Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696589742924.pdf (United States)
118TH CONGRESS 1st Session " [FULL COMMITTEE PRINT] HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REPORT 118–XX !

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2024 XXXXXXXXXXXX, 2023.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. AMODEI, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following R E P O R T together with MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany H.R.
XXXX] The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

INDEX TO BILL AND REPORT Highlights of the Bill .................................................................................
Title I—Legislative Branch Appropriations ............................................. House of Representatives ................................................................... Joint Items: Page Number Bill ........ 2 2 Report 2 5 5 Joint Economic Committee ......................................................... Committee on Taxation ............................................................... Office of the Attending Physician ............................................... Office of Congressional Accessibility Services ........................... United States Capitol Police .............................................................. Office of Congressional Workplace Rights ........................................ Congressional Budget Office ..............................................................
Architect of the Capitol (except Senate Office Buildings) ............... Library of Congress ............................................................................. Government Publishing Office ........................................................... Government Accountability Office ..................................................... Congressional Office for International Leadership Fund ................ 11 11 11 12 12 14 14 15 19 24 28 30 12 12 12 13 13 16 16 17 22 26 28 29 51–238 MCNODE John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Develop- ment ..................................................................................................
Title II—General Provisions ...................................................................... Bill-wide Reporting Requirements ............................................................

Minority Views ...........................................................................................

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL Page Number Bill Report 30 31 ........ ........ 29 29 29 ...........
The Committee recommendation for fiscal year 2024 for the ac- tivities under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch totals $5,313,067,000, which is $251,988,000 (4.5 percent) less than the comparable amount for fiscal year 2023 in non-emer- gency discretionary budget authority, excluding funds for the Sen- ate and Senate office buildings.

Including Senate items, the total is $6,746,000,000, which is $154,000,000 (2.2 percent) less than the comparable amount for fiscal year 2023.
These appropriations support the operations of the House of Rep- resentatives, the care, and preservation of the historic buildings in which Congress works, and agencies that provide research and analysis to assist the legislative process.

They also support other institutions such as the Library of Congress, one of the leading re- positories of knowledge and culture in the world, as well as the Government Publishing Office.
In keeping with longstanding practice under which each chamber of Congress determines its housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without intervention, the bill does not include funds for the Senate or Senate office buildings.

Similarly, the Senate will consider a Legislative Branch appropriations bill that addresses Senate but not House funding.
The bill provides the Legislative Branch the ability to develop legislation to meet national needs, provide oversight of government operations, and assist constituents in their dealings with govern- ment while also showing responsible fiscal restraint.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH-WIDE MATTERS RESULTS, OVERSIGHT, TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY The Committee on Appropriations of the House (hereinafter ‘‘the Committee’’) recognizes that effective programs, projects, and ac- tivities must set transparent goals and measure progress toward those goals in tangible ways.

Data-driven results should be the yardstick for measuring success.
The recommendation continues to prioritize the proper manage- ment of taxpayer dollars, including strong internal controls, re- duced inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and waste, fraud, or abuse, and a focus on results, and customer service for all agencies under the jurisdiction of this Act.

The Committee continues its focus on re- ducing unnecessary expenditures and expects the agencies funded by this Act to identify cost savings and efficiencies where possible.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE The Committee believes that development of organizational pri- ority goals and outcomes, such as performance outcome measures, output measures, and efficiency measures, is important for all MCNODE agencies funded under this bill.
The Committee also notes the im- portance of implementing proper customer service standards for agencies that provide direct services to the public.

Development of these service standards should include identifying and surveying target customers and measuring internal performance against those standards.
In addition, the Committee understands that, as the largest ad- vertiser in the United States, the Federal government should work to ensure fair access to its advertising contracts for small, dis- advantaged businesses and businesses owned by minorities and women.
The Committee directs each agency under the jurisdiction of this Act to include the following information in its fiscal year 2025 budget justification: expenditures for fiscal year 2023 and ex- pected expenditures for fiscal year 2024, respectively, for (1) all contracts for advertising services; and (2) contracts for the adver- tising services of (a) socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns (as defined in section 8(a)(4) of the Small Busi- ness Act (15 U.S.C.
637(a)(4)), and (b) women- and minority-owned businesses disaggregated by race and gender.

REPROGRAMMING, NOTIFICATION, CONSULTATION, AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS The Committee expects all agencies to notify the Committee of any significant departures from budget plans presented to the Committee in any agency’s budget justifications.
The Committee recommendation grants limited reprogramming authorities to en- sure that funds are devoted to the highest priorities, particularly due to changes in circumstances.
Agencies funded through this bill are required to notify the Committee prior to any reprogramming of funds in excess of the lesser of 10 percent or $750,000 between programs, projects or activities, or in excess of $750,000 between object classifications (except for shifts within the pay categories, ob- ject class 11, 12, and 13 or as further specified in each agency’s re- spective section).
This includes cumulative reprogrammings that to- gether total at least $750,000 from or to a particular program, ac- tivity, or object classification as well as reprogramming full time equivalents (FTE) or funds to create new organizational entities within the agency or to restructure entities that already exist.
In addition, the Committee must be notified of reprogramming actions that involve less than the above-mentioned amounts if such actions would have the effect of changing an agency’s funding re- quirements in future years or if programs or projects specifically cited in the Committee’ reports are affected.
Prior to initial obligation or reallocation of funds, all congres- sional reprogramming notifications shall, to the maximum extent practicable, contain detailed information about the sources of the funds and why such funds are no longer intended to be used as previously justified.

The Committee emphasizes that all reports are required to be completed in the timeframe noted in each respective directive.
Moreover, the Committee expects that the conditions associated with funding appropriated by this Act shall be accomplished in the manner as directed in the report, consistent with congressional in- tent.
MCNODE STAFFING DATA IN BUDGET DOCUMENTS The Committee continues to direct the Legislative Branch agen- cies to include in their budget justifications data on FTE levels that would be supported by the associated request or enacted funding levels.
The Committee also continues to expect the Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council to coordinate plans for align- ing FTE levels with the Legislative Branch agencies for consistency in reporting.

ZERO BASE BUDGETING While the Committee continues to direct all agencies of the Leg- islative Branch to develop budget requests from a zero-base, the Committee is concerned that the zero-based budget documents lack sufficient detail for making funding decisions.
The Committee be- lieves that there is room for improvement and directs House agen- cies to work with the Committee to ensure budget documents con- tain the necessary information for meaningful savings.

CONGRESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LEGISLATIVE BRANCH CYBER AND PHYSICAL DATA SECURITY The Committee is concerned about the lack of progress by Legis- lative Branch agencies to secure and protect their data or collec- tions and to plan for disaster recovery.
Consistent with the direc- tive in the joint explanatory statement accompanying the Legisla- tive Branch Appropriations Act, 2023, agencies are encouraged to prioritize compliance to assure continuity of operations for the Leg- islative Branch.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE FOR CONGRESS The Committee notes the interest among some Members during the past several years in reinstituting the Office of Technology As- sessment (OTA), which was de-funded in 1995.
In fiscal year 2019, the Committee instructed the National Academy of Public Adminis- tration (NAPA) to conduct a study to determine the best way to in- crease congressional access to needed in-depth analysis of fast- breaking technology developments.

