BIRDPROOFING SYSTEM FOR THE RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING Question The Committee understands that a fiscal year 1979 Supplemental request will be made for replacement of the existing 18-year old birdproofing system on the Russell Senate Office Building. Please provide for the record a copy of the request when it is forwarded I am writing to you about a matter concerning the birdproofing system for the Russell Senate Office Building. The existing birdproofing system was installed in 1961 at a cost of $22,354, paid from the FY 1961 appropriation for the Senate Office Buildings. The 18 gauge tinned copper/coated steel field wire has since deteriorated due to oxidation, and cannot withstand the weight of the birds. The result of this is that breaks have occurred in the old wiring, which has rendered large areas of the system inoperative. Portions of the birdproofing system are located at the tops of columns and on sculpture work at the top of building walls, thus dangerous heights and lack of proper scaffolding equipment with personnel experienced at working at such heights require that work of this nature be accomplished by outside con tractors. The replacement birdproofing system will utilize a 14 gauge wire; observations of recent installations using this wire indicate that it will retain its strength longer than the 18 gauge wire. In addition, birdproofing will be installed on the column bases at the East and West ends of the Constitution Avenue colonnades, and on the column bases, balustrade caps, and the projecting water table course and console brackets beneath, on the Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast elevations of the building. The estimated total cost to replace all wiring, insulators, and necessary transformers is $100,000. Therefore, $100,000 is requested in the next fiscal year 1979 supplemental appropriation bill for the Senate Office Buildings Appropriation, No Year funds, to provide birdproofing for the Russell Senate Office Building. A similar letter has been submitted to the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, requesting that Subcommittee's approval. I shall, of course, be pleased to provide any additional information and/or discuss this matter in detail should you deem that desirable. Cordially, Jang George M. White, FAIA Question What is the current status of the Master Plan for the Capitol? Answer Phase I and II of the Master Plan have been completed, and Phase III is scheduled to be available in July of this year. The third phase is the final report and will include recommendations on the future growth of facilities on the Hill. Although the cost of the Master Plan has increased over the original estimate, no additional funds will be requested for completion of the plan. If additional funds are necessary to complete the report, they will be provided from available resources in the Contingent Expenses, and thus no additional requests for appropriations will be necessary for the Master Plan. U.S. SENATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SENATE STATEMENT OF J. STANLEY KIMMITT, SECRETARY OF THE SENATE ACCOMPANIED BY: WILLIAM A. RIDGELY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROBERT A. MALSTROM, FINANCIAL CLERK MARILYN E. COURTOT, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR 1979 APPROPRIATION AND 1980 BUDGET REQUEST Senator SASSER. The next item is a budget request in the amount of $4,390,000 for the Office of the Secretary of the Senate. This is an increase of $72,000 over the comparable appropriation for fiscal year 1979, and actually represents a request for one less position than in 1979. Mr. Stan Kimmitt, the Secretary of the Senate, is with us today to explain this budget request in some detail. Mr. KIMMITT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to come before your committee to discuss the budget request for the Secretary's Office. In December of last year, I submitted a statement regarding the items for fiscal year 1980. At this time I do not have any changes in the dollar figures, but I would like to provide an update on some of the projects which were briefly mentioned. STATIONERY ROOM The Senate Stationery Room is installing a minicomputer and related software. When completed, on or about April 1979, the stationery room will be able to provide faster checkout, maintain a more current inventory and warehouse system, improve the accuracy and immediacy of customer and/or vendor information, and realize dollar savings resulting from quantity discount information previously unavailable. Customers of the stationery room will find upon placing an order that each item they wish to purchase will have an accompanying label which will be read by a computer device within one second. All mathematical extensions, total cost of the order, and change due, in the case of cash sales, will be automatically computed and printed on the sales receipt. As merchandise is purchased, the system will decrement the stock totals, update the Senator's and/or committee's account totals for the month-end statements and prepare daily reorder reports. At present, both cash and charge sales, inventory and general ledger modules are in the final test stage, and inventory, customer, and vendor information is being entered into the computer. MERIT PROGRAM On another subject, we have developed a set of merit promotion guidelines which were distributed to all supervisors in the Secretary's Office late last year. I would be happy to furnish copies to this committee, should you desire them. The first merit promotion board met on February 7, 1979. All supervisors were asked to submit recommendations for the merit program. Eight nominations were received and reviewed. Based upon the board's recommendations, I have authorized five merit increases for individuals in the Secretary's office even though the program would allow for eight in this fiscal year. However, there may be another meeting of the merit board to consider additional recommendations. The merit program has virtually eliminated the necessity of coming before this committee to request NTE rate changes to effect these pay raises, and I believe it represents a significant change for better personnel management in my office. MUSEUM SPECIALIST Our one request for an NTE rate change involves an individual who would not qualify under the merit program. While he has worked for the office for over 8 years, he is excluded from this program due to the requirement that an employee must occupy a position for 2 years. During this period he has completed college and worked his way from messenger to Curatorial Assistant. It is my intention to create a career position with the title Museum Specialist at a new not to exceed rate of $18,900, which should provide growth for this individual over the next few years. CONFERENCE ON PAPERS OF SENATORS An outcome of the Conference on Senators' Papers, on September 15, 1978, was the adoption of a resolution calling for further study. Currently, the executive secretary of the Society of American Archivists is drafting a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund a nine-member study group. Three members would be designated by the Senate Historical Office, three by the Organization of American Historians, and three by the Society of American Archivists. Plans call for three meetings— two in Washington, D.C., and one in Ann Arbor, Mich. Also, the conference proceedings will be issued as a document of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate in March or April 1979. ORIENTATION SEMINAR FOR SENATORS-ELECT The orientation seminar for Senators-elect was held December 13-15, 1978, and based upon the comments received, evidently the program was a success. Each Senator received a notebook containing information of general interest and also had an opportunity to see and use the equipment available to Senate offices. |