Legislative Branch: FY2020 Appropriations
Released: 2020-02-12T00:00:00

FY2020 Consideration: Overview of Actions

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2020 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action to date, including

the initial submission of the request on March 11, 2019; hearings held by the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee in February, March, and April 2019 and hearings held by the Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee in March and April 2019; the House subcommittee markup held on May 1, 2019; the House full committee markup on May 9, 2019, and reporting of H.R. 2779 ; the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) letter from May 8, 2019, with the Administration's position on the legislative branch budget; discussion in June of the potential inclusion of legislative branch funding in H.R. 2740 (Rules Committee Print 116-17); the Senate full committee markup on September 26, 2019, and reporting of S. 2581 ; the enactment on September 27, 2019, of a continuing resolution providing funding through November 21 ( P.L. 116-59 ), and the enactment on November 21, 2019, of a continuing resolution providing funding through December 20 ( P.L. 116-69 ); and the enactment of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act ( P.L. 116-94 ) on December 20, 2019, which included funding for legislative branch activities for FY2020 in Division E and additional language related to the legislative branch in Division P.

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

The report then provides an overview of the FY2020 budget requests of individual legislative branch agencies and entities.

Table 5 through Table 9 list enacted funding levels for FY2019 and the requested, House-reported, Senate-reported, and enacted levels for FY2020, while the Appendix lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports; public law numbers; and enactment dates since FY1998.

Status of FY2020 Appropriations: Dates and Documents

Submission of FY2020 Budget Request on March 11, 2019

The White House submitted its budget for FY2020, which includes the legislative branch budget request, on March 11, 2019. As explained by OMB,

The budget covers the agencies of all three branches of GovernmentâExecutive, Legislative, and Judicialâand provides information on Government-sponsored enterprises. In accordance with law or established practice, OMB includes information on agencies of the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and certain Executive Branch agencies as submitted by those agencies without change.

The independence of the submissions by the legislative branch agencies and entities is codified in Title 31, Section 1105, of the U.S. Code , which states the following:

Estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations for the legislative branch and the judicial branch to be included in each budget ... shall be submitted to the President ... and included in the budget by the President without change.

Furthermore, Division C of the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act ( P.L. 112-74 ) added language to Title 31, Section 1107, relating to budget amendments, stating the following:

The President shall transmit promptly to Congress without change, proposed deficiency and supplemental appropriations submitted to the President by the legislative branch and the judicial branch.

The FY2020 budget contained a request for $5.288 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities (+9.3%).

Senate and House Hearings on the FY2020 Budget Requests

Table 2 lists the dates of hearings of the legislative branch subcommittees in February, March, and April 2019. Prepared statements of witnesses were posted on the subcommittee websites, and hearing transcripts were published by the Government Publishing Office.

House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Markup

On May 1, 2019, the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch held a markup of the FY2020 bill. The subcommittee recommended $3.943 billion, a $135.2 million increase (+3.6%) from the comparable 2019 enacted level, not including Senate items, which are historically considered by the Senate and not included in the House bill.

No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered reported to the full committee by voice vote.

House Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Markup

On May 9, 2019, the House Appropriations Committee met to mark up the FY2020 bill reported from its legislative branch subcommittee. The following amendments were considered:

A manager's amendment, offered by Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan of Ohio, that would increase funding for the Veterans' History Project by $1.0 million, add report language, and include one technical change. The amendment was adopted by voice vote. A manager's amendment, offered by Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan of Ohio, that would increase the overall funding for the bill by $29.0 million to reflect revised 302(b) subcommittee allocations adopted by the committee on May 8 ( H.Rept. 116-59 ). The amendment would increase total House funding by $19.0 million and Architect of the Capitol funding by $10.0 million. Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member Jaime Herrera Beutler offered an amendment to the manager's amendment that would have stricken this additional funding and instead placed it in a spending reduction account. The amendment to the amendment failed by recorded vote (23-28), and the amendment was adopted by voice vote.

The bill was ordered reported by recorded vote (28-22).

As amended, the bill provided $3.972 billion, not including Senate items (+$164.2 million).

