U.S. SENATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SENATE STATEMENT OF ROBERT A. BRENKWORTH, FINANCIAL CLERK Resumed 1967 BUDGET REQUEST AND 1966 APPROPRIATION Senator MONRONEY. Will Mr. Brenkworth come forward, please? Do you have a prepared statement, Mr. Brenkworth? Mr. BRENKWORTH. With your permission, I would like to summarize the budget estimates and then proceed to the individual items. Senator MONRONEY. Okay. Mr. BRENKWORTH. The 1967 budget estimates submitted for the Senate total $38,368,285, which is $781,495 more than the 1966 appropriations. INCREASE AUTHORIZED BY PAY ACT OF 1965 Of this amount, $368,200 represents the annualization of the 3.6 percent increase authorized by the Pay Act of 1965. Senator MONRONEY. How much? Mr. BRENKWORTH. $368,200. Senator MONRONEY. Do you have a statement? That is not shown on the table. ALLOWANCES FOR VICE PRESIDENT UNDER PUBLIC LAW 89-309 Mr. BRENKWORTH. No, sir; this is a general summarization of the estimate. The $368,200 is distributed through many of the appropriations. In addition, there is an increase of $10,250 to annualize the $41,000 increase in allowance authorized for the Vice President by Public Law 89-309. INQUIRIES AND INVESTIGATIONS SELECT COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS AND CONDUCT The inquiries and investigations appropriations has been increased by $286,790 with the permission of this committee. $120,000 of this amount is to provide funds necessary to meet expenditures of the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct authorized by Senate Resolution 338, agreed to July 24, 1964. I consider the remaining $166,790 of this amount necessary because of the increase in the annual authorizations from $5,391,000 to $5,758,800 for the 2d session of the 89th Congress. The annual rate of expenditure on the 1st session authorization was 85.45 percent or $4,608,000 which, when applied to the 2d session authorization indicates a need of approximately $4,900,000. If deficits in this area are to be avoided, we will need an appropriation more closely related to the authorization of the 2d session. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS There are a number of increases in the multipurpose appropriation for miscellaneous items. RENTAL ALLOWANCE INCREASE The first is $30,000 to cover the full year cost of the rental allowance increase authorized by Public Law 89-211. Senator MONRONEY. What line is that on? Mr. BRENKWORTH. This would be in miscellaneous items, part of the increase in miscellaneous items. Senator MONRONEY. For rental. Mr. BRENKWORTH. For the annualization of the rental allowance increase authorized by Public Law 89-211. Senator MONRONEY. Is that the rental on the home office? Mr. BRENKWORTH. For Senators; yes, sir. REIMBURSEMENT TO BUREAU OF EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION The second increase in this appropriation is $7,070 to reimburse the Bureau of Employees Compensation for compensation fund payments applicable to Senate employees. We have a bill on this, which is authorized to be paid by 5 U.S.C. 785. We have a further increase of $204,695 Senator MONRONEY. Call the lines, if you will, please. Mr. BRENKWORTH. This is part of the "Miscellaneous items" appropriation, which is line 22. Senator MONRONEY. Still part of "Miscellaneous items.” item is the net amount. The amount shown on the line Senator MONRONEY. It is a big one. It is $3,600,000. Mr. BRENKWORTH. That is right. The increases show as $155,940, which is a net amount, we have an increase of $204,695 to pay the compensation and related costs of the 12 additional employees authorized for the Finance Committee by Senate Resolution 224 agreed to April 20, 1966. TELEGRAM ALLOWANCES In addition, we have a $43,490 increase to provide the funds necessary to cover a 5-percent increase in Senators' telegram allowances approved by the Committee on Rules and Administration on February 9, 1966. SUMMARY OF ESTIMATE INCREASE These increases total $950,495 and were adjusted by nonrecurring 1966 items of $169,000, netting an increase overall of $781,495. REDUCTION ITEMS The reduction items are a $30,000 gratuity to the widow of a deceased Senator, a $4,000 appropriation for the revision of the Senate procedure book, and $135,000 for the replacement of equipment destroyed by fire. This does not include the Senate Joint items which are in bill as it passed the House. JOINT ITEMS The estimates submitted for the four joint committees funded in the Senate total $922,425, showing an increase of $7,315, over the 1966 appropriations. This would be on table 2, joint items. This summarizes the increases and the decreases in the estimates to the amount of increase over the 1966 appropriations. COMPENSATION OF THE VICE PRESIDENT AND SENATORS Appropriation by appropriation, on line item one we have compensation of the Vice President and Senators, an increase of $2,685, and that is the full year need for pay act increases. Senator MONRONEY. Full year for the increase in the pay act. Mr. BRENKWORTH. Yes, sir. We had increases for the majority and minority leaders included in the Pay Act of 1965. SALARIES, OFFICES AND EMPLOYEES Under salaries, offices and employees, the first item, that is line item 5, an increase of $12,020. Of this amount, $1,770 represents the annualization of the Pay Act of 1965 and $10,250 represents the annualization of the increase in clerk hire allowance by $41,000 which was authorized by Public Law 89-309. The next item, Chaplain, an increase of $135, and this is the annualization of the pay act, again. In the Office of the Secretary, an increase of $11,655, once again the pay act. The next item, committee employees, $29,120, and this is the pay act again. On line items 9 and 10, conference majority and conference minority, $860 each, once again annualization of the pay act. Line item 11, $240,985. This again is the pay act. Line item 12, Office of the Sergeant at