UNITED STATES 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AUDIT REPORT

Audit of the Financial Statements

For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2011

Report No. 12-HSW-05

March 27, 2012

Table of Contents

Office of Inspector General Audit Report Summary .......................................5

Management’s Discussion & Analysis............................................................9

Independent Auditors’ Report.....................................................................19

Chief Administrative Officer’s Audit Report Response..................................47

Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Statements..........................................................51

Consolidated Balance Sheet....................................................................... 54

Consolidated Statement of Net Cost.......................................................... 55

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Position.................................. 56

Statement of Budgetary Resources............................................................ 57

Notes to the Financial Statements...............................................................59

Required Supplementary Information..........................................................81
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Office of Inspector General

 Audit Report Summary
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Office of Inspector General Audit Report Summary

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Management’s Discussion & Analysis
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Fiscal Year 2011

Introduction

Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MDA) provides a high level overview of the origin and

mission of the U.S. House of Representatives. Fiscal Year 2011 (October 1, 2010 – September

30, 2011) coincided with sessions of the 111th and 112th U.S. Congress. The 20th Amendment to

the U.S. Constitution establishes that the terms of Representatives end on noon of the 3rd day

of January, and “The Congress shall assemble at least once every year, and such meeting shall

begin on the 3rd day of January.”  Accordingly, the 111th Congress ended and the 112th Congress

began on January 3, 2011.  

Origin, History, and Mission

The U. S. House of Representatives (the House) is one of two legislative chambers that

comprise the Congress of the United States (the other is the U.S. Senate). Article I, Section 1 of

the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, created

and vested all legislative powers to the Congress.   

Location, Size, and Organization

The House chamber is located in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.    Other House

administrative buildings in Washington, DC include the Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn and Ford

House Office Buildings.  

Law fixes the number of voting representatives in the House at no more than 435,

proportionally representing the population of the 50 states. Also referred to as a congressman

or congresswoman, each representative is elected to a two‐year term serving the people of a

specific congressional district. Among other duties, representatives introduce bills and

resolutions, offer amendments and serve on committees. To be elected, a representative must

be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the

state he or she represents.

Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution provides for both the minimum and maximum sizes for

the House of Representatives. Currently, there are five delegates representing the District of

Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands. A resident commissioner represents Puerto Rico. The delegates and resident

commissioner possess the same powers as other members of the House, except that they may

not vote when the House is meeting as the House of Representatives.  

The Rules of the House, adopted at the beginning of each new Congress, allow for the creation

of standing, select and joint committees. During the 111th Congress there were 20 standing

committees of the House: Agriculture; Appropriations; Armed Services; Budget; Education and

Labor; Energy and Commerce; Financial Services; Foreign Affairs; Homeland Security; House
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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Administration; Judiciary; Natural Resources; Oversight and Government Reform; Rules; Science

and Technology; Small Business; Standards of Official Conduct; Transportation and

Infrastructure; Veterans’ Affairs; and Ways and Means. There were two select committees: the

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee on Energy Independence and

Global Warming. There were four joint committees with the Senate: Joint Economic

Committee, Joint Committee on Taxation, Joint Committee on the Library, and Joint Committee

on Printing.   

The 112th Congress has 20 standing committees:  Agriculture; Appropriations; Armed Services;

Budget; Education and the Workforce; Energy and Commerce; Ethics; Financial Services;

Foreign Affairs; Homeland Security; House Administration; Judiciary; Natural Resources;

Oversight and Government Reform; Rules; Science, Space, and Technology; Small Business;

Transportation and Infrastructure; Veterans’ Affairs; and Ways and Means.    There is a

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and five joint committees: The Joint Economic

Committee, The Joint Committee on Taxation, the Joint Committee on the Library, the Joint

Committee on Printing and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

House Leadership

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states, “The House of Representatives shall chuse their

Speaker and other officers.”  In addition to the Speaker, each political party in the House has a

leadership hierarchy, typically including a Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Majority Whip, and

Minority Whip.  

House Officers and Organizations

Rule II of the Rules of the House for both the 111th and 112th Congress provided for the election

of four officers to support House operations: a Clerk, a Sergeant‐at‐Arms, a Chief Administrative

Officer and a Chaplain. The Rules of the House also established the Offices of Inspector General,

Historian and General Counsel.

Under House Rule II, the Chief Administrative Officer has “operational and financial

responsibility for functions as assigned by the Committee on House Administration and shall be

subject to the oversight of the Committee on House Administration.” According to Committee

on House Administration records, the Chief Administrative Office has been designated as the

disbursing officer for the House of Representatives since July 1, 1995.   Additionally, House Rule

II requires the Chief Administrative Officer to “fully cooperate with the appropriate offices and

persons in the performance of reviews and audits of financial records and administrative

operations.”  Accordingly, an audit of the financial statements of the House, as prepared by the

Chief Administrative Officer, is performed annually.   

   
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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FINANCIAL STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Basis of Accounting and Presentation

The consolidated financial statements for fiscal years (FYs) 2010 and 2011 present the financial

position, net cost of operations, changes in net position and budgetary resources of the House.  

These statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting

Principles (GAAP) issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) and the

form and content requirements of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular No.

A‐136, "Financial Reporting Requirements.”

The House’s accounting structure, in accordance with GAAP, utilizes both accrual and budgetary

accounting. Under accrual accounting, events are recognized as they occur, as opposed to when

cash is received or disbursed. Therefore, revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are

recorded when a liability is incurred, without regard to receipt or payment of cash. The

budgetary accounting, on the other hand, facilitates compliance with legal constraints on, and

controls over, the use of Federal funds.

Budgetary Resources

The House finances most of its operations through congressional appropriations of budget

authority. To the extent that revenue generated by some House entities does not cover

expenses, appropriations are required. The House receives annual, multi‐year and no‐year

appropriations that may be used, within statutory limits, for operating and capital

expenditures. A financing source is recognized for these appropriated funds received, less

appropriations transferred or not available through rescission or cancellation. The House

usually receives the full amount of its appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal year.  The

House reported total budgetary resources for FY 2011 of $1.5 billion, down 6 percent from FY

2010.  The House reported $130 million of total unpaid obligated balances as of fiscal year end

(FYE) 2011.

Balance Sheet

Total Assets – The House reported total assets of $325 million as of FYE 2011, a 4 percent

increase from prior year total assets of $312 million. The Fund Balance with Treasury of $265

million represents the primary asset on the Balance Sheet of the House (82 percent of total

assets), followed by Property and Equipment with a net balance of $51 million.

Total Liabilities – The House reported total liabilities of $74 million as of FYE 2011, a 5 percent

decrease from the prior year total of $78 million.    The primary categories include Accounts

Payable of $32 million (43 percent of total liabilities) and Actuarial Federal Employees’

Compensation Act Liabilities of $21 million (28 percent of total liabilities).
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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Total Net Position ‐ The Net Position as of FYE 2011 was $250 million, an increase of $15 million

(6 percent) from the prior fiscal year. The balance was primarily comprised of Unexpended

Appropriations of $202 million.

Statement of Net Cost

Net Cost of Operations – The Net Cost of Operations for FY 2011 was $1.6 billion, a slight

decrease from $1.7 billion reported for FY 2010, primarily comprised of Legislative Activities.

Limitations of the Financial Statements

The principal financial statements have been prepared to report the financial position and

results of operations of the entity.   

While the statements have been prepared from the books and records of the entity in

accordance with GAAP for federal entities and in the formats prescribed by OMB, the

statements are in addition to the financial reports used to monitor and control budgetary

resources that are prepared from the same books and records.   

The statements should be read with the realization that they are for a component of the U.S.

Government, a sovereign entity.
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis
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Internal Control Assessment

OMB Circular A-123 Review

The Internal Control Assessment is a review of the design and operating effectiveness of key 

internal control activities for the CAO’s business processes, for safeguarding of assets, and for 

compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Team follows a risk-based approach in 

determining the key controls to be assessed during the current year.

A Senior Assessment Team (SAT) was established to provide senior management oversight for 

assessment of internal controls over financial reporting as they relate to budgetary and financial 

policies, standard operating procedures and business systems. On September 14, 2011, the Chief 

Administrative Officer approved an amended SAT charter clarifying the mission, purpose, 

function, membership, frequency of meetings and information to guide the Team. The Team and

the SAT conduct monthly meetings to report on findings and status to date, and discuss 

remediation efforts.

The Team assessed and evaluated the CAO’s compliance with OMB Circular A-123 

requirements as of June 30, 2011, and determined that, of the significant deficiencies identified, 

one was determined to be at the material weakness level. The Team considered the nature of 

each deficiency, the existence of a compensating control, the dollar value of transactions 

potentially affected by the deficiency, the level of risk, and the likelihood that an error may not 

be prevented or detected. The material weakness identified in this interim review did not provide 

assurance that subledger activity was completely and accurately recorded in the General Ledger. 

Subsequently, the CAO implemented corrective actions and has remediated the material 

weakness as of September 30, 2011. As a result, the CAO is able to provide reasonable assurance

that its internal controls over financial reporting were operating effectively, and no other material 

weaknesses were found in the design or operation of the internal controls over financial 

reporting.

Information Technology Assessment

Information Technology General Controls Review

The Team tested the operational effectiveness of ITGC of a select number of House information 

systems using the Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM) methodology.

FISCAM describes the computer-related controls that management should consider when 

assessing the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of computerized data. It covers five 

domains:

1. Access Control (AC)

2. Contingency Planning (CP) 

3. Configuration Management (CM) 

4. Segregation of Duties (SD)

5. Security Management (SM)

Management’s Discussion and Analysis
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The Team reviewed the structure, policies, and procedures that apply to the CAO's overall 

computer operations, creating the environment in which significant financial systems and 

controls operate. 

Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Assessment for Previous Fiscal Year

Under House Rule II of the 111th and 112th Congresses, the Office of the Inspector General 

(OIG) provides “audit, investigative, and advisory services to the House and joint entities in a 

manner consistent with government-wide standards.” For FY 2010, the previous fiscal year, the

OIG engaged Cotton & Company to perform the external audit of the House’s financial 

statements. For FY 2010, the House received an unqualified audit opinion. The audit report 

noted three significant deficiencies, two of which represented material weaknesses in internal 

controls over financial reporting. The two material weaknesses identified the lack of a 

management control program and ineffective controls over information technology. The 

remaining significant deficiency related to ineffective financial reporting controls and general 

ledger system reporting limitations.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis
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Independent Auditors’ Report
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Independent Auditors’ Report

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1

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

To the Inspector General

U.S. House of Representatives

Cotton & Company LLP conducted the fiscal years (FYs) 2011 and 2010 financial statement audits of the

U.S. House of Representatives (House) in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in the

United States of America and standards applicable to financial statement audits contained in

Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. In our audits of

House FYs 2011 and 2010 financial statements, we found:

 The financial statements were presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S.

generally accepted accounting principles.

 Although internal controls could be improved, the House maintained, in all material respects,

effective internal control over financial reporting (including safeguarding assets) and compliance

with laws and regulations as of September 30, 2011.  

 No reportable noncompliance in FY 2011 with laws and regulations we tested.

The following sections discuss in more detail (1) these conclusions; (2) our conclusions on

Management’s Discussion and Analysis and required supplementary information; (3) our audit

objectives, scope, and methodology; and (4) the House’s comments on a draft of this report.  

OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The financial statements, including accompanying notes, present fairly, in all material respects, in

conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the House’s assets, liabilities, and net

position as of September 30, 2011 and 2010, and net costs, changes in net position, and budgetary

resources for the fiscal years then ended.   

OPINION ON INTERNAL CONTROL

Although internal controls could be improved, the House maintained, in all material respects, effective

internal control over financial reporting (including safeguarding assets) as of September 30, 2011, that

provided reasonable assurance that misstatements, losses, or noncompliance material in relation to the

financial statements would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our opinion is based on criteria

established under 31 U.S.C. 3512(c), (d), commonly known as the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity

Act of 1982 (FMFIA) and in the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
Independent Auditors’ Report

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(COSO) framework for Internal Control. As discussed below, our FY 2011 audit identified two significant

deficiencies1 in the House’s internal control over financial reporting. Our opinion is consistent with the

House’s assertion that its internal controls over financial reporting were operating effectively as of

September 30, 2011, and that no material weaknesses2

  were found in the design or operation of the

controls. The House’s assertion is contained in its Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in this

report.  

In our FY 2010 audit report, we concluded that the House did not maintain effective internal control

over financial reporting as of September 30, 2010, because of material weaknesses due to the House’s

lack of a management control program and the House’s ineffective controls over information

technology. During FY 2011, the House successfully implemented a management control program that

fully remediated the material weakness reported in our FY 2010 audit report. Based on the House’s

efforts to address prior year information technology (IT) controls deficiencies, we concluded that the

remaining deficiencies in IT controls no longer constitute a material weakness, but could adversely affect

the House’s information technology and its financial reporting relevant to information technology.

Therefore, we considered the House’s controls over IT to be a significant deficiency in FY 2011. This

significant deficiency is discussed in more detail in Appendix A to this report.

We found a significant deficiency in controls over the financial reporting process. This deficiency was

also reported in FY 2010, and although the House made progress in some areas, improvements are still

needed. During FY 2011, the House implemented a new financial management system, requiring

changes in its financial reporting processes. Our work in FY 2011 showed continuing deficiencies in the

design and/or implementation of effective internal control in this area.

For all significant errors and issues identified, the House made necessary adjustments to the financial

statements, the notes accompanying the financial statements, and other required supplementary

information as appropriate, and was therefore able to prepare financial statements that were fairly

presented in all material respects for FYs 2011 and 2010. Although the significant deficiencies in internal

control did not materially affect the House’s FY 2011 financial statements, misstatements may occur in

other financial information reported by the House and not be prevented or detected because of these

significant deficiencies.  

The two significant deficiencies as of September 30, 2011, although not considered to be material

weaknesses, are important enough to merit the attention of those charged with governance of the

House. We report additional details concerning these significant deficiencies in Appendix A of this

report. We also identified other deficiencies in the House’s system of internal control that we do not

consider to be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. We have communicated these matters to

House management.

                                                            

1 A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control that is less severe than a material

weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.

2 A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control such that there is a reasonable

possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on

a timely basis. A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or

employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect and correct misstatements on a

timely basis.
Independent Auditors’ Report

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COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS

Our tests of the House’s compliance with selected provisions of laws and regulations for FY 2011

disclosed no instances of noncompliance that would be reportable under U.S. generally accepted

government auditing standards or Office of Management and Budget (OMB) audit guidance. The

objective of our audit was not, however, to provide an opinion on overall compliance with laws and

regulations. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.  