OMB Letter of May 8, 2019

As it did during consideration of the FY2019 legislative branch appropriations bill, OMB submitted a letter with the Administration's views on the overall size of the legislative branch bill as well as the funding levels for specific accounts. In particular, the Administration letter cited funding levels for the House of Representatives and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Discussion of the Legislative Branch Bill During Consideration of a Rule for Consideration of H.R. 2740

On June 3, the House Committee on Rules announced its intention to consider and report a resolution that would structure consideration in the House of H.R. 2740 , the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The committee indicated that the resolution reported from the Rules Committee would add the text of four additional appropriations bills to the text of H.R. 2740 . This proposal would include the text of H.R. 2779 , the legislative branch appropriations bill as reported by the Committee on Appropriations (to be included as Division B of H.R. 2740 ). The Rules Committee made available the legislative text that included the five appropriations bills and directed Members to draft their amendments to that text (House Rules Committee Print 116-17).

Proposed amendments were due to the committee by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 7, 2019. A total of 41 draft amendments were submitted related to legislative branch appropriations (Division B).

Following reported discussions related to the automatic Member pay adjustment, the resolution reported from the House Rules Committee further altered the version of H.R. 2740 that would be considered by the House, removing the text of the legislative branch appropriations bill. The legislative branch appropriations bill neither funds nor adjusts Member salaries. Provisions prohibiting the automatic Member pay adjustment are sometimes included in the annual appropriations bills. A provision prohibiting the automatic Member pay adjustments could be included in any bill, or be introduced as a separate bill.

H.R. 2740 , the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020, was ultimately agreed to in the House on June 19, 2019, without the legislative branch appropriations funding.

Senate Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Markup and Reporting

On September 26, the Senate Appropriations Committee met to mark up its version of the FY2020 legislative branch appropriations bill. It reported the bill on the same day (by recorded vote, 31-0; S. 2581 , S.Rept. 116-124 ).

S. 2581 would have provided $3.600 billion, not including House items, an increase of $187.6 million (+5.5%) from the comparable FY2019 enacted level.

Continuing Appropriations Resolutions Enacted

Prior to the start of FY2020 on October 1, 2019, a continuing appropriations resolution (CR) providing funding for legislative branch activities through November 21, 2019, was enacted ( P.L. 116-59 , September 27).

Another CR, providing funding through December 20, 2019, was enacted on November 21, 2019 ( P.L. 116-69 ).

FY2020 Funding Enacted on December 20, 2019

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act ( P.L. 116-94 ) was enacted on December 20, 2019.

The act provides $5.049 billion for legislative branch activities for FY2020 in Division E (+$202.8 million, or +4.2%, from the FY2019 level).

In addition, Division P (Other Matter) contains titles related to the legislative branch, including

Title XIVâLibrary of Congress Technical Corrections . This title includes amendments related to the American Folklife Preservation Act; the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled; establishing a uniform pay scale for Library of Congress Career Senior Executive Positions; and removing a cap on personnel for the Copyright Royalty Judges Program. Title XVâSenate Entities . This title includes amendments to 2 U.S.C. Â§6567 ("Funds for Secretary of Senate to assist in proper discharge within United States of responsibilities to foreign parliamentary groups or other foreign officials") and 2 U.S.C. Â§6616 ("Support services for Senate during emergency; memorandum of understanding with an executive agency"). Title XVIâLegislative Branch Inspectors General Independence . This title focuses on the Inspectors General for the Library of Congress, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, and the Government Publishing Office. It includes sections on pay, limits on bonuses, counsel, and authorities; law enforcement authority; budgetary independence; and hiring authority. Title XVIIâManaging Political Fund Activity . This title states that the "Majority Leader and the Minority Leader may each designate up to 2 employees of their respective leadership office staff as designees referred to in the second sentence of paragraph 1 of rule XLI of the Standing Rules of the Senate."

Funding in Prior Years: Brief Overview and Trends

Legislative Branch: Historic Percentage of Total Discretionary Budget Authority

The percentage of total discretionary budget authority provided to the legislative branch has remained relatively stable at approximately 0.4% since at least FY1976. The maximum level (0.48%) was in FY1995, and the minimum (0.31%) was in FY2009.

FY2019

FY2019 funding was provided in Division B of the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 ( P.L. 115-244 ), which was enacted on September 21, 2018. The $4.836 billion provided for the legislative branch represents an increase of $136.0 million (+2.9%) from the FY2018 enacted level.

