DEMOCRATIC STEERING AND POLICY COMMI (See Pages 32-33 Subcommittee Print) For the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, $1,211,000. This request in DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS For the Democratic Caucus, $616,000. This request includes full funding for two statutory NINE MINORITY EMPLOYEES For Nine Minority Employees. $1,155,000. This request includes full fundin Mr. PACKARD. I think before we go let's stop and see if there are any questions on any of that portion of the leadership budget request. OK. Let's go on. MEMBERS' REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCES Mr. FAULKNER. OK. Page 17 begins the presentation relating to Members' representational allowances. For Members' representational allowances, including Members' clerk hire, official expenses, and official mail is a total of $398,898,000. This request is $38,395,000 greater than the amount enacted for fiscal year 1996. The increase is due to full funding of every Member's estimated fiscal year 1997 Members' representational allowance, or MRA. Mr. YOUNG. Mr. Chairman, could I ask a question at this point? Mr. PACKARD. Of course. OVERTIME DISCUSSION Mr. YOUNG. Under the new rules, relative to payment of overtime to staff, how have you been able to estimate what those overtime requirements will be, and is that what the additional-what the increase is for? Mr. PACKARD. That same question will probably be asked of many of the agencies as they testify as well, because I think all of the agencies have to deal with the compliance requirements. Mr. ANFINSON. Overtime is not included in these numbers. The only overtime that we have in the CAO budget is overtime we paid in prior years for wage rate employees. So we have not reflected additional CAO overtime. Part of it is because at the time that the compliance board was formed, we did not have instructions from them on who would be subject to or who was not subject to overtime. Mr. YOUNG. Do you have an estimate on how many employees would be subject to the new compliance rules on overtime? Mr. ANFINSON. We can submit that for the record. [The information follows:] Each employer must determine which of their employees are not exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Chief Administrative Officer will review the House payroll for the month of April (March overtime) to get a better idea of how many House employees are subject to overtime. The March payroll shows overtime usage for the month of February during which time Members worked primarily in their districts. Mr. PACKARD. I think each office, have they not, if you would yield please, Bill, each office has submitted to you already what their-what the procedure will be in each individual office relative to those that are exempt and those that are not. Mr. ANFINSON. That is correct. They have done so. I do not have that information together. EXEMPT AND NON-EXEMPT OVERTIME CATEGORIES Mr. FAULKNER. Also, if our office is any indication, we continue to refine that list as we start to further clarify people's duties and time that they put in. In fact, just 2 weeks ago, we added and deleted from the exempt and nonexempt categories. As the current fiscal year goes on, we are going to get a better and clearer understanding of what compliance really means for our budge hopefully we will, as we move toward markup, be able to some of those insights. Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Young has asked a very, very significa tion. Mr. FAULKNER. Oh, yes. Mr. PACKARD. And that is that every Member is having mine in their own offices how they are going to deal with th time issue, and it looks to me like it is a very loose end at ment. Mr. DIXON. If you would yield, Mr. Chairman, I think t tion is, do you have an estimate? Your response was you mit one for the record. I think Mr. Young was asking at th do you have, in fact, an estimate? Mr. ANFINSON. Not at this time. Mr. YOUNG. Okay. Mr. PACKARD. Well, before we are done with the writin bill, will we, do you think? Mr. ANFINSON. Oh, yes. Mr. FAULKNER. Very much so. Mr. PACKARD. So we will have figures before the comm done and ready to take action on this bill in committee committee, I should say; we will have those estimates and have some idea of what overtime costs might be? PAYROLL TO SHOW COMPLIANCE IMPACT Mr. FAULKNER. Absolutely. Because as you well know, t pliance world began on January 23rd. The first time we re to see dollar figures submitted for overtime will be in the certifications that are just now flowing into our payroll of Finance. So both from the standpoint of individual offices, a trative offices of the House, as well as individual Members, finally have, with the February payroll, the first view of wh time might look like. Now, a lot of that period was during so it will be with the March payroll that we will actually see what overtime starts to look like with Members in sess time. Mr. PACKARD. Well, recognizing that your office has made ment that compensatory time off and other things would be priate, are you anticipating a sizable change, or no chang in these budget levels that you are allowing? Mr. FAULKNER. We are hoping that again, using fiscal ye as a year of adjustment, that we will hopefully see office their work hours and work flows so that we will have, ho a minimal impact. But again, we will have some hard figu February and March prior to the markup that will give us indication. Mr. PACKARD. And even with this requirement, offices n would not be permitted to extend beyond their budget all is that correct? Mr. FAULKNER. That is correct. Mr. ANFINSON. That is correct. |