Topic: Government Operations — General
Subject: Congress
Date: 2009-06-18 00:00:00

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010 - Title I: Legislative Branch Appropriations - Makes appropriations to the Senate for FY2010 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) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968 to increase by $50,000 the aggregate gross compensation paid all employees in the office of a Senator, according to a specified table. Makes appropriations for salaries and/or expenses of: (1) the Joint Economic and Taxation Committees; (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, 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) Authorizes the transfer between "Salaries" and "General Expenses," upon the approval of the congressional appropriations committees, of FY2010 amounts appropriated for the Capitol Police. (Sec. 1101) Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to authorize the Executive Director of the Office of Compliance, within the limits of available appropriations, to dispose of surplus or obsolete personal property by interagency transfer, donation, or discarding. (Sec. 1201) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2008 to increase from three to five the maximum number of participants in the executive exchange program between CBO officers and employees and private sector organizations employees for one-year assignments. Repeals the termination of such Act (thus making the program permanent). (Sec. 1301) Grants the AOC authority, within the limits of available appropriations, to dispose of surplus or obsolete personal property by interagency transfer, donation, sale, trade-in, or discarding. Requires amounts received for the sale or trade-in of personal property to be credited to funds available for AOC operations and be available for the costs of acquiring the same or similar property. (Sec. 1302) Redefines "agency" to include the AOC and the Botanic Garden with respect to federal flexible and compressed work schedules (thus authorizing such schedules for AOC and Botanic Garden employees). Declares that the same authority granted to the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations, provide technical assistance, and to review programs regarding such work schedules shall be exercised by the AOC with respect to such employees. (Sec. 1303) Redefines "agency" to include and authorize the AOC and the Botanic Garden to make noncompetitive appointments leading to conversion to career or career-conditional employment to disabled veterans with compensable service-connected disabilities of 30% or more. Declares that the same authority granted to OPM to prescribe regulations governing such appointments shall be exercised by the AOC. (Sec. 1304) Authorizes the AOC to accept voluntary student services and to regulate them (instead of OPM, as under current law). Declares that the same authority granted to OPM to prescribe regulations governing such appointments shall be exercised by the AOC. (Sec. 1305) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 to authorize the AOC to enter into a commission-based service contract with a vendor who may sell refreshments at the Botanic Garden and National Garden. Requires any amount paid to the AOC as a commission to be: (1) deposited in such renamed account; and (2) available for operations and maintenance in the same manner as provided under current law. Appropriates FY2010 funds for: (1) the Library of Congress for salaries and expenses, the Copyright Office, 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) GPO for the Office of Superintendent of Documents (including transfer of funds); (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. 1401) Establishes an upper limit of $123.328 million for the FY2010 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. 1402) Authorizes the transfer of FY2010 Library of Congress appropriations, during such fiscal year, between any "Library of Congress" headings, upon the approval of the congressional appropriations committees. Limits such transfers to 10% of the total amount of funds appropriated to the account under any such heading for FY2010. (Sec. 1403) Authorizes the Librarian of Congress to classify positions in the Library of Congress above GS-15 pursuant to OPM standards. (Sec. 1404) Provides for a carryover of up to 90 days of accrued annual leave for Library of Congress positions whose compensation is set at a rate equal to the annual rate of basic pay for positions at level III of the Executive Schedule. (Sec. 1501) Repeals the requirement for certain GAO audits, studies, or reviews of: (1) the use of funds in projects constructed under projected cost under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965; (2) the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); (3) spending by local educational agencies (LEAs) under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (4) small business participation in construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline under the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act; (5) assistance under Compacts of Free Association pursuant to the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003; (6) Independent Counsel expenditures (semiannually) under the Department of Justice Appropriations Act of 1988; and (7) ambulance service costs under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. (Sec. 1601) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 to make a technical correction to the composition of the Board of Trustees of the Open World Leadership Center to include two Members of the House of Representatives and two Senators. (Under current law, it states two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and two members appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate but does not specify whether they are congressional members or not.) Requires the Executive Director of the Center to be appointed by the Librarian of Congress, on behalf of the Board, instead of being appointed by the Board as under current law. 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, 2009. (Sec. 208) Prohibits the use of the funds made available to the AOC in this Act to eliminate 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. 209) Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to repeal the compliance deadline for legislative branch correction of violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) (thus making the enforcement mechanisms consistent with OSHA's application to the private sector and the executive branch).