The NAPA report, released in November 2019, recommended strengthening the capacity of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congressional Re- search Service (CRS) in technology assessment rather than restart- ing OTA.
The Committee is pleased with both CRS’s and GAO’s ef- forts to increase the depth and breadth of their capacity to provide research and policy analysis on current and emerging legislative issues related to science and technology (S&T) and Federal uses and oversight of S&T.
The Committee encourages the Director of CRS to continue to support staffing for the specialized teams working on science and technology issues to meet the growing need of Congress for timely, complex, and multidisciplinary analysis of policy issues related to these rapidly changing technologies; the effects of the Federal Gov- ernment in oversight of such technologies; and the effects of the Federal government S&T policies across all sectors.
The Director of CRS should continue outreach efforts to make Members and con- MCNODE gressional staff more aware of the resources it provides related to S&T issues Congress is examining.
Additionally, in 2019 the GAO established a Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team to better address the evolving and time-sensitive needs of Congress.

The Committee en- courages the Comptroller General to continue to support its STAA S&T team and the Innovation Lab to increase the depth, breadth, and diversity of knowledge available to meet congressional needs.

The Committee will continue to review the work of CRS and the GAO to determine if other steps may be required in the future.
TITLE I—LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $1,847,571,000 1,902,831,000 1,850,998,000 +3,427,000 ¥51,833,000 The committee recommends $1,850,998,000 for the operations of the House of Representatives.
The Committee recommendation funds the operations of the House of Representatives in a fiscally responsible manner, providing a modest increase of $3,427,000 above fiscal year 2023.

This funding allows Members to effectively serve their constituents and supports the Office of the Parliamen- tarian, Office of Legislative Counsel, and Office of Law Revision Counsel to assist the House in carrying out its legislative and over- sight responsibilities.
HOUSE LEADERSHIP OFFICES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $36,560,000 36,560,000 36,560,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $36,560,000 for salaries and ex- penses of staff in House Leadership offices.
The allocation by office follows: Office of the Speaker .......................................................................... Office of the Majority Floor Leader .................................................. Office of the Majority Whip ............................................................... Republican Conference ....................................................................... Office of the Minority Floor Leader .................................................. Office of the Minority Whip ............................................................... Democratic Caucus ............................................................................. $10,499,000 3,730,000 3,099,000 2,962,000 10,499,000 2,809,000 2,962,000 MEMBERS’ REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $810,000,000 810,000,000 810,000,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $810,000,000 for the MRA.
MCNODE ALLOWANCE FOR COMPENSATION OF INTERNS IN MEMBER OFFICES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $20,638,800 20,638,800 20,638,800 0 0 The Committee recommends $20,638,800 for the compensation of interns who serve in the offices of House Members, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner.
This recommendation maintains the intern allowance cap of $46,800 per Member office.
ALLOWANCE FOR COMPENSATION OF INTERNS IN HOUSE LEADERSHIP OFFICES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $586,000 586,000 586,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $586,000 for the compensation of in- terns who serve in the offices of House Leadership.
This rec- ommendation includes $322,300 for the compensation of interns who serve in House Leadership offices of the majority, to be allo- cated among such offices by the Speaker of the House, and $263,700 for the compensation of interns who serve in House Lead- ership offices of the minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Minority Floor Leader.
ALLOWANCE FOR COMPENSATION OF INTERNS IN HOUSE STANDING, SPECIAL AND SELECT COMMITTEE OFFICES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $2,600,000 2,600,000 2,600,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $2,600,000 for the compensation of interns who serve in the offices of House Standing, Special and Se- lect Committees.
This recommendation includes $1,300,000 for the compensation of interns who serve in Committee offices of the ma- jority, and $1,300,000 for the compensation of interns who serve in Committee offices of the minority, to be allocated among such of- fices by the Chair, in consultation with the Ranking Minority Mem- ber, of the Committee on House Administration.
ALLOWANCE FOR COMPENSATION OF INTERNS IN HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE OFFICES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $463,000 463,000 463,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $463,000 for the compensation of in- terns who serve in the offices of the House Appropriations Com- mittee.
This recommendation includes $231,500 for the compensa- tion of interns who serve in Committee offices of the majority, and $231,500 for the compensation of interns who serve in Committee MCNODE offices of the minority, to be allocated by the Chair, in consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, of the Committee on Appro- priations.
COMMITTEE EMPLOYEES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $211,881,000 215,531,000 211,881,000 0 ¥3,650,000 The Committee recommends $211,881,000 in total for Committee Employees.
This account includes funding for salaries and expenses of Committees including equipment, telecommunications, printing, is contract services, and supplies.

$180,587,000 for standing and select Committees and $31,294,000 for the Committee on Appropriations.

Funding is available until December 31, 2024.

Included total the in This account makes available $5,800,000 for committee room ren- ovations.
SALARIES, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $324,057,000 340,787,000 324,879,000 +822,000 ¥15,908,000 The Committee recommends $324,879,000, which is $822,000 more than the enacted level for the salaries and expenses of House officers and employees of the various activities funded through this consolidated item.
House Officers and Support Agencies: The Committee rec- ommendation provides for the salaries and expenses of House offi- cers and employees, including the offices of the Clerk of the House, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, Parliamentarian and Legislative Counsel, among others.
Following is a summary of the funding allocation provided to each component of the account: Office of the Clerk .............................................................................. $41,455,000 The Committee recommends $41,455,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Office of the Clerk, an increase of $628,000 from the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and $3,292,000 below the fiscal year 2024 request.
Office of the Sergeant at Arms .......................................................... $38,793,000 The Committee recommends $38,793,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms (SAA).

This amount is the same as the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and is $5,165,000 over the fiscal year 2024 request.
Congressional Fellowships: Fellowships provide opportunities for congressional offices to supplement their staff with an in-house subject matter expert who can provide valuable insight and per- spective, but, when selecting fellows, congressional offices must ex- ercise caution to ensure that House operations are not com- promised.
While fellows are subject to regulations established by MCNODE the Committee on Ethics, the Committee believes there should be more formalized guidance provided to congressional offices regard- ing congressional fellowships.
The Committee therefore directs the Sergeant at Arms to work with other House offices, as appropriate, to develop a comprehensive set of best practices governing the onboarding, training, and oversight of fellows serving in congres- sional offices and to submit recommendations for best practices to the Committee within 180 days of the enactment of this Act.
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer ........................................ $213,072,000 The Committee recommends $213,072,000 for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

This represents an increase of $1,500,000 over the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and is $14,781,000 less than the request.
Access to Childcare: The House Child Care Center completed its expansion in 2020, but pandemic restrictions required the extra space to be utilized for the reduction in capacity per square feet, allowing the Center to maintain its enrollment size, but not allevi- ate the three-year waiting list for entry.

For the first time since the expansion, the Center may be fully utilized, allowing more staff the opportunity to take advantage of the on campus childcare oppor- tunity.
The Committee encourages the Chief Administrative Officer to expedite the hiring of the faculty necessary to fully utilize the House Child Care Center expansion to reduce the waitlist and maximize this benefit.