An additional $10.0 million in FY2019 supplemental appropriations for GAO "for audits and investigations related to Hurricanes Florence, Lane, and Michael, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, the calendar year 2018 wildfires, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions, and other disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act" was included in two bills considered in the 116 th Congress: H.R. 268 , which passed the House on January 16, 2019, but cloture was not invoked in the Senate; and H.R. 2157 , which passed the House on May 10 (Roll no. 202) and the Senate (with an amendment) on May 23, 2019 (Record Vote Number: 129). H.R. 2157 was enacted June 6, 2019 ( P.L. 116-20 ).

FY2018

FY2018 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 ( P.L. 115-141 ), which was enacted on March 23, 2018. The $4.700 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $260.0 million (+5.9%) from the FY2017 enacted level.

In addition, P.L. 115-123 , enacted February 9, 2018, provided $14.0 million to GAO "for audits and investigations relating to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the 2017 wildfires." (Title IX of Division B).

FY2017

FY2017 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 ( P.L. 115-31 ), which was enacted on May 5, 2017. The $4.440 billion provided by the act represented a $77.0 million increase (+1.7%) from the FY2016 enacted level.

FY2016

FY2016 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. 114-113 ), which was enacted on December 18, 2015. The $4.363 billion provided by the act represented a $63.0 million increase (+1.5%) from the FY2015 enacted level.

FY2015

FY2015 funding was provided in Division H of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ), which was enacted on December 16, 2014. The $4.300 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from FY2014.

FY2014

Neither a legislative branch appropriations bill nor a continuing 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 CR 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"), not including 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 exceeded 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 ( P.L. 112-25 ) and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 ( P.L. 112-240 ). 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 nonexempt funds.

FY2012 and Prior

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 below (-5.2%) 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 (-2.7%) 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 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 additional funding for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ($2.0 million).

As seen in Table 3 , legislative branch funding decreased each year from FY2010 through FY2013. Funding did not exceed the FY2010 level until FY2018.

Figure 1 shows the same information graphically, while also demonstrating the division of budget authority across the legislative branch in FY2019.

Figure 2 shows the timing of legislative branch appropriations actions, including the issuance of House and Senate reports, bill passage, and enactment, from FY1996 through FY2020. It shows that fiscal year funding for the legislative branch has been determined

on or before October 1 six times during this period (FY1997, FY2000, FY2004, FY2006, FY2010, and FY2019); twice during the first month of the fiscal year (FY1998 and FY1999); twice in November (FY1996 and FY2002); seven times in December (FY2001, FY2005, FY2008, FY2012, FY2015, FY2016, and FY2020); and eight times in the next calendar year (FY2003, FY2007, FY2009, FY2011, FY2013, FY2014, FY2017, and FY2018). FY2017 funding, enacted on May 5, 2017, represented the latest date of enactment during this period.

FY2020 Legislative Branch Funding Issues

The following sections discuss the various legislative branch accounts.

During consideration of the legislative branch bills, the House and Senate conform to a "longstanding practice under which each body of Congress determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without intervention."

Senate

Overall Funding

The Senate requested $1.046 billion for FY2020, an 11.9% increase over the $934.8 million provided in FY2019. The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $969.4 million (+$34.6 million, +3.7%).

Additional information on the Senate account is presented in Table 6 .

Senate Committee Funding

Appropriations for Senate committees are contained in two accounts.

1. The inquiries and investigations account contains funds for all Senate committees except Appropriations. The FY2019 level of $133.3 million was continued in the FY2020 request, the Senate-reported bill, and the FY2020 act. 2. The Committee on Appropriations account contains funds for the Senate Appropriations Committee. The FY2020 enacted level of $15.8 million, which is equivalent to the Senate-requested and -reported level, represents an increase of $297,000 (+1.9%) from the $15.5 million provided in FY2019.

Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account19

The Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account 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 $531.1 million, $102.1 million above (+23.8%) the $429.0 million provided in FY2019. Of this amount, $5.0 million is provided for compensating Senate interns. The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $449.0 million, an increase of $20.0 million (+4.7%).

Administrative Provisions

S. 2581 included two administrative provisions:

1. One provision, which was first included in FY2016, would require amounts remaining in the Senators' Official Personnel and Expense Account (SOPOEA) to be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt. This provision was included in P.L. 116-94 . 2. One provision would continue the freeze on Member salaries at the 2009 level. Member salaries are funded in a permanent appropriations account, and the legislative branch bill does not contain language funding or increasing Member pay. A provision prohibiting the automatic Member pay adjustments could be included in any bill, or be introduced as a separate bill. This provision was included in Section 7 of P.L. 116-94 .

