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[House Report 105-79]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 1st Session                                                     105-79
_______________________________________________________________________

 
 PROVIDING AMOUNTS FOR THE EXPENSES OF CERTAIN COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE 
          OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

  Aprill 28, 1997.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

_______________________________________________________________________

   Mr. Thomas, from the Committee on House Oversight, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 129]

  The Committee on House Oversight, to whom was referred the 
resolution (H. Res. 129) providing amounts for the expenses of 
certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One 
Hundred Fifth Congress, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the 
resolution be agreed to.
  The amendment is as follows:
  Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. COMMITTEE EXPENSES FOR THE ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS.

  (a) In General.--With respect to the One Hundred Fifth Congress, 
there shall be paid out of the applicable accounts of the House of 
Representatives, in accordance with this primary expense resolution, 
not more than the amount specified in subsection (b) for the expenses 
(including the expenses of all staff salaries) of each committee named 
in that subsection.
  (b) Committees and Amounts.--The committees and amounts referred to 
in subsection (a) are: Committee on Agriculture, $7,656,162; Committee 
on Banking and Financial Services, $8,901,617; Committee on the Budget, 
$9,940,000; Committee on Commerce, $14,535,406; Committee on Education 
and the Workforce, $10,125,113; Committee on House Oversight, 
$6,050,349; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, $4,815,526; 
Committee on International Relations, $10,368,358; Committee on the 
Judiciary, $10,604,041; Committee on National Security, $9,721,745; 
Committee on Resources, $9,876,550; Committee on Rules, $4,649,102; 
Committee on Science, $8,677,830; Committee on Small Business, 
$3,906,941; Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, $2,456,300; 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, $12,184,459; Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs, $4,344,160; and Committee on Ways and Means, 
$11,036,907.

SEC. 2. FIRST SESSION LIMITATIONS.

  (a) In General.--Of the amount provided for in section 1 for each 
committee named in subsection (b), not more than the amount specified 
in such subsection shall be available for expenses incurred during the 
period beginning at noon on January 3, 1997, and ending immediately 
before noon on January 3, 1998.
  (b) Committees and Amounts.--The committees and amounts referred to 
in subsection (a) are: Committee on Agriculture, $3,791,039; Committee 
on Banking and Financial Services, $4,363,817; Committee on the Budget, 
$4,970,000; Committee on Commerce, $7,122,959; Committee on Education 
and the Workforce, $5,002,127; Committee on House Oversight, 
$3,042,603; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, $2,358,040; 
Committee on International Relations, $5,145,358; Committee on the 
Judiciary, $5,054,800; Committee on National Security, $4,719,454; 
Committee on Resources, $4,800,014; Committee on Rules, $2,306,407; 
Committee on Science, $4,263,672; Committee on Small Business, 
$1,936,471; Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, $1,276,300; 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, $5,992,229; Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs, $2,084,368; and Committee on Ways and Means, 
$5,366,700.

SEC. 3. SECOND SESSION LIMITATIONS.

  (a) In General.--Of the amount provided for in section 1 for each 
committee named in subsection (b), not more than the amount specified 
in such subsection shall be available for expenses incurred during the 
period beginning at noon on January 3, 1998, and ending immediately 
before noon on January 3, 1999.
  (b) Committees and Amounts.--The committees and amounts referred to 
in subsection (a) are: Committee on Agriculture, $3,865,123; Committee 
on Banking and Financial Services, $4,537,800; Committee on the Budget, 
$4,970,000; Committee on Commerce, $7,412,447; Committee on Education 
and the Workforce, $5,122,986; Committee on House Oversight, 
$3,007,746; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, $2,457,486; 
Committee on International Relations, $5,223,000; Committee on the 
Judiciary, $5,549,241; Committee on National Security, $5,002,291; 
Committee on Resources, $5,076,536; Committee on Rules, $2,342,695; 
Committee on Science, $4,414,158; Committee on Small Business, 
$1,970,470; Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, $1,180,000; 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, $6,192,230; Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs, $2,259,792; and Committee on Ways and Means, 
$5,670,207.

SEC. 4. VOUCHERS.

  Payments under this resolution shall be made on vouchers authorized 
by the committee involved, signed by the chairman of such committee, 
and approved in the manner directed by the Committee on House 
Oversight.

SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.

  Amounts made available under this resolution shall be expended in 
accordance with regulations prescribed by the Committee on House 
Oversight.

SEC. 6. ADJUSTMENT AUTHORITY.

