TU. S. CONGRESS. SENATE. -4 FOR FISCAL YEAR 1968 HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS NINETIETH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 10368- MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 79-512 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1967 LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS MONDAY, MAY 22, 1967 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 2 p.m., in room S-128, the Capitol, Hon. E. L. Bartlett (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Bartlett, Kuchel, and Young. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE STATEMENT OF ELMER B. STAATS, COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES; ACCOMPANIED BY FRANK H. WEITZEL, ASSISTANT COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES; ROBERT F. KELLER, GENERAL COUNSEL; LAWRENCE J. POWERS, THE ASSISTANT TO THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL; HERSCHEL J. SIMMONS, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES; AND SANFORD H. CORNETT, CHIEF, BUDGET AND FINANCE BRANCH AMOUNTS REQUESTED COMPARED WITH REVISED ESTIMATE FOR 1967 Senator BARTLETT. The Legislative Appropriation Subcommittee will be in session. Today we commence the subcommittee hearings on the legislative branch appropriation requests for the fiscal year 1968. We are pleased to welcome the Comptroller General of the United States, Hon. Elmer B. Staats, and his associates. Before you proceed with your statement, Mr. Staats, I will insert in the record a summary table of the amounts requested for fiscal 1968 compared with the revised estimate for fiscal year 1967. (The table follows:) 531 1 INCREASE IN REQUEST Senator BARTLETT. You are requesting $52,900,000 for fiscal year 1968, Mr. Staats, an increase of $3,500,000 over your revised 1967 figures. Please proceed with your presentation. Mr. STAATS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a prepared statement which I believe has been made available to the members of the committee. With your permission, I would like to read that statement. First, I would like to introduce the other gentlemen here: Mr. Weitzel on my immediate right, Assistant Comptroller General; Mr. Simmons, Director of the Office of Administrative Services; Mr. Keller, General Counsel; Larry Powers, Assistant to the Comptroller General; and Mr. Cornett, budget officer. PREPARED STATEMENT Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, we appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the work of the General Accounting Office and our budget estimates for 1968. The justifications we have furnished your subcommittee provide details concerning our work and accomplishments, our organization, our plans, and our fiscal requirements. My statement will summarize and highlight our request. BUDGET ESTIMATES We are requesting an appropriation for fiscal year 1968 of $52.9 million, an increase of $4.4 million over the appropriation of $48.5 million for 1967. ADDITIONAL FIXED COSTS Since the 1967 appropriation was enacted we have had to assume the following additional fixed costs totaling $2,186,000 over which we had no control and which are also reflected in the increase of $4.4 million for the 1968 budget requests: (1) $1.3 million to cover the cost of the pay increase, Public Law 89-504, effective July 3, 1966. (2) $150,000 to cover the cost of moving and related expenses as authorized in Public Law 89-516. (3) $304,000 to cover the cost of the increase in pay scale for GS-7 and GS-9 acountants and auditors as authorized by the U.S. Civil Service Commission under 5 U.S.C. 5303. (4) $432,000 to cover the added cost resulting from the increase in the audit of transportation payments for military operations in Vietnam. These additional costs of $2,186,000 increased our total requirements for 1967 to $50,686,000. However, we were able to absorb $1,336,000 of these added costs primarily because of delay in filling vacancies. This resulted in a net revised estimate of $49,350,000 for 1967, requiring a supplemental appropriation of $850,000. |