House of Representatives

Overall Funding

The House requested $1.356 billion for FY2020, an increase of 10.1% over the $1.232 billion provided for FY2019. The FY2020 act provides $1.366 billion, an increase of 10.8%.

Additional information on headings in the House of Representatives account is presented in Table 7 .

House Committee Funding

Funding for House committees is contained in the appropriation heading "committee employees," which typically 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 $139.1 million, an increase of $11.2 million (+8.8%) from the FY2019 enacted level of $127.9 million. The House-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $135.4 million, an increase of $7.5 million (+5.8%).

The second subheading contains funds for the personnel and nonpersonnel expenses of the Committee on Appropriations. The House requested $25.4 million, an increase of $2.3 million (+10.0%) from the FY2019 enacted level of $23.1 million. The House-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $24.3 million, an increase of $1.2 million (+5.0%).

Members' Representational Allowance21

The Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) is available to support Members in their official and representational duties.

The House-requested level of $613.0 million represents an increase of $39.4 million (+6.9%) from the $573.6 million provided in FY2019. The House-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $615.0 million, an increase of $41.4 million (+7.2%).

A separate account, included in the House-reported bill and the FY2020 act, contains $11.0 million for interns in House Member offices, and $365,000 for interns in House leadership offices.

Administrative Provisions

The House requested several administrative provisions related to

unexpended balances from the MRA; limiting amounts available from the MRA for leased vehicles; providing additional transfer authority; establishing the allowance for compensation of interns in Member offices; providing for cybersecurity assistance from other federal entities; limiting or prohibiting the delivery of the printed B udget of the United States , the Federal Register , and the House telephone directory; allowing the use of expired funds for the payment of death gratuities for House employees; and allowing the use of expired funds for the employee compensation fund and unemployment compensation.

The House-reported bill contained the provisions related to the unexpended MRA balances, leased vehicles, cybersecurity assistance, and use of expired funds. In addition, the House-reported bill included provisions relating to the compensation of interns in Member and Leadership offices; rescinding amounts in the Stationery and Page Dorm revolving funds; and providing for reduction in the amount of tuition charged for children of House Child Care Center employees. P.L. 116-94 includes the provisions from the House-reported bill.

Support Agency Funding

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)

The USCP is responsible for the security of the Capitol Complex, including, for example, 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 FY2019 enacted level was $456.3 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2020 include the following:

Requested: $463.3 million (+1.5%) House-reported: $463.3 million (+1.5%) Senate-reported: $464.3 million (+1.8%) Enacted: $464.3 million (+1.8%)

Additional information on the USCP is presented in Table 8 .

Appropriations for the police are contained in two accountsâa salaries account and a general expenses account.

1. Salariesâthe FY2019 act provided $374.8 million for salaries. The USCP requested, and the House-reported bill would have provided, $378.1 million (+0.9%). The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $379.1 million (+1.1%). 2. General expensesâthe FY2019 act provided $81.5 million for general expenses. The USCP-requested level of $85.3 million (+4.6%) was contained in the House-reported and Senate-reported bills and the FY2020 act.

Another appropriation relating to the USCP appears within the Architect of the Capitol account for Capitol Police buildings and grounds. The FY2019 level was $57.7 million. The USCP requested $54.97 million (-4.8%); the House-reported bill would have provided $52.8 million (-8.4%); the Senate-reported bill would have provided $50.3 million (-12.8%); and the FY2020 act provides $55.2 million (-4.3%).

Administrative Provision

The USCP requested, and the House-reported bill and P.L. 116-94 contain, an administrative provision increasing the total limit on student loan repayments from $40,000 to $60,000. The Senate-reported bill did not include this provision.

Office of Congressional Workplace Rights

Formerly known as the Office of Compliance, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) was renamed by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act ( P.L. 115-397 ). It is an independent and nonpartisan agency within the legislative branch, and it was originally established to administer and enforce the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. The act applies various employment and workplace safety laws to Congress and certain legislative branch entities.

The FY2019 enacted level was $6.3 million, which was continued in the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act.

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 affect revenues or expenditures.

The FY2019 level was $50.7 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2020 include the following:

Requested: $53.6 million (+5.6%) House-reported: $52.7 million (+3.8%) Senate-reported: $54.9 million (+8.3%) Enacted: $54.9 million (+8.3%)

Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)

Since the closure of OTA, which was a legislative branch agency established in 1972 and last funded in FY1996, Congress has periodically reexamined funding for scientific and technological studies by the legislative branch. Some Members have expressed support for the refunding of OTA through the distribution of "Dear Colleague" letters, at committee hearings and in committee prints, and through the introduction of legislation or amendments.

