standing Rules of the Senate, and under the appropriate authorizing resolutions of the Senate there is authorized for the period March 1, 2015, through September 30, 2015, in the aggregate of $57,801,217, for the period October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016, in the aggregate of $99,087,800, and for the period October 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017, in the aggregate of $41,286,584, in accordance with the provisions of this resolution, for standing committees of the Senate, the Special Committee on Aging, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee on Indian Affairs. Sec. 2. Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $2,166,044 $3,876,077 $1,475,032 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 200,000 200,000 200,000 Training......................... 40,000 40,000 40,000 Official Mail.................... 6,047 10,367 4,320 Administrative Expenses.......... 51,743 97,272 40,530 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 2,463,834 4,223,716 1,759,882 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 3. Committee on Armed Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,661,345 $6,276,591 $2,615,246 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 46,667 80,000 33,334 Training......................... 17,500 30,000 12,500 Official Mail.................... 1,750 3,000 1,250 Administrative Expenses.......... 56,583 97,000 40,416 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,783,845 6,486,591 2,702,746 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 4. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,028,670 $5,192,010 $2,163,370 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 8,370 14,348 5,978 Training......................... 503 861 358 Official Mail.................... 1,400 2,400 1,000 Administrative Expenses.......... 80,210 137,500 57,290 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,119,153 5,347,119 2,227,996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 5. Committee on the Budget ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,424,110 $5,869,903 $2,445,793 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 10,746 18,421 7,675 Administrative Expenses.......... 99,516 170,600 71,084 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,534,372 6,058,924 2,524,552 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 6. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,791,599 $6,479,326 $2,699,715 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 10,500 20,445 8,523 Administrative Expenses.......... 77,482 150,939 62,891 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,879,581 6,650,710 2,771,129 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 7. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,142,229 $5,386,679 $2,244,450 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 9,129 15,649 6,520 Administrative Expenses.......... 68,164 116,853 48,689 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,219,522 5,519,181 2,299,659 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 8. Committee on Environment and Public Works ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $2,944,501 $5,047,717 $2,103,217 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 4,667 8,000 3,333 Training......................... 1,166 2,000 833 Official Mail.................... 8,416 14,427 6,011 Administrative Expenses.......... 102,121 175,064 72,943 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,060,871 5,247,208 2,186,337 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 9. Committee on Finance ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $4,584,301 $7,858,802 $3,274,501 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 17,500 30,000 12,500 Training......................... 5,833 10,000 4,167 Official Mail.................... 10,480 17,965 7,485 Administrative Expenses.......... 92,556 158,667 66,111 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 4,710,670 8,075,434 3,364,764 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 10. Committee on Foreign Relations ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,695,688 $6,333,559 $2,637,872 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 9,326 16,080 6,754 Administrative Expenses.......... 184,014 317,265 133,251 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,889,028 6,666,904 2,777,877 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 11. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $5,011,413 $8,590,996 $3,579,584 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 7,584 13,000 5,416 Administrative Expenses.......... 86,490 148,268 61,777 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 5,105,487 8,752,264 3,646,777 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 12. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $5,481,153 $9,396,263 $3,915,110 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 15,689 26,895 11,206 Administrative Expenses.......... 94,811 162,533 67,722 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 5,591,653 9,585,691 3,994,038 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 13. Committee on the Judiciary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $5,384,594 $9,230,733 $3,846,139 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 6,473 11,096 4,623 Administrative Expenses.......... 70,321 120,550 50,229 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 5,461,388 9,362,379 3,900,991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 14. Committee on Rules and Administration ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $1,356,993 $2,326,273 $969,280 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultant....................... 0 0 0 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 4,634 7,944 3,310 Administrative Expenses.......... 14,192 24,329 10,138 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 1,375,819 2,358,546 982,728 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 15. