or $750 lump sum Lease and Mainteance Transportation for Members typewrit- typewrit- typewrit- typewrit- typewrit er 12 round trips/year trips/year or $750 typewrit typewrit- typewrit typewrit er er et er er. er er: er 4,200 6/ 12 round 4,200 17/ 7,800_18/ 9,000 12/ 9,000 9,000 15/ 9,000 64 times lump sum year or $750 lump sum year or $1125 lump sum 64 times rate per lump sum mile from mile from D.C. to the D.C. to the farthest point in his District 64 times rate in his District er year 4,250 5,250 6,500 6,500 6,500 910 1,140 1,140 1,140 211 Computer and related services 0 10/ 0 0 Constituent Communication 5,000 11/ 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 Not to exceed $2400 for not more than 2 official offices Provision for carryover of unused units not to exceed 140,000 units at the end of session Effective August 1, 1971 a maximum of 3 official offices @ $350/month maximum allowance with rental higher than $200 per month approved by Effective 10/1/73 with carryover 200,000 units accumulated from session to session. Effective March 1, 1975 $250/month unused Clerk Hire funds. Effective 7/29/75 $1,000/month unused Clerk Hire Effective 94th Congress provided 250,000 units accumulated for carryover to next session or Congress 14/ Unused Clerk Hire fund (up to $12,000/year) may be transferred to Computer Services Unused Clerk Hire Funds (up to $3,000/year) may be transferred to Equipment Lease 16/ Effective August 1, 1977 Effective 5/73 transfer of $250/month of unused Clerk Hire to Equipment Lease. Effective 6/1/74. Mr. COUGHLIN. You show a figure on page 59 of total allowances and expenses. What I am trying to do is get that figure for preceding years. Would there be a figure available, wouldn't there? Mr. COLLEY. Yes. Mr. COUGHLIN. And comparable? Mr. COLLEY. Some of these allowances now in the total allowances and expenses of the House have been previously carried as separate items. But, we can still come up with a figure that is comparable to the present alinement. Mr. COUGHLIN. That would provide comparable figures for the past ten years. Mr. Chairman, I apologize I was late getting back this afternoon. I will yield at this time and may want to come back if that is all right with you. Mr. SHIPLEY. Surely, if you want to pursue it now, go ahead. Mr. COUGHLIN. I need time to look at it myself. Mr. SHIPLEY. Please proceed. OTHER ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES Mr. COLLEY. As I indicated, on page 34 of the Clerk's statement we will turn to categories of Allowances and Expenses that apply to other than Members. They obviously serve the entire House. Postage for committees, leaders and House Officers, $5,011. In fiscal year 1978, $97,700 was appropriated for postage. Mr. Chairman, the current request is not actually a decrease in total postage for the House, rather we have included postage for Members, ($92,689) under "Official Expenses of Members." The net effect on the line item "Allowances and Expenses" is zero. We transferred the Members' postage request since the Committee on House Administration consolidated all Members' allowances except Clerk Hire under one category. The $5,011 request is based on the following allowances: House Leadership, $191; Standing Committee, $131; Clerk, $341; Sergeant at Arms, $251; Doorkeeper, $211; Postmaster, $171; Chaplain, $200. SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS For Supplies and Materials, $1,352,000. This item covers a variety of purchases for the House other than the supplies and materials utilized by the Property Supply and Repair Service. This year we are including $271,700 for reimbursement to the Department of Labor for employees' compensation claims. Also included are supplies for the Publications Distribution Service; the U.S. Code Annotated and the U.S. Code Service for Members; film and related materials for the Office of Finance used in processing House security identification cards; newspaper subscriptions; stationery supplies for House Leadership, Standing Committees and House Officers and several other items not specifically covered elsewhere in this appropriation bill. 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 |