The Committee recommends an appropriation of $1,865,000 for the Administrative Conference of the United States. The Committee recommendation is the same as the budget estimate and the House allowance. The Conference is authorized on a permanent basis to assist the President, the Congress, the administrative agencies, and executive agencies in improving administrative procedure. It is responsible for conducting studies of the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of present procedures by which the Federal administrative agencies and executive departments determine the rights, privileges, and obligations of private persons. On the basis of such studies, the Conference issues formal recommendations for improvements and then encourages implementation of the recommendations through appropriate agency, congressional, or judicial action. In addition to its research activities, the Conference also arranges for the interchange among administrative agencies of information useful in improving administrative procedures; collects, tabulates, analyzes, and publishes statistics from administrative agencies to identify and correct delays and other problems in the administrative process; and, on an ongoing basis, furnishes assistance and advice on matters of administrative procedure to the agencies, Congress, and others. Although the Committee has approved the full budget request for the Conference in fiscal year 1990, the Committee remains seriously concerned about the focus and direction of the Conference. The Conference's budget justifications indicates that the Conference is expending considerable time and limited resources on the review of issues that are matters of law and policy under the discretionary jurisdiction of other Federal agencies. The Committee believes that the Conference has a formidable task in meeting its mandate. Moreover, the Conference, if properly directed, could serve an important function in improving the administrative efficiencies and equities of the administrative procedures undertaken by all Federal agencies. However, the Conference, if left to follow its current course, will continue to apply its limited resources to efforts which may well be duplicative of other agency missions and correspondingly, provide less effort in those areas it was designed to perform. The authorization for the Conference is due to expire in fiscal year 1990. Therefore, in preparation for reauthorization in fiscal year 1991, the Conference should refocus its research agenda to ensure that it follows its statutory mandate. Accordingly, the Committee directs that the Conference adopt a formal and judicious mechanism for setting its study agenda in order to ensure that matters chosen for research reflect a strict interpretation of administrative procedure. The Committee expects to receive quarterly reports which identify the research agenda and the specific expenditure of funds, both by the Conference as well as by reimbursement from other Federal agencies, describing in detail how the research agenda was developed. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS The Committee recommends an appropriation of $1,300,000 for the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The Committee recommendation is the same as the budget estimate and the House allowance. The Commission is an independent, bipartisan body which attempts to identify and analyze the causes of intergovernmental conflicts and recommends ways of strengthening and improving the American federal system. The Commission includes representatives of the executive, legislative, and administrative branches of all levels of government-Federal, State, and local-as well as representatives of the general public. The recommended allowance for the Commission in fiscal year 1990 represents an increase of $260,000 over the fiscal year 1989 enacted level. In fiscal year 1989, the Committee directed the Commission to support its ongoing operational costs through increased contributions from the States. Testimony presented during fiscal year 1990 budget hearings the Committee was advised that despite stepped-up efforts to solicit increased financial assistance from State government, a shortfall in funding for basis operational costs will occur in fiscal year 1990 without an increase in Federal funds. As a result, the Committee has provided a modest increase in funds to sustain the important advisory and research work carried out by the Commission. Nonetheless, the Committee remains concerned about the Commission's inability to attract greater financial support from the States and encourages the Commission to aggressively pursue contributions from State and local governmental bodies which benefit from the Commission's work. The Committee expects to receive periodic reports from the Commission on the progress it is making in securing additional state and local governmental financial assistance. The Committee recommends an appropriation of $205,000 for the Advisory Committee on Federal Pay. The Committee recommendation is the same as the budget estimate and the House allowance. The Advisory Committee was appointed in accordance with the Federal Pay Comparability Act of 1970 and consists of three private citizens who are not Federal Government employees. The Advisory Committee assists the President in carrying out the policy of comparability in pay between major Federal statutory pay systems and private enterprise. The Advisory Committee reviews the annual report of the President's pay agent and considers the recommendations of representatives of Federal employees and other officials of the Federal Government. The Advisory Committee then prepares for the President an independent report with its findings and recommendations. The Advisory Committee also meets jointly throughout the year with the Federal Employee's Pay Council and the President's pay agent in an attempt to resolve any issues between them, by providing advisory opinions on unresolved issues. COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM THE BLIND AND OTHER SEVERELY HANDICAPPED The Committee recommends $1,062,000 for the Committee for Purchase From the Blind and Other Severely Handicapped [CPBOSH]. The Committee recommendation is $125,000 above the budget