UNEXPENDED BALANCES AVAILABLE, EXPLANATION

Mr. LANGEN. Mr. Chairman, let me just pursue what the chairman was inquiring about a moment ago.

In the figures as shown on pages 17, 18, let me refer to 17 first. The Office of the Speaker appropriation expenditure is $132,850, and then there is a balance available. What is meant by that balance available?

Mr. JENNINGS. That is a balance not paid. That represents only that which has been spent through to the present. The balance there, if you will take the items there and add them, it will give you the $132,850. All I am showing is the balance that is unspent as of this time.

Mr. LANGEN. I realize that for 1968. What about 1967 and 1966? Mr. JENNINGS. That is a carryover. We did not use all of that. That reverted to the Treasury.

Mr. LANGEN. This has reverted to the Treasury?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir.

Mr. LANGEN. It says "balance available." It is not available if it has gone back to the Treasury.

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. Any balance of an appropriation reverts to the Treasury at the end of 3 years.

However, if any unpaid obligations are presented for payment after the money has been returned to the Treasury, we can, by law, pay these obligations from any current appropriation then available for the same purpose.

Mr. LANGEN. Let me ask you this: How does that balance come about? In the Office of the Chaplain, for instance, in 1966, I note $911.44. Didn't we appropriate that salary as it was? How come there is money left over?

Mr. GIBSON. This position was vacant for a short time.

Mr. JENNINGS. When Dr. Braskamp died there was no salary paid during the time a vacancy existed.

Mr. LANGEN. That may be the case in that instance but

Mr. LIVINGSTON. In 1967 there is only a $4.40 balance. That is because we round off the figure.

Mr. LANGEN. I know that. I was not inquiring about any other. I see that they are all the same in this respect, in that there is some balance left over from that year. I wondered what was meant by the balance available.

Mr. JENNINGS. Really the balance available is a term that we are using in some of the contingency funds and some of the others. It is a term which we are using here. It is a balance that is available for the rest of this year but it is a balance that was not expended at the end of that particular year. In these particular cases it is not recoverable. In some cases it would be recoverable if a bill should come in on a telephone expense or some vendor had not given his bill and it would come in. We would still have to honor it.

In these particular cases they are personnel. I can see that the term is not exactly right, a balance available. It should be the balance unexpended and carried over.

Mr. LANGEN. If we were to total all of these balances that have accumulated in all of these respective positions, what would be the total amount of money that you have for a 3-year period, anticipating that some bills would come in?

Mr. JENNINGS. Actually, it falls into different categories. As I said, in these particular categories, personnel at the end of the 3-year period, that goes back to the Treasury. In others-there are some cases, for instance, in the case of the furniture appropriation last year, the balance is until expended. In others, we just hold them until such time as the Members make a request. For instance, take the stationery allowance, or office allowance, or telephone allowance for the District office. Any time that the Member would present those bills, transportation

Mr. LANGEN. This might well be. My question was: What is the total amount of money, all categories, regardless of what obligations may be against that? It seems to me to be a kind of pertinent thing. Mr. JENNINGS. It is. It just happens that we have these for some of the pay categories.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. We could give that to you for the record.

Mr. JENNINGS. We could insert that in the record.

Mr. LANGEN. Fine. Insert it in the record.

Mr. JENNINGS. All right.

(The information follows:)

The balance of all accounts except the revolving fund at the end of March 31, 1968, were:

For the fiscal year 1966, $3,084,057.25.

For the fiscal year 1967, $3,435,054.29.

Mr. ANDREWS. I would like to go along with that, too. As you say, they come in different categories.

OFFICE OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN, LUMP SUM ITEM

Mr. LANGEN. Another one of the things that was discussed here a while back that I don't quite understand, and perhaps you can clarify it for me, this lump sum. What is the exact use of that?

Mr. LIVINGSTON. This is for the hire of employees in his office as set up by law.

Mr. LANGEN. How many? Is that the total amount which the rest of the items below there make up a part of?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. That is correct.

Mr. LANGEN. Each of the items listed below the lump sum is what you are expending out of that money?

Mr. JENNINGS. That is right.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. That is statutory.

Mr. JENNINGS. He does not come under the Classification Act of the House. This is a lump sum. He may divide it among his people any way that he desires, only with the confirmation of the Speaker.

Mr. LANGEN. Mr. Chairman, let me inquire: Does the House Recording Studio come under what we have discussed?

Mr. ANDREWs. No.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. That is in the committee print on page 6.

Mr. LANGEN. I had it before me. I wanted a clarification of what that $89,702 was made up of and these other items that come below it.

Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. That is the way that those were spent last year. We assumed that is the way they will be spent this year as of now. However, if you will look at the footnote, it shows that he may change those in any way that he wants to.

92-655-68- -27

UNEXPENDED BALANCES AVAILABLE, EXPLANATION

Mr. LANGEN. Mr. Chairman, let me just pursue what the chairman was inquiring about a moment ago.

In the figures as shown on pages 17, 18, let me refer to 17 first The Office of the Speaker appropriation expenditure is $132,850, and then there is a balance available. What is meant by that balance available?

Mr. JENNINGS. That is a balance not paid. That represents only the which has been spent through to the present. The balance there, if you will take the items there and add them, it will give you the $132,550 All I am showing is the balance that is unspent as of this time.

Mr. LANGEN. I realize that for 1968. What about 1967 and 1966 Mr. JENNINGS. That is a carryover. We did not use all of that. That reverted to the Treasury.

Mr. LANGEN. This has reverted to the Treasury?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir.

Mr. LANGEN. It says "balance available." It is not available if it has gone back to the Treasury.

