I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 252
To improve the operations of the legislative branch of the Federal
Government, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 4, 1995
Mr. HAMILTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Rules, and, in addition, to the Committees on Government Re-
form and Oversight, House Oversight, and Budget, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdication of the committee con-
cerned
A BILL
To improve the operations of the legislative branch of the
Federal Government, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Legislative Reorganization Act of 1995’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Rulemaking power of Senate and House.
TITLE I—HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Sec. 101. Scheduling.
Sec. 102. Committee reports.
Sec. 103. Notice of jurisdictional violations.
Sec. 104. Independent investigations and factfinding for ethics investigations.
Sec. 105. Use of independent factfinders by the Committee on Standards of Of-
ficial Conduct.
Sec. 106. Staff training.
Sec. 107. Availability of legislative information.
Sec. 108. Public understanding of Congress.
Sec. 109. House-senate staff salary parity.
Sec. 110. Expansion of unauthorized appropriations points of order.
Sec. 111. Recodification of Rules of the House of Representatives.
TITLE II—SENATE
TITLE III—JOINT HOUSE AND SENATE MATTERS
Subtitle A—Congressional Budget Process
CHAPTER I—BIENNIAL BUDGETING
Sec. 301. Revision of timetable.
Sec. 302. Amendments to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control
Act of 1974.
Sec. 303. Amendments to title 31, United States Code.
Sec. 304. Two-year appropriations; title and style of appropriations Acts.
Sec. 305. Conforming amendments to Rules of House of Representatives.
Sec. 306. Multiyear authorizations.
CHAPTER 2—ADDITIONAL BUDGET PROCESS CHANGES
Sec. 321. CBO reports to budget committees.
Sec. 322. GNP budget analysis; fiscal and budget policy reports.
Sec. 323. Government-wide review.
Sec. 324. Content of budget resolutions.
CHAPTER 3—EFFECTIVE DATE
Sec. 331. Effective date; application.
Subtitle B—Staffing and Instrumentalities
Sec. 341. Authorization and funding of certain congressional instrumentalities.
Sec. 342. Coordination of legislative branch services.
Sec. 343. Competitive bidding for legislative branch services and facilities.
Subtitle C—Miscellaneous
Sec. 351. Sunset agency reporting requirements.
Sec. 352. Joint Committee on Information Management.
Subtitle D—Budget Control
Sec. 361. Short title; purpose.
Sec. 362. Establishment of direct spending targets.
Sec. 363. Annual review of direct spending and receipts by president.
Sec. 364. Special direct spending message by President.
Sec. 365. Required response by Congress.
Sec. 366. Adjustments to direct spending targets.
Sec. 367. Relationship to Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act
of 1985.
Sec. 368. Estimating margin.
Sec. 369. Consideration of appropriation bills.
Sec. 370. Means-tested programs.
Sec. 371. Effective date.
SEC. 2. RULEMAKING POWER OF SENATE AND HOUSE.
The provisions of this Act (as applicable) are enacted
by the Congress—
(1) insofar as applicable to the House of Rep-
resentatives, as an exercise of the rulemaking power
of the House of Representatives, subject to and with
full recognition of the power of the House of Rep-
resentatives to enact or change any rule of the
House at any time in its exercise of its constitutional
right to determine the rules of its proceedings; and
(2) insofar as applicable to the Senate, as an
exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and,
to the extent so applicable, those sections are
deemed a part of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
superseding other individual rules of the Senate only
to the extent that those sections are inconsistent
with those other individual Senate rules, subject to
and with full recognition of the power of the Senate
to enact or change any rule of the Senate at any
time in its exercise of its constitutional right to de-
termine the rules of its proceedings.
TITLE I—HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
SEC. 101. SCHEDULING.
(a) LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE HOUSE.—It is
the sense of the House of Representatives that there
should be established a schedule of legislative activities of
the House that—
(1) provides for 4 full days of legislative busi-
ness per week while the House is in session;
(2) sets aside specific periods exclusively for
floor proceedings and exclusively for committee
meetings and hearings;
(3) rationalizes the scheduling of committee and
subcommittee meetings and hearings to minimize
scheduling conflicts; and
(4) encourages the use of computerized schedul-
ing to minimize such conflicts and requires that the
House Information Systems provide training to com-
mittee and subcommittee staff on the use of comput-
erized scheduling.
(b) NOTIFICATION OF COMMITTEE AND SUBCOMMIT-
TEE MEETINGS AND HEARINGS.—Clause 2(g)(3) of rule
XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amend-
ed—
(1) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘committee
hearing’’ and inserting ‘‘committee or subcommittee
meeting or hearing’’;
(2) in the first sentence by inserting ‘‘meeting
or’’ before ‘‘hearing.’’; and
(3) in the second sentence by inserting ‘‘meet-
ing or’’ before ‘‘hearing’’.
