Legislative Branch: FY2015 Appropriations
Released: 2015-01-14T00:00:00

FY2015 Consideration: Overview of Actions

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2015 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action, including

the initial submission of the request on March 4, 2014; hearings held by the House and Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittees; markups held by the House Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, and House Committee on Appropriations; passage of H.R. 4487 , Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2015, by the House on May 1, 2014; the markup and reporting of H.R. 4487 by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 19, 2014; the enactment of continuing appropriations resolutions providing funding for the legislative branch ( P.L. 113-164 , enacted September 19, 2014; and P.L. 113-203 , enacted December 13, 2014); and the enactment of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 , Division H) on December 16, 2014.

It is followed by a section on prior year actions and funding, which contains historical tables.

The report then addresses the FY2015 budget requests, hearings, and funding issues for individual legislative branch agencies and entities.

Finally, Table 4 through Table 8 list funding levels for FY2014, and FY2015 budget requests and House-passed, Senate-reported, and enacted levels for these accounts, while the Appendix lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports and public law numbers and enactment dates since FY1998.

Status of FY2015 Appropriations: Dates of Action, Bill Numbers, and Reports

Submission of FY2015 Budget Request on March 4, 2014

The FY2015 U.S. Budget submitted on March 4, 2014, contains a request for $4.471 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities.

By law, the legislative branch request is submitted to the President and included in the budget without change.

Senate and House Hearings on the FY2015 Budget Requests

Table 2 lists the dates of hearings of the legislative branch subcommittees in 2014. Prepared statements of witnesses were posted on the subcommittee websites.

House Appropriations Subcommittee Markup

On April 4, 2014, the House subcommittee met to mark up the FY2015 bill. The mark provided $3.3 billion (not including Senate items, which are determined by the Senate). No amendments were offered, and it was reported to the full committee by voice vote.

House Appropriations Committee Markup

On April 9, 2014, the full House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY2015 bill. One amendment was considered before the bill was ordered reported to the House. Representative Moran proposed the creation of an optional housing stipend of $25 per day for Members who live 50 or more miles away from Washington, DC, which failed.

House Consideration of H.R. 4487

The House of Representatives took up consideration of H.R. 4487 on May 1, 2014. Pursuant to a rule ( H.Res. 557 , agreed to by voice vote on April 30, 2014), eight amendments were considered, including the following:

An amendment offered by Representative Nugent to prohibit funding through the Member Representational Allowance (MRA) of vehicle leasing, excluding mobile district offices and short-term vehicle rentals. The amendment failed by a vote of 196-221. An amendment offered by Representative Speier to appropriate $500,000 to provide sexual harassment training for House offices, to be carried out by the Office of Compliance, with funds offset from the general administration fund of the Architect of the Capitol. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote. An amendment offered by Representative Gosar to reduce funding for the Botanic Garden to FY2014 levels and to transfer funds to the spending reduction account. The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 219-198. An amendment offered by Representative Broun of Georgia to reduce funding for the Capitol Visitor Center by $243,000, returning it to FY2014 levels. The amendment failed by a vote of 207-212. An amendment offered by Representative Duffy to defund the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund. The amendment failed by voice vote. An amendment offered by Representative Hall to prohibit funds from being used to deliver printed copies of the Statement of Disbursements of the House to any Member of the House. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote. An amendment offered by Representative Wenstrup to prohibit funding for the delivery of printed copies of the House daily calendar to any Member of the House. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote. An amendment offered by Representative Holt to appropriate $2.5 million to reinstitute the Office of Technology Assessment, offset from funds in the House Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund. The amendment failed by a vote of 164-248.

H.R. 4487 , as amended, was passed by the House by a vote of 402-14.

Senate Appropriations Committee Consideration of H.R. 4487

The Senate Appropriations Committee considered H.R. 4487 on June 19, 2014. It ordered the bill reported favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Passage of Continuing Appropriations Resolutions and Enactment of the FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act

No further action was taken on H.R. 4487 prior to the start of FY2015 on October 1, 2014.

