areas that may only be entered by persons with the proper training, equipment, and using the proper procedures. The confined space program is only one of 41 life safety program areas that AOC, working with the Public Health Service, must formalize and retrain workers to handle properly. More detailed information about these matters is in Appendix A. But this single example illustrates an important point. Our workplace has become more, not less, labor intensive in response to OSHA, EPA and Department of Labor provisions while our workforce has been reduced. Most of the work we do, most of our daily physical effort, goes to support the day-to-day operations of the Congress. For example, during the past year, our House Superintendent's office completed 80,771 work orders, an average of 1,553 per week, or 221 every day of the week. Our Capitol Superintendent's office completed 21,043 work orders, an average of 405 per week, or 58 per day. ! Our House Superintendent also coordinates office moves and custodial work, services subways and elevators, cleans hundreds of restrooms every day, provides restroom supplies, and cleans up after emergencies, among his myriad tasks. As much as possible, we try to minimize disruptions for the House not only with daily tasks but even with more major projects, like the sprinkler installation project in the Rayburn House Office building. VII. MAJOR CAPITAL REQUESTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002 The Capitol Dome renovation's second phase, at $42.5 million, is our largest Capitol project request this year. This will complete the work necessary to make certain that the Capitol Dome, at the beginning of the 22nd Century, will remain the most recognizable symbol of representative democracy in the world. In the House Office Buildings, we are requesting $3 million for elevator modernization, representing this year's budgetary need for an ongoing program estimated to require $14 million overall. We also are requesting $1.514 million for Americans With Disabilities Act upgrades to fire alarm systems in the House Office Buildings, and $2.444 million for roof fall protection on the Cannon, Rayburn and Ford House Office Buildings. $2.1 million is requested for the next phase of implementation of our new Financial Management System that also is building for the future. We successfully implemented the initial standard general ledger module in September of 2000 and now are working on implementing procurement, funds control and accounts payable modules. VIII. STAFFING REQUESTS The Congressional Accountability Act, the interpretations of the Office of Compliance on how fire codes should be applied to the Capitol campus, the aging infrastructure of our priceless and unique historic buildings, the changed expectations of the American public, all mean that the AOC must continue to change and improve its methods of operations, that we have to retrain our workers, hire some key new ones, address the tasks at hand in new and safer ways. While we contract out many of our major projects and some of our technical needs, we still need to have the proper internal resources to adequately manage and coordinate this work. We have been working hard to hire the fire safety professionals we need to help our Fire Marshal and Executive Director of Facilities Management accomplish their tasks. We are similarly actively and aggressively recruiting the people we need to serve as jurisdictional life safety experts and coordinators, and the right construction management professionals for the many major tasks that must be successfully accomplished (see Appendix I). The 48 additional positions we request this year are people who must be put in place to prepare our workforce for the future. They are so essential that we have already begun the hiring process, but need funding to continue paying these key personnel in successive years without having to make further cuts in shop staffing levels in all jurisdictions. These include five positions to support fire safety programs; eight positions to support environmental and life safety programs; five for the campus energy savings program required by Section 310 of the 1999 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. We also need 19 persons to implement high priority programs. These positions include the two necessary to support preparation and issuance of auditable financial statements. AOC has been working with GAO on this, and one of things we have discovered is that AOC has never been staffed assure appropriate separation of functions necessary to maintain proper internal controls, nor enough staff to prepare and reconcile monthly and annual auditable financial statements (see Appendix G). Seven more positions are to improve the project delivery process. Like most government agencies, AOC has to manage far more external contracts and work than in the past, and like most government agencies, AOC does not have enough people in place to manage outside contractors properly. We are also dead last in the Legislative Branch in percentage of our staff dedicated to Intelligence Technology efforts. We need two more air conditioning mechanics at the Library of Congress to safeguard its priceless collections by maintaining proper conditions for storage. Three additional workers are needed at the Capitol Power Plant. And at the Botanic Garden, which has been closed for a number of years, with the Conservatory scheduled to reopen staff are required to operate and maintain the facility. areas that may only be entered by persons with the proper training, equipment, and using the proper procedures. The confined space program is only one of 41 life safety program areas that AOC, working with the Public Health Service, must formalize and retrain workers to handle properly. More detailed information about these matters is in Appendix A. But