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The requested net increase of $35,441,000 includes several large items and programs, such as renovations to the Longworth cafeteria ($4,000,000), installation of a sprinkler system in the Rayburn Building ($3,995,000), renovation of the Botanic Garden Conservatory ($7,000,000), renovations to the Library of Congress' Special Facilities Center ($5,000,000), and funding to renovate the Library's book conveyor system control stations ($3,000,000). These important but costly programs total $22,995,000, and account for 54% of the gross increase and 75% of the net increase, excluding the Senate items.

The $42,964,000 gross increase, which excludes "Senate Office Buildings," falls into four categories.

Mandatory Items, which total $4.642,000, or 10% of the increase: This category includes cost of living pay increases, personnel benefits and premium pay items for existing positions and within-grade salary advancements and other changes authorized by law.

Annual Recurring Maintenance, which totals $3.753.000 or 9% of the increase: This category is required to finance normal maintenance and custodial responsibilities, such as repairs and improvements to electrical, air conditioning and other mechanical systems; procurement of supplies and materials and equipment; cleaning and custodial care; removal of solid, paper and bulk waste; and painting. Of the total increase of $3,753,000, approximately $1,440,000 represents inflationary increases. The balance of this increase, $2,313,000, is required primarily for improved and expanded service. The largest requirements

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for this overall category, however, are for an increase for electrical energy costs ($998,000) and water and sewer payments to the District of Columbia ($356,000) in the Capitol Power Plant. These items represent 36% of the requested increase

under this category.

Cyclical Maintenance, which totals $17.888.000, or 42% of the increase; I define this category as long term maintenance items that arise only once in ten or twenty years, such as roof repairs, sidewalk replacement and so forth that we generally perform under contract. The largest items include renovations to the Library book conveyor control stations ($3,000,000) and renovation of the Botanic Garden Conservatory ($7,000,000). In monetary terms these two items represent 56% of the increase requested under this category. The remainder of the increase, $7,888,000, is required for several items for property and equipment maintenance replacement.

In past years I have noted that proper cyclical maintenance is a critical investment in the Capitol Complex, and I have thanked the Committee for recognizing these needs and appropriating monies for these necessary repairs over the years. Funds expended for that purpose are more than repaid through extending the life of buildings and thus avoiding the higher costs of new construction or the larger expenditures associated with major replacement

programs.

The last category is Continuing and Initiating Other Programs, which totals $16.681.000, or 39% of the increase; Included in this category are funds for such

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programs as renovations to the Longworth cafeteria ($4,000,000), installation of a fire sprinkler system in the Rayburn Building ($3,995,000), and renovations to the Library's Special Facilities Center ($5,000,000). These three projects comprise 78% of this increase. Several other items, which total $3,686,000, comprise the balance of this request.

I would also like to mention briefly one major project and its completion.

The Library of Congress Renovation and Restoration of the Thomas Jefferson and John Adams Buildings was completed in August 1994. The Library is continuing to prepare its plans for occupying the renovated spaces, and we are cooperating with the Librarian to ensure that a smooth transition into the renovated spaces takes place.

As previously reported, the originally appropriated funds were not sufficient to complete all items of work originally contemplated to be included in the Renovation and Restoration Project. The Library of Congress transferred $593,000 to help fund some of this work and $2,500,000 was made available to fund a complete restoration and renovation of the Coolidge Auditorium and Whittall Pavilion. Remaining funds will be used to install sprinklers in the Rare Book Stacks, complete the highest priority security systems in both buildings and to perform other items that were not included in the contracts as funding allows. I would also like to call to the Committee's attention to one matter that affects our appropriations language. The National Garden, which was authorized under 40 U.S.C. 216(c) to be planned and constructed with privately donated

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funds, is now at the point where reliable cost estimates have been prepared. I have contracted with a non-profit organization, the National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden, to raise funds for this project. Based on a 90% completed design, the indications are that the Fund will need to raise, and has agreed to raise, approximately $10 million for the total project, including hard and soft costs, and generous contingency allowances. Half of this amount is expected to be raised by a commemorative coin sale approved by the Congress to benefit the project. The National Garden now has a limitation of cost of $6,000,000. Some of these monies have already been raised and expended during the planning and design process. As it appears now that a total of almost $10 million will be required to construct the Garden, I have requested a technical change in the language that would increase the limit of cost to that level. I should point out that these funds are privately contributed to the government, and are not appropriated dollars.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my brief summary and I shall be pleased to respond to questions that you and the Committee may have.

BOTANIC GARDEN

Mr. PACKARD. We appreciate the arrival of Mr. Dan Miller from Florida.

Mr. WHITE. Good morning.

Mr. PACKARD. And again, we have questions for him. Let me ask two or three, then. And I appreciate your very short summary.

You have submitted a good statement. Let me check to see if I have written any questions in your statement as I read it. I think one would be, on the Botanic Garden, the renovation, $7 million. If we determined to privatize the Botanic Garden over a period of either this year or over a period of multiple years, then this renovation would be reconsidered, I presume.

Mr. WHITE. Well, that would be part of, I suppose, a privatization arrangement. Because the $7 million is one of four payments toward a $28 million project, which is to restore the Palm House that we had to demolish because it was unsafe.

If I could digress for a moment, it was one of the first structural aluminum buildings built. It was done in 1934, and aluminum was thought of as a possible replacement for steel. Well, that didn't happen, at least for building construction. But the alloy that was used was unstable in a humid atmosphere, and you can't have anything more humid than a botanic garden, so it began to come apart and finally reached the point where it was unsafe for the public. So we demolished it with the knowledge of the committee and others, and this would be to restore that to its original condition.

So if you were to privatize it, that is a major part of the Botanic Garden facility, which is now unavailable. So some arrangement would have to be made, either for the privatization entity to do it, or the government to do it, and so that

Mr. PACKARD. Is this the first $7 million of the $28 million?

Mr. WHITE. No. It is the second $7 million. The first $7 million was appropriated last year.

Mr. PACKARD. It was transferred, wasn't it?

Mr. WHITE. Yes, yes, that is correct.

Mr. PACKARD. We are also looking at the possibility of reversing that transfer, because it is very well possible that we would need the funds for security.

Mr. WHITE. That is possible. None of that $7 million has been spent.

AREAS OF JURISDICTION

Mr. PACKARD. It has not. Okay. You have responsibility over the House, Senate, Library and Supreme Court buildings and so forth. Are there functions that they could do in-house over there that you are now doing, such as restaurant services and managing the Judiciary Office Building, all of the mechanical, physical security aspects, the maintenance and so forth?

Mr. WHITE. There are some. For example, the operation of the Senate restaurants we do as an agent for the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. That could be assigned to someone else if they so chose.