106th Congress > Senate > Vote 647
Clerk session vote number: 273
Description: A bill making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes.
Bill summary: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 -
Division A: Legislative Branch Appropriations
- Makes appropriations for the legislative branch for FY 2001.
Title I: Congressional Operations
- Congressional Operations Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the Senate for: (1) a payment to Nancy Nally Coverdell, widow of Paul D. Coverdell, late a Senator from Georgia; (2) expense allowances; (3) representation allowances for the Majority and Minority Leaders; (4) salaries of
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specified officers, employees, and committees (including the Committee on Appropriations); (5) agency contributions for employee benefits; (6) inquiries and investigations; (7) the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control; (8) the Offices of the Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, and Doorkeeper of the Senate; (9) miscellaneous items; (10) the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account; and (11) official mail costs.
(Sec. 1) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1965 to require, with respect to semiannual statements of expenditures by the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, each report of the Secretary of the Senate (except for specified expenditures) to be compiled at a summary level for each Senate office authorized to obligate appropriated funds.
(Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Pay Comparability Act of 1970 to provide for locality pay adjustments for Senate employees in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore, Maryland consolidated metropolitan statistical area consistent with executive branch, judicial branch, and other legislative branch employees.
(Sec. 3) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1999 to require agency contributions for employees of Senate Hair Care Services to be paid from the appropriations account for Salaries, Officers, and Employees in lieu of the Senate Hair Care Services Revolving Fund.
(Sec. 4) Establishes the Senate Health and Fitness Facility Revolving Fund. Requires the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to deposit in the Fund any amounts received: (1) as dues or other assessments for use of the Senate Health and Fitness Facility; and (2) from the operation of the Senate waste recycling program. Makes such amounts, under specified conditions, available to the AOC, without fiscal year limitations, for payment of the Facility's costs.
(Sec. 5) Authorizes for each fiscal year, beginning in FY 2002, a specified expense allowance for the Chairmen of the Majority and Minority Policy Committees, to be paid only as reimbursement for actual expenses incurred, under specified conditions. Declares that such amounts shall not be reported as income and shall not be allowed as a deduction under the Internal Revenue Code.
(Sec. 6) Permits the head of the employing office of a Senate employee, upon termination of the employee's employment, to authorize payment of a lump sum for the employee's accrued annual leave if certain conditions are met. Requires the employee, if reemployed as an Senate employee before the end of the period covered by the lump sum payment, to refund an amount equal to the leave pay for the period between the reemployment date and the expiration of the lump sum period.
(Sec. 7) Requires agency contributions for employees of the Joint Economic Committee to be paid from the Senate appropriations account for Salaries, Officers, and Employees.
(Sec. 8) Amends Federal law with respect to the United States Senate Collection to: (1) revise the categories of collectibles from items of art, fine art, and historical items to make them works of art, historical objects, documents, or material relating to historical matters; and (2) change its name from mandatory to discretionary (allowing for a change of name without statutory mandate).
Makes appropriations for the House of Representatives for: (1) House leadership offices; (2) Members' representational allowances; (3) committee employees; (4) officers and employees; (5) specified allowances and expenses; and (6) the House Child Care Center.
(Sec. 101) Authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer of the House to enter into: (1) contracts for the acquisition of severable services for a period that begins in one fiscal year and ends in the next to the same extent as the head of an executive agency under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949; and (2) multi-year contracts for the acquisition of property and nonaudit-related services to the same extent as executive agencies under such Act.
(Sec. 102) Amends the House Employees Position Classification Act to permit new House employees to be placed above the minimum step of the appropriate House compensation level.
(Sec. 103) Makes amounts appropriated under this Act for "House of Representatives Salaries and Expenses - Members' Representational Allowances" available for FY 2001 only. Requires amounts remaining after all payments are made under such allowances for FY 2001 to be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction or, if there is no Federal budget deficit, for reducing the Federal debt.
(Sec. 104) Appropriates a specified sum for payment to the Prince William County Public Schools for educational services for the son of Evelyn Gibson, widow of Detective John Michael Gibson, U.S. Capitol Police.
