An increase of $6,000 is requested in supplies and materials to provide newsletters and other materials to LOC and GAO employees newly covered by the OSHA and public access provisions of the Congressional Accountability Act. Equipment, Alterations, Maintenance, Repairs, etc.: ** Although no additional funding is requested for FY 1999 for transportation of things, additional funds will be requested for this purpose in a supplemental request, in the event that the Office of Compliance vacates the Library of Congress during this fiscal year. ** Although no additional funding is requested for FY 1999 for rent, communications and utilities, additional funds will be requested for this purpose in a supplemental request, in the event that the Office of Compliance vacates the Library of Congress during this fiscal year. [Clerk's note. The agency provided these program and financing, object class and personnel summary tables to the Subcommittee. Please check the appendix to the Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 1999, for any changes that may have been made subsequent to the CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE OVERVIEW OF FISCAL YEAR 1999 BUDGET REQUEST The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is requesting $25,938,000 for its operations in fiscal year 1999, a 4.6 percent increase over the agency's fiscal year 1998 appropriation, with no increase in staff. This budget request is made up of a 7 percent increase in personnel spending partially offset by a 13 percent drop in spending for automated data processing (ADP), updates to computer systems, and purchases of data. Administrative spending increases by 3 percent in this budget, about the same level as inflation. Specifically, this fiscal year 1999 request: Funds 232 full-time-equivalent positions (FTEs); Provides a 3.1 percent employment cost index (ECI) pay adjustment and merit increases costing 2.4 percent of CBO's total pay base; Contains a 12.9 percent reduction in spending for ADP, computer systems, data, and model development (such spending is returning to its historical level after an increase of 14 percent in fiscal year 1998); and Maintains the number of formally published studies and mandated reports at 15 per year. This request is designed to allow CBO to sustain its current workload. However, several uncertainties face the agency in fiscal year 1999. Plans under development by the House to eliminate its mainframe computer by fiscal year 2000 will require the relocation of important CBO dataprocessing systems. We do not yet have a firm estimate of how much it will cost to evaluate our options for moving those systems or to prepare for the transition; both types of costs are likely to occur in fiscal year 1999. At present, this request includes $100,000 for those purposes. Another uncertainty is created by proposals before the Congress to expand the private-sector mandate provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, which would generally increase CBO's duties under the act. Finally, we continue to be concerned about our ability to offer the salaries and |