CONSISTENCY OF OTHER INFORMATION

The House’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis and required supplementary information contain a

wide range of information, some of which is not directly related to the financial statements. We do not

express an opinion on this information; however, we compared this information for consistency with the

financial statements and discussed the methods of measurement and presentation with House officials.

On the basis of this limited work, we found no material inconsistencies with the financial statements,

U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or OMB guidance.

OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY

House management is responsible for:

1. Preparing financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

2. Establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and evaluating its

effectiveness.

3. Complying with applicable laws and regulations.

House management evaluated the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of

September 30, 2011, based on the criteria established under FMFIA, as well as the COSO framework for

internal controls.  

We are responsible for planning and performing the audit to obtain reasonable assurance and provide

our opinion about whether the House financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects,

in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and whether House management

maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September

30, 2011. We are also responsible for testing compliance with selected provisions of laws and

regulations that have a direct and material effect on the financial statements and performing limited

procedures with respect to certain other information accompanying the financial statements.  

To fulfill these responsibilities, we:

 Examined, on a test basis, evidence supporting amounts and disclosures in the financial

statements.

 Assessed accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management.

 Evaluated overall presentation of the financial statements.
Independent Auditors’ Report

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 Obtained an understanding of the House and its operations, including its internal control over

financial reporting (including safeguarding assets), and compliance with laws and regulations

(including execution of transactions in accordance with budget authority).

 Assessed the risk that a material misstatement exists in the financial statements and the risk

that a material weakness exists in internal control over financial reporting.

 Evaluated the design and operating effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting

based on assessed risk.

 Tested relevant internal controls over financial reporting and compliance and evaluated design

and operating effectiveness of internal control.

 Tested compliance with selected provisions of the following laws and regulations: the

provisions of the Antideficiency Act applicable to the House; laws governing the pay and

allowance system for House employees; the Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act

of 1986; and the House Rules for the 111th and 112th Congress.

An entity’s internal control over financial reporting is a process affected by those charged with

governance, management, and other personnel. The objectives of internal control over financial

reporting are:  

 Financial reporting: Transactions are properly recorded, processed, and summarized to permit

preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting

principles, and assets are safeguarded against loss from unauthorized acquisition, use, or

disposition.

 Compliance with laws and regulations: Transactions are executed in accordance with

selected provision of laws and regulations that have a direct and material effect on the

financial statements.  

We did not evaluate all internal controls relevant to operating objectives as broadly established under

FMFIA, such as those controls relevant to preparing statistical reports and ensuring efficient operations.

We limited our internal control testing to controls over financial reporting and compliance. Our internal

control testing was for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal control over

financial reporting and may not be sufficient for other purposes. Consequently, our audit may not

identify all deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that are less severe than a material

weakness. Because of inherent limitations in internal control, misstatements due to error or fraud, loss,

or noncompliance may nevertheless occur and not be detected. We caution that projecting our

evaluation to future periods is subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate as the result of

changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with controls may deteriorate.  

We did not test compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to the House. We limited our tests

of compliance to selected provisions of laws and regulations that have a direct and material effect on

the financial statements and those required by OMB audit guidance that we deemed applicable to the

House’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011. We caution that

noncompliance may occur and not be detected by these tests, and that such testing may not be

sufficient for other purposes.  
Independent Auditors’ Report

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We performed our audit in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards and

OMB audit guidance. We believe our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions and other

conclusions.  

HOUSE COMMENTS AND OUR EVALUATION

In commenting on the draft of this report, House management concurred with the facts and conclusions

in our report. Management’s comments are in Appendix B. We did not audit management’s response,

and accordingly, we express no opinion on it.  

COTTON & COMPANY LLP

Matthew H. Johnson, CPA

Partner

January 17, 2012

Alexandria, Virginia
Independent Auditors’ Report

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APPENDIX A

SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES

NOTED DURING THE FY 2011 FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT
Independent Auditors’ Report

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A‐1

APPENDIX A

SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES

NOTED DURING THE FY 2011 FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT

During our audit of the House’s FY 2011 financial statements, we identified two significant deficiencies

in internal control over financial reporting described in this appendix. We do not consider these to be

material weaknesses.  

Weakness 1: Ineffective Controls over of the Financial Reporting Process

Summary Status: Significant Deficiency

    Prior‐Year Condition

    Open

As we have reported in prior audits, the House does not have effective financial reporting controls. In

2011, the House implemented a new financial management system, PeopleSoft. Although this

implementation enabled the House to make some progress on previously identified control deficiencies

over the financial reporting process, it exacerbated other previously identified control deficiencies, and

we identified new deficiencies as well. We identified the following four areas within financial reporting

where internal controls were not effective and improvements are needed, resulting in a significant

deficiency.   

1. Budgetary Accounting and Reporting

2. Accounts Payable Accrual Process  

3. Quality Control Procedures

4. Reconciliation of Sub‐Ledgers to the General Ledger

We discuss each of these areas below and provide our recommendations for improvement.

1. BUDGETARY ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING

During our audit, we found numerous errors in the processes and controls the House has in place to

ensure that proper budgetary general ledger (GL) accounts are used and that budgetary amounts are

reported correctly in the financial reporting process. Specifically, we found the following:  

Recording of Budgetary Transactions

During the FY 2011 audit, we noted several deficiencies related to the manner in which the House

recorded and reported budgetary transactions. Specifically, we noted the following issues:    

 Unobligated balances: The House recorded unobligated balances in GL accounts 4510

(Apportionments) and 4610 (Allotments). These GL accounts should be used to track

unobligated balances apportioned by OMB. The House’s resources do not require OMB

apportionment prior to obligation, and in accordance with the U.S. Standard General Ledger

(USSGL), the House should record unobligated balances available for obligation in GL account

4620 (Unobligated Funds Exempt from Apportionment). Although the balances were not correct

in the House’s general ledger, the House correctly reported unobligated balances on the
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A‐2

Statement of Budgetary Resources (SBR) through the use of worksheet adjustments, adjusting

entries outside of the general ledger. These entries are more susceptible to error and increase

the risk of a financial statement misstatement.

 Rescissions:  The House did not record its rescission properly in the general ledger. The House

recorded the rescission as a reduction to appropriations received in both the budgetary and

proprietary GL accounts. Per USSGL guidance, an entity recording a rescission should use GL

4392 (Permanent Reduction – New Budget Authority) for its budgetary GL account and GL 3106

(Unexpended Appropriations – Adjustments) for its proprietary GL account. As a result, the draft

statements contained the following $2,655,966 understatements in the Statement of Changes in

Net Position (SCNP) and the SBR:

o Unexpended Appropriations – Appropriations Received (SCNP)

o Unexpended Appropriations – Other Adjustments (SCNP)

o Appropriations Received (SBR)  

o Permanently Not Available (SBR)

 Undelivered Orders (UDO):  The House provided an extract from the Procurement Module of all

UDO balances. The population contained errors, and as a result did not agree to the general

ledger. The House was able to identify the errors and provide us with corrected amounts. The

errors totaled $123,890.  

Additionally, the population contained 15 UDOs with abnormal balances, totaling $112,130.

Based on a sample of these documents, we determined that each had been either canceled or

closed. As a result of the abnormal balances in both the sub‐ledger and general ledger, UDOs

were understated by $112,130 as of September 30, 2011. The following lines in the SBR were

understated by the same amount:

o Obligations Incurred, Direct

o Obligations Incurred, Net

o Unpaid Obligations, Net, End of Year

 Upward Adjustments:  An upward adjustment is an increase to a prior year obligation. We

observed an upward adjustment that processed an expired fund and was duplicated in the

general ledger. The duplicate entry was detected and corrected, however, the correcting entry

used a posting logic (debit/credit pair) appropriate for an appropriation in an unexpired period

rather than an expired period. As a result, the duplicate entry posted to GL 4650 (Allotments –

Expired Authority) was not corrected, and an improper entry was recorded in GL 4610

(Allotments – Realized Resources). After we discussed the error with the House, they identified

11 additional instances in which a similar error occurred, resulting in a total of 12 instances. As a

result, the following financial statement line items on the SBR were overstated by $1,520,973:  

o Unobligated Balances – Available: Exempt from Apportionment

o Unobligated Balance – Not Available
Independent Auditors’ Report

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Upon notification and discussion with the auditors, the House made the necessary corrections

for the above‐noted errors on the final FY 2011 financial statements.  

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government:  

Accurate and Timely Recording of Transactions and Events, states, “Transactions should be promptly

recorded to maintain their relevance and value to management in controlling operations and making

decisions. In addition, control activities help to ensure that all transactions are completely and

accurately recorded.”

OMB Circular A‐123, Management Accountability and Control, states that management should have

internal controls that “reasonably ensure that...reliable and timely information is obtained, maintained,

reported and used for decision making.”

OMB Circular A‐11, Preparation, Submission and Execution of the Budget, states that the following

should be included on the Permanently Not Available line item of the SBR: “The amount of enacted

rescissions, including rescissions of new appropriations, borrowing authority, contract authority, and

prior year unobligated balances.”

The USSGL contains a chart of accounts that provides the basic accounting structure for the federal

government and includes both proprietary and budgetary accounts. In addition, the USSGL contains

accounting transactions (debits/credits) for events that occur in the federal government.  

We recommend that the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO):

  

 Correct the PeopleSoft posting logic to ensure unobligated balances are recorded in GL account

4620, Unobligated Balances Exempt from Apportionment.

 Ensure that appropriations received and rescissions are recorded in the proper PeopleSoft GL

account.

 Post adjustments to correct known system errors due to PeopleSoft processing issues and

continue to work to correct all PeopleSoft processing issues.

 Identify the root cause of all known processing errors and make the necessary modifications to

PeopleSoft.  

 Implement a quarterly review of budgetary balances to ensure that budgetary activity is

properly recorded in unexpired and expired funds.

Recording of Unauthorized Transfers

The Compensation of Members and Related Administrative Expenses Fund (Members Compensation

Fund) was established as a permanent and indefinite appropriation in 1981 by Public Law 97‐51, Sec.

130 (c). Permanent appropriations do not require annual action by Congress to authorize their use.

Indefinite funds are for an unspecified amount. Since the length of availability for the appropriation was

not specified by the law, in accordance with OMB Circular A‐11, Section 20, it should be treated as a

single‐year fund.

In our testing, we observed that during FY 2011, the House reported a $43,369 outlay in the FY 2010

Members Compensation Fund account and a $43,369 offsetting collection in the FY 2011 fund account

to the U.S. Treasury. In effect, the House transferred authority between the fund accounts. Annual
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appropriations are only available for obligation for one year, and transfers between fund accounts must

be authorized by law. The House was not able to provide evidence that the transfer was authorized or

that the period of availability for obligation is greater than one year, and as a result likely made an

unauthorized transfer between appropriation fund accounts. In addition, there is an increased risk that

the House could violate the Antideficiency Act.

GAO’s Federal Budget Process Glossary provides terms, definitions, and classifications related to the

budget process and defines a transfer as “Shifting of all or part of the budget authority in one

appropriation or fund account to another. Agencies may transfer budget authority only as specifically

authorized by law.” In addition, an outlay is defined as “The issuance of checks, disbursement of cash, or

electronic transfer of funds made to liquidate a federal obligation. Outlays during a fiscal year may be

for payment of obligations incurred in prior years (prior‐year obligations) or in the same year.”

We recommend that the CAO implement controls to ensure all transfers between appropriation fund

accounts are properly authorized.

2. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ACCRUAL PROCESS

The House records an estimated amount for goods and services received before year‐end but not yet

recorded in its system of record, PeopleSoft. This estimate is necessary so that the year‐end financial

statements accurately reflect all expenses incurred and payables due at year‐end. The House estimates

the accrual based upon an average of the previous three years actuals. Though we concluded that the FY

2011 accrual was reasonable, we found that the House had not validated its estimation methodology to

determine if the methodology is sufficient to provide a reliable and accurate accrual.   

The accounting entries for the accrual did not accurately record the budgetary impact of the accrual in

the proper GL accounts. Specifically, the House recorded the accrual as a reduction of unobligated

balances available and an increase in delivered orders unpaid. We found, however, that for about two‐

thirds of the accrual amount, the House had already obligated the funds and therefore should have

reduced undelivered orders and not unobligated amounts. As a result, the House understated

unobligated balances and overstated obligations incurred by approximately $19,717,082 on the SBR.

The House corrected these errors upon notification by the auditors.

GAO’s Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government states that “internal control should

generally be designed to assure that ongoing monitoring occurs in the course of normal operations...it

includes regular management and supervisory activities, comparisons, reconciliations, and other actions

people take in performing their duties.”

We recommend that the CAO:

 Implement an annual process for analyzing past accounts‐payable accruals to determine if the

methodology used to calculate the estimated accrual is reasonable and appropriate.

 Develop a methodology to allocate the estimated accrual amount between previously obligated

and unobligated accounts, and change the posting logic to accurately reflect the required

general ledger entries for the budgetary accounts based on the allocation determined.  

   
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3. QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES

During our FY 2011 audit, we noted the following areas in which the quality control process can be

improved to ensure the accuracy of processing and recording transactions related to financial reporting.  

 Adjusting journal entries (AJE): AJEs are not always reviewed by an individual other than the

preparer to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of the entry. We found that of the 36 AJEs

tested the following entries lacked evidence of review and approval:

o 14 AJEs prepared by the Budget, Policy, and Planning Office to record appropriations

received and resource allocations.

o 5 AJEs prepared by the Accounting Department to record activity related to Members’

compensation and related expenses.

Without proper review and approval of AJEs, the risk is increased that an error would not be

prevented or detected and corrected in a timely manner. In addition, House management is

unable to determine appropriateness of transactions posted to the general ledger without

proper review and approval.     

 Federal receivables:  At year‐end, the House recorded four AJEs to accrue accounts receivable

due from other federal agencies. The adjusting entries did not include budgetary entries to

increase resources for services performed. In addition, the entries did not accrue earned

revenue for services provided; rather, the receivables were matched against decreases in

unfunded expenses. As a result, the total Gross Costs and Earned Revenue amounts reported on

the Statement of Net Cost (SNC) were understated by $516,680. In addition, the following lines

on the SBR contained errors:

o Budgetary Authority – Earned: Change in Receivable from Federal Sources was

understated by $536,418.

o Unobligated Balance: Exempt from Apportionment was understated by $536,418.

o Change in Uncollected Customer Payments from Federal Sources was overstated by

$536,418.

o Uncollected Payments from Federal Sources was overstated by $536,418.

