GARAGE CAR-WASHING SERVICE

Mr. BENJAMIN. And for the record would you tell us about a carwashing service that you have and where that cost comes from? Mr. WHITE. We will provide that information for the record. [The information requested follows:]

There are four part-time carwashers in the House garages who clean cars for Members and staffs at a charge of $3 per car. The money is divided equally by the carwashers, who are not on the Government payrolls when engaged in this operation.

A report is submitted monthly to the General Accounting Office indicating the number of cars washed during that period. At the end of the calendar year GAO furnishes each carwasher with a statement of earnings for tax purposes.

The carwashers are responsible for furnishing soap, other cleaning agents, and towels used in the car washing operation. [This information was supplied by the Superintendent of Garages.]

Mr. RAINES. There are four employees that are employed parttime. They act as parking attendants four hours a day, and the other four hours they serve as car washers.

Mr. BENJAMIN. When they serve as car washers, are they-Mr. RAINES. They are not on the Government payroll at that time.

Mr. BENJAMIN. The water or whatever facilities-

Mr. RAINES. That is furnished by the Government.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Is that just done in the Cannon Building?

Mr. RAINES. No, sir, the Rayburn Building, as well.

Mr. BENJAMIN. But the only cost we have, as the Government, is the water involved?

Mr. RAINES. That is correct.

Mr. BENJAMIN. No materials, no pay?

Mr. RAINES. Certainly not the pay. I don't know about any materials such as drying cloths.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Does your office supply them drying cloths?

Mr. RAINES. No, we don't furnish those. I really don't know where they get the drying cloths.

Mr. WHITE. While we don't furnish them, Mr. Chairman, there are lots of cloths and towels in these buildings that belong to the Government, and where they go, it is hard to say. These kinds of towels, for example, that are spread all through the buildings, they seem to grow legs very readily.

SENATE RESTAURANTS

Mr. BENJAMIN. The Senate Members Dining Room is a separate operation not under your jurisdiction, is that correct?

Mr. WHITE. All the Senate food service facilities are under my jurisdiction.

Mr. BENJAMIN. The House?

Mr. WHITE. The House is not.

Mr. BENJAMIN. That is under whose jurisdiction?

Mr. WHITE. The Committee on House Administration.

Mr. BENJAMIN. And none of that appears in your payroll?

Mr. WHITE. No. All the maintenance of the kitchen equipment comes under us, but the payroll and the operation of the restaurants on the House side are entirely under the House Administration Committee.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Am I right in assuming that the Senate Dining Room under your jurisdiction, then, is making a profit?

Mr. WHITE. This year, for the entire Senate food service facilities, we did for the first time, of which we are rather proud.

Mr. BENJAMIN. I want to commend you on that. All we have to do is find out what is happening on the House side.

Mr. WHITE. We made $17,455 in fiscal 1978 with gross sales of $3,482,687. Our effort is not to make money, of course, but rather not to lose it, so we thought that was a good average, and we don't request any money from the Appropriations Committees. Last year was the first year that we did that. This year, of course, we are again not asking for any funds.

The profit resulted from a number of management adjustments to the way in which operations were conducted, and we raised some prices, but not appreciably.

Mr. BENJAMIN. In the House Office Buildings and elsewhere, where you have cafeterias and carry-out services, does that fall in your jurisdiction?

Mr. WHITE. No. In the Senate it does, but not in the House. Mr. BENJAMIN. Any general questions, Bob?

Mr. MICHEL. Let me just ask one or two.

CAR-WASHING FEES

On the garage washing facility for automobiles, I think that rate is something in the area of $3. Do those people who work at that washrack get to keep that money?

Mr. RAINES. I am really not sure.

Mr. MICHEL. Are you skimming off?

Mr. RAINES. The Subcommittee on Services, Committee on House Administration has jurisdiction over that operation and we don't get involved in the money situation. I don't know how that is being handled. We could find out, if you would like.

Mr. BENJAMIN. I would appreciate it.

[The information is provided on page 2054.]

IMPROVED SERVICE

Mr. MICHEL. If they are going to do the service, they might as well do as good as they do on the Senate side and get some compound that will wash white sidewalls. If we are going to have it, we might as well have it right, and I am willing to pay for it. I don't want any subsidizing on that score. I want to pay what the regular commercial rate is; but it ought to be just as good a service as what they get on the other side; and theirs is superior to ours. That is all in that area, Mr. Chairman.

SALARIES, OFFICE OF THE ARCHITECT

Mr. BENJAMIN. On Salaries, Office of the Architect, you are requesting $3,055,000 and 106 positions for 1980, which is an increase of 16 positions over the 1979 base appropriations.

We will insert the budget schedule, the appropriation summary sheets 1 and 2, and pages 2.1 through 2.12 of the justifications in the record at this point.

[The information follows:]