Artificial Intelligence Working Group: The Committee acknowl- edges the efforts of the Chief Administrative Office’s artificial intel- ligence (AI) working group to investigate how emerging AI tools could improve the efficiency of House operations.
The Committee encourages the CAO to formalize its working group and to conduct meetings with internal and external stakeholders that will examine issues presented by the emergence of AI in the House.
The Chief Administrative Officer is directed to provide monthly progress briefings to the House Committee on Appropriations and the Com- mittee on House Administration on its work and to produce a re- port examining the near-and mid-term opportunities for generative AI tools, as well as strategies to mitigate new risks.

The report should be submitted within 180 days of enactment of this Act to the Committees.
Capitol Flag Program: The Capitol Flag Program allows Mem- bers of Congress to request a flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol on behalf of their constituents.

Each flag is issued a keepsake Cer- tificate of Authenticity with the option to personalize it.

The num- ber of requests and the popularity of the Capitol Flag Program grows steadily each year, necessitating the continuous moderniza- tion of how orders are fulfilled.
To better assist constituents who order a flag through the Capitol Flag Program, the Committee di- rects that within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the Chief Ad- ministrative Officer, in consultation with the Architect of the Cap- itol, provide a report to the Committee on the feasibility and re- sources necessary to develop a flag tracking system to provide con- stituents the ability to track flags from order to receipt.
Capitol Switchboard: The Committee looks forward to the Chief Administrative Officer’s final report identifying the current House telephone system’s technical limitations and security risks with de- MCNODE tailed recommendations for improving or replacing the current sys- tem, including timelines and cost estimates associated with replac- ing or upgrading the current system.
Chief Administrative Office Reorganization: Over the last few Congresses, the House has made substantive strides to support staff recruitment, retention, professional development, and well- being through the creation of various initiatives and support of- fices.

Each of these offices and initiatives are focused on serving staff, to ensure they can best perform on behalf of the American people.
However, the marketing, management, and structure of each vary greatly, making it difficult for staff to gain full aware- ness and utilization of all the resources at their disposal.

It is im- portant to have a comprehensive strategy to minimize inefficiencies and ensure tax payer dollars are spent responsibly.
To that end, the CAO is undertaking a reorganization to streamline and strengthen an individuals experience as an employee of the House, which will include restructuring the functions of the Office of Di- versity and Inclusion, and funding is provided consistent with that plan.
Congressional Staff Directory: The Committee looks forward to and reiterates the parameters set forth in the report requested in House Report 117–389, on the plan to and associated costs with the creation of a centralized congressional staff directory.
Cyber Security for Members of Congress: The Chief Administra- tive Officer is directed to provide a briefing to the Committee with- in 60 days of enactment of this Act, on the cyber threat landscape that Members face in securing their home networks; the potential impact of those threats on official House business; and, drawing on lessons learned from the Residential Security Program imple- mented by the House Sergeant at Arms, recommendations on how those threats could be deterred, prevented, mitigated, or remedi- ated.
Committee Historical Files: Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the CAO is directed to conduct a feasibility study for creating an electronic database of spending to assist House Committees with historical tracking.
The database would include all enacted legislation that authorizes or provides budget authority from fiscal year 2000 forward, including all mandatory spending in author- izing bills (organized by Committee with primary jurisdiction) and discretionary spending in regular and emergency appropriations bills (organized by Appropriations subcommittee).
In conducting this study, CAO is directed to consult with the Committees on Ap- propriations, authorizing committees, the Congressional Research Service, Government Printing Office, and the Congressional Budget Office to determine the sources of data, personnel requirements, and costs expected to complete and maintain this electronic data- base.

CAO should also assess software options that are available to assist in this effort.
International Travel with House Devices: The Committee recog- nizes the inherent security risks of taking House devices abroad and notes the House Security Office recommendation that Members and staff use dedicated travel devices when traveling internation- ally.
The Committee is interested in what more can be done to en- sure the House network is kept secure, and directs the Chief Ad- ministrative Officer, with advisement from the Sergeant at Arms, MCNODE 10 to provide a report on additional actions offices can take to keep devices and the House network secure when traveling.
This report shall be submitted to the Committee not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.

Personally Identifiable Information: The Committee is concerned about the security of Member and staff Personal Identifiable Infor- mation (PII) made available to outside vendors and contractors.
The Committee directs the Chief Administrative Officer to conduct a thorough review of contracts held by the CAO with external plat- forms having access to Member and staff PII in order to ensure that these contractors are consistent with House polices and proce- dures.

The CAO is directed to report to the Committee within 60 days of enactment of this Act on any vendors who fail to properly follow these policies and procedures and provide recommendations on a path forward.
Protecting Online Activities: The Committee recognizes that Members’ online activities may present opportunities for hacking, cyberattacks, and fraud.

The Committee directs the Chief Adminis- trative Officer, working with the Sergeant at Arms, to brief the Committee and the Committee on House Administration on oppor- tunities to provide Members assistance with mitigating these threats.
Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds ................................................ Office of the Inspector General ......................................................... $1,250,000 $5,512,000 The Committee recommends $5,512,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Office of the Inspector General.

This represents an increase of $374,000 over the fiscal year 2023 enacted total and meets the fiscal year 2024 request.
Audit of House Devices: The Committee believes that having strong management controls to account for the electronic equip- ment issued to House personnel in an evolving work environment has become increasingly important.
Building on its 2022 Audit of CAO IT Asset Management Controls, the House of Representatives Inspector General is directed to work with the Chief Administra- tive Officer to ensure the recommendations in the report have been implemented to ensure House issued devices are accounted for, to prevent fraud waste, and lessen cyber security vulnerabilities.
Office of General Counsel .................................................................. Office of the Parliamentarian ............................................................ Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House ............................ Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House ................................ Office of Interparliamentary Affairs ................................................. Other authorized employees .............................................................. $1,987,000 $2,240,000 $3,900,000 $14,671,000 $934,000 $1,065,000 ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $430,785,200 465,665,200 433,390,200 +2,605,000 ¥32,275,000 The Committee recommends a total of $433,390,200 for allow- ances and expenses, $32,275,000 below the requested level, due to a larger-than anticipated carry-over surplus from prior-year funds.
The following table summarizes the funding allocation provided to each major component of the account: MCNODE 11 Supplies, materials, administrative costs and Federal tort claims Official mail (Committees, administrative, and leadership offices) Government Contributions ................................................................ Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery ....................................
Transition Activities ........................................................................... Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program ................................. $1,555,000 $190,000 $392,368,200 $27,264,000 $5,895,000 $3,356,000 Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program: The Green and Gold program was established to create long-term employment op- portunities for veterans and families of our fallen within the House of Representatives.
The Committee recommendation provides the fiscal year 2024 requested amount of $3,356,000.

Despite the record high average salary ensuring these employment opportunities are competitive, the program has experienced a steep decline in appli- cations.
The Committee encourages the Chief Administrative Offi- cer to work with the Committee on House Administration to broad- en the pool of potential applicants through programmatic changes, such as allowing active-duty spouses to be incorporated into the program and allowing Members to request extensions for partici- pants.
Office of Congressional Ethics ........................................................... Miscellaneous items ........................................................................... $1,762,000 $1,000,000 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MODERNIZATION INITIATIVES ACCOUNT (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $10,000,000 10,000,000 10,000,000 0 0 The Committee recommends a total of $10,000,000 for the House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account.
The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress proposed rec- ommendations to improve the way Congress works.