 The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA): FECA provides workers’ compensation

benefits for federal employees injured in the performance of duty. The Department of Labor

(DOL) administers and pays claims for House employees covered under FECA; the House then

reimburses DOL for paid claims. The House accrues a liability for workers’ compensation claims

based on DOL bills. Though amounts are not due to DOL until subsequent periods, the House

funds the liability with resources that are available during the current period. During our testing,

we noted the Accounting Department:

o Did not record the budgetary impact of the workers’ compensation liability.
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o Presented the workers’ compensation liability as “Liability Not Covered by Budgetary

Resources” rather than “Liability Covered by Budgetary Resources” in Note 8 –

Liabilities. In addition, the current portion of the liability was not presented.

As a result, Unexpended Appropriations were overstated and Cumulative Results of Operations

understated by $2,810,308 in both the SCNP and Balance Sheet. In addition, the following lines

were misstated on the SBR:

o Unobligated Balances – Available: Exempt from Apportionment was overstated by

$849,611.

o Unobligated Balances – Unavailable was overstated by $1,960,697.

o Obligations Incurred was understated by $2,810,308.

o Obligated Balance, Net, End of Period: Unpaid Obligations was understated by

$2,810,308.

 USSGL accounts 3100 and 3310: The House recorded activity directly to GL accounts 3100

(Unexpended Appropriations‐Cumulative) and 3310 (Cumulative Results of Operations). These

are year‐end closing accounts, and balances should not be adjusted during the year. The activity

posted to GL 3100 should have been recorded in the nominal unexpended appropriations

accounts. The activity posted to GL 3310 should have been recorded as expenses, losses, or

financing sources. As a result of the improper activity, the House was required to make a

worksheet adjustment in the SCNP to ensure that the reported ending net position tied to the

adjusted trial balance as well as to the Balance Sheet.

As a result of the improper activity recorded in GLs 3100 and 3310, worksheet adjustments

totaling $2,471,325 were required in the SCNP. The use of worksheet adjustments increases the

risk of misstatement in the financial statements. In addition, the Gross Costs line on the SNC was

understated by $575,740.

 Reconciliation of Net Cost of Operations to the Budget: In testing amounts reported in the

House’s financial statement notes, we identified the following errors on the Reconciliation of

Net Costs of Operation to the Budget (Note 19) that were not identified during the Office of

Finance’s review process:

o The Resources that Fund Expenses Recognized in Prior Periods line item was not supported.

The supporting schedules used by the House to prepare this note did not agree to the

underlying supporting documentation.

o The (Increase)/Decrease in Exchange Revenue Receivable line did not agree to supporting

schedules due to a transposition error in the beginning balance of the GL account.

o The Other line under Components Not Requiring or Generating Resources contained an

unsupported amount totaling $540,475. This amount was required to ensure the schedule

balanced.  

Upon notification and discussion with the auditors, the House made the necessary corrections for the

above noted errors on the final FY 2011 financial statements.  
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GAO’s Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government states, “Transactions should be

promptly recorded to maintain their relevance and value to management in controlling operations and

making decisions. In addition, control activities help to ensure that all transactions are completely and

accurately recorded.” It also states that “Key duties and responsibilities need to be divided or

segregated among different people to reduce the risk of error or fraud. This should include separating

the responsibilities for authorizing transactions, processing and recording them, reviewing the

transactions, and handling any related assets. No one individual should control all key aspects of a

transaction or event.”

OMB Circular A‐123, Management Accountability and Control, states that management should have

internal controls that “reasonably ensure that...reliable and timely information is obtained, maintained,

reported and used for decision making.”

The USSGL contains a chart of accounts that provides the basic accounting structure for the federal

government and includes both proprietary and budgetary accounts. In addition, the USSGL contains

accounting transactions (debits/credits) for events that occur in the federal government.  

We recommend that the CAO:  

 Implement policies and procedures to ensure that supervisors are performing sufficient reviews

of AJEs and related documentation before the entries are posted to the general ledger and that

evidence of the review is maintained. In addition, we recommend that PeopleSoft controls are

put in place that ensure the same individual cannot enter and post AJEs.

 Ensure that account  4251, Reimbursements and Other Income Earned ‐ Receivable, is added to

the chart of accounts in PeopleSoft and that PeopleSoft posting logic includes entries to properly

record federal receivable accounting events.

 Ensure the workers’ compensation liability is properly recorded in PeopleSoft. In addition, we

recommend that the CAO improve controls surrounding the financial reporting review process

to ensure all amounts are reported properly.

 Require that the Accounting Department perform a quarterly review of GLs 3100 and 3310 to

ensure that any activity posted to these accounts is detected and promptly reclassified to the

proper GL account.

 Improve controls surrounding the financial reporting review process to include a supervisory

review that ensures all amounts reported tie to the general ledger and/or supporting schedules.

4. RECONCILIATION OF SUB‐LEDGERS TO GENERAL LEDGER

During FY 2011, the House did not complete a reconciliation of the PeopleSoft sub‐ledgers to the

general ledger. Although the House was able to provide a reconciliation as of September 30, 2011, on

November 8, 2011, it did not have a process in place during the year to ensure the sub‐ledgers in the

House’s financial management system agreed to the amounts reported in the general ledger.  

Though the reconciliation performed subsequent to September 30, 2011, did not identify material

discrepancies, failure to perform this reconciliation increases the risk that errors may not be detected in

a timely manner, resulting in a general ledger that may not be complete or accurate. This also increases

the risk that the system may not provide users with timely information. OMB Circular A‐123 states that
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management should have internal controls that “reasonably ensure that...reliable and timely

information is obtained, maintained, reported and used for decision making.”

We recommend that the CAO develop and implement policies and procedures for ensuring that a

reconciliation of the PeopleSoft sub‐ledgers and general ledger be completed on a monthly basis, no

more than 20 days after the end of the previous month, and require that the reconciliation be reviewed

by the CFO or one of her designees.   

   
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Weakness 2:    Ineffective Controls over Information Technology

Summary Status: Significant Deficiency

    Prior‐Year Condition

    Open

During FY 2011, the House implemented an internal controls program that included the identification of

key financial systems and assessments of key financial IT controls, in addition to its continued efforts to

implement a risk management framework for its major financial systems. We noted that while the

House has made significant improvements in FY 2011, there are still areas for improvement to

strengthen controls surrounding the completeness, accuracy, and reliability of financial data. We noted

the following 13 conditions related to internal controls over information systems, which collectively

represent a significant deficiency in the control environment. We discuss each of these areas below and

provide our recommendations for improvement.

1. A PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED TO ENSURE THAT ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS WITHIN THE HOUSE IT

ENVIRONMENT HAVE UNDERGONE A RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS AS DEFINED BY NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST).

Risk assessments were not completed in accordance with NIST guidance for the House network and

financial applications. House Information Security Policy (HISPOL) for the Information Security

Compliance Program 007.0 requires that all major systems, support systems, and applications undergo a

certification and accreditation (C&A) process before implementation, and at least every 2 years

thereafter.  

The CAO has not updated HISPOL 007.0, or issued new guidance, to include policy and procedures

guiding the implementation of NIST risk management framework methodology and the performance of

risk assessments in accordance with NIST guidance. As a result, management cannot obtain adequate

assurance that all information systems and the general IT environment are operating with an acceptable

amount of risk.  

NIST Special Publication (SP) 800‐37, Revision 1, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to

Federal Information Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach, requires that organizational officials, in

collaboration with the senior information security officer, assess the information provided by the system

owner or common control provider regarding the current security state of the system and the

recommendations for addressing any residual risks. Risk assessments are employed at the discretion of

the organization to provide needed information on threats, vulnerabilities, and potential impacts, as

well as the analyses for risk mitigation recommendations.

We recommend that the CAO implement and enforce a risk management framework to ensure that all

systems are identified and undergo a security assessment process, to include risk assessments, in

accordance with House policy and industry best practices for federal information systems, to ensure

that management’s authorizing officials are provided with adequate information to make system

authorization decisions.

   
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2. SYSTEM SECURITY PLANS (SSPS) FOR MAJOR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY DEVELOPED AND

MAINTAINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH HOUSE POLICY AND INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES.

SSPs were inadequate for the House network, Active Directory, Lawson, and PeopleSoft. The SSPs for

major financial systems did not document all minimum security controls based on system criticality and

data. CAO management has not adequately developed policies and procedures that provide guidance

regarding the implementation of a risk management framework as outlined by NIST SP 800‐37, Revision

1, including minimum security control selection, scoping, and tailoring. As a result, there is an increased

risk that potential threats and vulnerabilities will not be mitigated due to lack of security controls

commensurate with the risk of the system security categorization.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐18, Revision 1, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal

Information Systems, agencies must meet the minimum security requirements of Federal Information

Processing Standard (FIPS) 200, which represent a broad‐based, balanced information security program

that addresses the management, operational, and technical aspects of protecting the confidentiality,

integrity, and availability of federal information and information systems. Agencies meet the minimum

security requirements in FIPS 200 by applying security controls selected in accordance with NIST SP 800‐

53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, and

the designated impact levels of the information systems.

We recommend that the CAO document and implement policy and procedures that provide guidance

regarding the implementation of a risk management framework, as outlined by NIST SP 800‐37, Revision

1, including system security categorization, minimum security control selection, scoping, and tailoring.

3. SECURITY CONTROL ASSESSMENTS WERE NOT CONDUCTED TO TEST THE DESIGN AND OPERATING EFFECTIVENESS

OF ALL REQUIRED CONTROLS FOR THE HOUSE NETWORK AND FINANCIAL SYSTEMS.

While security control assessments were conducted for the House network, Active Directory, and

PeopleSoft in FY 2011, they did not test the design and operating effectiveness of all required controls. A

security control assessment was not performed for Lawson in FY 2011 due to an impending major

upgrade to the application.

CAO management has not adequately developed policies and procedures that provide guidance

regarding the implementation of a risk management framework, including the establishment of

minimum security controls in accordance with FIPS 200 and NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, and performing

security control assessments commensurate with the risk and criticality of the system, causing the noted

issue with security control assessments. As a result, the risk is increased that CAO management does not

have a complete understanding of the risk to systems and the IT environment.

NIST SP 800‐37, Revision 1, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information

Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach, requires that the organizations assess the security controls in

accordance with the assessment procedures defined in the security assessment plan. Security control

assessments determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as

intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements for the

information system.

We recommend that the CAO conduct and document security control assessments for the House

network and financial systems to test the design and operating effectiveness of all required controls. For

each control tested, we recommend that documentation include the description of the implemented
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control, test steps to be conducted, expected test results, and actual test results. Evidence from testing

should be obtained and documented to allow CAO management to make objective determinations

about the effectiveness of the security controls and security of the information system.

4. A PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN DEVELOPED OR IMPLEMENTED FOR IDENTIFYING AND TRACKING ALL KNOWN SECURITY

WEAKNESSES AND INCIDENTS ACROSS THE AGENCY AND ENSURING THAT APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION IS

TAKEN.

While policy has been developed guiding the plan of action and management (POA&M) and computer

incident response team (CIRT) processes, they are not in accordance with industry best practice and no

detailed procedures guiding either process have been developed. HISPUB 004.1 defines a security

incident as a computer security event impacting a minimum of 50 systems at once, which does not

provide adequate coverage for all possible serious security incidents. Additionally, a process to

document, track, and test corrective actions related to audit recommendations and ensure that

identified weaknesses are corrected was not in place. A POA&M has not been fully developed or

maintained for financial systems and applications.

CAO management has not documented a process to ensure that all security weaknesses and security

incidents throughout the IT environment are tracked and managed from an entity‐wide perspective,

which is the overall cause behind the identified security incident issues. By not identifying and tracking

all security weaknesses, CAO management cannot ensure that appropriate and timely corrective action

is taken to address all known issues and weaknesses. As a result, the risk is increased that a significant

security weakness will remain vulnerable for an extended period of time.  

The United States House of Representatives Information Security Policy for the Information Security

Compliance Program (HISPOL 007.0) requires that vulnerabilities identified during the review process of

a major or support application, device, or the House network be documented and tracked throughout

the remediation process. Identified vulnerabilities are prioritized based on the risk each poses. Once a

vulnerability is identified, a corrective action should be formulated and a timeframe established for its

implementation.  

Additionally, in accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal

Information Systems and Organizations, organizations should track and document information system

security incidents. Documenting information system security incidents includes, for example,

maintaining records about each incident, the status of the incident, and other pertinent information

necessary for forensics, evaluating incident details, trends, and handling.

We recommend that the CAO modify the definition of a security incident in HISPUB 004.1 to be risk‐

based instead of relying solely on the volume of hosts affected. We also recommend that the CAO

develop, document, and implement a process to identify and track all security weaknesses and incidents

identified throughout the environment and ensure that appropriate corrective action is taken, to include

the following:

 Develop a procedure to test security controls identified as corrected to ensure that actions

taken adequately mitigate or correct identified weaknesses.

 Develop and maintain a POA&M, or equivalent documentation, in accordance with NIST

guidance, for all House systems and applications to track security weaknesses and issues noted

as a result of audits.
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 Maintain documentation for all identified security incidents throughout the House and ensure

that appropriate follow‐up investigations are performed.

5. ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT CONTROLS WERE NOT ADEQUATELY MANAGED AND ENFORCED THROUGHOUT CAO.

The CAO made significant progress in FY 2011 in the area of network account management. We noted,

however, that inactive network accounts were not removed in a timely manner, passwords for network

accounts were not changed in accordance with House policy, the periodic recertification of the House

network was not completed in accordance with industry best practices, and assigned PeopleSoft roles

were not always requested and authorized via the Application Security Form.  Specifically, we noted the

following:

 The quarterly network access recertification is completed based on the login activity of the

network account, not on the continued appropriateness of access.

 For 6 of the 45 sampled PeopleSoft users, we noted that while PeopleSoft Application Security

Forms were completed, not all of the users’ roles in the system were requested and authorized

via the forms. Of these 6 users, 4 requested that their roles emulate those of another user

rather than specifically requesting all of their assigned roles on the PeopleSoft Application

Security Form.

 Testing over Active Directory performed by management’s internal controls program noted a

significant deficiency for password expirations. Specifically:

o Of the 955 unlocked system accounts from the CAO domain for which passwords should

expire after 90 days, 6 accounts had passwords that had not been changed for a period

ranging from 106 to 133 days.

o Of the 194 unlocked system accounts from the Enterprise Services domain for which

passwords should expire after 90 days, 10 accounts had passwords that had not been

changed for a period ranging from 91 to 2,509 days.

 For 1,251 total CAO Active Directory accounts:

o Nine active accounts were previously logged in but had been inactive longer than 180

days.

o Six active accounts had never been logged in and were created more than 180 days

before the date of the access listing.  