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $1,444,452 $2,476,204 $1,031,752 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultant....................... 14,584 25,000 10,417 Training......................... 5,833 10,000 4,168 Official Mail.................... 3,753 6,434 2,681 Administrative Expenses.......... 52,322 89,694 37,370 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 1,520,944 2,607,332 1,086,388 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 16. Committee on Veterans' Affairs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $1,186,105 $2,033,323 $847,218 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 10,000 20,000 8,000 Training......................... 3,500 5,000 1,500 Official Mail.................... 500 1,000 500 Administrative Expenses.......... 83,417 141,000 59,583 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 1,283,522 2,200,323 916,801 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 17. Special Committee on Aging ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $1,347,763 $2,193,200 $966,121 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 3,055 6,000 2,500 Training......................... 3,000 6,000 1,500 Official Mail.................... 2,000 6,000 1,500 Administrative Expenses.......... 43,945 188,394 28,210 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 1,399,763 2,399,594 999,831 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 18. Select Committee on Intelligence ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $3,167,282 $5,429,626 $2,262,344 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 10,000 17,144 7,143 Training......................... 0 0 0 Official Mail.................... 0 0 0 Administrative Expenses.......... 40,166 68,856 28,690 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 3,217,448 5,515,626 2,298,177 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sec. 19. Committee on Indian Affairs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FY 2015 (7 FY 2016 FY 2017 (5 mths) (12 mths) mths) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Salary Baseline.................. $1,109,628 $1,902,219 $792,591 2015 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2016 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... 2017 COLA........................ ........... ........... ........... Consultants...................... 20,000 20,000 20,000 Training......................... 20,000 20,000 20,000 Official Mail.................... 3,959 6,786 2,828 Administrative Expenses.......... 30,730 81,253 10,522 -------------------------------------- Budget Authority 114th Congress.. 1,184,317 2,030,258 845,941 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overtime Committees have been advised that any overtime costs mandated by the Congressional Accountability Act must be absorbed within salary baselines funded in S. Res. 73. Cost-of-Living Adjustments There are no amounts authorized for COLAs in the 114th Congress for fiscal years 2015, 2016 and 2017. Therefore, committees were advised not to include COLAs in their budgets. It is the intent of the Rules Committee that amounts for COLAs shall only be available to the extent they are authorized by the order of the President pro tempore of the Senate pursuant to 2 U.S.C. section 4571, and provided sufficient funds are appropriated to pay for such expenses. Certification of Committee Expenses Vouchers are not required for certain types of official expenses which instead are certified as owed to Senate support agencies providing such goods and services to Senate committees. Examples of certifiable expenses include, but are not limited to, telecommunications, stationery supplies, official mail, and expenses for Senate recording and photographic services. The certified expenses are submitted by the Senate support agencies to the Rules Committee for approval. Section 1 of the FY 1994 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill provided permanent language in statute addressing this issue (2 U.S.C. 6509). Therefore, the specific authorization for certifications is no longer required in committee biennial funding resolutions and the language in section 1 of S. Res. 54 (107th Congress) has been modified by deleting section 1(b)(2) with the heading, VOUCHERS NOT REQUIRED. Printing and Binding Committee expenditures for printing and binding include the costs of preparation and publishing of documents in electronic and/ or print format by GPO personnel. Although printing and binding funds are not included in individual committee budgets, the Committee on Rules and Administration advises all committees to be judicious in the use of these funds. Printing and binding costs for committees authorized in S. Res. 64 and S. Res. 253 decreased from the end of the 112th Congress to the end of the 113th Congress by $4,021,867. The Committee reminds all Senate committees to adhere strictly to the provisions of Title 44 governing the printing and binding of documents. A committee may not procure more than 300 copies of a hearing or other relevant documents except as authorized by 44 U.S.C. 703. Section 703 provides that extra copies not exceeding $700 in cost may be obtained upon an order of the Joint Committee on Printing; extra copies at a cost of $700 to $1,200 must be authorized by simple resolution of the Senate; and a cost exceeding $1,200 requires approval of both houses of Congress by concurrent or joint resolution. Such resolutions requesting printing are referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. ``Extra copies'' means additional numbers ordered at the time of original printing. Reprinting a document at a later time must be treated as a new publication. Charges incurred by committees authorized by S. Res. 73 for GPO employees detailed as printers decreased 2% from the 112th to the 113th