SEC. 102. COMMITTEE REPORTS.
‘‘Clause 3 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is amended to read as follows:
‘‘3. A report from any committee accompanying any
bill authorizing or providing obligational authority or tax
expenditures (as defined by section 3(3) of the Congres-
sional Budget Act of 1974), or the joint explanatory state-
ment accompanying a conference report on any bill au-
thorizing or providing obligational authority or tax ex-
penditures shall contain a concise statement—
‘‘(1) describing fully the effect of any provision
of the accompanying bill or conference report which
directly or indirectly changes the application of ex-
isting laws; and
‘‘(2) in a separate, clearly identifiable part of
the report or joint explanatory statement, list each
item in the accompanying bill (or that report) or
conference report (or that joint explanatory state-
ment) that earmarks the required use of funds below
the appropriation account level or provides a specific
tax expenditure.’’.
SEC. 103. NOTICE OF JURISDICTIONAL VIOLATIONS.
Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representa-
tives is amended by adding at the end the following new
clause:
‘‘8. (a) Whenever the Committee on Appropriations
orders reported any general appropriation bill which in-
cludes any provision in violation of clause 2 or 6 and with-
in the jurisdiction of any other standing committee, it
shall immediately notify that committee.
‘‘(b) Whenever any other committee of the House or-
ders reported any bill or resolution, or amendment thereto,
carrying an appropriation from a committee not having
jurisdiction to report appropriations in violation of clause
5, that committee shall immediately notify the Committee
on Appropriations.
‘‘(c) The Committee on Appropriations shall deliver
copies of appropriation bills as passed the House with
numbered Senate amendments to the appropriate author-
izing committees at least 24 hours before requesting ap-
pointment of conferees thereon unless the Speaker deter-
mines otherwise. The Committee on Appropriations shall,
upon the filing of a conference report on an appropriation
measure, deliver copies of the conference report and ac-
companying joint explanatory statement to the appro-
priate authorizing committees at least 24 hours before
floor action thereon unless the Speaker determines other-
wise.’’.
SEC. 104. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS AND FACTFIND-
ING FOR ETHICS INVESTIGATIONS.
(a) APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT PANEL.—(1)
The Speaker and the minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives 
shall 
appoint 
jointly 
independent
factfinders at the beginning of each Congress to carry out
investigations on behalf of the House of Representatives
as required by the Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct. Independent factfinders appointed under this
section may include former Members of Congress, former
officers or employees of the Congress, or other private
citizens.
(2) No individual who engages in, or is otherwise em-
ployed in, lobbying of the Congress and who is required
under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act to register
with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the
Secretary of the Senate shall be considered eligible for ap-
pointment as an independent factfinder under this sub-
section.
(b) COMPENSATION OF FACTFINDERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each independent factfinder
shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed
for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section
5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day
(including travel time) during which the independent
factfinder is engaged in the performance of his or
her duties under this section.
(2) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—Each independent
factfinder shall be allowed travel expenses, including
per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized
for employees of agencies under subchapter I of
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while
away from his or her home or regular place of busi-
ness in the performance of his or her duties under
this section.
SEC. 105. USE OF INDEPENDENT FACTFINDERS BY THE
COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL
CONDUCT.
The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of
the House of Representatives shall adopt rules—
(1) allowing the committee to decide whether to
use, on a case-by-case basis, 4 or 6 independent
factfinders appointed in lieu of a 4- or 6-member in-
vestigative subcommittee whenever the committee
votes to conduct a preliminary inquiry;
(2) providing for the joint selection of 4 or 6
independent factfinders by the chairman and rank-
ing minority party member from the pool of 20 inde-
pendent factfinders appointed pursuant to section
107(a);
(3) 
providing 
that 
whenever 
independent
factfinders are used in lieu of a 4- or 6-member in-
vestigative subcommittee—
(A) upon completion of an investigation,
the independent factfinders shall report their
findings of fact and recommendations, if any, to
the committee;
(B) if the independent factfinders, by ma-
jority vote, adopt a statement of alleged viola-
tion, the entire committee shall be deemed to be
an adjudicatory subcommittee and be governed
by the rules adopted by the committee to carry
out section 803(d) of the Ethics Reform Act of
1989;
(4) providing that independent factfinders con-
ducting an investigation pursuant to this subsection
shall have the same power to investigate as vested
in the investigative subcommittee, subject to the ap-
proval of the chairman and ranking minority party
member; and
(5) providing that the staff of the committee
shall assist the independent factfinders in carrying
out their responsibilities.