The issues noted with account management exist because CAO management has not adequately

implemented a process to ensure that accounts for inactive users, both employees and contractors, are

disabled and removed in a timely manner and that expired passwords are changed every 90 days for

system accounts; and has not consistently implemented established PeopleSoft account management

control policies and procedures. This increases the risk that accounts may be used by unauthorized

individuals to conduct inappropriate or malicious acts due to the failure to remove inactive users in a

timely manner, change passwords on a periodic basis, complete network access recertifications

appropriately, and appropriately assign and authorize roles in PeopleSoft.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations are to manage information system accounts, including

establishing, activating, modifying, disabling, and removing accounts, reviewing accounts at an
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organization‐defined frequency, and granting access to the system based on: (i) a valid access

authorization; (ii) intended system usage; and (iii) other attributes as required by the organization or

associated missions/business functions.

We recommend that the CAO develop and implement an account management process to ensure the

following:

 Inactive accounts are disabled and removed in a timely manner. This process should be enforced

at the network level and at the financial application levels.

 Passwords are changed every 90 days for system accounts.

 Periodic user access recertifications are performed that also include a review of users’ access

requirements and continued appropriateness.

 PeopleSoft users have only the minimum roles required to perform their duties.

6. CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND RECOVERY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY DEVELOPED

AND IMPLEMENTED TO ENSURE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT INCLUDES THE HOUSE NETWORK, ACTIVE

DIRECTORY, AND LAWSON.

We noted significant progress in the area of contingency plan testing in FY 2011. Contingency plan

testing was adequately conducted for the House GSS (the network and Active Directory) and Lawson. In

addition, we noted some improvement in contingency plan documentation. The CAO has also

implemented a business continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) framework, including information

technology contingency plans that cover broad areas as well as more focused recovery procedure

annexes (RPAs) that serve to provide detailed recovery and reconstitution procedures for specific

systems.

We noted, however, that contingency plans to coordinate recovery activities between the House

network, Active Directory, and Lawson have not been adequately developed. RPAs for data network

systems, Active Directory, and Lawson were still in draft at the time of our testing, and multiple

components of each RPA were not fully documented. The noted issues with incomplete contingency

plan development were due to the recent and continued implementation of the BC/DR framework. As a

result, there is an increased risk that House financial operations, data, or systems may become

unavailable for an extended period of time without sufficient alternate operating procedures in place to

carry out core requirements.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐34, Revision 1, Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information

Systems, information system contingency planning represents a broad scope of activities designed to

sustain and recover critical system services following an emergency event. An information system

contingency plan (ISCP) provides established procedures for the assessment and recovery of a system

following a system disruption. The ISCP provides key information needed for system recovery, including

roles and responsibilities, inventory information, assessment procedures, detailed recovery procedures,

and testing of a system.

We recommend that the CAO coordinate contingency planning and recovery policies and procedures to

ensure a comprehensive approach that includes the House network, Active Directory, and all critical

financial systems.
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7. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR SEPARATION OF DUTIES HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY DEVELOPED.

Lawson system administrators are also the operating system administrators for the servers onto which

the application logs are written. These administrators have elevated access that would allow them to

access the logs in both a read and write capacity. Additionally, House internal controls testing identified

a significant deficiency due to the lack of a formal separation of duties policy for the House network.

The noted separation of duties issue can be attributed to the fact that policies and procedures have not

been developed, documented, and implemented for Lawson and the House network to identify

incompatible duties and enforce separation of duty controls both at the end‐user and administrative

levels. As a result, there is an increased risk that financial data may be manipulated by unauthorized

individuals. Subsequently, this increases the risk that fraudulent acts may go undetected and financial

data may become inaccurate and unreliable.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations should separate duties of individuals as necessary to prevent

malevolent activity without collusion, document separation of duties, and implement separation of

duties through assigned information system access authorizations.

We recommend that the CAO develop, document, and implement policies and procedures to ensure

that separation of duties is defined and implemented at the end‐user and administrative levels for

Lawson and the Network.

8. PHYSICAL ACCESS CONTROLS HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY DESIGNED, MANAGED, AND ENFORCED FOR THE

HOUSE DATACENTER AT SITE 3.

Servers supporting the House financial applications are not physically separated from other datacenter

tenants. The datacenter is a co‐located facility supporting other legislative branch organizations in

addition to the House. Personnel with access permissions to the datacenter therefore have physical

access to the financial application servers. Overall, access to the House datacenter and servers is

permitted to more individuals than are needed for House business requirements, including some

supporting other organizations.  

The physical access issues at Site 3 are caused by CAO management not appropriately identifying

controls restricting the number of individuals with physical access to sensitive information resources.

The lack of proper physical controls over critical servers and infrastructure increases the risk that an

unauthorized individual will be able to gain access to financial systems and compromise the

confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the financial applications.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations should enforce physical access authorizations for all physical

access points to the facility where the information system resides and control physical access to the

information system independent of the physical access controls for the facility.

We recommend that the CAO secure the infrastructure of the financial applications located at Site 3 and

limit physical access to only appropriate House personnel.
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9. CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONTROLS WERE NOT ADEQUATELY DESIGNED FOR PEOPLESOFT.

Before April 1, 2011, PeopleSoft change documentation did not contain the appropriate testing and

validation documentation. The CAO internal controls program noted that 6 of 45 changes did not have

proper testing documentation. This was caused by a lack of policy and procedures requiring that

PeopleSoft change control testing and validation documentation be retained. This lack increases the risk

that a change implemented prior to April 1, 2011, that was not properly tested could fail to meet its

intended purpose, disrupt existing functionality, or create a security flaw.  

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations should document approved configuration‐controlled changes

to the system and retain and review records of these changes. Configuration change control for the

information system involves the systematic proposal, justification, implementation, test/evaluation,

review, and disposition of changes to the system, including upgrades and modifications.

The internal controls program determined the condition to be remediated as of April 1, 2011, and our

audit test work subsequent to April 1, 2011, noted no issues in the PeopleSoft change management

process. As such, we do not have a recommendation.

10. AUDIT LOGGING AND MONITORING CONTROLS HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED FOR

PEOPLESOFT.

We noted inadequate active monitoring of sensitive application transactions/table edits and

inappropriate separation of duties for security personnel reviewing system/application logs for

PeopleSoft. Specifically, we noted the following issues:

 PeopleSoft security administrators are responsible for both security log monitoring/review and

user maintenance at the application level. This represents a separation of duties conflict, as the

administrators are reviewing their own actions.

 At an application level, failed logon attempts are the only auditable events that are actively

monitored. While management has established key fields and tables for trigger‐based auditing,

active monitoring and review of these logs is not performed.

 The UNIX administrators supporting PeopleSoft, all of whom have SUDO access to root on the

production application, web, and database Solaris servers, are responsible for the

administration of the operating system as well as the monitoring of operating system security

logs. This represents a separation of duties conflict, as the administrators are potentially

reviewing their own actions.

CAO management has not developed policies and procedures documenting all aspects of PeopleSoft

audit logging and monitoring. As a result, there is an increased risk that suspicious activity, whether

intentional or unintentional, affecting key financial data will not be detected in a timely manner, and

that a single individual could engage in malicious activity which could remain undetected.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations should determine, based on a risk assessment and

mission/business needs, that the information system must be capable of auditing organizationally‐

defined auditable events. The organization should review and analyze information system audit records

for indications of inappropriate or unusual activity and report findings to designated organizational
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officials. Additionally, NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, states that organizations should separate duties of

individuals as necessary, to prevent malevolent activity without collusion. For example, security

personnel who administer access control functions should not administer audit functions.

We recommend that the CAO develop and implement audit logging and monitoring policies for

PeopleSoft to ensure the following:

 Audit logs for sensitive financial records and tables and key security activities are actively

monitored, and all reviews and any follow‐up actions taken are documented.

 Proper separation of duties is enforced for all personnel with responsibility for monitoring

PeopleSoft security logs, at both an application and operating system level.

11. ORACLE PATCH MANAGEMENT CONTROLS HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY IMPLEMENTED FOR THE

INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTING PEOPLESOFT.

The production Oracle 11gR1 database supporting PeopleSoft was missing five applicable critical patch

updates (CPUs) as of the time of our testing. The root cause of this issue is that CAO management has

not consistently implemented the Standard Operating Procedure for Applying Oracle Security Patches,

which requires the installation of applicable Oracle CPUs within the month that the alert is issued. Due

to the threat posed by a successful attack, the vendor, Oracle, strongly recommends that customers

apply CPU fixes as soon as possible. Not applying CPUs to the production database supporting

PeopleSoft in a timely manner increases the risk that the confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability of

financial data may be compromised through an attack on the supporting database.

In accordance with CAO Standard Operating Procedure for Applying Oracle Security Patches, the Oracle

Corporation has enacted a policy whereby they send Security Alerts on a quarterly basis with patches to

correct any known/identified security issues. CAO database administration staff receive these

notifications and are responsible for applying the patches to the affected Oracle databases and/or

applications. Applicable patches are to be applied within the month that the alert is issued.

We recommend that the CAO ensure that the process for applying Oracle critical patch updates, as

established in the Standard Operating Procedure for Applying Oracle Security Patches, is consistently

implemented.

12. SECURITY CONFIGURATION BASELINES HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY CONFIGURED AND MONITORED.

We noted the following security configuration baseline deficiencies:  

 HISPUB 007.1.60, Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Security Standards, is either missing or

deviates from 103 of the 241 security configuration standards (42%) identified in the Center for

Internet Security (CIS) Security Configuration Benchmark for Microsoft Windows Server 2008.

No justification was provided in HISPUB 007.1.60 for the noted deviations.

 HISPUB 007.2.20, Oracle for UNIX Security Checklist, is either missing or deviates from 136 of the

290 security configuration standards (47%) identified in the Center for Internet Security (CIS)

Security Configuration Benchmark for Oracle Database Server 11g. No justification was provided

in HISPUB 007.2.20 for the noted deviations.
43

Independent Auditors’ Report

A‐17

 No process is in place to continuously monitor security configurations against approved

baselines. Compliance reviews are only conducted once every three years per HISPOL 007.0.

CAO management has not implemented a process to ensure that security configuration baselines are

configured and monitored in accordance with industry best practices. As a result, settings deployed to

House operating systems and database management systems may not provide adequate security and

protection. This increases the risk that the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of House data could

be compromised.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, organizations should establish configuration settings for information

technology products employed within the information system that reflect the most restrictive mode

consistent with operational requirements and monitor changes to the configuration settings in

accordance with organizational policies and procedures.

We recommend that the CAO implement a process to ensure that security configuration baselines are

appropriately configured and monitored for all platforms, in accordance with industry best practice.

13. PEOPLESOFT SHARED GROUP ACCOUNT ACCESS IS NOT ACTIVELY MONITORED AND REVIEWED.

Shared group accounts, including privileged administrator accounts, are not actively monitored and

reviewed. We noted three group accounts, two with administrative access and one used by the

accounting department for accounts payable, and are used by multiple individuals. These issues are

caused by CAO management not establishing policies and procedures guiding the usage, maintenance,

and monitoring of shared group accounts, including privileged administrator accounts, for PeopleSoft.

This increases the risk that inappropriate actions may be performed with a privileged account within the

financial system and go undetected, and accountability for those actions cannot be determined.

In accordance with NIST SP 800‐53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information

Systems and Organizations, the information system should uniquely identify and authenticate

organizational users or processes acting on behalf of organizational users. Unique identification of

individuals in group accounts (e.g., shared privilege accounts) may need to be considered for detailed

accountability of activity.

We recommend that the CAO evaluate and justify the need for any shared group accounts, including

privileged administrator accounts, and uniquely identify and authenticate users to the degree possible.

If the accounts are deemed necessary, the CAO should establish and implement policies and procedures

concerning audit logging and monitoring, separation of duties, and recertification of shared group

accounts, including privileged administrator accounts.

   
44

Independent Auditors’ Report

A‐18

Status of Prior‐Year Findings

In the audit report on the House’s FY 2010 financial statements, several issues were noted related to

internal controls over financial reporting. The table below presents a summary of our of internal control

findings.

Control Deficiency 2010 Status 2011 Status

Lack of a Management Control Program Material Weakness Closed

Ineffective Controls over Information Technology Material Weakness Significant Deficiency

Ineffective Financial Reporting Controls and General

Ledger System Reporting Limitations Significant Deficiency Significant Deficiency
45

APPENDIX B

MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE

FY 2011 FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT REPORT

Independent Auditors’ Report
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47

Chief Administrative Officer’s

Audit Report Response
48
Chief Administrative Officer’s Audit Report Response

49
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51

Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Statements
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Financial Statements

53

Financial Statements Included in This Report

The U.S. House of Representatives (House) has prepared financial statements for fiscal year (FY)

2011 in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) issued by the

Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) and the form and content requirements

of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular No. A‐136, Financial Reporting

Requirements. The responsibility for the integrity of the financial information included in these

statements rests with management of the House. The audit of the House’s financial statements

was performed by Cotton & Company LLP. The auditors’ report accompanies the financial

statements.

The House’s financial statements for FY 2011 consisted of the following:

• The Balance Sheet, which presents as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 those resources

owned or managed by the House that are available to provide future economic benefits

(assets); amounts owed by the House that will require payments from those resources or future

resources (liabilities); and residual amounts retained by the House comprising the difference

(net position).

• The Statement of Net Cost, which presents the net cost of the House’s operations for the

years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010. The House’s net cost of operations includes the

gross costs incurred by the House less any exchange revenue earned from House activities.  

• The Statement of Changes in Net Position, which presents the change in the House’s net

position resulting from the net cost of the House’s operations, budgetary financing sources

other than exchange revenues, and other financing sources for the years ended September 30,

2011 and 2010.