Makes appropriations for: (1) the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 2001, and the Joint Economic and Taxation Committees; (2) the Office of the Attending Physician; (3) the Capitol Police Board; (4) the Capitol Guide Service and Special Services Office; (5) the Office of Compliance; (6) the Congressional Budget Office; (7) the AOC for salaries and expenses, Capitol buildings and grounds, Senate and House office buildings, and the Capitol power plant; (8) the Library of Congress for Congressional Research Service (CRS) salaries and expenses; and (9) the Government Printing Office (GPO) for congressional printing and binding.
(Sec. 105) Requires the Secretary of Defense, upon request, to provide protective services on a non-reimbursable basis to the U.S. Capitol Police for the inauguration of the President-elect and Vice President-elect, and for the joint session of Congress held to receive the President's State of the Union address.
(Sec. 107) Requires: (1) the Chief Administrative Officer of the Capitol Police, or when there is no such Officer, the Capitol Police Board to appoint certifying officers to certify all vouchers for payment from funds made available to the Capitol Police. Specifies the accountability of such certifying officers, and provides for enforcement of their liability.
(Sec. 108) Establishes within the Capitol Police an Office of Administration to be headed by a Chief Administrative Officer, who shall be appointed by the Comptroller General and serve at the Comptroller General's pleasure. Specifies the areas of the Officer's responsibility regarding the Capitol Police such as budgeting, financial management, information technology, and human resources.
Provides that: (1) as of the beginning of FY 2002, unless otherwise determined by the Comptroller General, the Chief Administrative Officer will cease to be an employee of the General Accounting Office and will become a Capitol Police employee; and (2) the Capitol Police Board shall assume all of the Comptroller General's responsibilities under this title.
(Sec. 109) Modifies the annual salary of the Chief of the Capitol Police from level IV of the Executive Schedule to level ES-4 of the Senior Executive Service.
(Sec. 110) Authorizes the Congressional Budget Office, to the same extent as executive agencies under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, to enter into: (1) contracts for procurement of severable services beginning in one fiscal year and ending in the next; and (2) multi-year contracts for acquisition of property and services.
(Sec. 111) Authorizes appropriations to the Clerk of the House for congressional printing and binding services.
Requires: (1) the Clerk to study and report to specified congressional committees on the needs of the House for congressional printing and binding services during FY 2002, 2003, and succeeding fiscal years, including an analysis of the most cost-effective program or programs for providing printed or other media-based publications for House uses; and (2) the committees to review the study and prepare regulations or other materials (including proposals for legislation) appropriate to enable the Clerk to carry out such services.
Title II: Other Agencies
- Appropriates funds for salaries and expenses for: (1) the Botanic Garden; and (2) the Library of Congress for salaries and expenses, the Copyright Office, Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and furniture and furnishings.
Specifies administrative provisions for the Library of Congress identical or similar to corresponding provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2000.
(Sec. 206) Reduces the obligational authority of the Library from FY 2001 levels for reimbursable and revolving fund activities funded from sources other than appropriations to the Library in appropriation Acts for the legislative branch.
(Sec. 207) Amends Federal law to authorize the AOC, within 90 days after acquisition of certain real property for the Library of Congress, to transfer a limited amount of funds to the entity from which the property was acquired.
(Sec. 208) Authorizes the Librarian of Congress to convert to permanent positions 84 indefinite, time-limited positions in the National Digital Library Program authorized in the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996 for the Library of Congress.
Authorizes the Librarian to fill these permanent positions through the non-competitive conversion of the incumbents in the indefinite-not-to-exceed positions to permanent positions.
(Sec. 209) Authorizes the Librarian of Congress, during FY 2001 and ensuing fiscal years, to transfer to and among available accounts, subject to the approval of specified congressional committees, amounts appropriated to the Library from funds for the purchase, installation, maintenance, and repair of furniture, furnishings, and office and library equipment.
(Sec. 210) Allows any employee of the Library of Congress Child Development Center, who elects by certain dates to be covered by this title, to be credited under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) for service as a Center employee, subject to specified conditions.
