Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

funding for Telecommunications in the amount of $1,355,000, a figure attributable to rate increases alone.

Distressed at this predicament, we have been exploring the feasibility of more cost efficient telephone services. However, the fruits of this effort cannot be realized with certainty in FY 83.

Service Department--The exceptional accomplishments of the Service Department have required a herculean effort by that staff. Currently, the Service Department is working many hours of uncompensated overtime, foregoing leave time, and literally working to their utmost capacity to meet a demand for newsletter production that has increased significantly. The Service Department presents a classic illustration of demand outstripping available manpower resources. To remedy this imbalance, the Service Department requires a $1,070,000 increase in Salaries and a $598,000 increase in Expenses to adequately service the current demand. This Salaries increase enables the creation of a third shift capability (42 positions) in the printing and addressing sections. The Expense increase allows for the economical lease of additionally required office cquipment.

Computer Center--The Computer Center requires an additional $907,000 in Salaries and $3,394,000 in Expenses. The increase in Salaries will support an additional 28 positions. The increase in Expenses will support a number of present needs with the largest increase in the areas of State communications, terminals, and the Correspondence Management System. Increases in these three areas account for $2,725,000 or 80.3% of the total increase for the Computer Center. The cause for these increases is obvious. The services are authorized and more and more offices are demanding use of them. In the area of computer services, demand consistently exceeds available capacity, as illustrated in Attachment E.

The net result of the technological explosion and the demand to capitalize on such breakthroughs means that the Senate Computer Center is constantly consumed with crisis management--stretching resources to their limits and beyond to accommodate authorized service requests. Because of installation lag time, rapidly expanding technology, and the level of demand, FY 83 will be no different. The increases requested merely provide the resources necessary to barely meet current requirements.

This budget request does not address funding for the maximum utilization of presently authorized services. Such services, although authorized, are simply beyond our cost reach and resource capacity. An illustration of the cost associated with the implementation of such services is found at Attachment F along with cost figures relating to policy issues for projected future needs being addressed by the Rules Committee.

Further, it must be clear that this budget submission does not include the cost of replacing the Senate's Correspondence Management System. The functional specifications for issuing a RFP for a new system are presently pending before the Rules Committee. Once the RFP process is complete, a supplemental appropriation will be required to fund this major undertaking.

I believe that the Senate Computer Center presently lacks a useful long range planning tool to effectively marshal resources in an anticipatory mode rather that a reactive one. Such a plan needs to establish realistic parameters for Senate computer operations for the rest of this decade; explore cost savings alternatives, such as a direct user fee; and examine other means to improve Senate computer services. To that end, I have urged the Rules Committee to request that the Senate Management Board assemble a task force to develop a long range plan of immediate utility that fully addresses current and future Senate computer requirements in a cost conscious fashion.

Moving away from computer services funding, I would like to direct the Subcommittee's attention to two changes requiring its approval.

First,

I wish to abolish the Stationery Allowance for the Sergeant at Arms and instead fund all supply items from our Supplies account within funds available to the Sergeant at Arms from the Miscellaneous Items Appropriations. Such a change will significantly streamline the accounting workload of our office, the Rules Committee, and the Senate Disbursing Office.

Secondly, I would like the authority to establish "night differential pay," a premium not to exceed 10% of an employee's annual salary for those employees performing 75% of their regular employment services between 5 P.M. and 6 A.M. Such authority is needed to meet increased

demand and to place Senate employees on par with others in the private and public employment sector.

Mr. Chairman, I have endeavored to address significant cost savings accomplishments of the Sergeant at Arms jurisdiction over the past year as a background to appraising needed resources to accommodate the demand for services in FY 83. I believe that with adequate resources FY 83 will be another year of service and cost savings accomplishment, and thank this Subcommittee for their assistance in that mission.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Z/ Reflects requested pay increase supplemental of $1,143,000

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »