Topic: Government Operations — General
Subject: Congress
Date: 2012-06-01 00:00:00

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2013 - Title I: Legislative Branch - Makes appropriations to the Senate for FY2013 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. Makes appropriations to the House of Representatives for FY2013 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, 1998 to require reimbursement to the Secretary of Labor for unemployment compensation payments to former House employees out of the House account for making payments to the Employees' Compensation Fund. (Sec. 103) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1993, with respect to authorized transfer of amounts appropriated for any fiscal year among specified headings, to add "Joint Items" (to the extent that amounts appropriated to a joint committee are disbursed by the House Chief Administrative Officer) and "Office of the Attending Physician" to the current list consisting of "House Leadership Offices," "Members' Representational Allowances," "Committee Employees," "Salaries, Officers, and Employees," and "Allowances and Expenses." (Sec. 104) Requires the House Office of the Inspector General (IG) to: (1) provide the House Committee on Appropriations with a copy of each produced IG audit and investigative report, and (2) consult regularly with the Committee with respect to the Office's operations. Makes FY2013 appropriations for salaries and/or expenses of: (1) the Joint Economic Committee 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. 1102) Makes balances of expired U.S. Capitol Police appropriations available to the Capitol Police for deposit to the credit of the mandatory Employees' Compensation Fund. Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2003 to eliminate the separate Capitol Police account for making worker's compensation payments to Capitol Police employees. (Sec. 1201) Makes balances of expired AOC appropriations available to the AOC for deposit to the credit of the mandatory Employees' Compensation Fund. Appropriates FY2013 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 (including transfer of funds); (3) the GPO for the Office of Superintendent of Documents (including transfer of funds); (4) the GPO Revolving Fund; (5) 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 $178.958 million for the FY2013 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 FY2013 Library of Congress appropriations between any subheading under the heading "Library of Congress," up to 10% per category, upon the approval of the congressional appropriations committees. (Sec. 1303) Amends the Library of Congress Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000 to modify the use of the revolving fund for duplication and delivery services associated with the national audiovisual conservation center to include preservation and storage of audiovisual materials and associated collections. Renames the revolving fund established for the Library's gift shop, decimal classification, photo duplication, and related services as the revolving fund for the Library's sales shop and other services. Adds traveling exhibitions, exhibition materials, and training to the authorized uses of the revolving fund. (Sec. 1304) States that nothing shall be construed as prohibiting or restricting the Librarian of Congress from accepting non-personal services and voluntary and uncompensated personal services (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 requirements for the Librarian regarding such gifts or bequests. (Sec. 1305) Modifies requirements for the use of appropriations to the Library of Congress for the purchase of books and sound-reproduction records for blind and other physically handicapped U.S. residents to change the terminology used to identify such individuals as "residents or persons with disabilities." Limits the lending of such books, recordings, reproducers, musical scores, instructional texts, and other specialized materials by the Library's local or regional centers to blind and other U.S. residents with disabilities (including the several States, Territories, insular possessions, and the District of Columbia). (Sec. 1401) Makes balances of expired GAO appropriations available to GAO for deposit to the credit of the mandatory Employees' Compensation Fund. 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, 2012. (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) Adds to the Capitol Grounds certain property (defined in this Act as Union Square), including any monument or other facility located within such area, which was transferred to AOC jurisdiction and control under title I of division G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (CAA, 2012). Authorizes the Capitol Police to: (1) issue a permit authorizing a person to engage in commercial activity in Union Square in a manner that does not interfere with Congress; (2) establish and collect permit application fees; and (3) establish and collect other fees for the use of Union Square, all Capitol Police or AOC costs incurred resulting from such use, and costs to monitor the permitted activity. Establishes a Union Square Commercial Account in the Treasury consisting of all such fees, to be made available, without fiscal year limitations or further appropriation, for disbursement by the Capitol Police to defray expenses associated with Union Square and to reimburse the AOC for costs incurred relating to its use. Requires the Capitol Police Board, subject to congressional approval, to promulgate regulations for commercial use of Union Square which shall: (1) describe the types of commercial activity authorized (which shall be substantially similar to the types permitted in Union Square on the day before enactment of CAA, 2012); and (2) provide for payment of fees and costs substantially similar to those collected by the National Park Service (NPS) on the day before such enactment. States that nothing in this Act or in CCA, 2012 shall be be construed to affect any permit for engaging in commercial activity in Union which was issued by the NPS before enactment of CAA, 2012.