The enactment of two continuing appropriations resolutions ( P.L. 113-164 and P.L. 113-203 ) provided funding for the legislative branch until the enactment of funding for the remainder of FY2015 in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, on December 16, 2014 ( P.L. 113-235 ). The FY2015 act provides $4.3 billion for legislative branch operations, an increase of 1.0% from the FY2014 enacted level.

Funding in Prior Years: Brief Overview

FY2014

Neither a legislative branch appropriations bill, nor a continuing appropriations resolution (CR), containing FY2014 funding was enacted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2013. A funding gap, which resulted in a partial government shutdown, ensued for 16 days. The funding gap was terminated by the enactment of a CR ( P.L. 113-46 ) on October 17, 2013. The CR provided funding through January 15, 2014. Following enactment of a temporary continuing resolution on January 15, 2014 ( P.L. 113-73 ), a consolidated appropriations bill was enacted on January 17 ( P.L. 113-76 ), providing $4.259 billion for the legislative branch for FY2014.

FY2013

FY2013 funding of approximately $4.061 billion was provided by P.L. 113-6 , which was signed into law on March 26, 2013. The act funded legislative branch accounts at the FY2012 enacted level, with some exceptions (also known as "anomalies"), and less across-the-board rescissions required by Section 3004 of P.L. 113-6 . Section 3004 was intended to eliminate any amount by which the new budget authority provided in the act exceeds the FY2013 discretionary spending limits in Section 251(c)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Subsequent to the enactment of P.L. 113-6 , OMB calculated that additional rescissions of 0.032% of security budget authority, and 0.2% of nonsecurity budget authority, would be required. The act did not alter the sequestration reductions implemented on March 1, which reduced most legislative branch accounts by 5.0%. The accompanying OMB report indicated a dollar amount of budget authority to be canceled in each account containing non-exempt funds.

FY2012

Division G of the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act ( P.L. 112-74 ) provided $4.307 billion for the legislative branch. This level was $236.9 million (-5.2%) below the FY2011 enacted level. P.L. 112-10 provided $4.543 billion for legislative branch operations in FY2011. This level represented a $125.1 million decrease from the $4.668 billion provided in the FY2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act ( P.L. 111-68 ) and the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act ( P.L. 111-212 ). The FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act provided $4.402 billion. In FY2009, an additional $25.0 million was provided for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. P.L. 111-32 , the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, also contained funding for a new Capitol Police radio system ($71.6 million) and for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ($2.0 million).

As seen in Table 3 , the legislative branch budget in constant dollars remains below the FY2004 level.

FY2015 Legislative Branch Funding Issues

The following sections discuss the various legislative branch accounts as well as issues discussed during the hearings on the budget requests.

Senate

Overall Funding

The Senate requested $907.2 million for FY2015, a 5.6% increase over the $859.3 million provided in FY2014. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $865.9 million, an increase of 0.8% from FY2014. The FY2015 act provides $864.3 million, an increase of 0.6%.

Additional information on the Senate account is presented in Table 5 .

Senate Committee Funding

Appropriations for Senate committees are contained in two accounts:

The inquiries and investigations account contains funds for all Senate committees except Appropriations. The Senate requested $134.0 million for inquiries and investigations. The Senate appropriations committee recommended, and the FY2015 act provided, $133.3 million, an increase of 1.0% from the $132.0 million provided for FY2014. The Committee on Appropriations account contains funds for the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Senate requested $14.94 million, which was the same level as FY2014 and the level recommended in the Senate report. The FY2015 act provided $15.1 million.

Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account

The Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) provides each Senator with funds to administer an office. It consists of an administrative and clerical assistance allowance, a legislative assistance allowance, and an official office expense allowance. The funds may be used for any category of expenses, subject to limitations on official mail.

The Senate requested $429.7 million for FY2015. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended, and the FY2015 act provided, $390.0 million, the same level provided in FY2014.