  The Committee on House Oversight shall have authority to make 
adjustments in amounts under section 1, if necessary to comply with an 
order of the President issued under section 254 of the Balanced Budget 
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or to conform to any 
reduction in appropriations for the purposes of such section 1.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

  On April 24, 1997, by voice vote, a quorum being present, the 
Committee agreed to an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
and agreed to a motion to report the resolution favorably to 
the House, as amended.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

  In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(A) of rule XI of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee states that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

            STATEMENT ON BUDGET AUTHORITY AND RELATED ITEMS

  The resolution does not provide new budget authority, new 
spending authority, new credit authority, or an increase or 
decrease in revenues or tax expenditures, and a statement under 
clause 2(l)(3)(B) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a)(1) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is not required.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

  In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(C) of rule XI of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee states, with 
respect to the resolution, that the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office did not submit a cost estimate and 
comparison under section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974.

  OVERSIGHT FINDINGS OF COMMITTEE ON GOVERNAMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT 

  The Committee states, with respect to clause 2(l)(3)(D) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, that the 
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight did not submit 
findings or recommendations based on investigations under 
clause 4(c)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives.

                             ROLLCALL VOTES

  In relation to clause 2(l)(2)(B) of rule XI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee states that there 
were no rollcall votes with respect to the resolution.

                           GENERAL DISCUSSION

    H. Res. 129, as amended, authorizes $149,850,566 for 
committee salaries and expenses for 17 standing committees of 
the House of Representatives (excluding the Committee on 
Appropriations and the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight) and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 
The amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. 
Boehner and passed by the Committee, was the only amendment 
offered to the resolution. The minority offered no amendments 
to the funding resolution.
    In a separate Committee action, the Chairman announced his 
intent to request a change in House Rule XI, clause 5(f)(3) 
which currently allows committees, to receive 9 per centum (or 
such lesser per centum as may be determined by the Committee on 
House Oversight) of the total annualized amount made available 
under expense resolutions for such committee in the preceding 
session of Congress * * * for the period beginning at noon on 
January 3 and ending at midnight on March 31 in each odd-
numbered year. The requested change would reduce the 9 per 
centum to 8 per centum. Thus, interim funding for committees 
would be at 96% of the annual funding of the previous session 
until an expense resolution is passed by the House.
    On March 21, 1997, the House considered and passed H. Res. 
91 which funded the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight at $11,702,573 in 1997 and $8,317,999 in 1998 as well 
as a total of $7,900,000 for the Reserve Fund for the entire 
105th Congress.
    Additionally, H. Res. 91, section 7, requires an offset 
within other legislative branch activities for any increase in 
105th Congress Committee expenses if they exceed the funds 
appropriated for the 104th Congress. The offset terms of the 
Resolution affect the funding expenses of the committees funded 
in H. Res. 91 as well as those funded in H. Res. 129.
    By Committee resolution, approved on March 12, 1997, the 
Committee on House Oversight established franked mail 
allocations for all committees and the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence.

Committee Funding in the 104th Congress

    Significant changes were enacted at the beginning of the 
104th Congress which affected the structure and 
jurisdiction of Committees. In the 104th Congress, 
three standing committees and 32 subcommittees were abolished. 
Committee staff was reduced by 33% from the 103d 
Congress levels and committee funding authorization was reduced 
by a total of 30%, $67,003,290. Additionally, committees became 
directly responsible and accountable for costs previously paid 
from funds not specifically authorized through a committee 
funding resolution. These costs included, scanning and 
graphics, local telephone line charges, long-distance telephone 
call charges, office supplies and franked mail. Prior to the 
104th Congress, these costs were paid from other 
House funds, separate from the investigative and statutory 
funding procedures. The 30% reduction in funding was achieved 
even after mandating full accountability by committees for 
these costs.
    The 104th Congress was one of the most prolific 
and substantive Congresses in history. According to statistics 
complied by the Committee on Rules, the House spent 2,445 hours 
in session deliberating on and passing 333 bills into law, 
including landmark legislation such as welfare reform, a 
balanced budget and health care reform. This was accomplished 
with fewer committee staff and significantly fewer financial 
resources than was authorized in the prior Congress.

Committee funding process

    The 105th Congress is the second funding cycle 
under the biennial funding process instituted in the 
104th Congress. At the beginning of the 
104th Congress House Rules were revised, changing 
the Committee funding process to a biennial cycle and 
abolishing the bifurcation of funding under statutory and 
investigative accounts.
    Committee Chairmen in the 104th Congress 
achieved the ambitious goals established by the new Republican 
majority, including those of fiscal conservatism and 
legislative proclivity. The biennial committee funding process 
has proven successful in at least two respects. First, every 
House committee chairman was a new chairman, and was asked to 
present a two-year budget and to predict the needs and the 
legislative goals of the committees over which they had only 
recently taken control. 104th Congress Chairmen did 
plan realistic budgets which funded the needs of their 
committees, simultaneously reducing budgets by an average of 
30% from their predecessors. Second, a two-year budget cycle 
saves time and resources for all committees because the process 
is undertaken only once per Congress, rather than twice as was 
done previously. The biennial funding process facilitates long 
term planning and cuts in half the time and resources dedicated 
to making, defending and approving budget requests.
    At the outset of the 104th Congress, the 
Committee on House Oversight adopted a regulation which 
required committees to reimburse legislative and executive 
branch agencies or departments for any detailees working for 
the committee. The regulation has been revised for the 
105th Congress. Committees must continue to 
reimburse for detailees from the Government Printing Office. 
Committees will not, however, be required by the Committee on 
House Oversight to reimburse other agencies for details, so 
long as the number of details at any one committee does not 
exceed 10% of their staff ceiling. Agencies must be reimbursed 
for details above this 10% limit. While details often provide 
special expertise not available on committee staff, or 
expertise not required on a permanent basis, this policy is 
intended to continue to ensure prudent use of other agencies' 
resources and to continue a full-accountability model for 
committee funding.