estimate and the same as the House allowance. The Committee was established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act of 1971. The Committee's primary objective is to increase the employment opportunities for the blind and other severely handicapped and, whenever possible, to prepare them to engage in normal competitive employment. The Committee determines which commodities and services are suitable for Government procurement from qualified nonprofit agencies serving the blind and other severely handicapped; publishes a procurement list of such commodities and services; determines the fair market price for commodities and services on the procurement list; and makes rules and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of the act. The Committee staff supervises the selection and assignment of new commodities and services, assists in establishing prices, re views and adjusts these prices, verifies the qualifications of workshops, and monitors their performance. It is estimated that workshop sales to the Federal Government under the Committee's program during fiscal 1988 were about $331,000,000 including sales through the Military Resale Program. In fiscal year 1988, the Committee authorized the first increase in staffing since 1979-from 12 positions, to the current level of 13 positions. The level of funding recommended by the Committee will provide a staffing level of 14 in fiscal year 1990 and should continue to help alleviate the persistent backlog problem at the Committee. The additional funds over the 1989 level will also be used to undertake research projects for program evaluation and education purposes. The increase in appropriated funds this year should help alleviate this staffing problem. The Committee also encourages the CPBOSH to continue its efforts toward streamlining administrative procedures as a further aid toward improving program efficiency and expanding services. The Committee recognizes the importance of the Javits-WagnerO'Day Act [JWOD] Act in providing much needed employment opportunities to blind and other severely handicapped Americans, while at the same time providing quality goods and services to the Federal Government at fair market prices. The Congress further recognizes that research, promotional, and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening and expanding the program are both a statutory and necessary function in order for the Committee for Purchase From the Blind and Other Severely Handicapped [CPBOSH] to fulfill its obligations under the JWOD Act. The Congress supports recent efforts by the CPBOSH to initiate such research and advocacy activities, and has accordingly increased this year's CPBOSH appropriation to help fund these initiatives. The Committee is also aware that funding for the CPBOSH has not kept pace with the rapid growth of the JWOD Program, resulting in understaffing, and presenting a threat to timely processing of additions to the JWOD procurement list. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriations, 1989. House allowance. Committee recommendation......... 1 This amount reflects the budget estimate submitted to the Congress by the FEC. $15,683,000 15,768,000 14,257,000 15,570,000 The Committee recommends an appropriation of $15,570,000 for the Federal Election Commission [FEC]. The Committee recommendation is $198,000 below the FEC budget request and $1,313,000 above the House allowance. The Federal Election Commission is charged with implementing and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act [FECA] as amended. This includes: promoting public disclosure of campaign finance activity; providing information to the public, press, and campaign officials on the FECA and campaign finance; obtaining voluntary compliance with the disclosure and limitation provisions of the FECA; and enforcing that disclosure and compliance through audits, investigations, and/or litigation. The Commission is also charged with implementing the Presidential campaign funding programs for both primary and general election campaigns of qualified Presidential candidates. This includes certification, audit, and enforcement of the provisions of the Federal funding legislation concerning the use of Federal funds. The funds provided by the Committee will allow the FEC to increase its permanent full-time staffing level to 258 for fiscal year 1990 or an increase of 7 over the 1989 enacted level. It will also enable the Commission to undertake a series of projects which will promote greater enforcement of our Federal election laws. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL BUILDINGS FUND LIMITATIONS ON AVAILABILITY OF REVENUE COMMITTEE FUNDING LEVELS The Committee has recommended an aggregate limitation on availability of revenue from the Federal buildings fund of $3,156,271,320. This amount is $203,611,680 under the budget request and $152,313,680 below the House allowance. This limitation includes $54,681,320 to the Federal building fund to cover the cost of the third phase of a vital new program for capital improvements of United States-Mexico border facilities. The Committee recommends a limitation of $41,739,000 for construction and acquisition of facilities in fiscal year 1989. The Committee recommendation is $202,800,000 under the budget estimate, and $81,514,000 below the House allowance. The construction and acquisition of facilities activity meets the space needs of Federal agencies by funding new construction, acquisition of excess properties from the U.S. Postal Service and other Government agencies, and the purchase of commercial buildings. It is the aim of the General Services Administration [GSA] to increase the ratio of Government-owned to leased facilities as the most economical means of housing Government activities in most geographic locations. Construction and acquisition of facilities-Projects approved by Committee New Construction: Alaska: Skagway: Border station.. $4,110,000 Iowa: Ames: Grant to Iowa State University for Midwest Supercomputer Access Center...... 5,000,000 Kansas: Kansas City: Federal building-courthouse (Site). 200,000 Maryland: Prince Georges County: Federal courthouse (Site and design). 4,700,000 Massachusetts: Boston: Federal building (Claim).. 2,930,000 |