Since FY2002, funding for technology assessments has also been provided to GAO, with frequent references in appropriations and conference reports on the legislative branch appropriations bills.

More recently, and in response to language in the FY2019 Senate and conference reports, GAO announced the formation of a new Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Team on January 29, 2019.

Additionally, the conference report to accompany the FY2019 legislative branch appropriations bill ( H.R. 5895 ) required a study on technology assessments available to Congress:

Technology Assessment Study: The Committees have heard testimony on, and received dozens of requests advocating for restoring funding to the Office of Technology Assessment, and more generally on how Congress equips itself with the deep technical advice necessary to understand and tackle the growing number of science and technology policy challenges facing our country. The conferees direct the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to engage with the National Academy of Public Administration or a similar external entity to produce a report detailing the current resources available to Members of Congress within the Legislative Branch regarding science and technology policy, including the GAO. This study should also assess the potential need within the Legislative Branch to create a separate entity charged with the mission of providing nonpartisan advice on issues of science and technology. Furthermore, the study should also address if the creation of such entity duplicates services already available to Members of Congress. CRS should work with the Committees in developing the parameters of the study and once complete, the study should be made available to relevant oversight Committees.

The FY2020 House-reported bill would have provided $6.0 million for restarting OTA. The funding would remain available through FY2021. H.Rept. 116-64 further stated the following:

To do its job in this modern era, Congress needs to understand and address the issues and risks resulting from a wide range of rapid technological developments such as cryptocurrencies, autonomous vehicles, gene editing, artificial intelligence, and the ever-expanding use of social media platforms, to give just a few examples. A re-opened OTA will play an important role in providing accurate, professional, and unbiased information about technological developments and policy options for addressing the issues those developments raise. In that role, OTA will complement the work of the Government Accountability Office in the area of science and technology....

Since the de-funding of OTA in 1995, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to restore the office. During that time, it has become increasingly clear that Congress does not have adequate resources available for the in-depth, high level analysis of fast-breaking technology developments and their public policy implications that was formerly provided by OTA. While the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has increased its technology assessment activities attempting to fill that gap, the structure and culture of GAO somewhat constrain its ability to replicate OTA. The Office's governance by a bipartisan board and its ability to tap outside expert resources and rely on a Technology Assessment Advisory Council provide the capacity to offer policy recommendation options to Congress, which are not available from other Congressional sources.

The Senate-reported bill would not restart OTA, but S.Rept. 116-124 states that the

Committee looks forward to reviewing the recommendations of the National Academy of Public Administration study currently underway, including the evaluation of options available to Congress in the area of science and technology. The Committee will continue to engage key authorizing committees and interested members as these discussions continue.

S.Rept. 116-124 also addresses the role of the new GAO Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Team (STAA), stating

In consultation with internal and external stakeholders, academic and nonprofit organizations, and Members of Congress, the STAA team submitted its plan for staffing needs, resources, areas of expertise, and the products and services that the team will provide or are currently providing to Congress. The plan demonstrates STAA's value and ability to assess upcoming technological and digital innovations. Presently, the STAA is providing Congress with technology assessments, technical assistance, and reports in the areas of oversight of Federal technology and science programs, as well as best practices in engineering sciences and cybersecurity. The Committee applauds the efforts of GAO's STAA team and encourages STAA to continue providing Congress with unbiased explanatory data while also exploring new areas for independent science and technology guidance, relevant to Congress.

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) study was released on November 14, 2019. It examined three options:

Option 1âEnhancing Existing Entities

Option 2âCreating a New Agency

Option 3âEnhance Existing Entities and Create an Advisory Office

NAPA recommended enhancing technology assessment capabilities of both CRS and GAO, while also establishing (1) an Office of the Congressional Science and Technology Advisorâled by an appointee of the House and Senate leadership and assisted by a small staffâand (2) a Congressional Science and Technology Coordinating Councilâchaired by the Congressional Science and Technology Advisorâto enhance coordination between GAO and CRS.

The FY2020 act did not provide funding for restarting OTA. Rather, the explanatory statement accompanying H.R. 1865 stated the following:

Science and Technology Needs in Congress : The report released on November 14, 2019, by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) identified the existing gaps in science and technology expertise and resources available to Congress. The Committees, Members, stakeholders and other committees of jurisdiction working together will continue to evaluate the recommendations in the report to address this gap....