• The Statement of Budgetary Resources, which presents the budgetary resources available to

the House during FY 2011 and FY 2010, the status of these resources at September 30, 2011

and 2010, the change in obligated balances during FY 2011 and FY 2010, and net outlays of

budgetary resources for the years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010.
Financial Statements

54

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Consolidated Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2011 and 2010

2011 2010

ASSETS

 Intergovernmental:

 Fund Balance with U.S. Treasury (Note 2) $ 264,591,955 $ 239,582,640 

 Accounts Receivable, Net (Note 3) 536,949 78,437 

 Advances and Prepayments (Note 7) 11,359 13,776 

 Total Intragovernmental 265,140,263 239,674,853

 Cash and Other Monetary Assets (Note 2) 520 1,092 

 Accounts Receivable, Net (Note 3) 472,324 138,469 

 Inventory and Operating Materials and Supplies (Note 4) 1,370,614 1,342,359 

 Property and Equipment, Net (Note 5) 51,177,082 67,323,285 

 Advances and Prepayments (Note 7) 6,537,610 4,011,514 

Total Assets $ 324,698,413 $ 312,491,572 

 

Stewardship Property and Equipment (Note 6)

 

LIABILITIES

 Intragovernmental:

 Accounts Payable $ 4,879,398 $ 1,481,153 

 Advances from Others 55,167 1,578,859 

 Capital Lease Liabilities (Note 9) 549,371 728,659 

 Other Liabilities 5,033,931 2,412,889 

 Total Intragovernmental 10,517,867 6,201,560 

 Accounts Payable 27,391,752 33,784,385 

 Actuarial Federal Employees’ Compensation Act Liabilities 21,290,084 20,120,574 

 Accrued Payroll and Benefits 7,150,990 9,042,252 

 Accrued Annual Leave 7,823,711 6,692,287 

 Capital Lease Liabilities (Note 9) - 1,588,093 

 Other Liabilities 174,548 179,021

Total Liabilities (Note 8) $ 74,348,952 $ 77,608,172 

NET POSITION

 Unexpended Appropriations $ 201,799,706 $ 179,390,239 

 Cumulative Results of Operations 48,549,755 55,493,161 

Total Net Position $ 250,349,461 $ 234,883,400 

Total Liabilities and Net Position $ 324,698,413 $ 312,491,572 
Financial Statements

55

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Consolidated Statement of Net Cost

For the Years Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010

2011 2010

NET COST OF OPERATIONS (Note 11)

Net Costs by Program Area

 Legislative Activities

 Gross Costs $ 1,627,233,695 $ 1,699,580,701 

 Less: Earned Revenue (4,793,398) (11,411,145)

 Net Program Costs 1,622,440,297 1,688,169,556 

 Revolving Funds

 Gross Costs 1,062,654 2,588,160 

 Less: Earned Revenue (6,226,386) (4,156,296)

 Net Program Costs (5,163,732) (1,568,136)

Net Cost of Operations $ 1,617,276,565 $ 1,686,601,420 
Financial Statements

56

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Position

For the Years Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010

2011 2010

Unexpended Appropriations

Beginning Balance $ 179,390,239 $ 155,434,854 

Budgetary Financing Sources

Appropriations Received 1,430,483,150 1,494,157,000 

Appropriations Used (1,373,260,349) (1,456,300,736)

Other Adjustments (34,813,334) (13,900,879)

Total Budgetary Financing Sources 22,409,467 23,955,385 

Total Unexpended Appropriations $ 201,799,706 $ 179,390,239 

Cumulative Results of Operations

Beginning Balance $ 55,493,161 $ 39,852,462 

Budgetary Financing Sources

Appropriations Used 1,373,260,349 1,456,300,736 

Other Adjustments 1,326,770 7,010,612 

Other Financing Sources

Imputed Financing from Costs Absorbed

 by Others (Note 15) 235,680,888 239,350,821 

Other Adjustments 65,152 (420,050) 

Total Financing Sources 1,610,333,159 1,702,242,119

Net Cost of Operations (1,617,276,565) (1,686,601,420)

Net Change (6,943,406) 15,640,699 

Total Cumulative Results of Operations $ 48,549,755 $ 55,493,161 

Net Position $ 250,349,461 $ 234,883,400 
57

 Financial Statements

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Statement of Budgetary Resources

For the Years Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010

2011 2010

Budgetary Resources

Unobligated Balance, Brought Forward, October 1 $ 98,588,145 $ 101,003,290 

Recoveries of Prior Year Unpaid Obligations 1,471,605 4,057,123 

Budget Authority:

Appropriations Received 1,430,483,150 1,494,157,000 

Borrowing Authority - - 

Contract Authority - - 

Spending Authority from Offsetting Collections:

Earned:

Collected 30,061,843 28,517,145 

Change in Receivable from Federal Sources 536,418 - 

Change in Unfilled Customer Orders:

Advances Received (1,523,691) 1,498,029 

Without Advance from Federal Sources - - 

Anticipated for Rest of Year, Without Advances - - 

Previously Unavailable - - 

Expenditure Transfers from Trust Funds - - 

Subtotal Budget Authority $ 1,459,557,720 $ 1,524,172,174 

Nonexpenditure Transfers, Net, Anticipated and Actual - -

Temporarily Not Available Pursuant to Public Law - - 

Permanently Not Available (Cancelled) (34,084,970) (4,930,523)

Total Budgetary Resources $ 1,525,532,500 $ 1,624,302,064 

Status of Budgetary Resources

Obligations Incurred:

Direct $ 1,363,907,195 $ 1,498,490,639

Reimbursable 26,059,558 27,223,280

Total Obligations Incurred 1,389,966,753 1,525,713,919

Unobligated Balances - Available:

Apportioned - -

Exempt from Apportionment 72,061,195 39,575,858

Total Unobligated Balance - Available 72,061,195 39,575,858

Unobligated Balance - Not Available 63,504,552 59,012,287 

Total Status of Budgetary Resources $ 1,525,532,500 $ 1,624,302,064 

 

Change in Obligated Balance

Obligated Balance, Brought Forward, October 1

Unpaid Obligations $ 141,186,698 $ 111,821,812 

Less: Uncollected Customer Payments from Federal Sources - -

Total Unpaid Obligated Balance, Brought Forward, October 1 141,186,698 111,821,812

Obligations Incurred, Net 1,389,966,753 1,525,713,919 

Less: Gross Outlays (1,399,255,608) (1,492,291,910)

Obligated Balance Transferred, Net:

Actual Transfers, Unpaid Obligations - - 

Actual Transfers, Uncollected Customer Payments from Federal Sources - - 

Total Unpaid Obligated Balance Transferred, Net - - 

Less: Recoveries of Prior Year Unpaid Obligations, Actual (1,471,605) (4,057,123) 

Change in Uncollected Customer Payments from Federal Sources (536,418) - 

Obligated Balance, Net, End of Period:

Unpaid Obligations 130,426,238 141,186,698

Less: Uncollected Payments from Federal Sources (536,418) - 

Total Unpaid Obligated Balance, Net, End of Period $ 129,889,820 $ 141,186,698

Net Outlays

Gross Outlays $ 1,399,255,608 $ 1,492,291,910 

Less: Offsetting Collections (28,538,152) (30,015,174)

Total Net Outlays $ 1,370,717,456 $ 1,462,276,736 
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59

Notes to the Financial Statements
Notes to the Financial Statements

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Notes to the Financial Statements

61

NOTE 1 ‐ SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A. Description of the Reporting Entity

The U.S. House of Representatives (House) is one of two separate legislative chambers that comprise the Congress of the

United States. The other is the U.S. Senate (Senate). All lawmaking powers of the Federal government are given to the

Congress under Article I of the Constitution of the United States. The House and Senate jointly agree on a budget for the

Legislative Branch and submit it to the President of the United States. The Members of the House serve two‐year terms of

office, which coincide with the sequential numbering of the entire Congress.  

To help carry out its constitutional duties, the House creates committees of Members and assigns them responsibility for

gathering information, identifying policy problems, proposing solutions, and reporting bills to the full chamber for

consideration. The House elects and appoints Officers and officials to administer both legislative and non‐legislative

functions, which support the institution and its Members in carrying out its legislative duties. The financial statements of

the House provide financial information on the activities of all entities, which are subject to the authority vested in the

House by the U.S. Constitution, public laws, and rules and regulations adopted by the membership of the House.

These financial statements reflect the organizational structure of the House under the sessions of the 111th and 112th

Congress. The fiscal year 2011 financial statements are comprised of two programs: Legislative Activities and Revolving

Funds.   

Legislative Activities

Legislative Activities consist of all financial activity related to the operations of all Member Offices, both in Washington,

D.C. and Congressional districts; all Committees both Standing and Special and Select; Leadership Offices; House Officers

and Offices and Joint Functions that the House shares with the U.S. Senate including the Attending Physician and Joint

Committee on Taxation.

House Members are elected from congressional districts of approximately equal population. The financial information

aggregates transactions of the Member districts and Washington, D.C. offices, and includes 435 Representatives; five

Delegates, one each, from the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands;

and one Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.  

The Committees financial information aggregates transactions of the Standing and Special and Select Committees under

the sessions of the 111th and 112th Congress. Committees are organized at the beginning of each Congress according to

their jurisdictional boundaries incorporated in the Rules of the House. The Committees of the House under the sessions of

the 111th and 112th Congress are:

Committee on Agriculture

Committee on Appropriations

Committee on Armed Services

Committee on the Budget

Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee on Education and Labor in the 111th Congress)

Committee on Energy and Commerce

Committee on Ethics (Committee on Standards of Official Conduct in the 111th Congress)

Committee on Financial Services

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Committee on Homeland Security

Committee on House Administration

Committee on the Judiciary

Committee on Natural Resources

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Committee on Rules

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (Committee on Science and Technology in the 111th Congress)

Committee on Small Business

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Notes to the Financial Statements

62

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Committee on Ways and Means

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (111th Congress only)

The House Leadership Offices financial information aggregates transactions of:

Speaker of the House

Majority and Minority Leaders

Majority and Minority Whips

Party Steering Committees, Caucus or Conference, which consist of Representatives of the same political party

The Officers and Legislative Offices financial information aggregates transactions of all legislative support and

administrative functions provided to Members, Committees, and Leadership offices, including:

Chaplain

Chief Administrative Officer

Clerk of the House

Office of Congressional Ethics

Office of the General Counsel

Office of the Historian

Office of Inspector General

Office of the Law Revision Counsel

Office of the Legislative Counsel

Parliamentarian

Sergeant at Arms

The Joint Functions financial information aggregates transactions of the joint activities of the House and the Senate to the

extent that the House funds these functions. House administrative management does not exert direct control over the

expenditures of these functions. The joint functions in these statements include:

Attending Physician

Joint Economic Committee

Joint Committee on the Library

Joint Committee on Printing

Joint Committee on Taxation

Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Revolving Funds  

Revolving Fund Activities consist of all financial activity related to the operations of all House revolving fund accounts.

The Revolving Funds financial information aggregates transactions of:

House Child Care Center

House Recording Studio  

House Services

Net Expenses of Equipment  

Net Expenses of Telecommunications

Page School  

Stationery
Notes to the Financial Statements

63

B. Basis of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and significant activities of the House. All significant

interoffice balances and transactions have been eliminated to arrive at consolidated financial information, except for the

Statement of Budgetary Resources which is presented on a combined basis in accordance with the Office of Management

and Budget’s (OMB) Circular No. A‐136, Financial Reporting Requirements.  

The financial statements do not include legislative agencies that support the House and that receive separate

appropriations. These agencies are:

Architect of the Capitol

Congressional Budget Office

Government Accountability Office

Government Printing Office

Library of Congress

U.S. Botanic Garden

U.S. Capitol Police

Functions jointly shared between the House and the Senate are included in the financial statements to the extent their

operations are funded by House appropriations. These consist of:

Attending Physician

Joint Economic Committee

Joint Committee on the Library

Joint Committee on Printing

Joint Committee on Taxation

Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

C. Basis of Accounting and Presentation

The financial statements present the financial position, net cost of operations, changes in net position and budgetary

resources of the House. These statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting

Principles (GAAP) issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) and the form and content

requirements of the OMB Circular No. A‐136, Financial Reporting Requirements.  

While the House is a Legislative Branch entity, it has elected to incorporate many of the Federal government Executive

Branch agency financial management and reporting standards that management deems necessary for the fair

presentation of financial statement information.

The House’s accounting structure, in accordance with GAAP, utilizes both accrual and budgetary accounting. Under

accrual accounting, events are recognized as they occur, as opposed to when cash is received or disbursed. Therefore,

revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are recorded when a liability is incurred, without regard to receipt or

payment of cash. The budgetary accounting, on the other hand, facilitates compliance with legal constraints on, and

controls over, the use of Federal funds.  

Throughout these financial statements, assets, liabilities, revenues and costs have been classified according to the type of

entity with whom the transactions were made. Intragovernmental assets and liabilities are those from or to other Federal

entities. Intragovernmental earned revenues are collections or accruals of revenue from other Federal entities, and

intragovernmental costs are payments or accruals to other Federal entities.  

While these statements have been prepared from the records of the House in accordance with GAAP and formats

prescribed in OMB Circular No. A‐136, Financial Reporting Requirements, these statements are in addition to the financial

reports used to monitor and control the budgetary resources that are prepared from the same records. These statements

should be read with the realization that they are for a component of the U.S. government, a sovereign entity.   

D. Fund Balance with the U.S. Treasury and Cash

The U.S. Treasury processes cash receipts and disbursements for the House through its cash management services. Fund

Balance with Treasury represents the aggregate amount of House fund accounts with the U.S. Treasury available to pay  
Notes to the Financial Statements

64

current liabilities and finance authorized purchases. Fund Balance with Treasury consists of balances for general fund

expenditure accounts, revolving funds, and other fund types as of the end of the fiscal year. Fund Balance with Treasury

also includes the Congressional Use of Foreign Currency account, which is held at the U.S. Treasury and is maintained and

administered by the Department of State on behalf of the House. The House also maintains an account related to Special

Fund Receipts. Cash and other monetary assets include cash on hand that represents deposits in transit and amounts held

in a commercial bank account. (See Note 2)

The following describes the type of funds maintained by the House:

General Fund Expenditure Accounts are fund accounts used to record amounts appropriated by Congress for the general

support of the Federal government.  

Revolving Funds are fund accounts used to record funds authorized by specific provisions of law to finance a continuing

cycle of business–type operations. Receipts are credited directly to the revolving fund as offsetting collections and are

available for expenditure without further action by Congress.  

Special Fund Receipt Accounts are fund accounts used to record receipts from specific sources earmarked by law for

specific purposes.

Other Fund Types include General Fund Receipt and Deposit Fund accounts. General Fund Receipt accounts are used to

record all receipts not earmarked by law for a specific purpose. These receipts may include miscellaneous recoveries and

refunds and fines and penalties. The U.S. Treasury automatically transfers all cash balances in these receipt accounts to

the general fund of the Treasury at the end of each fiscal year. Deposit Fund accounts are used to record monies withheld

from Federal government payments for goods and services received pending payment; and receipts and disbursements

awaiting determination of the proper accounting classification.   

E. Accounts Receivable, Net

Accounts Receivable represents amounts due to the House from Federal entities, Members, employees and/or vendors

for money, goods, and services less an Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. Accounts Receivable primarily arises from

provision of goods and services, commissions, and overpayments. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is based on an

analysis of outstanding accounts, aging methodologies and historical collection experience. Intragovernmental accounts

receivable are generally considered to be fully collectible. (See Note 3)

F. Inventory and Related Property, Net  

Inventory is tangible personal property that is held for sale. The Chief Administrative Office (CAO) Office Supply Service

and Gift Shop maintain an inventory of supplies and merchandise purchased for resale to the public. Inventories for sale

are valued at the moving weighted average method.  