this single example illustrates an important point. Our workplace has become more, not less, labor intensive in response to OSHA, EPA and Department of Labor provisions while our workforce has been reduced. Most of the work we do, most of our daily physical effort, goes to support the day-to-day operations of the Congress. For example, during the past year, our House Superintendent's office completed 80,771 work orders, an average of 1,553 per week, or 221 every day of the week. Our Capitol Superintendent's office completed 21,043 work orders, an average 405 per week, or 58 per day. ! of Our House Superintendent also coordinates office moves and custodial work, services subways and elevators, cleans hundreds of restrooms every day, provides restroom supplies, and cleans up after emergencies, among his myriad tasks. As much as possible, we try to minimize disruptions for the House not only with daily tasks but even with more major projects, like the sprinkler installation project in the Rayburn House Office building. VII. MAJOR CAPITAL REQUESTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002 The Capitol Dome renovation's second phase, at $42.5 million, is our largest Capitol project request this year. This will complete the work necessary to make certain that the Capitol Dome, at the beginning of the 22nd Century, will remain the most recognizable symbol of representative democracy in the world. In the House Office Buildings, we are requesting $3 million for elevator modernization, representing this year's budgetary need for an ongoing program estimated to require $14 million overall. We also are requesting $1.514 million for Americans With Disabilities Act upgrades to fire alarm systems in the House Office Buildings, and $2.444 million for roof fall protection on the Cannon, Rayburn and Ford House Office Buildings. $2.1 million is requested for the next phase of implementation of our new Financial Management System that also is building for the future. We successfully implemented the initial standard general ledger module in September of 2000 and n working on implementing procurement, funds control and accounts payable mod The Congressional Accountability Act, the interpretations of the Office of Compliance on how fire codes should be applied to the Capitol campus, the aging infrastructure of our priceless and unique historic buildings, the changed expectations of the American public, all mean that the AOC must continue to change and improve its methods of operations, that we have to retrain our workers, hire some key new ones, address the tasks at hand in new and safer ways. While we contract out many of our major projects and some of our technical needs, we still need to have the proper internal resources to adequately manage and coordinate this work. We have been working hard to hire the fire safety professionals we need to help our Fire Marshal and Executive Director of Facilities Management accomplish their tasks. We are similarly actively and aggressively recruiting the people we need to serve as jurisdictional life safety experts and coordinators, and the right construction management professionals for the many major tasks that must be successfully accomplished (see Appendix I). The 48 additional positions we request this year are people who must be put in place to prepare our workforce for the future. They are so essential that we have already begun the hiring process, but need funding to continue paying these key personnel in successive years without having to make further cuts in shop staffing levels in all jurisdictions. These include five positions to support fire safety programs; eight positions to support environmental and life safety programs; five for the campus energy savings program required by Section 310 of the 1999 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. We also need 19 persons to implement high priority programs. These positions include the two necessary to support preparation and issuance of auditable financial statements. AOC has been working with GAO on this, and one of things we have discovered is that AOC has never been staffed assure appropriate separation of functions necessary to maintain proper internal controls, nor enough staff to prepare and reconcile monthly and annual auditable financial statements (see Appendix G. Seven more positions are to improve the project delivery process. Like most government agencies, AOC has to manage far more external contracts and work than in the past, and like most government agencies, AOC does not have enough people in place a manage cutside contractors properly. We are also dead last in the Legislative Branch in percentage of our staff dedicated to Intelligence Technology efforts. We need two more air conditioning mechanics at the Library of Congress o safeguard its priceless collections by maintaining proper conditions for norage Three additional workers are needed at the Capitol Power Plant. And at the Botanic Garden. which has been closed for a number of years, with the Conservatory scheduled i reagen Like the rest of federal government, AOC is responding to the crisis in human capital by requesting these 48 essential positions for Fiscal Year 2002. IX. CONCLUSION Once again, I am proud of our accomplishments in so many critical areas, much of which is documented in the attached appendices*. While there is much left to address in the coming years, we look forward to working with you as we successfully face those challenges and continue to provide strong support to the Congress and build an even stronger and responsive AOC. I thank you for your support and welcome whatever questions or comments you might have. *Appendices Appendix A: Initiatives in Life Safety Appendix B: AOC Human Resources Act of 1995 Achievements Appendix D: Appendix E: Initiatives Regarding the Congressional Accountability Act |