House of Representatives

Overall Funding

The House requested $1.20 billion for FY2015, an increase of 1.7%. The House-passed FY2015 level of $1.18 billion, which was continued in the FY2015 act, is equivalent to the FY2014 level.

Additional information on headings in the House of Representatives account is presented in Table 6 .

House Committee Funding12

Funding for House committees is contained in the appropriation heading "committee employees," which comprises two subheadings.

The first subheading contains funds for personnel and nonpersonnel expenses of House committees, except the Appropriations Committee, as authorized by the House in a committee expense resolution. The House requested $126.3 million (+2.0%). The House-passed bill and the FY2015 act contained $123.9 million, the same level provided for FY2014.

The second subheading contains funds for the personnel and nonpersonnel expenses of the Committee on Appropriations. The House requested $23.7 million (+2.0%). The House-passed bill and the FY2015 act contained the same level of funding as the FY2014 act, $23.3 million.

Members' Representational Allowance13

The Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) is available to support Members in their official and representational duties. For FY2015, $565.4 million was requested (+2.0%). The House-passed bill and the FY2015 act contained $554.3 million, the same level provided for FY2014.

Support Agency Funding

U.S. Capitol Police

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) are responsible for the security of the Capitol Complex, including the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate office buildings, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the Library of Congress buildings and adjacent grounds.

The USCP requested $355.7 million for FY2015, an increase of 5.1% from the $338.5 million the USCP received in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $348.0 million (+2.8%), while the Senate-reported version would have provided $344.0 million (+1.7%). The House-passed level was provided in the FY2015 act.

Additional information on the USCP is presented in Table 7 .

Appropriations for the police are contained in two accounts—a salaries account and a general expenses account. The salaries account contains funds for the salaries of employees; overtime pay; hazardous duty pay differential; and government contributions for employee health, retirement, Social Security, professional liability insurance, and other benefit programs. The general expenses account contains funds for expenses of vehicles; communications equipment; security equipment and its installation; dignitary protection; intelligence analysis; hazardous material response; uniforms; weapons; training programs; medical, forensic, and communications services; travel; relocation of instructors for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; and other administrative and technical support, among other expenses.

Salaries—the Capitol Police requested $291.4 million for salaries, an increase of 4.4% from the $279.0 million provided in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $286.5 million (+2.7%), while the Senate-reported bill recommended $284.6 million (+2.0%). The House-passed level was provided in the FY2015 act. General Expenses—the Capitol Police requested $64.3 million for general expenses, an increase of 8.1% from the $59.5 million provided in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $61.5 million (+3.4%), while the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended an increase of $499 from the FY2014 enacted level. The House-passed level was provided in the FY2015 act.

Another appropriation relating to the Capitol Police appears within the Architect of the Capitol account for Capitol Police buildings and grounds. USCP requested $25.6 million, an increase of 32.3% from the $19.3 million provided in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $19.5 million (+0.7%), and the Senate-reported bill recommended $20.7 million (+6.8%). The FY2015 act provided $19.2 million (-1.0%).

Highlights of the House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of the U.S. Capitol Police

On March 24, 2014, the House subcommittee discussed the Capitol Police training requests, radio modernization program, recent incidents in which USCP was involved, and overtime use, and discrimination complaints issues related to door closures in the House side of the Capitol were discussed extensively.

At a hearing on March 25, 2014, the Senate subcommittee discussed the incidents in which USCP was involved, and questions of increased access as funding returned to post-sequestration levels.

Office of Compliance

The Office of Compliance is an independent and nonpartisan agency within the legislative branch. It was established to administer and enforce the Congressional Accountability Act, which was enacted in 1995. The act applies various employment and workplace safety laws to Congress and certain legislative branch entities.

The Office of Compliance requested $4.02 million for FY2015, an increase of $152,000 (+3.9%) from the $3.87 million in the FY2014 act. The House Appropriations Committee recommended $3.96 million. The House-passed bill would have provided $4.5 million (+15.3%), including the $500,000 provided in the amendment offered by Representative Speier to provide sexual harassment training for House offices, with funds offset from the general administration fund of the Architect of the Capitol. The Senate-reported bill would have provided $3.96 million, an increase of $91,000 (+2.4%) from FY2014. The FY2015 act provided the Senate-reported level.

Administrative Provisions

The Senate-reported version of H.R. 4487 contained language, subsequently included in the FY2015 act, authorizing the Office of Compliance to send notifications to covered employees electronically rather than through the mail.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

CBO is a nonpartisan congressional agency created to provide objective economic and budgetary analysis to Congress. CBO cost estimates are required for any measure reported by a regular or conference committee that may vary revenues or expenditures.

CBO requested $46.1 million for FY2015 (+0.8%). The House-passed bill would have provided $45.7 million, which was the level contained in the FY2014 act. The Senate-reported bill would have provided $46.1 million. The House-passed level was provided in the FY2015 act.

Highlights of the House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of CBO

At the House hearing on March 4, 2014, the subcommittee discussed the volume of CBO projections, and findings and projections in recent CBO products.

Among the items discussed at the March 11, 2014, Senate subcommittee hearing were the number of requests received by CBO and its methodologies.

Administrative Provisions

CBO requested two administrative provisions. One provision would make FY2015 funds available for the compensation of employees in specialty occupations with non-immigrant visas and another provision would make certain limited FY2015 unobligated balances available through FY2016. Neither the House-passed and Senate-reported versions of H.R. 4487 , nor the FY2015 act, contained these provisions.

Architect of the Capitol

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the U.S. Capitol Complex, which includes the Capitol and its grounds, House and Senate office buildings, Library of Congress buildings and grounds, Capitol power plant, Botanic Garden, Capitol Visitor Center, and Capitol Police buildings and grounds. The Architect is responsible for the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, but appropriations for their expenses are not contained in the legislative branch appropriations bill.

Overall Funding Levels

Operations of the Architect are funded in the following 10 accounts: general administration, Capitol building, Capitol grounds, Senate office buildings, House office buildings, Capitol power plant, Library buildings and grounds, Capitol Police buildings and grounds, Capitol Visitor Center, and Botanic Garden.

The Architect requested $676.6 million for FY2015, an increase of 12.4% from the FY2014 level of $602.0 million, which included $15.94 million for the next phase of the Capitol Dome restoration project.

The House-reported bill would have provided $488.6 million, not including funding for the Senate office buildings. The House-passed bill would have provided $484.9 million, including an amendment offered by Representative Gosar to reduce funding for the Botanic Garden to FY2014 levels and an amendment offered by Representative Speier to offset from the general administration fund of the Architect of the Capitol training provided by the Office of Compliance.

The Senate-reported bill would have provided $600.0 million.

The FY2015 act provided $600.2 million (-0.3%).

The FY2014 request and the FY2015 House-passed, Senate-reported, and enacted levels for each of the AOC accounts is presented in Table 8 .

Administrative Provisions

The House-passed version of H.R. 4487 contained an administrative provision preventing the use of scrims containing photographs of building façades during restoration or construction projects performed by AOC. The Senate-reported version of H.R. 4487 contained an administrative provision related to educational outreach efforts of the U.S. Botanic Garden. The FY2015 act contained the Botanic Garden educational outreach language as well as language prohibiting the use of funds for bonuses for contractors behind schedule or over budget.

Highlights of the House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of the Architect of the Capitol

Among the items discussed at the House subcommittee hearing on March 4, 2014, were funding for the Capitol Dome rehabilitation project, the prioritization of projects, and plans for the renovation of the Cannon House Office Building.

At a hearing on April 8, 2014, the Senate subcommittee discussed the restoration of the Capitol Dome, and the prioritization of projects.

Library of Congress (LOC)

The Library of Congress serves simultaneously as Congress's parliamentary library and the de facto national library of the United States. Its broader services to the nation include the acquisition, maintenance, and preservation of a collection of more than 158 million items in a wide range of traditional and new media; service to the general public and scholarly and library communities; administration of U.S. copyright laws by its Copyright Office; and administration of a national program to provide reading material to the blind and physically handicapped. Its direct services to Congress include the provision of legal research and law-related services by the Law Library of Congress, and a broad range of activities by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), including in-depth and nonpartisan public policy research, analysis, and legislative assistance for Members and committees and their staff; congressional staff training; information and statistics retrieval; and continuing legal education for Members of both chambers and congressional staff.

The Library requested $593.1 million for FY2015, an increase of 2.4% from the $578.98 million provided in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $594.95 million (+2.8%). The Senate-reported bill would have provided $587.4 million (+1.5%). The FY2015 act provided $590.9 million, an increase of $11.9 million (+2.1%).

These figures do not include additional authority to spend receipts.

The FY2015 budget contains the following headings:

Salaries and expenses—The FY2014 act provided $405.7 million. The Library requested $414.5 million (+2.2%) for FY2015. The House-passed bill would have provided $417.7 million (+3.0%), the Senate-reported level would have provided $409.8 (+1.0%), and the FY2015 act provided $413.0 million (+1.8%). These figures do not include $6.35 million in authority to spend receipts. Copyright Office—The FY2014 act provided $18.2 million. The Library requested $19.5 million for the Copyright Office (+7.2%) for FY2015. The House-passed bill would have provided $20.7 million (+14.0%), while the Senate-reported level would have provided $19.56 million (+7.6%). The House-passed level was provided in the FY2015 act. These levels do not include authority to spend receipts. Congressional Research Service—The FY2014 act provided $105.4 million. The FY2015 request contained $108.4 million for CRS (+2.9%) for FY2015, the House-passed bill would have provided $106.1 million (+0.7%), and the Senate-reported bill would have provided $107.8 million (+2.3%). The FY2015 act provided $106.9 million (+1.5%). Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped—The FY2014 act provided $49.8 million. The Library requested $50.7 million (+1.9%) for FY2015, the House-passed bill would have provided $50.4 million (+1.4%), and the Senate-reported bill would have provided $50.2 million (+1.0%). The FY2015 act provided the Senate-reported level.

The Architect's budget also contains funds for the Library buildings and grounds. The FY2014 act provided $53.4 million, including $18.2 million for the requested collection storage module at Ft. Meade. A total of $62.8 million (+17.5%) was requested for FY2015. The House-passed bill would have provided $41.7 million (-21.8%), and the Senate-reported bill would have provided $47.6 million (-10.8%). The FY2015 act provided $42.2 million (-21.0%).

Administrative Provision

The Library requested authority to obligate funds for reimbursable and revolving fund activities, which was included in the House-passed and Senate-reported bills and the FY2015 act.

Highlights of the House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of the Library of Congress

At a hearing on March 5, 2014, the House subcommittee discussed issues in the Copyright Office, management and planning within the Library, plans for the Twitter archive, and book preservation.

At a hearing on April 8, 2014, the Senate subcommittee asked about core services of the Library, the status of the Open World Leadership Center, and book preservation.

Government Printing Office / Government Publishing Office (GPO)19

GPO requested $128.9 million for FY2015, an increase of 8.1% from the $119.3 million provided in the FY2014 act. The House-passed bill would have provided $122.6 million (+2.8%), while the Senate-reported bill would have provided $122.1 million (+2.4%). The FY2015 act provided $119.99 million (+0.6%).

GPO's budget authority is contained in three accounts. The FY2015 act renamed these accounts: (1) congressional printing and binding became congressional publishing, (2) Office of Superintendent of Documents (salaries and expenses) became Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents (salaries and expenses), and (3) the revolving fund became the Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund.

Congressional publishing—GPO requested $85.4 million (+7.1%). The House-passed bill would have provided $79.7 million, equivalent to the amount provided in the FY2014 act. The Senate-reported bill would have provided $82.5 million (+3.5%). The FY2015 act continued the FY2014 level. Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents (salaries and expenses)—GPO requested $32.2 million (+2.1%) for FY2015. The House-passed, Senate-reported, and enacted bills contained $31.5 million, the same amount provided by the FY2014 act. Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving fund—the revolving fund supports the operation and maintenance of the Government Publishing Office. GPO requested, and the House-passed bill would have provided, $11.3 million. The Senate-reported bill would have provided $8.1 million, the same amount provided in the FY2014 act. The FY2015 act provided $8.8 million, an increase of $693,000 (+8.6%).

Administrative Provision

The Senate-reported version of the bill includes a provision redesignating the Government Printing Office as the Government Publishing Office. Under this provision, the Public Printer would also be renamed the Director of the Government Publishing Office, while also making all references to staff gender neutral. This language was included in the FY2015 act.

A separate bill redesignating GPO, S. 1947 , previously was reported by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration in April 2014.

Highlights of House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of the Government Printing Office

The House subcommittee met on March 4, 2014, to discuss GPO's FY2015 budget request. The topics discussed included activities of the agency during the funding lapse, costs of printing and digital provision of government information, production of passports and secure credentials, the revolving fund, equal employment opportunity complaints, and the Federal Digital System (FDSys).

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

GAO responds to requests for studies of federal government programs and expenditures. GAO may also initiate its own work.

GAO requested $525.1 million for FY2015, not including offsetting collections. This represents an increase of 3.9% from the $505.4 million received in FY2014. The House-passed bill would have provided $519.6 million (+2.8%), while the Senate-reported bill would have provided $525.5 (+4.0%). The FY2015 act provided $522.0 million, an increase of $16.6 million (+3.3%).

These levels do not include offsetting collections.

Administrative Provisions

GAO requested three administrative provisions: (1) amending the reviews and reports required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; (2) authorizing the detail of personnel from other branches or agencies of the Federal Government to GAO; and (3) establishing a Center for Audit Excellence to be operated on a fee-based basis.

H.R. 4487 , as passed by the House and reported by the Senate, included language establishing the Center. The FY2015 act also included this language.

Highlights of House and Senate Hearings on the FY2015 Budget of the GAO

At the House hearing on March 5, 2014, the subcommittee discussed issues including the number of requests accepted by GAO, savings achieved from GAO recommendations, and plans and justification for the Center for Audit Excellence.

The Senate subcommittee met on March 11, 2014, and discussed the number of requests received from Congress, performance management, and plans for the Center for Audit Excellence.

Open World Leadership Center

The Open World Leadership Center administers a program that supports democratic changes in other countries by inviting their leaders to observe democracy and free enterprise in the United States. The first program was authorized by Congress in 1999 to support the relationship between Russia and the United States. The program encouraged young federal and local Russian leaders to visit the United States and observe its government and society.

Established at the Library of Congress as the Center for Russian Leadership Development in 2000, the center was renamed the Open World Leadership Center in 2003, when the program was expanded to include specified additional countries. In 2004, Congress further extended the program's eligibility to other countries designated by the center's board of trustees, subject to congressional consideration. The center is housed in the Library and receives services from the Library through an inter-agency agreement.

Open World requested $8.0 million for FY2015, an increase of 33.3% from the $6.0 million provided in FY2014.

The House-passed bill would have provided $3.42 million (-43.0%). In discussion during the subcommittee markup of the bill, subcommittee chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma stated that the reduction was developed in consultation with House leadership, and represented the percentage of Russian participants in Open World programs.

The Senate-reported bill would have provided $5.7 million, a decrease of $300,000 (-5.0%) from FY2014. This level was provided in the FY2015 act.