Operating Material and Supplies are tangible personal property to be consumed during normal operations. The CAO

Logistics and Support Office maintains inventories of such items as hardwood, carpet, leather, fabric, furniture

components, and repair materials purchased by the House for use in its operations. The CAO House Information

Resources Office maintains inventories of such items as fiber jumpers to support network connectivity and patch cords to

support desktop computers. These items are not for sale and are reflected in the financial statements at an estimated

value based on the first in/first out inventory valuation method. (See Note 4)

G. General Property and Equipment, Net

General Property and Equipment consists of office and computer equipment, furniture, vehicles, software, assets

acquired under capital leases, leasehold improvements and work in process. The House capitalizes property and

equipment when the acquisition cost equals or exceeds an established threshold and has a useful life of two years or

more. The costs of such items are recognized as assets when acquired.  

Property and equipment are capitalized if the unit acquisition cost is equal to or greater than $25,000 and the item has a

useful life of two years or more with the exception of software. Software is capitalized if the unit acquisition cost is equal

to or greater than $10,000 and the item has a useful life of two years or more. Work in process consists of capitalized

costs associated with assets received, but not placed in service as of the end of the fiscal year.
Notes to the Financial Statements

65

An appropriate portion of an asset’s value is reduced and an expense for depreciation or amortization is recognized over

the accounting periods benefited by the asset’s use. The House calculates depreciation and amortization expense based

on the straight‐line method over an asset’s estimated useful life. Depreciation expense is applicable to tangible assets

such as equipment, furniture, and vehicles. Amortization expense is applicable to intangible assets such as software and

capital leases. Assets acquired under capital leases are generally amortized over the lease term. However, if a lease

agreement contains a bargain purchase option or otherwise transfers title of the asset to the House, the asset is

amortized on the same basis as similar categories of owned assets.  

A loss is recognized when the net book value of the asset at the time of disposal exceeds any proceeds received. A gain is

recognized when the net book value of the asset at the time of disposal is less than any proceeds received. (See Note 5)  

The House also entered into capital leases for building structures and computer hardware. Assets under capital leases are

structured such that their terms effectively finance the purchase of the item. Such leases convey the benefits and risks of

ownership and are classified as capital leases, if the lower of net present value or fair market value of the minimum lease

payments due at lease inception meets House capitalization criteria. Items acquired by capital leases are recorded as

House assets. The asset and corresponding liability are recorded at the lower of net present value of the minimum lease

payments or fair market value at lease inception. The portion of capital lease payments representing imputed interest is

expensed as interest on capital leases. (See Note 9)

House office buildings and land occupied by Members and employees in Washington, D.C. are under the custody of the

Architect of the Capitol (AOC) and are excluded from the House’s property and equipment accounts. The House

recognizes an imputed cost and related imputed financing source in its financial statements for the costs associated with

House office buildings. (See Notes 1K and 15)

H. Stewardship Property and Equipment

Stewardship Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E) includes heritage assets and stewardship land. Heritage assets are

unique due to their historical or natural significance; cultural, educational, or artistic importance; or significant

architectural characteristics. Heritage assets consist of collection‐type heritage assets, such as objects gathered and

maintained for exhibition, for example, museum collections, art collections, and library collections; and non‐collection‐

type heritage assets, such as parks, memorials, monuments, and buildings. These assets are expected to be preserved

indefinitely. The House’s heritage assets are considered collection‐type heritage assets and consist primarily of historical

artwork and artifacts.  

Heritage assets can serve two purposes: a heritage function and a general government operational function. If a heritage

asset serves both purposes, but is predominantly used for general government operations, the heritage asset is

considered a multi‐use heritage asset, which is included in general PP&E on the Balance Sheet. The House office buildings

and land occupied and used by Members and employees in Washington, D.C. meet the criteria of multi‐use heritage

assets. Stewardship responsibility for these multi‐use heritage assets is maintained by the AOC and disclosed on its

financial statements. The House does not possess multi‐use heritage assets or stewardship land.

Heritage assets are disclosed on the Balance Sheet as a note reference with no asset amount shown, and are generally not

included in the general PP&E. The cost of improving, reconstructing, or renovating heritage assets is recognized as an

expense in the period incurred. Similarly, the cost to acquire or construct a heritage asset is recognized as an expense in

the period incurred. Due to their nature, matching costs with specific periods would not be meaningful. (See Note 6 and

Required Supplementary Information)

I. Advances and Prepayments

Advances and prepayments are transfers of cash to cover future expenses or the acquisition of assets. These goods

and/or services are delivered in increments that span several months. Advance payments are recorded as assets and

consist of payments to Federal government entities for contractual services and for mailings that require address

corrections or additional postage. As the goods and/or services are rendered, the Advance account is drawn down and

the appropriate asset or expense is recognized. Prepayments are payments made in advance of the receipt of goods and

services. Prepayments include payments for subscriptions and software licenses and are recorded as expenses. At year‐

end, all such payments made for the current year are analyzed to determine the proper expense and prepayment

amounts applicable to the current accounting period for financial statement purposes. (See Note 7)
Notes to the Financial Statements

66

J.  Liabilities  

Liabilities represent the probable future outflow or other sacrifice of resources as a result of past transactions or events.  

Liabilities are amounts due to others as a result of items received, services rendered, expenses incurred, assets acquired

and construction or work in process regardless of whether invoices have been received. Liabilities also represent amounts

received that have not yet been earned. Liabilities covered by budgetary resources are liabilities incurred that will be

covered by available budgetary resources encompassing not only new budget authority but also other resources available

to cover liabilities for specified purposes in a given year. Liabilities not covered by budgetary resources include unfunded

liabilities incurred for which revenues or other sources of funds necessary to pay the liabilities have not been made

available through congressional appropriations or current earnings of the reporting entity. (See Note 8)

The House’s liabilities include:

Accounts Payable that represent amounts owed for the cost of goods and services received but not yet paid. The House

estimates certain accounts payable balances based on financial activity determined on a three‐year averaging

methodology.  

Advances from Others that represent advance payments received from other Federal government entities for shared

services, in advance of the delivery of these services. As the services are rendered the Advances from Others account is

drawn down and the appropriate revenue is recognized. The House received payments in advance of receipt of shared

services from the Library of Congress.  

Capital Lease Liability that represents the portion recorded at the lower of net present value or fair market value of the

minimum lease payments at lease inception.

Unfunded Workers’ Compensation Actuarial Liability that represents an estimate based on actuarial calculations using

historical payment patterns to predict what costs will be incurred in the future. The liability is adjusted annually by

applying actuarial procedures. Any upward or downward adjustment to the liability is recorded as an annual increase or

decrease to benefits expense. The House calculated the actuarial liability based on a model developed by the U.S.

Department of Labor (DOL). The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) provides income and medical cost

protection to covered Federal civilian employees injured on the job, employees who have incurred a work‐related

occupational disease, and beneficiaries of employees whose death is attributable to a job‐related injury or occupational

disease. Claims incurred for the benefit of House employees under FECA are administered by DOL, which pays the initial

claim and obtains reimbursement from the House.  

Accrued Payroll and Benefits and Annual Leave that represent both a funded and unfunded liability. A funded liability has

a corresponding appropriation to liquidate it. An unfunded liability is a liability that is incurred during the current or prior

year but is not payable until a future fiscal year for which an appropriation has not yet been received.

Accrued payroll and benefits include salaries and associated benefits earned in the current fiscal year and paid in the

subsequent fiscal year.

Annual leave for the House Officers, the Inspector General and their employees is accrued as earned, and the liability is

reduced as leave is taken. The accrued annual leave balances are calculated according to Public Law 104‐53, November

19, 1995, Sec. 109 Stat. 522 (i.e., the lesser of the employee’s monthly pay or the monthly pay divided by 30 days and

multiplied by the number of days of accrued leave). In FY 2011, the House changed the methodology to reflect actual

hours to calculate the liability. Sick and other types of paid leave are expensed as they are taken. The Members’ and

Committees’ Congressional Handbooks allow offices to adopt personnel policies that provide for the accrual of annual

leave and use of such leave. Leadership and other select House offices have also adopted similar policies. While leave is

tracked from one pay period to the next, a consistent policy has not been formally adopted by these entities regarding the

accrual and payment of leave time. Therefore, an accrued leave liability for Members, Committees, Leadership and select

House offices is estimated on the financial statements. In FY 2011, the estimate was based on a three‐year average of

actual annual leave paid.   

Other Intragovernmental Liabilities that represent the Accrued workers’ compensation amount billed by DOL that will be

paid in subsequent fiscal years and Unemployment compensation amounts owed to DOL.   
Notes to the Financial Statements

67

Other Public Liabilities that represent amounts held pending proper accounting disposition or amounts withheld from

payments for goods and services received pending payment.

K. Revenue and Other Financing Sources

Appropriations

The House finances most of its operations through congressional appropriations of budget authority. To the extent that

revenue generated by some House entities does not cover expenses, appropriations are required. The House receives

annual, multi‐year and no‐year appropriations that may be used, within statutory limits, for operating and capital

expenditures. A financing source is recognized for these appropriated funds received, less appropriations transferred or

not available through rescission or cancellation. The House usually receives the full amount of its appropriation at the

beginning of each fiscal year.  

  

Exchange and Non‐Exchange Revenue

The House classifies revenues as either exchange revenue or non‐exchange revenue. Exchange revenue is derived from

transactions in which both the government and the other party receive value; and is recognized when goods have been

delivered or services rendered. The House’s exchange revenue consists of (1) sales of goods to the public for Office Supply

Service and Gift Shop sales; (2) sales of services to the public for child care fees, photography sales, postal fees and

Attending Physician fees; (3) interoffice sales between House entities for graphic services, telecommunications, office

supplies, framing, recording, office equipment, photography, and tape duplication; and (4) other revenue for Page School

room and board and vendor commissions. Non‐exchange revenue is derived from the government’s sovereign right to

demand payment from the public (e.g., taxes, duties, fines, and penalties) but also includes donations. The House reports

non‐exchange revenue collected from donations for the Reduction of Public Debt.

Imputed Financing from Cost Absorbed by Others (and Related Imputed Costs)

The House must recognize the amount of cost incurred by a Federal entity for goods or services provided and paid for in

total, or in part, by other Federal entities. Since the cost is not actually reimbursed to these Federal entities, an imputed

financing source is also recognized to offset the costs financed by the entities. The imputed cost and imputed financing

source for costs are associated with the occupancy of the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings under the custody of the

AOC and the Federal Employee and Veterans’ Benefits. The imputed cost is recognized in the Statement of Net Cost and

the imputed financing source is recognized in the Statement of Changes in Net Position.  

Occupancy Cost:

The House must recognize an occupancy cost for the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings under the custody of the AOC

that are occupied by Members and staff in Washington, D.C. The House office buildings are comprised of the Cannon,

Ford, Longworth, Rayburn, and other buildings and facilities. The AOC receives an appropriation for the maintenance, care

and operations of the House office buildings, facilities and grounds; and costs associated with the acquisition and

maintenance of the land and buildings is accounted for by the AOC.  

The imputed occupancy cost for the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings is calculated by multiplying the gross square

footage of the buildings by the estimated per square foot value. A common area factor of 11% was applied to the gross

square footage. The industry standard rental rate increase of 3.8% over FY 2010 is reflected in the FY 2011 occupancy

costs.

Federal Employee and Veterans’ Benefits Cost:

Federal‐employing entities recognize their share of the cost of providing future pension benefits to eligible employees at

the time the employees’ services are rendered. The pension expense recognized in the Statement of Net Cost is the

current service cost for House employees less the amount contributed by the employee.  

The measurement of the service cost requires the use of actuarial cost methods and assumptions, with the factors applied

by the House provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Federal agency that administers the plan. The

excess of the recognized pension expense over the amount contributed by the House represents the amount being

financed directly through the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund administered by OPM.  
Notes to the Financial Statements

68

The House does not receive an appropriation to fund this cost. Therefore, this portion of the pension cost is considered an

imputed financing source to the House, and is included in the Imputed Financing from Costs Absorbed by Others on the

Statement of Changes in Net Position.  

Federal‐employing entities also recognize a current period expense for the future cost of post‐retirement health benefits

and life insurance for its employees while they are still employed. This cost is included in the Statement of Net Cost.

Employees and the House do not currently make contributions to fund these future benefits, and the House does not

receive an appropriation to fund this expense. Therefore, this portion of the post‐retirement health benefits and life

insurance is considered an imputed financing source to the House, and is included in Imputed Financing from Costs

Absorbed by Others on the Statement of Changes in Net Position. (See Note 15)

L. Personnel and Benefits Compensation

House Members and employees are covered by either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal

Employees Retirement System (FERS). Both Members and employees are eligible for retirement benefits under CSRS or

FERS. A CSRS basic annuity, unreduced for age, debts to the fund, or survivor’s benefits, is calculated by multiplying the

highest 3 consecutive years’ average salary by a percentage factor which is based on the length of Federal service.

However, Members’ benefits are different from those of employees. For example, a Member covered by CSRS is eligible

to receive unreduced retirement benefits at age 60 if he or she has 10 years of Member service. An employee is eligible to

receive reduced benefits at age 50 with 20 years of service or at any age with 25 years of service. The FERS basic benefit

plan provides the same benefits for either Members or employees.  

CSRS employees contribute a portion of their earnings to the Civil Service Retirement Fund. The House also contributes an

amount to this fund. FERS employees, in addition to paying Social Security, contribute a portion of their base earnings to

the FERS retirement fund. The House also contributes an amount toward the FERS retirement and Social Security funds.  

Both FERS and CSRS employees can contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) up to the IRS limit. FERS employees also

receive an automatic one percent House‐paid contribution, as well as an additional House matching TSP contribution up

to five percent of their basic pay. CSRS employee contributions to TSP do not receive matching House contributions. FERS

employees could receive benefits from FERS, the Social Security System, and TSP. CSRS employees could receive benefits

from CSRS and TSP. (See Note 12)

M. Net Position

The components of Net Position are:

Unexpended Appropriations

Appropriations are not considered expended until goods have been received or services have been rendered. The House

has single, multi and no‐year appropriations. For multi‐year appropriations the House alternates each fiscal year between

15‐month and 27‐month multi‐year funding. Funds cancel two years after expiration and are no longer available for

obligation or expenditure for any purpose and are returned to the U.S. Treasury.  

