CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICES

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

1981 Budget available ............ $28,082,900 Proposed pay raise supplemental

1,958,000

849 $25,041,818 849 $25,506,818 (+29)+$ 465,000

...

Growing workload

849 $30,040,900 849 $32,288,000 (+29)+$2,247,100

The Congressional Research Service is the department within the Library of Congress that works exclusively as a research arm for Members, committees, and their staffs. In addition to rendering a great diversity of reference services, CRS staff provide close Member and committee support through background reports, bill analysis, analyses of alternative legislative proposals, assistance in hearings and other phases of the legislative and oversight processes, factual statements, bibliographies, translations, assistance with public opinion polls and surveys, and with identifying and assessing long-range goals and objectives, analysis of emerging issues, and trend data. The Service also sponsors and conducts workshops and seminars on public policy issues. In addition, to provide for the most effective use of CRS resources, a program of Legislative Institutes, District Workshops, and other aids has been developed.

CRS is the only congressional support agency that provides the entire range of analysis, research, and information to every element of the congressional community. We do this on a non-partisan, nonadvocacy basis in virtually every area of public policy and subject interest and we work for every Member of Congress, for all Senate and House committees, most joint committees, most of the subcommittees of the two Houses, and the staffs of all these elements. CRS also serves the staffs of various other specialized groups of Congress and provides substantial support to three sister agencies: the General Accounting Office, the Office of Technology Assessment, and the Congressional Budget Office.

In fiscal 1980, CRS workload increased 9 percent. Reference workload, which represents about two-thirds of our requests, increased 11 percent. Similar increases are being experienced thus far in fiscal 1981. We intend to absorb this increased workload with on-board staff and some additional resources allocated in such a way as to increase the Service's productivity. Such experiments as the Information Distribution Center, a sort of information supermarket where Hill staff can select needed publications on a "do it yourself" basis, have shown how modest dollar investments in innovative programs can pay off in personnel savings. Additional resources in fiscal 1982 to maintain existing positions and services and enhance productivity total $2,247,100. This amount provides for mandatory salary costs of $976,300, special and temporary salaries of $465,000, and $805,800 in non-personal services.

This increase is necessary to provide for annualization of the 1981 pay raises for General Schedule employees, effective October 6, 1980. Funds have been requested in the fiscal 1981 supplemental request to cover the increases from the effective dates through September 30, 1981.