GUIDE INSTRUCTOR Mr. BENJAMIN. Do you have any comments on that particular request? Mr. HARDING. I think under the present authorization, it is totally justified. Mr. BENJAMIN. They also requested a $20,000 supplemental. Is that correct? Mr. HARDING. That is correct. That $20,000 for the 1979 supplemental is the amended longevity increase of October 1, 1978. Mr. BENJAMIN. Within the 40 employees of the Guide Service, if I recall correctly, one is a guide instructor; is that correct? Mr. HARDING. That guide instructor was a new position which was made part of the job classification chart for the guide force in 1978, and the reason that was done was because we were taking on these summer guides; we had additional guides which were legally authorized for the summer, and it was requiring the services of someone to train them. This individual was being drawn off of the regular guided tours and still conducting tours at no increase in pay. He was really serving two purposes, as a training guide and as a guide, himself, so they made that new classification up just so they could pay him a little bit more than they were paying the new guides. I think his pay went from-I forget what he was getting on longevity, but it is now $20,223 for that position. Mr. BENJAMIN. How many of those guides in the summertime are repeat guides that served in previous summers? Mr. HARDING. Well, we haven't used that many. We only had two for each side of the Hill up until last year, when we had "not to exceed ten" and then the two were made permanent through the Legislative Appropriation Act last year, and became permanent law, and now these ten, I think their applications are on hand right now, five coming from the House and five from the Senate. I think all the people who were on the guide force last year will reapply again; and they will be considered. They were evaluated as to their proficiency, and in all honesty I seek the advice of others. before any appointment goes through, even though I have the responsibility of the appointment by statute. Mr. BENJAMIN. We understand. Any questions on the Capitol Guide Service? Mr. HARDING. At the rate of $12,096. Mr. CONTE. A year? Mr. HARDING. Yes, sir; at the rate of. But they can't work more than six months for summer appointees. Under the law, they can be taken on at any time. We put one on last week for training, so they would be here by the time of Easter, and this is a new one coming on, so one who was on last year won't be here again. Mr. CONTE. How about the permanent guides. Mr. HARDING. They never leave. That is a pretty good job. Mr. HARDING. From $13,230, and with the longevity cranked in, there are three getting $19,656, and I would say the average guide up there is probably getting pretty close to $14,553; that is the figure submitted to us. But if the Chairman would like it, I would be happy to submit all these charts to the committee. Mr. CONTE. I may try out for one of those guide jobs. Mr. HARDING. It isn't bad. Mr. CONTE. It isn't bad at all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. BENJAMIN. Thank you, Mr. Harding. We are going to return to the Clerk, and you are at the Office of the Chaplain, found on page 19 of the booklet you provided us. Mr. HENSHAW. Yes, sir, the Office of the Chaplain. OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN For the Office of the Chaplain, $25,000. Mr. Chairman, the provisions of H. Res. 7, January 15, 1979, provided that the salary of the Chaplain shall be equivalent to the highest rate of basic pay in effect from time to time of Level IV of the Executive Schedule which is currently $50,000. Due to the date of this resolution, Mr. Chairman, we were unable to include the additional funds needed for this authorization. Therefore, we request that the Subcommittee increase this amount by $25,000 to cover the additional cost. [Table follows:] Mr. BENJAMIN. Besides the salary increase, if I understand, there is also another $25,000 increase requested for the Chaplain-is that correct-in the office, itself? Mr. HENSHAW. Not in the office, itself. Mr. COLLEY. We have not submitted a supplemental for 1979. We anticipated absorbing that for 1979 within the overall salaries of officers and employees. Mr. BENJAMIN. I am looking at what you originally handed out as an original estimate for salaries of officers and employees. Then you show an amendment of $25,000; underneath that you have the Office of Chaplain, fiscal year 1980, a $25,000 amendment. The first figure, under Salaries, Officers and Employees, does that reflect on the Chaplain, too, or is that something else? Mr. LAWLER. The $25,000 referred to there is the same; that is the amendment for fiscal year 1980. Mr. BENJAMIN. In other words, you have the caption and the subcaption of the Office of the Chaplain. Mr. LAWLER. Yes, sir. Mr. BENJAMIN. Twenty-five thousand dollar increase on salary pursuant to that resolution, H.Res. 7, adopted January 17; is that correct? Mr. HENSHAW. Yes, sir. Mr. BENJAMIN. Gentlemen, again any time you want to ask questions, go ahead. Mr. MICHEL. What does the Chaplain of the Senate get paid? Does he qualify for this raise, too? Mr. LAWLER. This resolution just specifically addressed the Chaplain on the House side. Mr. HENSHAW. I don't know the answer to that salary question. As of February 28, 1979, the annual rate of compensation for the Chaplain of the Senate is $24,948. NEW CHAPLAIN Mr. MICHEL. Does anybody know whether that was a condition precedent to his acceptance of the position, because we just changed Chaplains? Does