The Moderniza- tion Initiatives Account was created to help implement these rec- ommendations.

The Committee believes that investing in these rec- ommendations will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Legislative Branch so that it can better serve the American people.
The Committee reminds the Chief Administrative Officer that dis- bursement from this account is subject to approval of the Com- mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS Section 110 continues to provide for unspent amounts remaining in the Members’ Representational Allowances account to be used for deficit or debt reduction.

Section 111 continues a limitation on the amount available to lease vehicles.
Section 112 continues to allow cybersecurity assistance for the House of Representatives.
MCNODE 12 JOINT ITEMS JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $4,283,000 4,283,000 4,283,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $4,283,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Joint Economic Committee.
The Joint Economic Committee was created by the Employment Act of 1946.

The primary tasks of the Committee are to review eco- nomic conditions and to recommend improvements in economic pol- icy.

The Committee performs research and economic analysis and monitors and analyzes current economic, financial, and employ- ment conditions.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $12,948,000 14,125,000 13,059,000 +111,000 ¥1,066,000 The Committee recommends $13,059,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).
The JCT operates under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and its predecessors dating to the Revenue Act of 1926.
It has responsi- bility to (1) investigate the operation and effects of internal rev- enue taxes and the administration of such taxes, (2) investigate measures and methods for the simplification of such taxes, (3) make reports to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance (or to the House of Representatives and the Senate) on the results of such investigations and studies and to make recommendations, and (4) review any proposed refund or credit of income or estate and gift taxes or certain other taxes set forth in U.S. Code section 6405 in excess of $2,000,000 ($5,000,000 in the case of a C corporation).
In addition to these functions that are specified in the Internal Revenue Code, the Con- gressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the JCT to provide revenue estimates for all tax legislation considered by either the House or the Senate.
OFFICE OF THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $4,181,000 6,299,000 4,270,000 +89,000 ¥2,029,000 The Committee recommends $4,270,000 for the Office of the At- tending Physician (OAP).
MCNODE 13 OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $1,702,000 1,766,000 1,766,000 +64,000 0 The Committee recommends $1,766,000 for the operation of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services (OCAS).
The OCAS provides and coordinates a variety of accessibility services for individuals with disabilities including Members of Con- gress, staff, and visitors in the United States Capitol complex.
Accessibility Applications: The Committee directs the Director of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services (OCAS) and the Mobile Security Team to submit a report to the Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act on the approval process for accessibility applications, the average time for approval, and to provide recommendations on how this process may be expe- dited.
In addition, the Committee requests the Director of OCAS in consultation with the House Recording Studio to submit a report to the Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act to determine the appropriateness of using artificial intelligence captioning services during committee activity, including potential advantages and disadvantages for the Deaf and hard of hearing, projected costs, and challenges to implementation and usage.
UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE SALARIES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $541,730,000 612,270,000 588,070,000 +46,340,000 ¥24,200,000 The Committee recommends $588,070,000 for the personnel sala- ries, benefits, student loan repayment, and overtime requirements, to include the cost of overtime necessary for providing training of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP).
The recommendation provides full funding for 2,204 sworn officers, as requested, in fiscal year 2024.

Civilian Staffing: The Committee supports the Department’s hir- ing goals but recognizes that, while the Department has aggres- sively sought qualified civilian applicants, it has had difficulty find- ing candidates that meet the Department’s rigorous standards.
The Department’s projections for fiscal year 2023 civilian hiring are below the authorized and appropriated levels and the Committee believes it will be difficult to hire the requested civilians for fiscal year 2024.

While the authorized number of civilians is supported, the Committee’s recommendation includes a reduction to the ac- count due to historical under execution for civilian personnel.
Motorized Devices: As noted in House Report 117–389, the Com- mittee expects the Capitol Police to continue its outreach efforts to dockless scooter and bicycle companies and the District of Colum- bia, and to work to better educate users, including congressional MCNODE 14 staff, District residents and visitors, on the appropriate operation of dockless scooters and bicycles on Capitol Grounds.
Risk-Based Protections for Members of Congress: The Committee continues to expect the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to continue work- ing closely with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms and local law enforcement partners on the USCP strategy for Members’ pro- tection within the NCR while outside the Capitol Grounds, and to educate Member offices on this topic.
The Committee instructs the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to coordinate with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms to direct patrols to buildings or locations where the Members tend to congregate in order to fulfill its mission under 2 U.S.C.

1966.

U.S. Capitol Police Retirement: The Committee remains sup- portive of a healthy overtime and retirement structure for U.S. Capitol Police officers.
The joint explanatory statement accom- panying the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022, directed the Department to explore options for expanding sworn retirement benefits.

The Capitol Police report evaluated several options, and the Committee worked closely with the Department and interested parties on an adjustment to the sworn pay schedule that resulted in more competitive salaries.
This has provided an immediate ben- efit to sworn officers in the form of higher monthly compensation, as well as the long-term benefit of increased annuities at retire- ment.

Preserving a stable and fair retirement system that encourages and incentivizes sworn officers to continue serving at all stages of their career is of utmost importance to the Committee.

The Com- mittee is aware of another proposal to add overtime to the retire- ment calculation.
This proposal was considered during the fiscal year 2022 deliberations and was determined to be less sustainable than the resulting pay adjustment.

Given the recent pay schedule adjustment, the Committee is interested in reviewing quantifiable recruitment and retention data to determine the effects from the pay adjustment.

The Committee is committed to reviewing the im- pacts from the 2022 agreement, and considering further adjust- ments that are both meaningful and sustainable in the future.
Use of Grounds: As instructed in House Report 117–389, the USCP should continue to forebear enforcement of 2 U.S.C.

1963 and the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds when encountering snow sledders on the grounds.
GENERAL EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $192,846,000 228,672,000 192,846,000 0 ¥35,826,000 The Committee recommends $192,846,000 for general expenses to support the responsibilities for law enforcement, Capitol complex physical and technological security, dignitary protection, intel- ligence analysis, event management, hazardous material/devices, IT, and other specialized responses, as well as logistical and admin- istrative support.
General Expenses for Fiscal Year 2024: The Committee supports resourcing the Department to meet its essential needs and believes MCNODE 15 that the Department can fulfill its mission with a maintained level of funding for general expenses.
The Capitol Police’s budget has seen a significant increase in recent years, which has been widely supported, but the Committee acknowledges that full execution of funding has been a challenge.

Additionally, the Committee notes that investments provided for in recent years are being considered for replacement in the Department’s fiscal year 2024 request.

For example, new handguns funded in fiscal years 2019 and 2021 are being considered for replacement.
Properly equipping sworn officers is imperative, but the operational requirement for this request of over $12,000,000 for new handguns, holsters and ammunition is early to need.

It is for these reasons that the Committee is recom- mending level funding, which should not be taken as a lack of sup- port for the Capitol Police or its mission, but rather in line with a requirement for prudent fiscal decisions.
Two-Way Sharing of Critical Information: The Committee is in receipt of the report requested in House Report 117–389 regarding the Department’s two-way sharing of critical information.