Congress. The cost of GPO employees detailed as printers to the Appropriations Committee was $ 317,032.00 in 2013 and $ 393,156.00 in 2014. The Rules Committee encourages committees to reduce costs associated with GPO detailees while still receiving the services and support they need. Effective with the 112th Congress, committees wishing to obtain or continue the services of a GPO detailee are required to obtain prior approval in writing from the Committee on Rules and Administration. Every effort should be made to control costs by limiting the overtime of detailees. Committees that incur overtime charges on a recurring basis are advised to evaluate their printing operation and minimize a printer's overtime except on a temporary basis when the extraordinary cost can be justified by the need for timely delivery of the committee's legislative papers. Cost of Government Publishing Office Employees Detailed as Printers To Committees Authorized by S. Res. 73 113th CONGRESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2013 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S. Agriculture.................... 109,728.00 88,938.00 S. Banking........................ 212,328.00 147,150.00 S. Budget......................... 114,120.00 74,952.00 S. Commerce....................... 90,414.00 76,140.00 S. Energy......................... 183,168.00 128,466.00 S. Environment.................... 179,874.00 145,584.00 S. Finance........................ 182,250.00 165,078.00 S. Foreign Relations.............. 169,992.00 134,946.00 S. Gov't Affairs.................. 92,988.00 78,408.00 S. Health, Educ., Labor........... 93,564.00 72,126.00 S. Indian Affairs................. 94,392.00 80,352.00 S. Judiciary...................... 79,164.00 58,266.00 S. Veterans' Affairs.............. 82,566.00 81,216.00 ------------------------------------- Total....................... 1,684,548.00 1,331,622.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Employees Detailed From Other Agencies Sections 2 through 19 of the omnibus resolution include specific authorizing language on the use of detailed employees on either a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis. This language, which has been included in biennial funding resolutions since 1989, continues the practice of permitting the detail or assignment of personnel from departments or agencies of the Federal government to the staff of a committee with or without reimbursement of that person's salary. Pursuant to Standing Rule XXVII, paragraph 4, ``No committee shall appoint to its staff any experts or other personnel detailed or assigned from any department or agency of the Government, except with the written permission of the Committee on Rules and Administration.'' The Committee on Rules and Administration may monitor expenditures associated with the use of detailed employees in order to evaluate overall committee spending.Special Reserves For the 114th Congress, S. Res. 73 restores the special reserve fund to its historic purpose and authorizes up to 7 percent of the amounts available in the appropriations account ``Expenses of Inquiries and Investigations'' for special reserves. Requests for funding must be for unanticipated, non- recurring needs and require the signature of both the committee chairman and ranking member. Approval of such requests requires the approval of the chairman and ranking member of the Rules Committee and are dependent upon availability of appropriated funds. HISTORY OF SPECIAL RESERVES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congress Special Reserves Use Notes Funding Authority ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 101 Unexpended funds from Biennial funding cycle S. Res. 66 one authorization to began next. 102 Retain 50% of S. Res. 62 unexpended funds as of Rept 102-15 2/28/93 for non- recurring needs. 103 Prohibition on carrying S. Res. 71 forward unexpended balances beyond 3/1/95. 104 Unexpended funds from S. Res. 73 one authorization may carry to the next authorization. 105 Transferred unexpended S. Res. 54 balances into a special reserve fund for unanticipated, non- recurring needs. 106 Special reserves S. Res. 49 available for S.Res. 189 unanticipated, non- recurring needs. 107 Same as 106th Congress S. Res. 54 108 Same as 106th Congress S. Res. 66 109 Same as 106th Congress S. Res. 50 110 Upon request, each A total of $4,794,387 S. Res. 89 Ranking Member was requested and provided an allocation authorized in the equal to 49% of the 110th Congress to 10% administrative fulfill the Leadership funds that had been colloquy. This funding available to the was added to the Chairman in 109th budget baselines of Congress. the respective committees for the 111th Congress. 111 Upon request, 89% of special reserves would be available to each chair/ranking member for administrative expenses to be allocated at a 60% to 40% ratio, majority/ minority respectively. This allowed individual minority committee funding levels to remain unchanged. The Rules Committee determined that an additional 5% of special reserves may have been required to satisfy the intent of the colloquy and authorized use of those funds. The Committee on the S. Res. 73 112 Special reserves S. Res. 81 unavailable 113 Special reserves S. Res. 64 unavailable S. Res. 253 114 7% of Inquiries and S. Res 73 Investigations account available for unanticipated non- recurring needs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislative Report by Senate Committees Rule XXVI, section 8b of the Standing Rules of the Senate requires that, in each odd-numbered year, each committee shall submit to the Senate, not later than March 31st, a report on the activities of that committee during the Congress ending at noon on January 3rd of such year. Policy on Committee Work and Housing for Committee Staff Pursuant to each committee's authorizing resolution, funds are made available from the Contingent Fund of the Senate to assist a