John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development

The center was created by Congress in 1988 to encourage public service by congressional staff through training and development programs. The center requested $430,000 for FY2015, the same as provided in the FY2014 act. This level was provided in the House-passed and Senate-reported bills and the FY2015 act.

Previously, $430,000, not including the across-board-rescission or sequestration, was provided for the center in FY2013. The FY2013 Senate-reported bill would have provided the requested level of $430,000. The FY2013 House-passed bill did not provide funding for the Stennis Center, and the House report stated the following:

The fiscal year 2012 Conference Agreement ( H.Rept. 112-331 ) directed that future budget requests from the John C. Stennis Center be accompanied by an appropriately detailed budget justification as requested in H.Rept. 112-148 . The Committee did not receive such justification and therefore has not provided the requested funding.

The $430,000 and directive for budget justifications included in the FY2012 conference report followed language in H.Rept. 112-148 , the FY2012 House report, which stated the following:

The Center was created by Congress in 1988 with an appropriation of $7.5 million which subsequently was transferred to the John C. Stennis Trust Fund and invested in non-expendable corpus Special Issue Certificates of Indebtedness with the U.S. Treasury. As reflected in the current Budget of the United States, the Center has $15 million invested with the Treasury, and at a 2 percent return should generate $300,000 that can be utilized for the annual operation of the program. Since the principal of the fund has doubled from the original appropriation and with reduced funding within the Legislative Branch, the Committee has provided zero funding for the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development.

The Committee directs that any further budget request from the John C. Stennis Center be accompanied by an appropriately detailed budget justification.

The Stennis Center was funded at $430,000 in FY2011 (less 0.2% from an across-the-board rescission), FY2010, FY2009, FY2008 (less 0.25% rescission from an across-the-board rescission), and FY2007.

General Provisions

The House-passed and Senate-reported versions of H.R. 4487 , as well as P.L. 113-235 , included recurring general provisions prohibiting appropriated funds for the maintenance and care of private vehicles; limiting funds to FY2015 unless otherwise expressly provided; making any changes in rates of compensation and designation permanent; making consulting services contracts a matter of public record; authorizing the costs of Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council (LBFMC); authorizing landscape maintenance by the AOC in a specified area; limiting transfers; and prohibiting restrictions on guided staff tours of the Capitol.

Both the House-passed and Senate-reported versions of H.R. 4487 also included a provision freezing pay for Members of Congress in 2015. Division N (Section 8) of the FY2015 act enacted this freeze. Salaries for Members of Congress, however, are neither funded nor increased in the legislative branch or any other appropriations bill. In other years, provisions to prohibit the automatic adjustments have been discussed during consideration of other bills, and a prohibition could be included in any bill, or be introduced as a separate bill. For a list of the laws that have previously contained provisions prohibiting the annual pay adjustments, see "Table 3. Legislative Vehicles Used for Pay Prohibitions, Enacted Dates, and Pay Language" in CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables , by [author name scrubbed].

The Senate-reported bill also included restrictions for bonus awards to contractors for work on projects for which the contractor is behind schedule or over budget. A version of this language was included as an administrative provision in the Architect of the Capitol section of the FY2015 act.

A provision of P.L. 113-235 (Section 736) also prohibits the use of funds for the painting of a portrait of an officer or employee of the federal government, including Members of Congress and the head of any office in the legislative branch.

Table 4 through Table 8 provide information on funding levels for the legislative branch overall, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Capitol Police, and the Architect of the Capitol.

The tables are followed by an Appendix , which lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports and public law numbers and enactment dates since FY1998.

Appendix. Fiscal Year Information and Resources

Selected Websites

These sites contain information on the FY2015 legislative branch appropriations requests and legislation, and the appropriations process:

House Committee on Appropriations http://appropriations.house.gov/

Senate Committee on Appropriations http://appropriations.senate.gov/

CRS Appropriations Products Guide http://www.crs.gov/Pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx?source=QuickLinks

Congressional Budget Office http://www.cbo.gov

Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov

Office of Management and Budget http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/