The Committee commends the USCP for developing a robust threat identification, investigation, and mitigation process.
To further en- hance these processes, the U.S. Capitol Police Chief is directed to continue plans to expand the use of other local, state, and Federal law enforcement entities through reimbursable mutual aid agree- ments and to ensure collaborative two-way sharing of critical infor- mation is used to meet mission requirements.
USCP Office of Inspector General: The Committee appreciates the diligent work that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has done with the increased workload due to Committee and Board project requests, and the recommendation includes $850,000, an in- crease of $376,000 from fiscal year 2023, for the OIG.
As the De- partment’s budget increases, the complexities of the financial state- ment audit have necessitated its outsourcing so that the OIG may continue to fulfill its statutory responsibilities for auditing Depart- ment programs and operations to ensure efficacy and investigation of complaints for potential fraud, waste, or abuse.
USCP Office of the Inspector General Report Disclosure: As in- cluded in previous House Reports 117–80 and 117–389, the Com- mittee again requests that the Inspector General institute proce- dures to make its reports publicly available whenever practicable, and to begin publishing reports on its website.
The Committee is aware of the process initiated by the Office of the Inspector Gen- eral to gain approval for the public posting of its reports and di- rects the Capitol Police Board to further these efforts to expedite the process.

Wellness Programs for Law Enforcement: The Committee appre- ciates the efforts undertaken by the USCP to develop and imple- ment a holistic wellness and resiliency program for its workforce, including the Howard C. ‘Howie’ Liebengood Center for Wellness.
The Committee directs the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to survey the force to help shape updates to the wellness program and its assessibility to the USCP workforce and submit a report to the Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act that includes the results of the survey, a prioritization of updates to be considered, and their associated cost projections.
MCNODE 16 OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $8,000,000 8,549,646 8,000,000 0 ¥549,646 The Committee recommends $8,000,000 for salaries and expenses of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR).
Funding will provide the OCWR 34 FTE positions, consistent with fiscal year 2023 levels, and the resources needed to continue OCWR’s mandate to administer the Congressional Accountability Reform Act.

Of the total, $2,500,000 shall remain available until Sep- tember 30, 2025.

Consistent with Section 3(b) of H.Res.

5, One Hundred Eight- eenth Congress, no funds are provided to facilitate House Resolu- tion 1096, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $63,237,000 70,775,000 64,637,000 +1,400,000 ¥6,138,000 The Committee recommends $64,637,000 for salaries and ex- penses of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The CBO is re- sponsible for producing independent analyses of budgetary and eco- nomic issues to support the congressional budget process.

Each year, the agency produces dozens of reports, including its outlook on the budget and economy, and hundreds of cost estimates for pro- posed legislation.

Agency Requests: Budgetary and administrative data, as well as other information held by Executive Branch agencies, are critical to the work of the Congress.
To the greatest extent practicable under existing legal requirements, Executive Branch agencies should prioritize requests from the Congressional Budget Office for data and other information and ensure agency procedures and per- missions are in place to expedite responses to CBO requests.
CBO Scoring: The Committee directs the Congressional Budget Office, in coordination with the Joint Committee on Taxation, to provide a report to the Committee, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, on the impacts of adding debt-service costs to CBO’s esti- mates.

Outreach to Congressional Offices: The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their prod- ucts, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress.
As such, the Committee requests that the Director of CBO expand the agency’s outreach to better inform Congress of the products and services the CBO pro- vides.
Responsiveness to Congress: The Committee continues to expect CBO to ensure a high level of responsiveness to committees, leader- MCNODE 17 ship and Members, to the greatest extent practicable under the pri- orities for CBO set by law, especially when working on current pending legislation.
As an agency that prides itself as being non- partisan, CBO should be providing the same information to all stakeholders at the appropriate time when addressing legislation that has been made public.
ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL (EXCLUDING SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGS) the Capitol Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $1,130,406,000 957,505,000 798,103,000 ¥332,303,000 ¥159,402,000 The Committee recommends $798,103,000 for the activities of the Architect of is $159,402,000 less than the request.
(These totals do not include ap- propriations for Senate Office Buildings requested at $170,581,000 which are traditionally left for consideration of the Senate.)

The Architect is responsible for the maintenance, operation, develop- ment, and preservation of the United States Capitol complex.
This includes mechanical and structural maintenance of the Capitol, congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the United States Botanic Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities, as well as the upkeep and improvement of the grounds surrounding the Capitol complex.

recommendation (AOC).


The The following table summarizes the allocation of funds by appro- priation account: Capital Construction and Operations ............................................... Capitol Building .................................................................................. Capitol Grounds .................................................................................. House Office Buildings.
...................................................................... Capitol Power Plant ........................................................................... Library Buildings and Grounds ........................................................ Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security .............................. Botanic Garden ................................................................................... Capitol Visitor Center ........................................................................ $149,073,000 85,304,000 16,365,000 168,439,000 131,751,000 117,120,000 81,172,000 21,187,000 27,692,000 The Committee recommendation funds the operating expenses, less the Senate office building request, throughout these accounts.
CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONS Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $145,843,000 175,765,000 149,073,000 +3,230,000 ¥26,692,000 The Committee recommends $149,073,000 for campus-wide archi- tectural and engineering design; project, property, and construction management; financial management; procurement; personnel serv- ices; equipment; communications; and other central support activi- ties of the AOC.
Of the total, $3,200,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Budget Justifications: The Committee thanks the AOC for includ- ing in the congressional budget justifications the description of the activities of the AOC Construction Division, as requested.
The MCNODE 18 Committee requests that this information identifying the number and scope of projects, and the number of staff funded through Con- struction Division activities, and the funding provided to the Divi- sion from AOC jurisdiction accounts continue to be included in the budget justification material.
The Committee directs that the jus- tifications include, in each jurisdiction’s section, the appropriations bill language requested, along with any changes to be identified with brackets and italicization.
Energy Resiliency and Efficiency: The Committee recognizes the AOC’s Capitol Power Plant cogeneration project and the energy savings performance contracts at the Capitol, House, and Senate have resulted in roughly $100,000,000 in cost avoidance and serve as an important effort in grid resiliency and domestic renewable energy production.
The AOC is encouraged to continue to address facility needs in an energy efficient and fiscally responsible manner and seek ways to increase Capitol campus resiliency and efficiency.

Inspector General: Within the total, the Committee provides no less than $6,110,000 for the AOC Inspector General office.

Item Committee recommendation Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................
Projects: BASnet Cybersecurity Hardware and Network Programming Upgrades ............................................... Capital Planning and Programming ..................................................................................................... $145,873,000 2,100,000 1,100,000 CAPITOL BUILDING Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $80,589,000 119,267,000 85,304,000 +4,715,000 ¥33,963,000 The Committee recommends $85,304,000 for the operation, main- tenance, and care of the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).
Of the total, $53,599,000 shall remain available until Sep- tember 30, 2028.

Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................
Projects: Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................ Building Envelope Repairs, Capitol—Phase IV .................................................................................... Conservation of Fine and Architectural Art .......................................................................................... ........................................................................... Presidential Inaugural Stands Construction, Capitol Committee recommendation $31,705,000 6,000,000 25,000,000 599,000 22,000,000 Wireless Connectivity: The Committee recognizes the necessity for wireless connectivity throughout the Capitol complex.
The Com- mittee continues to urge the Architect to assess the feasibility of upgrading the wireless local area network to ensure the highest level of connectivity in all areas of the Capitol complex.
CAPITOL GROUNDS Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee Recommendation ............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $16,365,000 17,556,000 16,365,000 0 ¥1,191,000 MCNODE 19 The Committee recommends $16,365,000 for the care of the grounds surrounding the Capitol.
Of the total, $2,000,000 shall re- main available until September 30, 2028.
Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................ Project: Committee recommendation $14,365,000 Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................ 2,000,000 Accessibility: The Committee directs the Architect of the Capitol to provide a report to the Committee, within 60 days of enactment of this Act, on the cost estimates associated with the annual Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act progress report on removing the accessi- bility barriers.
Road and Traffic Conditions around the Capitol: To mitigate traffic and pedestrian safety concerns, the Committee encourages the AOC to work with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) to evaluate and improve road conditions and traffic light sequences to the roads immediately surrounding the House Office Buildings.
Bike Lanes: As stated in House Report 117–389, the AOC is com- mended for and should continue its efforts to develop a safe and accessible street system to better connect all road users to the U.S. Capitol, Union Station, and the National Mall.
HOUSE OFFICE BUILDINGS Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $126,279,000 195,277,000 168,439,000 +42,160,000 ¥26,838,000 The Committee recommends $168,439,000 for the operation, maintenance, and care of the Rayburn, Cannon, Longworth, Ford, and O’Neill House Office Buildings, and the House underground garages.
Of the total provided, $53,140,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

The bill includes $41,800,000 for the con- tinuation of the Cannon House Office Building renovation project, which shall remain available until expended.

Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................
Projects: Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................

Steam Pipe Replacement, Longworth ...................................................................................................
Steam Distribution Replacement, Rayburn ........................................................................................... Fire Alarm Panel Replacement, Rayburn .............................................................................................. CAO Project Support ..............................................................................................................................
Emergency Generator and Backup Power Replacement Design, O’Neill .............................................. Cannon Building Restoration ................................................................................................................ Committee recommendation $73,499,000 10,250,000 11,300,000 9,300,000 7,700,000 12,050,000 2,540,000 41,800,000 Cannon Building Costs: The Committee recognizes the urgent need to complete the Cannon Building renewal, which will replace outdated building systems, conserve historic aspects of the build- ing, and optimize the functionality of Member suites, among other improvements.
The Committee remains concerned that the cost of the Cannon renovation has continued to increase from an initial MCNODE 20 project estimate of $752,700,000 to the current project estimate of $971,300,000.
The Committee continues to receive periodic reports from the Ar- chitect, the AOC IG, and the Government Accountability Office on the Cannon project schedule, actual costs incurred and expected fu- ture costs, and design and construction modifications.

The Com- mittee expects to receive prompt notice of any further cost in- creases and how the AOC expects to absorb them, as detailed in periodic report submission.
The AOC is reminded of the adminis- trative provision in the bill prohibiting funding for incentive or award payments to contractors for projects that are behind sched- ule or over budget.
Funding Priorities: The House Office Buildings jurisdiction is re- sponsible for the operation, maintenance and preservation of more than 5 million square feet of facility space, including Cannon, which is in the middle of an approximately 10-year renewal project; Ford; Longworth; O’Neill, which the AOC received stewardship re- sponsibility for in 2017; and Rayburn House Office Buildings.
The Committee recommends the Architect of the Capitol review current funding priorities for the House Office Buildings and directs a briefing to the Committee not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act to explain the expanding size and scope of projects as well as the growing list of deferred maintenance.
Pest Management: The Committee is in receipt of the Architect of the Capitol’s Integrated Pest Management Program report and notes the AOC’s continuing commitment to addressing pests in an environmentally responsible manner to create a safe workplace for all who work at and visit the Capitol campus, and further expects the AOC to continue its efforts in proactive pest management and mitigation.
CAPITOL POWER PLANT Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $166,951,000 158,024,000 131,751,000 ¥35,200,000 ¥26,273,000 The Committee recommends $131,751,000 in direct appropria- tions for the operations of the Capitol Power Plant, which is the centralized provider of utility services for the Capitol campus.
Of the total, $43,400,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

In addition, $10,000,000 in offsetting collections is available from reimbursements for steam and chilled water.

Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................

Projects: Minor Construction.
Pipe Expansion Joint Repairs, G Tunnel Mechanical System Replacement, Refrigeration Plant-Phase VII ............................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ........................................................ Committee recommendation $98,351,000 5,000,000 7,600,000 30,800,000 MCNODE 21 LIBRARY BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $144,220,000 120,766,000 117,120,000 ¥27,100,000 ¥3,646,000 The Committee recommends $117,120,000 for the care and main- tenance of the Thomas Jefferson Building, James Madison Memo- rial Building, John Adams Building, Packard Campus, Ft. Meade Collection Storage Facility, National Library Services Facility, and the St. Cecilia Special Services Facilities Center.
Of the total, $80,900,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................
Projects: Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................ Fire Alarm System Repairs, Jefferson ................................................................................................... Building Envelope Repairs, Jefferson ....................................................................................................
Roof Replacement, Adams—Phase II ...................................................................................................
Elevator Repairs, Adams ....................................................................................................................... Committee recommendation $36,220,000 4,000,000 13,600,000 33,400,000 23,800,000 6,100,000 ($40,000,000 appropriated Visitor Experience Master Plan: In September 2019, Congress ap- proved the Visitor Experience Master Plan (VEMP), a $60,000,000 funds, Public-Private Partnership $20,000,000 donated funds) that will transform how the Library of Congress’ visitors will engage with the Thomas Jefferson Building’s architecture, interiors, exhibits and experiences.
The Committee appreciates the bi-weekly project status reports produced by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) and the Library of Congress (LOC) but remains concerned with the accuracy of construction cost esti- mates, schedules, and overall evolution of the project.

Every effort must be made to complete this project in time for the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration.
The AOC, in collaboration with the LOC, is directed to continue the bi-weekly project status reports to the Senate and House appropriations and authorization committees of jurisdiction.
CAPITOL POLICE BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, AND SECURITY Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $402,907,000 119,828,000 81,172,000 ¥321,735,000 ¥38,656,000 The Committee recommends $81,172,000 for the maintenance, care and operation of buildings, grounds and security enhance- ments of the United States Capitol Police and AOC security oper- ations.
Of the total, $21,100,000 shall remain available until Sep- tember 30, 2028.

Item Committee recommendation Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................