committee in carrying out its powers, duties, and functions under the Standing Rules of the Senate. These responsibilities include holding hearings, reporting such hearings, and making investigations as authorized by paragraphs 1 and 8 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate. Therefore, committee staff may not engage in work other than committee business. In addition, it remains the policy of the Rules Committee that all staff paid by committee funds will be housed in committee space. Space allocations will be strictly tied to authorized committee staff and detailed employees approved by the Committee on Rules and Administration. Committee Economic Allocation Program The Senate Sergeant at Arms (SAA) will fund office automation needs for committees on a per capita basis, which includes authorized staff and detailed employees identified in the committee budget submission. This fund is referred to as the Economic Allocation Fund (EAF). Upon submission and approval by the Committee on Rules and Administration of staffing levels, committees will be able to purchase items to meet their business requirements from the standard, approved products available from the SAA. Non-standard hardware or software requests will be at committee expense and must include costs for maintenance, service, and support. Any non- standard purchases in excess of $500 must be approved in advance by the Rules Committee. A committee chairman shall ensure that each full-time employee and full-time, authorized detailed employee on the committee be provided with a workstation and have appropriate access to related office equipment. The funding levels provided will be sufficient to provide for regular replacement of hardware, as well as purchases of software updates. Any computers in excess of authorized levels must be returned to the SAA. In the use of these funds, the Rules Committee and SAA recommend all committee chairmen adopt energy-efficient office equipment, including virtual servers available through the SAA. These servers save space and reduce noise and heat in the office, support all critical continuity requirements of an office, and cost less than physical servers. ECONOMIC ALLOCATION FUND--114th CONGRESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Committee Allocation ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aging................................................... $102,000.00 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.................... 156,400.00 Appropriations.......................................... 391,000.00 Armed Services.......................................... 187,000.00 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs..................... 180,200.00 Budget.................................................. 224,400.00 Commerce, Science, and Transportation................... 285,600.00 Energy and Natural Resources............................ 197,200.00 Environment and Public Works............................ 210,800.00 Ethics.................................................. 51,000.00 Finance................................................. 391,000.00 Foreign Relations....................................... 251,600.00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.................. 380,800.00 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.............. 459,000.00 Indian Affairs.......................................... 85,000.00 Intelligence............................................ 285,600.00 Joint Economic.......................................... 163,200.00 Judiciary............................................... 448,800.00 Rules and Administration................................ 119,000.00 Small Business.......................................... 112,200.00 Veterans' Affairs....................................... 112,200.00 --------------- Total............................................. 4,794,000.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Consultants S. Res. 73 specifies the funding available for committees to hire consultants, as otherwise authorized by statute. Committee Legislative Assistance It is the position of the Committee on Rules and Administration that funds are already incorporated into Members' personal office accounts for the purpose of providing legislative assistance with committee duties. The legislative assistance allowance was established in the 94th Congress by passage of S. Res. 60, agreed to on June 12, 1975. It authorized each Senator serving on a committee to hire staff to assist with committee work. This new authorization was preserved and continued in S. Res. 4 in the 95th Congress, when the Senate reorganized the committee system by passing amendments to the Standing Rules of the Senate regarding the jurisdiction and size of committees. Later in the 95th Congress, the legislative assistance allowance was made permanent and codified into law by section 111 of P.L. 95-94. This provision, as amended by P.L. 100-137 and P.L. 102- 392, currently provides funding for three positions in each Senator's office at an annual rate of $171,315 each for a total of $513,945 per office, or $51,394,500 for all 100 Senators in FY 13. These funds may be adjusted each fiscal year by the authorized cost of living adjustment for Senate offices by the order of the President pro tempore. Archiving Under Senate Rule XXVI(10)(a) and 2 U.S.C. 4301(d), committee records are the property of the Senate. At the end of each Congress, non-current committee records are transferred to the Archives in accordance with Senate Rule XI(1) and 44 U.S.C. 2118. To ensure the preservation of the Senate's permanently valuable records, the Rules Committee requests that each committee submit to the Rules Committee their National Archives Records Transfer Report. It is recommended that committees consult with the Senate Archivist on the proper preparation of electronic and paper records for permanent archive storage. [all]