Science and Technology Issues : The funding provided will allow GAO to increase support for Congress' work on evolving science and technology issues. The 2019 report from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) identified the need for GAO to focus its advice to Congress on technical assessments and short-to-medium term studies. The study also highlighted that although GAO's support requests from Congress have increased, GAO should consider expanding its outreach to the science and technology community and coordination with CRS to better fill these gaps. GAO is encouraged to dedicate a specific number of experts to work exclusively on GAO's Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team that was created in January 2019, a recommendation that was included in the NAPA report.

Architect of the Capitol (AOC)

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 USCP buildings and grounds. The AOC is responsible for the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, but appropriations for their expenses are not contained in the legislative branch appropriations bill.

The FY2019 level was $733.7 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2020 include the following:

Requested: $831.7 million (+13.3%) House-reported: $624.7 million (-2.4%, not including Senate-items) Senate-reported: $585.8 million (+9.2%, not including House-items) Enacted: $695.9 million (-5.2%)

Operations of the AOC are funded in the following 10 accounts: capital construction and operations, 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. Additional funding information on the individual AOC accounts is presented in Table 9 .

Administrative Provision

The AOC also requested one administrative provision that prohibits the use of funds for bonuses for contractors behind schedule or over budget. This provision has been included in the annual appropriations acts since FY2015. The House-reported version of the provision would apply to FY2020 and each succeeding fiscal year. The Senate-reported bill included the annual provision, which was included in P.L. 116-94 .

Library of Congress (LOC)

The LOC 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 167 million items in various formats; hosting nearly 1.9 million visitors annually; 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 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 FY2019 level was $696.1 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2020 include the following:

Requested: $747.1 million (+7.3%) House-reported: $720.3 million (+3.5%) Senate-reported: $735.8 million (+5.7%) Enacted: $725.4 million (+4.2%)

These figures do not include additional authority to spend receipts.

The House Appropriations Committee report ( H.Rept. 116-64 ) explains a change in the technology funding practice that affected the four LOC appropriations headings:

Appropriations Shifts to Reflect Centralized Funding for Information Technology : During fiscal year 2018, in an effort to reduce duplication, increase efficiency, and better utilize specialized expertise, the Library of Congress began providing more Information Technology (IT) services centrally though its Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) rather than in the Library's various component organizations. In fiscal years 2018 and 2019, Library components which have separate appropriations accounts reimbursed the main Library of Congress Salaries and Expenses account through intra-agency agreements for the IT services being provided to them centrally by the OCIO under this initiative.

For fiscal year 2020, however, the Library has requested that funding for centralized IT services be appropriated directly to the main Salaries and Expenses account for use by the OCIO instead of to the component organizations receiving the services, in order to reflect where services are actually being performed and avoid the need for repeated reimbursement transactions. The Committee has agreed to this request.

As a result, the Committee bill reflects a shift in appropriations totaling $13,556,000 to the Library of Congress Salaries and Expenses account, with $2,708,000 of that shift coming from the Copyright Office, $8,767,000 coming from the Congressional Research Service, and $2,081,000 coming from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

H.Rept. 116-64 further contains a "note regarding IT centralization" accompanying each heading, comparing the FY2020 House-reported level to the FY2019 enacted level after accounting for this shift.

The Senate Appropriations Committee report ( S.Rept. 116-124 ) similarly addressed the centralization, stating the following:

The recommendation for this account also reflects a shift in appropriations associated with the centralization of information technology [IT] funding from across the Library into the Office of Chief Information Officer [OCIO]. A total of $13,556,000 will move to the OCIO in fiscal year 2020, reflecting the cost of IT activities that were funded previously within the Congressional Research Service, Copyright Office, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The realignment of these funds will help facilitate the final phases of IT centralization across the Library. The Committee expects the Library to provide a detailed spend plan, including any increase in FTE levels for the IT modernization intended to be addressed with the funds provided in fiscal year 2020.