Projects: Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................
Generator Addition and New Utility Service .......................................................................................... $60,072,000 10,000,000 5,800,000 MCNODE 22 Item Committee recommendation Air Conditioning Unit Replacement—Phase II ..................................................................................... 5,300,000 BOTANIC GARDEN Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $23,560,000 21,187,000 21,187,000 ¥2,373,000 0 The Committee recommends $21,187,000 for the improvement, operation, care, and maintenance of the United States Botanic Gar- den (USBG) Conservatory; the National Garden; the Administra- tion Building; the Bartholdi Park and Fountain; heritage and other plant collections; and the USBG Production Facility at DC Village.
Of the total, $5,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

Item Operating Expenses ........................................................................................................................................
Projects: Committee recommendation $16,187,000 Minor Construction ................................................................................................................................ 5,000,000 Collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): The Committee continues to recognize the value of the USBG supporting the evolution of urban agriculture.
The Com- mittee encourages USBG to continue to collaborate with USDA to support the USBG’s efforts to host and serve as an educational and training location for local and national audiences.
CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $27,692,000 29,835,000 27,692,000 0 ¥2,143,000 The Committee recommends $27,692,000 for the operations of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).
The CVC was established to pro- vide a secure public environment to welcome and manage the large number of visitors and to protect the Capitol, its occupants, and guests in an atmosphere of open access.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION Section 113 prohibits payment of bonuses to contractors behind schedule or over budget during fiscal year 2024.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $828,548,000 895,204,000 843,747,000 +15,199,000 ¥51,457,000 The Committee recommends $843,747,000 for the activities of the Library of Congress (LOC).
Established by Congress in 1800, the MCNODE 23 Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with a col- lection of more than 170,000,000 print, audio, and video items in 470 languages.
Among its major programs are acquisitions, preser- vation, administration of United States copyright laws by the Copy- right Office, research and analysis of policy issues for the Congress by the Congressional Research Service, and administration of a na- tional program to provide reading material to the blind and print disabled.

The LOC maintains a significant number of collections and provides a range of services to libraries in the United States and abroad.
The following table summarizes the allocation of funds by appro- priation account: Salaries and Expenses .......................................................................
Copyright Office .................................................................................. Congressional Research Service ........................................................ National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled ............ $582,605,481 55,420,000 135,797,000 69,924,519 SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $582,529,000 618,570,000 582,605,481 +76,481 ¥35,964,519 The Committee recommends $582,605,481 for Salaries and Ex- penses.
Within the total, the Committee provides no less than $4,500,000 for the LOC Inspector General office to support no less than 14 FTE.

The recommendation makes the following amounts available until expended: $12,739,000 for the Teaching with Pri- mary Sources Program, $1,509,000 for the Legislative Branch Fi- nancial Management System, $250,000 for the Surplus Books Pro- gram, and $4,205,000 for the Veterans History Project.
Archival Preservation of Central and Eastern European Collec- tions: The Committee recognizes the cultural contributions of the American diasporic groups from nations and communities of the former Soviet Union and its Republics and appreciates the value in preserving their histories and traditions.
The Committee com- mends the important work the Library of Congress is doing to iden- tify, collect, and archive stories, documents, and other historical materials from cultural and ethnic diasporas across Europe and re- quests the Library further strengthen its partnerships with muse- ums, non-profits, and ethnic heritage centers across the country to collect additional stories, documents and visual materials and re- cordings from families and institutions dedicated to Eastern and Central European historical collections, and encourages the Library to disseminate them for public use.
Public Access to Legislative Information: In House Report 116– 64, the Committee urged the LOC to convene a public meeting at least once a year during the following two years to discuss public input into the Library’s legislative information services.

The Li- brary held three public forums which were widely attended and viewed as a success by both the LOC and the participants.
The Li- brary should continue to host these public forums, both in person and virtually, at least once a year and continue to report on the recommendations it receives, including making those recommenda- tions available to the public.
MCNODE 24 COVID–19 American History Project: The COVID–19 American History Project Act is an educational and commemorative program that collects, preserves, and makes available to the public an ar- chive of submitted oral stories of those who were impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic, survivors of loved ones who lost their lives to the disease, and frontline healthcare workers who tirelessly worked to eradicate this virus.
The Committee recommends $1,500,000 for the continuation of this program and directs the LOC to provide an update on the status of the project to the Com- mittee 180 days after enactment of this Act.

Preservation of America’s Civil Rights Legacy Abroad: The Com- mittee continues to support the Library of Congress’s efforts to make available, as appropriate, their expertise for projects aimed at preserving America’s civil rights history abroad.
Preservation of the Collection: As a means to preserve the LOC’s literary and historical treasures, the Committee provides $943,000 to continue the deacidification preservation program.
Teaching with Primary Sources: The Committee commends the Library of Congress for the important work of educational pro- grams like Teaching with Primary Sources, which offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching.

Primary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events.
One example is the oppor- tunity to develop a personal understanding of antisemitism through original materials.

Some of the organizations that have re- ceived Teaching with Primary Sources regional grants have used Library collections to develop curriculum material and professional development opportunities for teachers related to combatting anti- semitism.

The Committee recognizes the importance of these edu- cational tools in promoting understanding, respect and tolerance.
COPYRIGHT OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $53,762,000 57,537,000 55,420,000 +1,658,000 ¥2,117,000 The Committee recommends $55,420,000 in direct appropriations to the Copyright Office.
An additional $44,591,000 is made avail- able from receipts for salaries and expenses and $1,000,000 is available from prior-year unobligated balances for a total of $101,011,000.

Copyright Modernization: Few government bodies are more im- portant to the growth of creativity and commercial artistic activity in our nation than the Copyright Office.

The Committee continues to support the Copyright Office’s efforts to modernize its IT infra- structure to effectively serve its customers.
The Librarian of Con- gress shall coordinate with the Director of the Copyright Office in implementing its information technology continuous development plan, and the Library shall expend funds on IT infrastructure for the Copyright Office in furtherance of that plan.
The Committee MCNODE 25 encourages the Librarian of Congress to remain sensitive to the specialized requirements of the Copyright Office as the Office im- plements its IT continuous development in conjunction with the overall Library IT modernization effort.
Copyright Expertise: The Committee continues to support the Of- fice’s use of funds to offer expertise on copyright matters to the Ex- ecutive Branch, including participation in international discussions.

Consistent with historical practice, the Committee expects the Li- brary to continue to defer to the copyright expertise of the Register of Copyrights and to ensure direct consultation between the Copy- right Office and Congress.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $133,600,000 146,574,000 135,797,000 +2,197,000 ¥10,777,000 The Committee recommends $135,797,000 for salaries and ex- penses of Congressional Research Service (CRS), which supports Members and Committees in legislative, oversight, and representa- tional functions by providing nonpartisan and confidential research and policy analysis.
The organization provides an important service for Members and staff, publishing hundreds of reports annually free of charge and providing briefings on pertinent policy issues considered by Congress.

The expert nonpartisan analysts at CRS keep Congress informed, contributing to intelligent and responsible policymaking.
Congressional Research Service Reports in HTML: The Com- mittee directs the Library of Congress to make available to the public the most recent version of all non-confidential CRS Reports contained on the public crsreports.congress.gov website in HTML format, or a successor format when appropriate, to facilitate use and reuse of information contained in the reports.
To the extent practical, this enhancement of the public CRS report site should be implemented within one year of the enactment of this legislation.

The Library can satisfy this requirement by contemporaneously publishing this information in bulk, such as through the Govern- ment Publishing Office’s bulk data repository.
Continuing Education for Congressional Staff: In House Report 117–80, the Committee recommended the creation of a Legal Insti- tute with introductory and advanced programs, geared towards senior Congressional staff who have not attended law school, which would educate participants on legal fundamentals that inform Congress’s lawmaking and oversight functions.