Sets forth provisions making such individuals eligible for: (1) FERS survivor annuities and disability benefits; (2) contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan; and (3) Federal health and life insurance coverage.
Makes appropriations for: (1) the AOC for Library buildings and grounds; and (2) salaries and expenses of the GPO's Office of Superintendent of Documents and for the General Accounting Office.
Title III: General Provisions
- Sets forth authorized or prohibited uses of funds appropriated by this Act identical or similar to corresponding provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2000.
(Sec. 305) Sets forth Buy American requirements.
(Sec. 308) Prohibits any appropriation contained in this Act for the AOC or the Botanic Garden from being obligated or expended for a construction contract in excess of $100,000, unless such contract requires liquidated damages according to a specified formula for contractor caused delay.
(Sec. 309) Amends Federal law to extend for one year the availability of funds for the Senate art collection.
(Sec. 310) Amends the 1999 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to extend: (1) the pilot Russian Leadership Program in the Library of Congress through FY 2001; and (2) the permanent Program (in its presidentially designated executive agency) and its Advisory Board through FY 2002.
(Sec. 311) Allows any State to request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the State has provided for display in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, under certain terms and conditions.
Directs the AOC, upon the Committee's approval, to relocate within the Capitol any of the statues received from the States before this Act's enactment, and to provide for the reception, location, and relocation of such statues received hereafter.
(Sec. 312) Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1993 to increase the amount of funds that may be accepted and made available for obligation by the AOC for constructing, equipping, and maintaining the National Garden.
Allows the AOC to solicit, receive, accept, and hold amounts under the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 in excess of such increased amount. Prohibits AOC expenditure of such amount (and interest thereon) without approval in appropriations Acts as required by such Act.
(Sec. 313) Establishes in the legislative branch the Center for Russian Leadership Development, which shall establish a program to enable emerging political leaders of Russia at all levels of government to gain significant, firsthand exposure to the American free market economic system and the operation of American democratic institutions through visits to governments and communities at comparable levels in the United States. Requires the Center to establish a program under which it shall annually award grants to government or community organizations in the United States that seek to establish programs to host such Russian nationals. Limits: (1) the stay of each grant recipient to 30 days; and (2) the number of such grant recipients to 3,000 in any fiscal year. Specifies the use of such grants.
Establishes the Russian Leadership Development Center Trust Fund in the Treasury.
Applies the same administrative provisions to the Center as those of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 concerning the John C. Stennis Center for the Public Service Training and Development.
Authorizes the Library of Congress to provide administrative, legal, financial management, and other appropriate services to the Center. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 314) Requires the Comptroller General to submit an assessment to Congress which contains an analysis of the new computer performance levels being proposed by the President under the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1998.
Title IV: Emergency Fiscal Year 2000 Supplemental Legislative Branch Funds
- Makes emergency FY 2000 supplemental appropriations for: (1) the Capitol Police Board; (2) the AOC for Capitol buildings and grounds and the House office buildings; and (3) the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Division B
- Enacts into law
H.R. 4985
(Treasury Department, U.S. Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, and certain Independent Agencies appropriations).
(Sec. 1002) Amends the Emergency Supplemental Act, 2000 to reinstate certain provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 in order to provide that: (1) Supplemental Security Income benefit payments for October 2000 be delivered on Monday, October 2; and (2) veterans' benefits otherwise payable on Sunday, October 1, 2000 will be delivered on Friday, September 29, 2000. Reinstates the limit on outlays set forth in a specified budget resolution for the 106th Congress for: (1) defense spending for FY 2001; and (2) for nondefense spending.
(Sec. 1003) Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on telephone and other communication services.
Requires the Comptroller General to identify and report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the extent to which the benefits of such repeal are passed through to individual and business consumers; and (2) any actions by communication service providers or others that diminish such benefits, including increases in any regulated or unregulated communication service provider charges or increases in other Federal or State fees or taxes related to such service occurring since the date of such repeal.
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Bill titles: Making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes.
Links for more info on the vote: congress.gov