H. Res. 129

    The sum total of the budget requests for the committees 
funded in this Resolution was $160,108,743. The amount 
authorized for the operations of the 17 standing committees and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in this 
Resolution is $149,850,566. The authorization for the 
operations of the effected committees is reduced by 
$10,258,177, -6%, from the requested amounts. The funding for 
the effected committees in the 105th Congress is an 
average 2% increase over two years above the 104th Congress 
levels.
    The amount authorized in this Resolution is $46,892,058, 
24%, less than the funding for like committees in the 
103d Congress.

                                                                                                                
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                                                                105th                                           
                         Committee                             request     H. Res. 129      1997         1998   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agriculture...............................................    $7,792,162    $7,656,162   $3,791,039   $3,865,123
Banking...................................................     9,414,785     8,901,617    4,363,817    4,537,800
Budget....................................................     9,940,000     9,940,000    4,970,000    4,970,000
Commerce..................................................    15,191,538    14,535,406    7,122,959    7,412,447
Education.................................................    10,569,157    10,125,113    5,002,127    5,122,986
House Oversight...........................................     6,160,946     6,050,349    3,042,603    3,007,746
Intelligence..............................................     5,040,526     4,815,526    2,358,040    2,457,486
International Relations...................................    11,143,892    10,368,358    5,145,358    5,223,000
Judiciary.................................................    12,037,046    10,604,041    5,054,800    5,549,241
National Security.........................................    10,668,640     9,721,745    4,719,454    5,002,291
Resources.................................................    10,418,537     9,876,550    4,800,014    5,076,536
Rules.....................................................     4,649,102     4,649,102    2,306,407    2,342,695
Science...................................................     9,128,727     8,677,830    4,263,672    4,414,158
Small Business............................................     4,339,817     3,906,941    1,936,471    1,970,470
Standards \1\.............................................     2,439,300     2,456,300    1,276,300    1,180,000
Transportation............................................    14,096,282    12,184,459    5,992,229    6,192,230
Veterans' Affairs.........................................     5,744,757     4,344,160    2,084,368    2,259,792
Ways and Means............................................    11,333,529    11,036,907    5,366,700    5,670,207
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
      Total...............................................   160,108,743   149,850,566   73,596,358  76,254,208 
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\1\ H. Res. 129 includes $60,000 for Ethics Reform Task Force expenses.                                         

Minority resources

    The majority is proud of the progress that has been made by 
its committees towards the goal of allocating one-third of each 
committee's resources to the minority. We remain committed to 
this goal. In 1990, the Democratic Majority, pursuant to 
Democratic Caucus Rule 34(F), adopted a policy that the 
committee caucuses shall not be required to provide for more 
than 20 percent of the total funding for minority investigative 
staff for the full committee and each subcommittee of the 
committee. In 1994, at the end of the 103d Congress, only four 
committees (exclusive of those that share bipartisan and 
nonpartisan staff) allowed one-third of their resources, staff 
and funds, to the minority party.
    When the new majority assumed control in the 104th 
Congress, the number of committee staff allocated to the 
minority party significantly improved:

                                                                                                                
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                                                                     102d            103d        104th    105th 
                                                               --------------------------------  1995 &   1997 &
                                                                 1991    1992    1993    1994     1996     1998 
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Percent of Committees providing 33% of staff slots \1\ to the                                                   
 minority.....................................................       6      13       0       6       44       47
Number of Committees providing:                                                                                 
    33% or more...............................................       1       2       0       1        7        7
    25% to 32%................................................       3       2       5       5        6        7
    20% to 24%................................................       5       1       3       2        3        1
    Less than 20%.............................................       7      11       8       8        0        0
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\1\ For the 102d and 103d Congress the calculation is from the investigative staff.                             

    For the 105th Congress, there has been no erosion of the 
resources provided to the minority party, and additional 
progress has been made. Of those seventeen committees that have 
partisan staff, nine committees have achieved the goal of one-
third allocation of the total budget or staff salaries to the 
minority. Of the eight remaining committees, three have 
increased their allocation to the minority party for the 105th 
Congress. The situation has improved significantly and progress 
will be monitored and encouraged.
    The minority did not submit views to this report.
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