The Committee supports the Congressional Legal Education Forum and provided $1,000,000 to begin the program in February 2023.
The Committee directs $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 to continue to grow the pro- gram.

Employee Survey: The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) offers unique insight into an organization’s climate, and employee workplace wellbeing and satisfaction.
To ensure CRS em- ployees can best fulfill their mission to serve Congress’s needs, the MCNODE 26 Committee directs the Director of CRS to share the results of the FEVS with the Committee and employees.
Outreach to the Congressional Offices: The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress.

In particular, the Committee requests that the Director of CRS regularly and proactively engage in outreach efforts to Congress to determine where improvements can be made and where new approaches are appropriate.
Updates to Congress.gov: The Committee looks forward to the re- port ordered in the joint explanatory statement accompanying P.L.

117–328 to gain insight on how Congress.gov could better track the legislative process.
NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND PRINT DISABLED SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $58,657,000 72,523,000 69,924,519 +11,267,519 ¥2,598,481 The Committee recommends $69,924,519 for salaries and ex- penses of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Dis- abled (NLS).
The NLS is a free braille and talking book library service for peo- ple with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a dis- ability that prevents them from reading or holding the printed page.

Through a national network of regional and sub-regional li- braries, NLS circulates books and magazines in braille and audio formats, which are delivered by postage-free mail or are instantly downloadable.
BARD Modernization: The Committee also continues to support the modernization of Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) Infrastructure, which distributes audio and electronic braille mate- rials.

The program’s objective is to transition these services to a cloud-based environment.

Braille eReader and Talking Book Machine Initiative: The Com- mittee continues to support the Braille eReader and Talking Book Machine initiatives.
The recommendation provides for the contin- ued acquisition new e-Reader devices for distribution through the NLS Machine Lending Agencies, which also distribute talking book machines.

GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE The Government Publishing Office (GPO) publishes and dissemi- nates Federal government publications to Congress, Federal agen- cies, Federal depository libraries, and the American public.
MCNODE 27 CONGRESSIONAL PUBLISHING (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $82,992,000 83,000,000 82,992,000 0 ¥8,000 The Committee recommends $82,992,000 for Congressional Pub- lishing.
This account funds the costs of publishing congressional in- formation products in both digital and print formats.

Updating Publication Software: The Committee commends the efforts made to update the software and to ensure legislative draft- ing and publishing platforms can accommodate UTF–8 characters.
The Committee directs the GPO, along with the Office of the Clerk and the Library of Congress, to brief the Committee within 60 days of the enactment of this Act on its current capacity to support dia- critical marks and its plans to expand and develop this capacity.
PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAMS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS SALARIES AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $35,257,000 37,388,000 35,257,000 0 ¥2,131,000 The Committee recommends $35,257,000 for the salaries and ex- penses of the Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents.
This appropriation primarily supports the cataloguing and index- ing of Federal Government publications (the results of which are now available online) and for operating the Federal Depository Li- brary system and providing Federal documents to the network of 1,133 depository libraries nationwide.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE BUSINESS OPERATIONS REVOLVING FUND Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $11,605,000 12,100,000 11,605,000 0 ¥495,000 The Committee recommends $11,605,000 for the Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund, which fi- nances GPO’s publishing operations.
This business-like fund is used to pay GPO’s costs in performing or procuring from private-sector sources congressional and agency publishing, information product procurement, and publications dis- semination activities.

The fund is reimbursed from payments from customer agencies, sales to the public, appropriations to the fund, and transfers from GPO’s two annual appropriations.
MCNODE 28 GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE SALARIES AND EXPENSES Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $790,319,000 859,653,000 806,004,000 +15,685,000 ¥53,649,000 Established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Gov- ernment Accountability Office (GAO) works for Congress by re- sponding to requests for studies of Federal government programs and expenditures and may also initiate its own work.
The Com- mittee recommends $806,004,000 in direct appropriations for GAO.

In addition, $73,976,000 is available in offsetting collections de- rived from reimbursements for conducting financial audits of gov- ernment corporations and the rental of space in the GAO building.

Within the total, the Committee provides no less than $2,898,000 for the GAO Inspector General office to support no less than 14 FTEs.
Community Funding Projects: The Committee directs the GAO to again undertake an audit of Community Project Funding contained in fiscal year 2024 appropriations legislation.

The audit shall in- clude the same characteristics GAO adhered to in its fiscal year 2022 CPF directive after consulting with the Committees on Appro- priations.

In conducting its audit, GAO shall provide periodic brief- ings and reports based on available data to the Committees.
Duplicative Government Programs: Each year, GAO identifies and reports on Federal agency programs with fragmented, overlap- ping, or duplicative goals or activities and ways to reduce costs or enhance revenue.

The Committee continues to direct GAO to issue these reports and urges the Executive Branch to address duplica- tive programs.
Improving Access to Information: The Committee is aware of the GAO’s efforts to improve congressional and public access to the in- formation contained in its reports and testimony by issuing prod- ucts in HTML through the agency’s New Blue program.

Through this program, the GAO is starting a pilot to issue more reports in HTML along with the traditional PDF formats.
The Committee en- courages the Comptroller General to continue furthering efforts in this program and report to the Committee its progress 90 days after enactment of this Act.

Outreach to Congressional Staff: The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their prod- ucts, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress.
As such, the Committee requests that GAO expand its outreach to better inform Congress of the products and services the agency provides.

Unimplemented Recommendations: The joint explanatory state- ment accompanying P.L.

117–328 directed the GAO to publish on its website and provide a report estimating the cost savings that could be achieved if agencies acted on GAO’s recommendations or- ganized by agency.

The Committee looks forward to the report upon completion in June 2023.
MCNODE 29 CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE FOR INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $6,000,000 7,200,000 6,000,000 0 ¥1,200,000 The Committee recommends $6,000,000 for salaries and expenses of the Congressional Office for International Leadership.
Ukraine: The Committee continues to be deeply troubled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supports COIL’s engagement with Ukrainians outside of Ukraine to maintain democratic advance- ment throughout wartime.

Poland: The Committee is pleased with COIL’s efforts to explore increased exchange with Poland as a former Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe.
Hungary: The Committee continues to support COIL’s efforts to explore increased exchange with Hungary as a former Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe.
JOHN C. STENNIS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Appropriation, fiscal year 2023 ......................................................... Budget request, fiscal year 2024 ....................................................... Committee recommendation .............................................................. Change from enacted level ......................................................... Change from request ................................................................... $430,000 430,000 430,000 0 0 The Committee recommends $430,000 for salaries and expenses for the Stennis Center.
The Center provides congressional staff training and development opportunities to promote and strengthen public service leadership in America.
TITLE II—GENERAL PROVISIONS The Committee continues several provisions from prior years, in- cluding language regarding maintenance and care of private vehi- cles, fiscal year limitation, rates of compensation and designation, consulting services, the Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council, a limitation on transfers, guided tours of the Capitol, limi- tations on telecommunications equipment procurement, prohibition on certain operational expenses, and plastic waste reduction, as well as a new provision to exempt the practice of medicine from the fiduciary relationship restrictions for a Member of Congress.
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