House Appropriations Committee, Republicans

House Appropriations Committee, Republicans

Ranking Member Jerry Lewis

Website address: http://republicans.appropriations.house.gov

June 18, 2009

Contact: Jennifer Hing, (202) 226-7007

Fact Sheet – FY 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2918)

The FY 2010 Legislation Branch Appropriations bill contains a total of $4.7 billion in funding. The total included for the House - excluding Senate items – is $3.68 billion, which is $282 million below the request and $237 million above last year’s level.

Bill Summary -

Funding for House Operations:

The bill contains $1.38 billion to fund the operations of the House. This is a 5.7% increase over last year, and $122 million below the request. This account provides funding for Members’ Representational Allowances (MRAs) which pay Member’s staff salaries and office expenses including franked mail, leadership and committee office expenses, and operating costs for officers of the House. Also included is $4.6 million to replace the out-dated electronic voting system in the House Chamber.

Funding for the Architect of the Capitol:

$541 million is included for the AoC, which is $81 million over last year’s level and $27 million below the request. This includes funding for deferred maintenance for the aging and historic buildings within the capitol complex – including addressing several serious structural and safety issues. This also includes $60 million to establish a trust fund to provide a long-term funding source for future renovation and revitalization projects.

Funding for the Capitol Police:

The bill includes a 6.3% increase in funding for the Capitol Police, for a total of $325.1 million which is $85 million below the request. This funds all mandatory costs and maintains an officer strength level of 1,799 positions. This also includes funding for the Capitol Police – Library of Congress Police merger.

Funding for the Library of Congress:

$647 million is included in the bill for the Library of Congress, which is 6.6% over last year’s level and $11 million below the request. This provides funding for salaries and expenses, the Copyright Office, the Congressional Research Service, technology upgrades, and full funding for the Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped program.

Government Accountability Office:

The bill contains $558.8 million in funding for the GAO, which is an increase of $27.8 million or 5.2% over last year’s level and $9 million less than the request. The GAO does essential work to provide Congress with an accurate reporting of how tax-payers dollars are spent.

Government Printing Office:

The bill provides $146 million for the GPO, a 4% increase over last year’s level and $20 million below the request.

The following chart compares the various funding accounts included in the FY 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill with last year’s level and the request level:

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL (H.R. 2918)
(discretionary funding in millions of dollars)
FY 2009 Enacted / FY 2010 Request / H.R. 2918 / H.R. 2918 vs. FY 2010 Request / H.R. 2918 vs. FY 2009 Enacted
Legislative Branch Bill Total (excluding Senate-related items) / 3,438 / 3,957 / 3,675 / -282 / 237
GRAND TOTAL (including Senate) / 4,402 / 5,042 / 4,700 / -342 / 298
House of Representatives / 1,301 / 1,497 / 1,375 / -122 / 74
House Leadership Offices / 25 / 26 / 26 / 0 / 1
Members' Representational Allowances / 609 / 699 / 660 / -39 / 51
Committee Employees / 185 / 208 / 171 / -37 / -14
Salaries, Officers and Employees / 188 / 206 / 200 / -6 / 12
Allowances and Expenses / 294 / 357 / 318 / -39 / 24
Joint Items / 29 / 23 / 21 / -1 / -8
U.S. Capitol Police / 306 / 410 / 325 / -85 / 19
Office of Compliance / 4 / 4 / 4 / 0 / 0
Congressional Budget Office / 44 / 46 / 45 / -1 / 1
Architect of the Capitol / 460 / 569 / 541 / -27 / 81
Library of Congress / 607 / 658 / 647 / -11 / 40
Salaries and Expenses / 413 / 452 / 444 / -8 / 31
Copyright Office / 18 / 21 / 21 / 0 / 3
Congressional Research Service / 107 / 115 / 112 / -3 / 5
Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped / 69 / 70 / 70 / 0 / 1
Government Printing Office / 141 / 166 / 146 / -20 / 6
Government Accountability Office / 531 / 567 / 559 / -9 / 28
Open World Leadership Center / 14 / 14 / 9 / -5 / -5
John C. Stennis Center / 0.4 / 0.4 / 0.4 / 0.0 / 0.0

#####