Bill 112-HR-2551 — Government Operations / Branch Relations
Subject: Congress

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012 - Title I: Legislative Branch - Makes appropriations to the Senate for FY2012 for: (1) expense allowances; (2) representation allowances for the Majority and Minority Leaders; (3) salaries of specified officers, employees, and committees (including the Committee on Appropriations); (4) agency contributions for employee benefits; (5) inquiries and investigations; (6) the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control; (7) the Offices of the Secretary and of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate; (8) miscellaneous items; (9) the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account; and (10) official mail costs. (Sec. 1) Authorizes the Secretary of the Senate, if in any fiscal year amounts in any Senate appropriations account for the legislative branch are available for more than one fiscal year, to establish procedures for the payment of expenses with respect to that account from any amounts available for that fiscal year. Makes appropriations to the House of Representatives for FY2012 for: (1) salaries and/or expenses of the House leadership offices, committees (including the Committee on Appropriations), officers and employees; and (2) Members' representational allowances. (Sec. 101) Requires deposit in the Treasury of any amounts of a Member's representational allowance remaining after all payments are made, to be used for federal deficit reduction, or, if there is no deficit, federal debt reduction. (Sec. 102) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2005 to transfer authority to assign responsibilities to the Republican Policy Committee, and direct the obligation and expenditure of its allowance for salaries and expenses, from the chair of the Republican Conference to the Speaker of the House (or, if the Speaker is not a member of the Republican Party, the Minority Leader of the House). (Sec. 103) Grants authority to the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House to allocate funds among specified offices. (Sec. 104) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the requirement for a 50%-50% allocation of funds between the Republican Conference and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for training and program development activities. Requires the Speaker and the Minority Leader to determine the terms and conditions under which such funds shall be paid for the activities of such organizations. (Sec. 105) Amends the Emergency Supplemental Act, 2002 to abolish the House Office of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations (OEPPO). Transfers and assigns OEPPO functions and responsibilities to the Sergeant at Arms of the House. Makes FY2012 appropriations for salaries and/or expenses of: (1) the Joint Economic Committee, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 2013, and the Joint Committee on Taxation; (2) the Office of the Attending Physician; (3) the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services; (4) the Capitol Police; (5) the Office of Compliance; (6) the Congressional Budget Office (CBO); and (7) the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), including for the care and operation of Capitol buildings and grounds, Senate Office Buildings, House office buildings, the Capitol power plant, the Library of Congress buildings and grounds, the Capitol Police buildings, grounds, and security, the Botanic Garden, and the Capitol Visitor Center. (Sec. 1001) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 with respect to the Senate employees student loan repayment program to make employees of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services eligible to participate in the program. Prohibits such employees, however, from participating in both the federal student loan repayment program and the Senate student loan repayment program at the same time (dual participation). Appropriates FY2012 funds to: (1) the Library of Congress for salaries and expenses, the Copyright Office, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), and Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; (2) the Government Printing Office (GPO) for congressional printing and binding; (3) GPO for the Office of Superintendent of Documents; (4) the GPO Revolving Fund; (5) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for salaries and expenses; (6) the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund; and (7) the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund. (Sec. 1301) Establishes an upper limit of $169.725 million for the FY2012 obligational authority of the Library of Congress with regard to certain reimbursable and revolving fund activities. Authorizes the Librarian of Congress to transfer temporarily up to $1.9 million of funds appropriated in this Act for Library of Congress salaries and expenses to the revolving fund for the FEDLINK Program and the Federal Research Program. (Sec. 1302) Authorizes the transfer of FY2012 Library of Congress appropriations between any "Library of Congress" headings, up to 10% per account, upon the approval of the congressional appropriations committees. (Sec. 1303) Makes balances of expired Library of Congress appropriations available to the Library to make a mandatory deposit to the credit of the Employees' Compensation Fund. (Sec. 1304) Authorizes the Librarian of Congress to dispose of surplus or obsolete Library personal property by inter-agency transfer, donation, sale, trade-in, or discarding. Requires receipts from such transactions to be credited to funds available for the Library's operations and available for the costs of acquiring similar property. (Sec. 1305) Amends the Library of Congress Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000 to modify the use of the revolving fund established for duplication and delivery services associated with the national audiovisual conservation center to include storage of audiovisual materials. Adds traveling exhibitions and training to the authorized uses of the revolving fund established for the Library's gift shop, decimal classification, photo duplication, and related services. Revises a disclaimer on the disbursement of gifts, etc., to the Library to state that nothing in such Act shall be construed as prohibiting or restricting the Librarian of Congress from accepting in the name of the United States gifts or bequests of personal property, nonpersonal services, voluntary and uncompensated personal services, or money (as well as, under current law, gifts or bequests of money) for immediate disbursement in the interest of the Library, its collections, or its service. Prescribes reporting, disclosure, and notification requirements for the Librarian regarding such gifts or bequests. Title II: General Provisions - Specifies authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated by this Act identical or similar to corresponding provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2011. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the AOC to maintain and improve the landscape features, excluding streets, in specified grassy areas of Washington, DC, SW. (Sec. 209) Prohibits the use of funds made available to the AOC in this Act to eliminate or restrict guided tours of the U.S. Capitol led by congressional employees and interns. Allows temporary suspension or restriction of such tours for security or related reasons to the same extent as guided tours of the U.S. Capitol led by the AOC. (Sec. 210) Rescinds specified unobligated balances available from prior year appropriations for the AOC.