SEC. 106. STAFF TRAINING.
It is the sense of the House that the Committee on
House Oversight should review the training and orienta-
tion programs currently available for the personal, com-
mittee, and administrative staff of the House, evaluate
their overall effectiveness and utility, and develop, admin-
ister, and coordinate a comprehensive training program
for House staff employees to enhance their subject exper-
tise, skills, and knowledge so they can better assist the
House of Representatives in the discharge of its respon-
sibilities.
SEC. 107. AVAILABILITY OF LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION.
It is the sense of the House that—
(1) the 3-day layover requirement for committee
reports on legislation and on conference reports may
not be waived unless the legislation and any accom-
panying committee report or conference report have
been available to each Member for at least 24 hours
prior to its consideration on the House floor;
(2) an amendment to a bill to be considered
under suspension of the rules should be printed and
available to each Member for at least 24 hours prior
to its consideration;
(3) committees and conference committees
should endeavor to file reports on word processing
computer disks to facilitate availability to Members;
(4) an internal cable system, a cable channel, or
party specific channels should be developed to pro-
vide Members with summaries of the pending legisla-
tion and should be available to Members in their of-
fices, committee hearing rooms, and in the cloak-
rooms;
(5) the full text of bills, amendments, reports,
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates, General
Accounting Office reports, Office of Technology As-
sessment reports, Congressional Research Service re-
ports and Issue Briefs, the Code of Federal Regula-
tions, the annotated Code of Federal Regulations,
the Congressional Record, and the Federal Register
should be made available to all Members and con-
gressional staff via computer no later than the be-
ginning of the 105th Congress; and
(6) appropriate legislative information referred
to under paragraph (5) should also be made avail-
able to the public and the Depository Libraries
through a low-cost computer connection.
SEC. 108. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that
steps should be taken to improve the public’s understand-
ing of Congress and the legislative process by—
(1) enhancing floor debate on major national is-
sues and improving the deliberative process on the
floor of the House by, for example, implementing
Oxford Union-style debates and related innovations;
(2) endorsing the efforts of the United States
Capitol Preservation Commission to raise private
funds for the creation of a congressional education
center;
(3) creating a central information telephone line
to enable citizens to find out such information as the
daily floor schedule, committee schedules, bill status
information, issue summaries, newly released re-
ports, how to access on-line information, and visitor
information;
(4) encouraging civic education programs to
better inform students, teachers, and citizens in gen-
eral about the legislative process; and
(5) encouraging the media galleries to orient
new journalists to the galleries and the Capitol and
to set up parliamentary procedure orientations
through the Congressional Research Service or some
other entity.
SEC. 109. HOUSE-SENATE STAFF SALARY PARITY.
It is the sense of the House that the Committee on
House Oversight and the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives, in consultation with the
Committee on Rules and Administration and the Commit-
tee on Appropriations of the Senate, should conduct a
study of the salary ranges of House and Senate personal,
committee, and administrative staff with a view toward
achieving bicameral salary parity for House and Senate
staff performing analogous functions.
SEC. 110. EXPANSION OF UNAUTHORIZED APPROPRIA-
TIONS POINTS OF ORDER.
Clause 2(a) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House
of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the
following new sentence: ‘‘It shall not be in order to con-
sider any provision of a general appropriation bill (except
a conference report) that would exceed any applicable au-
thorization level as set forth in any authorization measure
as passed by the House.’’.
‘‘TIMETABLE
‘‘SEC. 300. (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by
subsection (b), the timetable with respect to the congres-
sional budget process for any Congress (beginning with
the One Hundred Fifth Congress) is as follows:
‘‘First Session
‘‘On or before:
Action to be completed:
First Monday in Feb-
ruary.
President submits budget recommendations.
February 15 ....................
Congressional Budget Office submits report
to Budget Committees.
Within 6 weeks after
budget submission.
Committees submit views and estimates to
Budget Committees.
April 1 .............................
Budget Committees report concurrent resolu-
tion on the biennial budget.
April 15 ...........................
Congress completes action on concurrent reso-
lution on the biennial budget.
May 15 ............................
Biennial appropriation bills may be considered
in the House.
June 10 ...........................
House Appropriations Committee reports last
biennial appropriation bill.
June 15 ...........................
Congress completes action on reconciliation
legislation.
June 30 ...........................
Congress completes action on biennial appro-
priation bills.
October 1 ........................
Biennium begins.
‘‘Second Session
‘‘On or before:
Action to be completed:
May 15 ............................
Congressional Budget Office submits report
to Budget Committees.
The last day of the ses-
sion.
Congress completes action on bills and resolu-
tions authorizing a new budget authority
for the succeeding biennium.
