FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS For furniture and furnishings, $1,085,000. This appropriation provides the necessary funds to acquire furniture, carpets, drapes, lamps, file cabinets, and other furnishings which the Office of the Clerk provides for the House office buildings, the two annexes and the House side of the Capitol. Also, funds are included to provide supplies, materials and tools used by the various shops operated in the Clerk's Property Supply and Repair Service. The total funds requested for fiscal year 1979 are $1,085,000, which is approximately half of the request for the current fiscal year. I would like to underline that for the Subcommittee, since as I recall in the last few years we have asked for increases in furniture appropriation. We have been able to keep pace with the renovation in House Annex #2 and the demands for furniture and furnishings have eased to some extend. If there should be any major expansion of space with the resultant demands for property, then we may need to request additional funds. CARPETING We are now offering House offices five colors of carpet as compared previlously to only two choices. This change has been developed in cooperation with the Architect of the Capitol and was approved by the House Office Building Commission. Another carpeting project has been completed, as you know, as a part of renovation in the House Chamber. The funds requested for fiscal year 1979 would be budgeted, generally as follows: Supplies and Materials, $285,000; Furniture and Equipment, $500,000; New Carpet, $200,000, Drapery Materials, Cleaning, et cetera, $100,000. REPORTING HEARINGS For reporting hearings, $1,501,000. This request covers all costs of stenographic services and transcripts in connection with any meetings or hearings of a committee, including Special and Select Committees. House Rule XI, Clause 1, authorizes this expenditure instead of committees charging their investigating funds. Mr. Chairman, I would like to insert in the record at this time the new page rates established for stenographic transcripts. [The information referred to follows:] Mr. COUGHLIN. This has gone from $1,175,000 in 1976 to $1.5 million in 1977. Mr. COLLEY. Yes, sir. It is based on the expenditures that have been made and authorized, and the rates we have to pay. There have been increases in the rates and there have been increases in the number of transcripts required. Mr. COUGHLIN. Even if you included the supplemental, if you can go back from 1975, we have gone from $422,500 to $1.5 million or $1.6 million. That would be four times as much. Are there four times as many hearings as we had in 1975? Mr. COLLEY. It's a combination of things. One of the big reasons, if you look at footnote 1, is that committees used to pay this reporting out of their investigative funds, and the total starting in 1976 includes the fact we are now paying those from this one line item, so we are picking up the charge of certain committees. That is probably one of the biggest reasons. I can't give you a figure on what it cost Special and Select Committees to pay for their transcripts for that particular year. We could probably come up with it, but that was the year the Committee on House Administration said we would pay the cost of all transcripts from this line item rather than a committee paying for it from their investigating funds as one of their ongoing expenses. Mr. COUGHLIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. REEMPLOYED ANNUITANTS REIMBURSEMENT Mr. COLLEY. For reemployed annuitants reimbursement, $2,099,700. Prior to fiscal year 1979, this item was included in "Allowances and Expenses, Salaries per House Resolution." Effective October 1, 1976, H.R. 3650, Public Law 94-397, required the House to compensate the Civil Service Retirement fund for an amount equal to the annuity of federally retired employees working for the House. The Committee on House Administration further established, by regulation, that the amount of an employee's annuity shall be charged against the employing Member's Clerk Hire funds or a Committee's investigative funds if the annuitant was hired after September 21, 1977. The number of reemployed annuitants on House payrolls is decreasing. In January, 1978, 112 reemployed annuitants were on House payrolls. Seventy were hired by Members; eight were reemployed after September 21, 1977. Even though the dollar amount of an annuity is not charged against certain employing offices due to the "grandfather" provision, the House will still reimburse the Civil Service Fund. Similar to the philosophy of transfers from Clerk Hire to a Member's Official Expenses Allowance, the amount of the annuity reduces the available Clerk Hire, but the payment to Civil Service is actually charged to this appropriation. I might point out, Mr. Chairman, that we are not funding twice for this expense. Although the Clerk Hire Allowance is burdened by an annuity, the "Members' Clerk Hire" Appropriation is adjustd to reflect the amount included in the category. As I mentioned earlier, annuity reimbursements were included in "Salaries per House Resolutions" last year together with salaries for the Commission on Administrative Review, Police and Publications and Distribution overtime, former Speakers' employees and the Lyndon Baines Johnson (L. B. J.) Congressional Inter Program. We eliminated the category title called "Salaries per House Resolution" this year. To provide a more accurate accountability for personnel by office, we will now include Publications and Distributions overtime under the "Office of the Doorkeeper" and Police overtime under the "Office of the Sergeant at Arms". Employees of former Speakers and L. B. J. Interns will be listed separately within the line item, "Salaries, Officers and Employees". Salaries for the Commission on Administrative Review are no longer necessary. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS For Government Contributions, $14,000,000. These funds are used to pay the government's (House) share of the following employee benefit programs: life insurance, retirement, and health benefits. Benefits for Members are funded within the line item "Compensation and Mileage for Members". I submit for the record a schedule depicting employees participation in these programs. [The information referred to follows:] Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Number of Employees Participating As of December 31, 1977 Number of Employees Participating Number of Employees Participating As of December 31, 1977 Mr. COUGHLIN. On government contributions, I notice this has gone up to 14 million. Is there any reason. Mr. COLLEY. Salaries have gone up. When the salaries go up, we have to pay a greater amount. If you pay a 50-percent reimbursement for it, it goes up. In addition, participation is another reason as employees come and go on the payroll. But there is not much we can do about it. It is required by law. I am reminded that at least in one instance, the percentage that we pay has gone from 40 percent to 60 percent. So it is a combination of things. Mr. COUGHLIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Mr. COLLEY. For Miscellaneous Items, $334,800. These funds are for gratuities paid to the widow, widower or heirs-at-law of deceased employees of the House for which we are requesting $229,300. This category also includes $90,500 for, but not limited to, the purchase, exchange, hire, driving, maintenance, repair, and operation of House motor vehicles. For interparliamentary receptions we have included $15,000. Allowances and Expenses is a conglomerate of many spending authorizations. Our best judgment is utilized in making an estimate of the House needs. However, since many allowances are not budgeted at 100 percent, and the spending habits of Members and the numbers of employees fluctuate, we are requesting again this year transfer authority, subject to the approval of the Chairman of Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, of amounts within the line item "Allowances and Expenses". Mr. COUGHLIN. What transfers have you had this year, for example? Mr. COLLEY. Within the line item "Allowances and Expenses" we did transfer $270,000 into government contributions which was underfunded for the fiscal year. This is an authority that has been in the bill every year. and it enables us to use funds from a category in which spending may not have been very great. We would not have to come to the committee for additional funds in the deficiency area. Mr. COUGHLIN. Can you provide for the record any additional transfers? Mr. COLLEY. Yes, sir. [The following was provided for the record:] Allowances and expenses: Transfers among accounts From equipment (purchase, lease, and maintenance) to district office expense.. From miscellaneous items to salaries per House resolution. Salaries, officers, and employees: From Office of the Doorkeeper to Office of the Clerk.... SPECIAL AND SELECT COMMITTEES .$600,000 75,000 5,000 1,350 The funding for the Special and Select Committee expenditures in fiscal year 1979 has been estimated to be $38,762,000. These funds are supplemental funds for standing committees to hire addi |