Cumulative Results of Operations

The net difference between expenses and revenue and financing sources including appropriations, revenues from

operations and imputed financing sources.

N. Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the

reported amount of assets and liabilities, as well as the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the

financial statements, and the amount of revenue and expense reported during the period. Actual results could differ from

those estimates.  
Notes to the Financial Statements

69

NOTE 2 ‐ FUND BALANCE WITH THE U.S. TREASURY AND CASH

Fund Balances with Treasury (FBWT) as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Fund Balance with Treasury 2011 2010

General and Other Funds

     House maintained $    205,533,568 $   180,734,103

     Congressional Use of Foreign Currency 34,778,677 38,321,898

Total General and Other Funds 240,312,245 219,056,001

Revolving Funds 24,279,710 20,526,639

Total   $    264,591,955 $   239,582,640

Status of Fund Balance with Treasury as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Status of Fund Balance with Treasury 2011 2010

Unobligated Balance

     Available $     72,061,195 $    39,575,858

     Unavailable 63,504,552 59,012,287

Obligated Balance not yet Disbursed 129,889,820 141,186,698

Other Funds (863,612) (192,203)

Total   $   264,591,955 $  239,582,640

Other funds represent deposit funds held at the U.S. Treasury.  

Cash and Other Monetary Assets as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Cash and Other Monetary Assets 2011 2010

Cash on Hand $                   520 $             1,092

Total   $                   520 $             1,092

Funds that were canceled and returned to the U.S. Treasury as of September 30, 2011 and  

2010 were:

Appropriations 2011 2010

2009 (single year) $       28,317,552 $                    ‐

2008 (single year)  ‐ 4,930,523

2008/2009 (multi‐year) 2,992,048 ‐

2007/2009 (multi‐year) 119,404 ‐

Total   $     31,429,004 $    4,930,523

NOTE 3 ‐ ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET

Accounts Receivable, Net as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Accounts Receivable, Net 2011 2010

Intragovernmental

     Accounts Receivable $          536,949 $         78,437

Total Intragovernmental 536,949 78,437

With the Public

     Accounts Receivable 847,845 871,082

     Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (375,521) (732,613)

Total With the Public 472,324 138,469

Total   $     1,009,273 $     216,906
Notes to the Financial Statements

70

NOTE 4 ‐ INVENTORY AND RELATED PROPERTY, NET

Inventory and Related Property, Net as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Inventory and Related Property, Net 2011 2010

Operating Materials and Supplies Held for Use $             605,982 $           343,339

Inventory Purchased for Resale 764,632 999,020

Total   $         1,370,614 $       1,342,359

NOTE 5 ‐ GENERAL PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

General Property and Equipment, Net as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 and the related depreciation and amortization

expense were:

2011 Classes of  

Property and  

Equipment

Service

Life

(Years)

Acquisition

Value

Accumulated

Amortization/

Depreciation

Net Book  

Value

Amortization/

Depreciation

Expense

Work in Process N/A $      7,135,646 $                      ‐ $      7,135,646 $                       ‐

Computer Software in Development N/A ‐ ‐ ‐  ‐

Computer Software and Hardware 3 117,328,100 90,497,664 26,830,436 16,524,948

Assets Under Capital Lease 10 1,354,473 1,049,717 304,756 920,326

Computer Software and Hardware 5 514,368 514,368 ‐  ‐

Equipment 5 64,189,651 49,634,910 14,554,741 6,495,089

Motor Vehicles 5 10,734,180 10,460,322 273,858 8,021

Furnishings and Other Equipment 10 1,520,060 887,766 632,294 46,690

Leasehold Improvements 10 9,085,375 7,640,024 1,445,351 908,538

Total   $ 211,861,853 $ 160,684,771 $    51,177,082 $    24,903,612

   

2010 Classes of  

Property and  

Equipment

Service

Life

(Years)

Acquisition

Value

Accumulated

Amortization/

Depreciation

Net Book  

Value

Amortization/

Depreciation

Expense

Work in Process N/A $      9,001,668 $                      ‐ $      9,001,668 $                      ‐

Computer Software in Development N/A 16,189,010 ‐ 16,189,010  ‐

Computer Software and Hardware 3 97,909,184 79,851,739 18,057,445 9,456,787

Assets Under Capital Lease 3/10 3,923,168 1,770,501 2,152,667 991,679

Computer Software and Hardware 5 514,368 514,368 ‐  ‐

Equipment 5 62,985,272 43,755,240 19,230,032 7,533,635

Motor Vehicles 5 10,666,880 10,368,555 298,325 1,598,560

Furnishings and Other Equipment 10 1,141,104 1,100,855 40,249 11,452

Leasehold Improvements 10 9,085,375 6,731,486 2,353,889 908,538

Total   $ 211,416,029 $ 144,092,744 $    67,323,285 $    20,500,651
Notes to the Financial Statements

71

NOTE 6 – STEWARDSHIP PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Physical counts for collection‐type heritage assets as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Heritage Assets 2010 Additions Withdrawals 2011

Artwork 311 8 ‐ 319

Artifacts 3,600 917* 6 4,511

Total   3,911 925 6 4,830

*The additions reflect 30 artifacts that were acquired prior to fiscal year 2011, but were either reclassified from a single item from last year or previously

not catalogued.  This action was taken to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the count.

The House’s heritage assets are directly related to its mission to document and preserve the legislative integrity and

traditions of the institution. Permanent authority for the Clerk of the House originated in the opening days of the First

Congress, when John Beckley was elected Clerk on April 1, 1789, pursuant to Article I of the Constitution: “The House of

Representatives shall chuse (sic) their Speaker and other Officers....” The Clerk’s responsibilities to document and

preserve the activities of Congress have grown over the centuries, and are found in Rules VII and XI of the House, and by

the Rules of the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, established via 40 USC Sec. 188c (Public Law 100‐696 [Title X]).  

The House’s stewardship responsibility for its heritage assets includes those in or associated with the House, its legislative

history, Members and institutional heritage. Under the provisions of the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, the

Clerk is responsible for the administration, maintenance, and display of the works of fine art and other similar property of

the Congress for display or for other use in the House wing of the Capitol, the House Office Buildings, or any other

location under the control of the House in accordance with Public Law 100‐696. The House’s heritage assets are curated

by the House Curator in the Clerk’s Office of History and Preservation. The House Curator maintains records, both paper

and electronic, for works of art and artifacts. Staff and resources are devoted to the conservation and preservation of

heritage assets, using professional standards established by the American Institute for Conservation and the National

Archives and Records Administration. These standards provide for cleaning, storing, displaying, handling and protecting

the House’s heritage assets.  

The House acquires heritage assets by purchase, transfer from Federal entities, gift, or by provision of federal law. Prior to

acquiring these assets, the House Curator, on behalf of the Clerk and the House of Representatives Fine Art Board,

ensures they meet minimum standards as required by the American Association of Museum’s ethics guidelines and

standards and best practices for accessioning of objects into museum collections. The House’s collections continue to

increase as it acquires additional assets and few items have been retired or disposed of to date.  

Deaccessioning of objects and related withdrawals or disposals will only occur if the House Curator, in accordance with

the American Association of Museum’s guidelines and best practices, determines the asset is in irretrievable condition;

does not meet the needs of the collection; or withdraws due to exchange or gift of unwanted or duplicate copies. Staff

ensure that heritage assets remain in good condition, carefully preserving and saving these treasures for present and

future generations.  

The Required Supplementary Information section of this report provides additional information on the condition of

stewardship heritage assets.

Descriptions of the types of heritage assets are:

Artwork

The House’s artwork encompasses oil and acrylic paintings, works on paper, and sculpture in bronze, marble and other

media.

Artifacts

The House’s historical artifacts include objects in all media, including but not limited to paper, metal, plaster, wood,

textile and stone.
Notes to the Financial Statements

72

NOTE 7 ‐ ADVANCES AND PREPAYMENTS

Advances and Prepayments as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:  

Advances and Prepayments 2011 2010

Advances     $            11,359    $         13,776

Prepayments     6,537,610 4,011,514

Total   $     6,548,969 $    4,025,290

NOTE 8 ‐ LIABILITIES  

Liabilities covered and not covered by budgetary resources as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:  

Liabilities Covered by

Budgetary Resources

Liabilities Not Covered by  

Budgetary Resources

Liabilities Current Non‐Current Current Non‐Current 2011

Intragovernmental Liabilities

     Accounts Payable $     4,879,398 $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                    ‐  $       4,879,398

     Advances from Others 55,167 ‐‐‐ 55,167

     Capital Lease Liability ‐ ‐ 216,082 333,289 549,371

     Other Liabilities

          Accrued Benefits 1,996,751 ‐‐‐ 1,996,751

          Accrued Workers’ Compensation 1,960,697 849,611 ‐ ‐  2,810,308

          Unemployment Compensation 1,086,075 ‐‐‐ 1,086,075

          Other Deposit Liabilities (859,203) ‐‐‐ (859,203)

     Total Other Liabilities 4,184,320 849,611 ‐ ‐  5,033,931

Total Intragovernmental Liabilities 9,118,885 849,611 216,082 333,289 10,517,867

Public Liabilities

     Accounts Payable 27,391,752 ‐‐‐ 27,391,752

     Actuarial FECA Liability ‐‐‐ 21,290,084 21,290,084

     Accrued Payroll and Benefits 7,150,990 ‐‐‐ 7,150,990

     Unfunded Accrued Annual Leave  ‐‐‐ 7,823,711 7,823,711

     Capital Lease Liability ‐‐‐‐  ‐

     Other Liabilities 174,548 ‐‐‐ 174,548

Total Public Liabilities 34,717,290 ‐ ‐ 29,113,795 63,831,085

Total $    43,836,175 $      849,611 $      216,082 $   29,447,084 $    74,348,952
Notes to the Financial Statements

73

Liabilities Covered by

Budgetary Resources

Liabilities Not Covered by  

Budgetary Resources

Liabilities Current Non‐Current Current Non‐Current 2010

Intragovernmental Liabilities

     Accounts Payable $     1,481,153 $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                    ‐  $       1,481,153

     Advances from Others 1,578,859 ‐‐‐ 1,578,859

     Capital Lease Liability ‐ ‐ 179,287 549,372 728,659

     Other Liabilities

          Accrued Workers’ Compensation  ‐‐‐ 2,049,036 2,049,036

          Unemployment Compensation 363,853 ‐‐‐ 363,853

     Total Other Liabilities 363,853 ‐ ‐ 2,049,036 2,412,889

Total Intragovernmental Liabilities 3,423,865 ‐ 179,287 2,598,408 6,201,560

Public Liabilities

     Accounts Payable 33,784,385 ‐‐‐ 33,784,385

     Actuarial FECA Liability ‐‐‐ 20,120,574 20,120,574

     Accrued Payroll and Benefits 9,042,252 ‐‐‐ 9,042,252

     Unfunded Accrued Annual Leave  ‐‐‐ 6,692,287 6,692,287

     Capital Lease Liability ‐‐‐ 1,588,093 1,588,093

     Other Liabilities 179,021 ‐‐‐ 179,021

Total Public Liabilities 43,005,658 ‐ ‐ 28,400,954 71,406,612

Total $    46,429,523 $                 ‐ $      179,287 $   30,999,362 $    77,608,172

NOTE 9 ‐ LEASE COMMITMENTS  

Capital Leases  

Assets Under Capital Lease as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Summary of Assets Under Capital Lease 2011 2010

Building Structures         $    1,354,473        $    1,354,473

Computer Hardware     ‐ 2,568,695

Accumulated Amortization (1,049,717) (1,770,501)

Total   $        304,756 $    2,152,667

Future Capital Lease Payments Due as of September 30, 2011 were:

Year Building

Structures

Computer

Hardware

Total

2012     $    301,428 ‐     $    301,428

2013 301,428 ‐ 301,428

2014 75,156 ‐ 75,156

2015 ‐ ‐ ‐ 

2016 ‐ ‐ ‐ 

Thereafter ‐ ‐ ‐ 

Total Future Capital Lease Payments   678,012 ‐    678,012

Less:  Imputed Interest (128,641) ‐ (128,641)

Less:  Executory Costs ‐ ‐ ‐ 

Net Capital Lease Liability $    549,371 ‐ $    549,371

The House maintained capital leases for building structures and hardware.  The hardware lease was paid off in FY 2011.  

The occupancy agreement for the building structures lease includes multi‐year funding obligations of the tenant that state

the agreement is cancelable upon 30 days written notice. Space relinquishment rights and obligations state the  
Notes to the Financial Statements

74

agreement is cancelable by providing 30 days written notice to the U.S. General Services Administration. The House also

agrees that its right to not renew the lease for a fiscal year is limited solely to the House not obtaining an appropriation

for the year in an amount equal to or in excess of lease payments for the year. The House may terminate the agreement

in whole or in part as prescribed in the agreed upon settlement methodology.

Operating Leases

Future Operating Lease Payments Due as of September 30, 2011 were:

Year Vehicles Office Space Parking Total

2012 $         782,336 $ 22,740,722 $    125,308 $   23,648,366

2013 240,315 6,768,995 29,876 7,039,186

Total   $     1,022,651 $   29,509,717 $      155,184 $   30,687,552

The House maintains operating leases for vehicles and district office space and parking. The lease agreements are in

accordance with House rules and regulations and agreed upon vendor terms and conditions. The House requires that

leases entered into by Members for space be no longer than the elected term of the Member. The Members’

Congressional Handbook states that a Member cannot enter into a lease for office space beyond his/her elected term.

Members and Officers also enter into leases to rent vehicles for official business purposes. A Member may lease a vehicle

for a period that exceeds the current congressional term, but the Member remains personally responsible for the lease

liability if service to the House concludes prior to lease termination.

The House enters into operating leases for temporary usage of office space, vehicles, software, computers and other

equipment. Leases that convey the benefits and risks of ownership, but do not meet House capitalization criteria are also

recognized as operating leases. Operating lease payments are recorded as expenses. Future operating lease payments are

not accrued as liabilities. Members may lease office space in their districts through the U.S. General Services

Administration or may directly lease space from the private sector.  