The LOC headings include the following:

1. Salaries and expenses âThe FY2019 level was $474.1 million. The LOC requested $522.6 million (+10.2%). The House-reported bill would have provided $501.3 million, an increase of $13.7 million when reflecting the centralized IT funding, according to H.Rept. 116-64 . The Senate-reported bill would have provided $514.6 million. The FY2020 act provides $504.2 million. These figures do not include authority to spend receipts ($6.0 million in the FY2019 act, the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported bills, and the FY2020 act). 2. Copyright Office âThe FY2019 level was $43.6 million. The LOC requested $43.3 million (-0.7%). The House-reported bill would have provided $42.15 million, an increase of $1.3 million when reflecting the centralized IT funding, according to H.Rept. 116-64 . The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $42.14 million. These figures do not include authority to spend receipts and prior year unobligated balances ($49.8 million in FY2019; $49.7 million in the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported bills, and the FY2020 act). 3. Congressional Research Service âThe FY2019 level was $125.7 million. The FY2020 request contains $121.6 million (-3.3%). The House-reported bill would have provided $119.9 million, an increase of $2.99 million when reflecting the centralized IT funding, according to H.Rept. 116-64 . The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $120.5 million. 4. Books for the b lind and p hysically h andicapped âThe FY2019 level was $52.8 million. The LOC requested $59.6 million (+13.0%). The House-reported bill would have provided $56.9 million, an increase of $6.2 million when reflecting the centralized IT funding, according to H.Rept. 116-64 . The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides, $58.6 million.

The AOC's budget also contains funds for LOC buildings and grounds. In FY2019, $68.5 million was provided. The FY2020 request contains $121.3 million (+77.1%), the House-reported bill would have provided $86.8 million (+26.7%), the Senate-reported bill would have provided $63.6 million (-7.1%), and the FY2020 act provides $55.7 million (-18.6%).

Administrative Provision

The LOC received authority to obligate funds for reimbursable and revolving fund activities ($194.6 million in the FY2019 act; $231.98 million in the FY2020 request , the House-reported and Senate-reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act).

Government Publishing Office (GPO)44

The FY2019 enacted level of $117.0 million was continued in the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act. This level is approximately equivalent (-0.1%) to the level provided in FY2018 and FY2017.

GPO's budget authority is contained in three accounts, with the allocation in the FY2020 request and bills varying slightly from the FY2019 enacted level:

1. Congressional publishingâThe FY2019 enacted level of $79.0 million is continued in the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act. 2. Public information programs of the Superintendent of Documents (salaries and expenses)âThe FY2020 requested, House-reported, Senate-reported, and enacted level of $31.3 million is $704,000 (-2.2%) less than the FY2019 enacted level of $32.0 million. 3. GPO Business Operations Revolving Fund âThe FY2020 requested, House-reported, Senate-reported, and enacted level of $6.7 million is $704,000 above the FY2019 enacted level of $6.0 million.

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

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

The FY2019 enacted level was $589.8 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2020 include the following:

Requested: $647.6 million (+9.8%). House-reported: $615.6 million (+4.4%) Senate-reported: $639.4 million (+8.4%) Enacted: $630.0 million (+6.8%)

These levels do not include offsetting collections ($35.9 million in the FY2019 act; $24.8 million in the FY2020 request, the House-reported and Senate-reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act).

Open World Leadership Center

Open World requested, and the House-reported bill would have provided, $5.8 million for FY2020, an increase of $200,000 (+3.6%) from the $5.6 million provided each year since FY2016. The Senate-reported bill recommended, and the FY2020 act provides $5.9 million, an increase of $300,000 (+5.4%).

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. Congress first authorized the program 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 LOC 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 LOC and receives services from the LOC through an interagency agreement.

The legislative branch bills have included a provision since FY2016, also contained in the FY2020 act:

That funds made available to support Russian participants shall only be used for those engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement, and shall not be used for officials of the central government of Russia.

The location and future of Open World, attempts to assess its effectiveness, and its inclusion in the legislative branch budget have been discussed at appropriations hearings and in report language for more than a decade. The funding level for Open World has also varied greatly during this period. For additional discussion, see the "Prior Year Discussion of Location and Funding of Open World" section in CRS Report R44899, Legislative Branch: FY2018 Appropriations , by Ida A. Brudnick.

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 FY2020 request, the House- and Senate- reported versions of the bill, and the FY2020 act contain $430,000, which is approximately the same level provided annually since FY2006.

General Provisions

As in past years, Congress considered a number of general provisions related to the legislative branch. These provisions and their status are listed in Table 4 .

Introduction to Summary Tables and Appendix

Table 5 through Table 9 provide information on funding levels for the legislative branch overall, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the USCP, and the AOC.

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

Appendix. Fiscal Year Information and Resources