Arms, $27,195. This is the pay act again. Line item 13, offices of secretaries to the majority and minority, $1,445, pay act. Line item 14, $320, once again the pay act, the total increases in salaries, offices and employees, all attributable to the pay act, with the exception of $10,250 to annualize the increase in the Vice President's allowance, a $324,595 increase. CONTINGENT EXPENSES In Senate policy committees we have an increase of $3,310. This is the Pay Act of 1965 again. That is line item 16. On line item 17, $280, this represents the pay act increase for the four chauffeurs. There is no change in the furniture appropriation. EXPENSES OF INQUIRIES AND INVESTIGATIONS Expenses of inquiries and investigations, an increase of $325,745. Senator MONRONEY. Is that pay act or difference in the amount voted, too? 64-638-66—15 Mr. BRENKWORTH. It is partially pay act, Senator. There is an additional amount in this appropriation, we have $166,790 authorized by the committee to bring us to a more realistic funding, and we have $38,955 representing the full year pay act. In addition, there is $120,000 to fund the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct, total amount, $325,745. Senator MONRONEY. Do you have the $120,000? Mr. BRENK WORTH. Yes, sir. That is for the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct. This brings our estimate to $5,420,000. Senator MONRONEY. An increase of $325,745 largely because of the pay act; is that right? Mr. BRENKWORTH. No, sir. The Pay Act portion of this is $38,955. The balance is mainly attributable to an upward revision in the estimate to provide a more realistic appropriation because of the increased authorizations and to fund the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct. On line item 20, $470 increase representing Pay Act 1965 cost. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS In "Miscellaneous items," which is the multipurpose appropriation, we have a number of changes. First, we have the Pay Act of 1965 annualization, $5,685. This includes the $400 for the Senate restaurant subsidy. The next is an increase of $30,000 to provide the full year need for the increase in Senators' office rental allowance. Next we have an increase of $7,070 to provide the funds necessary to reimburse the Bureau of Employees Compensation. We next have an increase of $204,695 to fund the 12 employees authorized by Senate resolution for the Committee on Finance, six permanent and six temporary. We have an increase of $43,490 to provide the funds necessary for the 5-percent increase in senatorial telegram allowances authorized by the Committee on Rules. Total increase of $290,940 is reduced by $135,000, a nonrecurring 1966 appropriation to cover fire damage, with a resulting net increase of $155,940. There are no changes in the estimates submitted for the appropriations for postage, stationery, or communications. OTHER SENATE EXPENSES On line 27, "Legislative counsel," an increase of $2,470. The "Senate procedure" item is nonrecurring for a reduction of $4,000. "Payment to the widow of a deceased Senator," a reduction of $30,000. This brings us to the overall increase of $781,495, 1967 estimates over the 1966 appropriations. JOINT ITEMS Senator MONRONEY. The House put in the joint items for the committee, or did we? Mr. BRENKWORTH. We submitted the estimates. The House has already considered and approved the appropriations at the estimate submitted. Senator MONRONEY. All of these are Pay Act and additional employees. Mr. BRENKWORTH. Pay Act entirely on our four items which are Joint Committee on Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures, Joint Economic Committee, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Joint Committee on Printing. All that represents Pay Act of 1965 annualization. Mr. Scort. On the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation there was a small increase in staff which was allowed by the House and which is disbursed by the House. The Joint Committee on Immigration and National Policy was reduced by $99,945 by the House which reduction, I understand, was concurred in by Mr. Celler and Mr. Feighan. Senator MONRONEY. Penalty mail cost, that is an increase of threequarters of a million dollars for franked mail and increased postage cost. Is that right? Mr. BRENKWORTH. I don't know about that, Senator. That is a House item. Mr. SCOTT. The Post Office Department advised they have no breakdown between the House and Senate costs. They calculate the cost based on weight. Senator MONRONEY. Those are all of the items. Mr. BRENKWORTH. All of the Senate items, Senator. LETTER FROM SENATOR EASTLAND CAPITOL POLICE FORCE Senator MONRONEY. I have no further questions. With reference to H.R. 15456, the Legislative Appropriation Act, 1967, which is now before your Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations, there is a group of the United States Capitol Police Force which is deserving of special consideration in the Legislative Appropriation Bill, as well as commendation for the services which they have rendered. This particular group consists of supervising officers of the United States Capitol Police Force, which numbers 22 officers, ranging from the rank of Sergeant to the Captain. Their careers of service with the Capitol Police Force run from 8 to 20 years. These members are on a six-day week basis, with no additional compensation for services beyond 40 hours or for their services on holidays. The complexities and responsibilities involved in these positions have increased steadily throughout the past several years with the surmounting number of visitors, as well as demonstrations which have been made by particular groups. I think these particular officials deserve every consideration for additional compensation, and it is my hope that your subcommittee will find that it is merited. Senator MONRONEY. The subcommittee has this under advisement. Thank you, Mr. Brenkworth. |