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of any session of
Congress that begins in any year immediately following
a leap year and during which the term of a President (ex-
cept a President who succeeds himself) begins, the follow-
ing dates shall supersede those set forth in subsection (a):
‘‘(1) First Monday in April, President submits
budget recommendations.
‘‘(2) April 20, committees submit views and es-
timates to Budget Committees.
‘‘(3) May 15, Budget Committees report con-
current resolution on the biennial budget.
‘‘(4) June 1, Congress completes action on con-
current resolution on the biennial budget.
‘‘(5) July 1, biennial appropriation bills may be
considered in the House.
‘‘(6) July 20, House Appropriations Committee
reports last biennial appropriation bill.’’.
SEC. 302. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET
AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF 1974.
(a) DECLARATION OF PURPOSE.—Section 2(2) of the
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of
1974 (2 U.S.C. 621(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘each
year’’ and inserting ‘‘biennially’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—
(1) Section 3(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 622(4))
is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each place it
appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’.
(2) Section 3 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 622) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
‘‘(11) The term ‘biennium’ means the period of
2 consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of
any odd-numbered year.’’.
(c) BIENNIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE
BUDGET.—
(1) Section 301(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(a)) is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘April 15 of each year’’
and inserting ‘‘April 15 of each odd-numbered
year’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning
on October 1 of such year’’ the first place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘the biennium beginning on
October 1 of such year’’;
(C) by striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning
on October 1 of such year’’ the second place it
appears and inserting ‘‘each fiscal year in such
period’’;
(D) by striking ‘‘and planning levels for
each of the 2 ensuing fiscal years’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘and the appropriate levels for each of the
3 ensuing fiscal years’’;
(E) in paragraph (6) by striking ‘‘for the
fiscal year of the resolution and for each of the
4’’ and inserting ‘‘for the biennium of the reso-
lution and each of the 3’’; and
(F) in paragraph (7) by striking ‘‘for the
fiscal year of the resolution and for each of the
4’’ and inserting ‘‘for the biennium of the reso-
lution and each of the 3’’.
(2) Section 301(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(b)) is amended—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)
by inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’ after ‘‘concurrent
resolution on the budget’’; and
(B) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘for such
fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for either fiscal year
in such biennium’’.
(3) Section 301(d) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(or, if applicable,
as provided by section 300(b))’’ after ‘‘United States
Code’’.
(4) Section 301(e) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(e)) is amended—
(A) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘fiscal
year’’ and inserting ‘‘biennium’’;
(B) by inserting between the second and
third sentences the following new sentence: ‘‘On
or before April 1 of each odd-numbered year
(or, if applicable, as provided by section 300(b))
the Committee on the Budget of each House
shall report to its House the concurrent resolu-
tion on the budget referred to in subsection (a)
for the biennium beginning on October 1 of
that year.’’;
(C) in paragraph (6) by striking ‘‘such fis-
cal year,’’ and inserting ‘‘the first fiscal year of
such biennium,’’; and
(D) in paragraph (10) by striking ‘‘the fis-
cal year covered’’ and inserting ‘‘the biennium
covered’’.
(5) Section 301(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each
place it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’.
(6) Section 301(g)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(g)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’
and inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’.
(7) The section heading of section 301 of such
Act is amended by striking ‘‘ANNUAL’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘BIENNIAL’’.
(8) The table of contents set forth in section
1(b) of such Act is amended by striking ‘‘Annual’’
in the item relating to section 301 and inserting
‘‘Biennial’’.
SEC. 366. ADJUSTMENTS TO DIRECT SPENDING TARGETS.
(a) REQUIRED ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS.—Prior to
the submission of the President’s budget for each of fiscal
years 1997 through 1999, the Director shall adjust the
direct spending targets in accordance with this section.
Any such adjustments shall be reflected in the targets
used in the President’s report under section 363 and mes-
sage (if any) under section 364.
(b) ADJUSTMENT
FOR
INCREASES
IN
BENE-
FICIARIES.—(1) The Director shall adjust the direct
spending targets for increases (if any) in actual or pro-
jected numbers of beneficiaries under direct spending pro-
grams for which the number of beneficiaries is a variable
in determining costs.
(2) The adjustment shall be made by—
(A) computing, for each program under para-
graph (1), the percentage change between (i) the an-
nual average number of beneficiaries under that pro-
gram (including actual numbers of beneficiaries for
the prior fiscal year and projections for the budget
and subsequent fiscal years) to be used in the Presi-
dent’s budget with which the adjustments will be
submitted, and (ii) the annual average number of
beneficiaries used in the adjustments made by the
Director in the previous year (or, in the case of ad-
justments made in 1996, the annual average number