anybody know whether or not that was one of the conditions? Mr. BENJAMIN. I think our former distinguished chairman, Mr. Mahon, served on that search and screening committee. Mr. MICHEL. You know us neophytes and peons don't know what is going on. It is the only chance I get to find out what really is going on. It is the public's business. Mr. BENJAMIN. He left a beautiful chapel at West Point to come here, so I assume there probably is some rationale for this situation. BASIS FOR CHAPLAIN'S RAISE Mr. CONTE. Mr. Chairman, I didn't realize the salary was in the resolution. I thought we were just naming the Chaplain. What was the basis of a $25,000 increase? Mr. MICHEL. Particularly since the Senate is $24,948? Mr. HENSHAW. I don't know that I can answer that, Mr. Michel. That committee that was made up of Mr. Mahon and Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Wright, I am sure, made the decision on that. We have no other information on that. Mr. MICHEL. You have to do a lot of praying for that kind of money. Mr. BENJAMIN. I think it comes in the way of professionalism. We apparently had for years a part-time chaplain, and then got a retired one to serve basically full-time, and then we went out and hired an active chaplain who is full-time. So whether that would fully explain it, I don't know. Mr. CONTE. Do we pay anything for the visiting chaplains when they come in? Mr. HENSHAW. No, sir. Mr. CONTE. We don't deduct anything from his pay, either, on days they come in? Mr. HENSHAW. No, sir. Mr. CONTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. OFFICE OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN Mr. BENJAMIN. Office of the Parliamentarian, Mr. Clerk. For the Office of the Parliamentarian, including the Parliamentarian, and $2,000 for preparing the Digest of the Rules, $280,000. The increase over fiscal year 1979 is attributed to the October 1978 pay costs, one additional staff position and reserves for meritorious promotions. [Table follows:] EXPLANATION OF INCREASES Mr. BENJAMIN. I am going to ask before you continue, that you respond to the following question for the record regarding the increases and averages in that office and the reserves. Mr. HENSHAW. Fine. Mr. BENJAMIN. The Office of the Parliamentarian requests $280,000 for fiscal year 1980. This is an increase of $83,292 over actual expenditures made in fiscal year 1978, or an increase of 42 percent. The increase over fiscal year 1979 is attributed to the October 1978 pay raise, one additional staff position and reserves for meritorious promotions. The subcommittee print on page 34 indicates that the office employed six people in fiscal 1978, fiscal year 1979, and that six employees are planned for fiscal year 1980. Please explain the new employee. The average salary level in this office in fiscal year 1976 was $24,719. In 1978, it was $32,725. In fiscal year 1980, you anticipate it to be $45,000, which is an increase of 37 percent in just the last two years and nearly 100 percent over the last four years. Please explain. [The information follows:] An additional employee, an attorney, has been included in the budget request for Fiscal Year 1980. This employee would be brought on board only if the workload of the office required this expansion. It is difficult to anticipate what changes might be made in the rules and practices of the House during the fiscal year covered by this request. Changes in procedure, such as those that followed the implementation of the Congressional Budget Act, do increase the demands on this office. If the Office of the Parliamentarian is to respond effectively to requests for procedural advice from Members and their staffs and from committees and is to be prepared to meet the parliamentary workload on the floor, some flexibility for expansion of personnel is essential. The projected expenditure level for Fiscal Year 1979 without the addition of a new employee or any cost-of-living or salary increases is $223,736.88. Using this as a base for Fiscal Year 1980 budget projection, adding a new attorney at $30,000 and possible meritorious salary increases totaling $15,000, would bring the total to $268,736.88. The difference between this figure and our budget request of $280,000 would cover non personnel costs in the event they have to be met by this office. The salary levels in this office, which has four attorneys, a clerk, and a secretary, reflect the experience, seniority, and responsibility of the personnel and unique professional and career character of this nonpartisan office. It should be noted that the budget request for Fiscal Year 1980 ($280,000), if totally used for salaries, would result in an average salary for seven employees of $40,000. It is highly unlikely that the total amount of this request would be utilized since any new employee would in all likelihood be an attorney just out of law school and would be compensated at less than the $30,000 allocation. COMPILATION OF PRECEDENTS Mr. BENJAMIN. Go on with the Compilation of Precedents. Mr. HENSHAW. For the Compilation of Precedents of the House of Representatives, $200,000. The Compilation of Precedents of the House is authorized by the Acts of July 27, 1965 (P.L. 89-90, 79 Stat. 265, 270) and October 26, 1970 (P.L. 91-510, 84 Stat. 1140, 1186). The reduction from the 1979 appropriation is in anticipation of a reduction of personnel due to the completion of the research phase of the project. These estimates were submitted by the Parliamentarian, the Honorable William Holmes Brown, Jr. [Table follows:] |