NOTE 10 ‐ COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Contingencies should be recognized as a liability when a past transaction or event has occurred, a future outflow or other

sacrifice of resources is probable, and the related future outflow or sacrifice of resources is measurable. The House does

not have any contingencies where the sacrifice of resources is probable. The House is currently involved in three lawsuits

where the sacrifice of federal resources is reasonably possible. However, the House cannot predict at this time with any

degree of accuracy the range of potential loss in the event of an unfavorable outcome.   
Notes to the Financial Statements

75

NOTE 11 ‐ INTRAGOVERNMENTAL COSTS AND EXCHANGE REVENUE  

Intragovernmental Costs and Exchange Revenue as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:

Intragovernmental Costs and Exchange Revenue 2011 2010

Legislative Activities

     Intragovernmental Costs $          305,071,890 $         297,466,477

     Public Costs 1,322,161,805 1,402,114,224

          Total Costs 1,627,233,695 1,699,580,701

     Intragovernmental Earned Revenue (4,340,676) (3,957,652)

     Public Earned Revenue (452,722) (7,453,493)

          Total Earned Revenue (4,793,398) (11,411,145)

Net Program Costs 1,622,440,297 1,688,169,556

Revolving Funds

     Intragovernmental Costs 310,732 378,589

     Public Costs 751,922 2,209,571

          Total Costs 1,062,654 2,588,160

     Intragovernmental Earned Revenue (2,025,838) (2,300,239)

     Public Earned Revenue (4,200,548) (1,856,057)

          Total Earned Revenue (6,226,386) (4,156,296)

Net Program Costs (5,163,732) (1,568,136)

Total  

     Intragovernmental Costs 305,382,622 297,845,066

     Public Costs 1,322,913,727 1,404,323,795

          Total Costs 1,628,296,349 1,702,168,861

     Intragovernmental Earned Revenue (6,366,514) (6,257,891)

     Public Earned Revenue (4,653,270) (9,309,550)

          Total Earned Revenue (11,019,784) (15,567,441)

Net Cost of Operations $       1,617,276,565 $     1,686,601,420

Intragovernmental costs and exchange revenue represent transactions made between two reporting entities within the

Federal government and are disclosed separately from costs and exchange revenue with the public (exchange

transactions made between the reporting entity and a non‐Federal entity). Intragovernmental expenses relate to the

source of goods and services purchased by the reporting entity and not to the classification of related revenue. The

purpose of this classification is to enable the Federal government to provide consolidated financial statements, and not to

match public and intragovernmental revenue with costs that are incurred to produce public and intragovernmental

revenue. The net cost of the House’s operations includes gross costs incurred by the House less any exchange revenue

earned from House activities.
Notes to the Financial Statements

76

NOTE 12 ‐ PERSONNEL AND BENEFITS COMPENSATION

  

Member and Employee Personnel and Benefits Compensation 2011 2010

Personnel Compensation $           799,432,590 $              812,722,162

Retirement Plan Contributions 154,883,688 152,317,745

Social Security 54,193,051 55,133,875

Health Insurance 53,535,627 51,707,028

Student Loan/Fitness Center Programs 15,000,442 16,867,989

Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation 8,695,409 2,839,906

Transit Benefits 2,929,905 2,764,903

Life Insurance 1,234,815 1,251,004

Death Benefits 1,066,549 1,316,386

Annual Leave 1,131,424 63,814

Allowances 25,386  ‐

Workers’ Compensation Actuarial Adjustment 1,169,510 (1,338,090)

Total $      1,093,298,396 $        1,095,646,722

NOTE 13 ‐ EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The House continues to develop contingency plans to ensure the continuation of all House Operations in the event of an

emergency evacuation. Approximately $16 million and $19 million were expended in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

NOTE 14 ‐ EXCHANGE REVENUES

Reporting entities that provide goods and services to the public or another Government entity should disclose specific

information related to their pricing policies. In certain cases, the prices charged by the House for the sale of goods and

services are set by House rules and regulations, which for program and other reasons may not represent full cost. In other

cases, prices set for goods and services are intended to recover the full costs incurred by these activities (e.g., child care

fees, postal fees, and Gift Shop sales to the public).
Notes to the Financial Statements

77

NOTE 15 ‐ IMPUTED FINANCING FROM COST ABSORBED BY OTHERS

The House must recognize an imputed cost and imputed financing source for costs associated with the occupancy of the

U.S. Capitol and House office buildings and Federal Employee and Veterans’ Benefits. The imputed cost is recognized in

the Statement of Net Cost and the imputed financing source is recognized in the Statement of Changes in Net Position.

Imputed Cost and Financing Source 2011 2010

Federal Employee and Veteran’s Benefits    

     Current Service Cost – Federal Employees Health Benefits $           52,300,799 $          54,471,038

     Current Service Cost – Federal Pensions 23,713,369 31,242,088

     Current Service Cost – Federal Employees Group Life Insurance 118,963 123,037

Total Federal Employee and Veteran’s Benefits 76,133,131 85,836,163

Occupancy Costs 159,547,757 153,514,658

Total $        235,680,888 $       239,350,821

NOTE 16 ‐ PERMANENT INDEFINITE APPROPRIATIONS

A permanent and indefinite appropriation is a standing appropriation which, once made, is always available for specified

purposes and does not require repeated action by Congress to authorize its use. Legislation authorizing an agency to

retain and use offsetting receipts tends to be permanent; if so, it is a form of permanent appropriation. This appropriation

is for an unspecified amount of money; and may appropriate all or part of the receipts from certain sources, the specific

amount of which is determinable only at some future date, or it may appropriate “such sums as may be necessary” for a

given purpose.  

The House has two permanent and indefinite appropriations. These appropriations include the Compensation of

Members and Related Administrative Expenses and Congressional Use of Foreign Currency.

 Compensation of Members and Related Administrative Expenses is maintained and administered by the House.

Public Law 97‐51, Sec. 130(c), Oct. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 966, “Appropriation of funds for Compensation of Members

of Congress and for Administrative Expenses at Levels Authorized by Law and Recommended by the President for

Federal Employees”. The appropriation funds the payroll and benefits compensation for Members of Congress

and related administrative expenses in support of administering the fund.

 Congressional Use of Foreign Currency is maintained and administered by the Department of State on behalf of

the House. This account, which was established in 1948 and made permanent in 1981, is authorized by legislation

codified in Title 22, Sec. 1754 of the United States Code. The funds are available to Congressional Committees

and delegations to cover local currency expenses incurred while traveling abroad. Use of the foreign currency

account for Congressional delegations and other official foreign travel of the House is authorized by either the

Speaker of the House or the chairman of a Standing, Special and Select, or Joint Committee.   
Notes to the Financial Statements

78

NOTE 17 ‐ EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE STATEMENT OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

AND THE BUDGET OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

The Budget of the U.S. Government with actual amounts for the year ended September 30, 2011 has not been published

as of the issue date of these financial statements.  This document will be available in February 2012.   

Differences between the Statement of Budgetary Resources and the Budget of the U.S. Government as of  

September 30, 2010 were:

Differences between the Statement of Budgetary Resources

and the Budget of the U.S. Government

Budgetary Resources Net Outlays

Statement of Budgetary Resources $         1,494,157,000 $         1,462,276,736

Differences (157,000) (276,736)

Budget of the U.S. Government $         1,494,000,000 $         1,462,000,000

The House deems the variances between the amounts reported in the Statement of Budgetary Resources and the actual

amounts reported in the Budget of the U.S. Government for budgetary resources and net outlays to be immaterial and/or

insignificant. As such, reconciliation of this item is not necessary and therefore not included.  

NOTE 18 ‐ UNDELIVERED ORDERS AT THE END OF THE PERIOD

  

Undelivered Orders as of September 30, 2011 and 2010 were:  

Undelivered Orders at the End of the Period 2011 2010

Undelivered Orders, Unpaid $           83,890,729 $          97,449,237

Undelivered Orders, Paid 6,548,969 4,043,931

Total $        90,439,698 $        101,493,168

Undelivered Orders represent the amount of paid and unpaid orders for goods and/or services ordered which have not

been received.
79

Notes to the Financial Statements

NOTE 19 ‐ RECONCILIATION OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES OBLIGATED TO NET COST OF OPERATIONS

2011 2010

Resources Used to Finance Activities:    

Budgetary Resources Obligated    

Obligations incurred $     1,389,966,753 $     1,525,713,919

Less: Spending Authority from Offsetting Collections and Recoveries (30,009,758) (34,072,297)

Obligations Net of Offsetting Collections and Recoveries 1,359,956,995 1,491,641,622

Less: Offsetting Receipts ‐  ‐ 

Net Obligations 1,359,956,995 1,491,641,622

Other Resources

   

Donations/Forfeited Property ‐  ‐ 

Transfers in/out Without Reimbursement ‐  ‐ 

Imputed Financing from Costs Absorbed by Others 235,680,888 239,350,821

Net Other Resources Used to Finance Activities 235,680,888 239,350,821

Total Resources Used to Finance Activities 1,595,637,883 1,730,992,443

Resources Used to Finance Items not Part of the Net Cost of Operations:

   

Change in Budgetary Resources Obligated for Goods, Services,  

and Benefits Ordered but not Yet Provided (11,089,996) 40,378,171

Resources that Fund Expenses Recognized in Prior Periods 1,584,775 1,802,616

Budgetary Receipts and Offsetting Collections that do not affect    

Statement of Net Cost ‐  ‐ 

Resources that Finance the Acquisition of Assets 16,558,901 24,187,212

Other Resources or Adjustments to Net Obligated Resources that do not    

affect Net Cost 65,152 420,050

Total Resources Used to Finance Items not Part of the Net Cost of Ops 7,118,832 66,788,049

Total Resources Used to Finance the Net Cost of Operations $     1,588,519,051 $     1,664,204,394

Components of Net Cost of Operations That will not Require

   

or Generate Resources in the Current Period:    

Components Requiring or Generating Resources in Future Periods:    

Increase in Annual Leave Liability $             1,131,424 $                  63,812

(Increase)/Decrease in exchange revenue receivable (435,275) 172,668

Other 1,930,783 265,228

Total Components of Net Cost of Operations Requiring or    

Generating Resources in Future Periods 2,626,932 501,708

Components not Requiring or Generating Resources:    

Depreciation and Amortization 24,903,612 20,500,651

Revaluation of Assets or Liabilities 149,820 547,835

Other 1,077,150 846,832

Total Components of Net Cost of Operations not Requiring or    

Generating Resources 26,130,582 21,895,318

Total Components of Net Cost of Operations that will not

   

Require or Generate Resources in the Current Period 28,757,514 22,397,026

Net Cost of Operations $     1,617,276,565 $     1,686,601,420
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81

Required Supplementary Information
Required Supplementary Information

82

Required Supplementary Information

Stewardship Property and Equipment

The U.S. House of Representatives (House) collection of heritage assets includes historical artwork and artifacts

that reflect the rich heritage and evolving nature of the House. The institution mirrors the changing face and

history of the nation. These ideals and trials of our history are also expressed in the heritage assets whose subject

matter includes prominent Americans and other distinguished individuals, significant moments in history, and

symbolic representations of the nation’s rich and diverse history.

The House’s Curator manages and cares for the House’s collection of works of art and artifacts under its

jurisdiction which are located throughout the U.S. Capitol complex including House office buildings and other

locations under the control of the House. Since these locations are not in a museum setting, works of art and

artifacts may be subject to damage from contact and surface deposits. However, it is the House’s goal to preserve

its heritage assets and manage the condition in accordance with the intended usage of the collection. The House

conducts periodic assessments to monitor, inspect and evaluate the condition of the heritage assets to determine

the current condition for preservation or restoration efforts. These assessments are performed in accordance with

House established practice and professional standards. General conditions are categorized as excellent, good, fair

and poor. The House has determined its heritage assets to be in good to excellent condition.  

The following tables present the general condition of the House’s heritage assets and indicate an aggregate

condition of the collection as of September 30, 2011:

Heritage Asset

Collection Description

2010 Increase Decrease 2011 General

Condition

Artwork The works of art include

oil and acrylic paintings,

works on paper, and

sculpture in bronze,

marble and other media.  

These items range from

portraits and historical

documents to statues

and other works of art.

311 8 0 319 Good to

Excellent

Examples of the House’s collection of works of art include:

Oil Paintings

The House’s collection of oil paintings primarily consists of the portraits of House of Representatives’ Speakers

and Committee Chairmen. An example includes that of Speaker Henry Clay by Guiseppe Fagnani in 1852. His

portrait was the first of what became Speaker’s portraits series in the House Collection. This portrait series

became official with House Resolution 164 in 1910, which decreed that the service of every speaker be

commemorated with an oil portrait. All Speaker portraits hang in the Speaker’s Lobby and in the East and West

Chamber stairways that adjoin it.  

Acrylic Paintings

The House’s collection of acrylic paintings includes Committee portraits painted in acrylic on canvas. One such

example is the portrait of former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, George Mahon.
Required Supplementary Information

83

*The additions reflect 30 artifacts that were acquired prior to fiscal year 2011, but were either reclassified from a single item from last year or

previously not catalogued.  This action was taken to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the count.

Works on Paper

The House’s collection of works on paper includes items such as an early 19th century sketch of Speaker Jonathan

Dayton.  

Sculptures

The House’s collection of sculptures includes items such as several marble busts of former Speakers of the House,

including Speakers Thomas B. Reed, Joseph G. Cannon, James Beauchamp Clark, and Nicholas Longworth.

Heritage Asset

Collection Description

2010 Increase Decrease 2011 General

Condition

Artifacts The artifacts include

items in various types of

media, including but not

limited to paper, metal,

plaster, wood, textile and

stone. These items range

from photographs and

other historical images,

literature (e.g.,

newspapers, magazines,

and handbills), and

political campaign

buttons to engravings,

furniture, and other

types of historical

artifacts.

3,600 917* 6 4,511 Good to

Excellent

Examples of the House’s collection of artifacts include:

Paper

The House’s collection of paper artifacts include items such as photographs of the House of Representatives Chamber in

1937; Visitor’s Gallery passes from various Representatives from the early 1900’s; detail of a tally sheet of the February  

9, 1825 Electoral College vote from the records of the U.S. House of Representatives with the names of Andrew Jackson

of Tennessee, John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and Henry Clay of Kentucky

appearing written in longhand; and Campaign Cards and other memorabilia of various Representatives dating back to

the early 1900s.  

Metal

The House’s collection of metal artifacts includes items such as an artifact of the House Chamber, the historic inkwell

that sits on the Speakers desk when the House is in session, which dates back to the 19th century. The inkwell is known

to have been used as long ago as 1821 in the Old Hall of the House before the Members moved to the present chamber.
Required Supplementary Information

84

Plaster

The House’s collection of plaster artifacts include items such as several small 1932 busts of George Washington,

presented to Members of Congress on the bicentennial of the first president’s birth.   

Wood

The House’s collection of wood artifacts includes items such as the gavel used by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open the

110th Congress as the first woman to serve as the House’s presiding officer; and an 1819 desk and chair from the House

Chamber.  

Textile

The House’s collection of textile artifacts includes items such as a recent House Page uniform, donated to the collection

by a former Page.

Stone  

The House’s collection of stone artifacts includes items such as a small piece of the U.S. Capitol East front stairs.