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. Any balance of an appropriation reverts to the Treasury at the end of 3 years.

However, if any unpaid obligations are presented for payment after the money has been returned to the Treasury, we can, by law, pay the obligations from any current appropriation then available for the same

purpose.

Mr. LANGEN. Let me ask you this: How does that balance come about? In the Office of the Chaplain, for instance, in 1966, I note $911.44. Didn't we appropriate that salary as it was? How come there is money left over?

Mr. GIBSON. This position was vacant for a short time.

Mr. JENNINGS. When Dr. Braskamp died there was no salary pa during the time a vacancy existed.

Mr. LANGEN. That may be the case in that instance but

Mr. LIVINGSTON. In 1967 there is only a $4.40 balance. That is because we round off the figure.

Mr. LANGEN. I know that. I was not inquiring about any other. I s that they are all the same in this respect, in that there is some balan left over from that year. I wondered what was meant by the balance available.

Mr. JENNINGS. Really the balance available is a term that we are using in some of the contingency funds and some of the others. It is term which we are using here. It is a balance that is available for the rest of this year but it is a balance that was not expended at the et of that particular year. In these particular cases it is not recoverste In some cases it would be recoverable if a bill should come in ot telephone expense or some vendor had not given his bill and it wor come in. We would still have to honor it.

In these particular cases they are personnel. I can see that the ter is not exactly right, a balance available. It should be the balar unexpended and carried over.

Mr. LANGEN. If we were to total all of these balances that bs? accumulated in all of these respective positions, what would be total amount of money that you have for a 3-year period, anticipa that some bills would come in?

Mr. JENNINGS. Actually, it falls into different categories. As I said, in these particular categories, personnel at the end of the 3-year period, that goes back to the Treasury. In others-there are some cases, for instance, in the case of the furniture appropriation last year, the balance is until expended. In others, we just hold them until such time as the Members make a request. For instance, take the stationery allowance, or office allowance, or telephone allowance for the District office. Any time that the Member would present those bills, transportation

Mr. LANGEN. This might well be. My question was: What is the total amount of money, all categories, regardless of what obligations may be against that? It seems to me to be a kind of pertinent thing. Mr. JENNINGS. It is. It just happens that we have these for some of the pay categories.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. We could give that to you for the record.

Mr. JENNINGS. We could insert that in the record.

Mr. LANGEN. Fine. Insert it in the record.

Mr. JENNINGS. All right.

(The information follows:)

The balance of all accounts except the revolving fund at the end of March 31, 1968, were:

For the fiscal year 1966, $3,084,057.25.

For the fiscal year 1967, $3,435,054.29.

Mr. ANDREWS. I would like to go along with that, too. As you say, they come in different categories.

OFFICE OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN, LUMP SUM ITEM

Mr. LANGEN. Another one of the things that was discussed here a while back that I don't quite understand, and perhaps you can clarify it for me, this lump sum. What is the exact use of that?

Mr. LIVINGSTON. This is for the hire of employees in his office as set up by law.

Mr. LANGEN. How many? Is that the total amount which the rest of the items below there make up a part of?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. That is correct.

Mr. LANGEN. Each of the items listed below the lump sum is what you are expending out of that money?

Mr. JENNINGS. That is right.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. That is statutory.

Mr. JENNINGS. He does not come under the Classification Act of the House. This is a lump sum. He may divide it among his people any way that he desires, only with the confirmation of the Speaker. Mr. LANGEN. Mr. Chairman, let me inquire: Does the House Recording Studio come under what we have discussed?

Mr. ANDREWS. No.

Mr. LIVINGSTON. That is in the committee print on page 6.

Mr. LANGEN. I had it before me. I wanted a clarification of what hat $89,702 was made up of and these other items that come below it.

Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. That is the way that those were spent ast year. We assumed that is the way they will be spent this year as of 10w. However, if you will look at the footnote, it shows that he may hange those in any way that he wants to.

92-655-68-27

HOUSE LIBRARY

Mr. LANGEN. We had some discussion regarding the House Library. I should merely inquire, do they keep any kind of a record of the number of inquiries they get?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. I have this report here. I would like to read from the library report. It says:

We carried on the usual work of the library which includes a varied program. We delivered and picked up around 1,000 books.

We processed an estimated 3,000 telephone requests. Some of the latter could be handled in a few minutes, the others took hours of work.

We carried out various research projects for different offices. An average of five to 10 people use the library daily to do their own research. Most of them needed some help.

We kept the shelves in order, indexed hearings, worked on the master index, answered correspondence, processed new material.

We set up and enlarged a vertical file which has proved useful, planned the moving of the library, which entailed working out a system of moving the books in order, cleaning the books, and planning the physical aspects of the library in the space allotted to us.

We weeded out and disposed of all obsolete and useless material. The library was staffed, kept in order and many ways studied and carried out to anticipate and meet the needs of the Congressmen using it.

That was a report for 1967. We have a report for 1968.

Mr. LANGEN. I note that you make reference to research. Is there some particular category of research that they confine themselves to? Mr. JENNINGS. This covers just about anything, anything that any Member would call about.

Mr. LANGEN. Or the staffs?

Mr. JENNINGS. Or the staffs of the Members usually call. Sometimes the Members themselves call, sometimes they drop by. The moving that is talked about here is the moving from one area in the Cannon Building to another area in the Cannon Building necessitated by the renovation, which was quite a job. They did it in very fine fashion.

DISPOSITION OF ACCUMULATION OF OLD RECORDS

Mr. LANGEN. With regard to the renovation, I gather that there is a rather extended process of renovation which also includes the Disposition and Classification Office. I don't know much about this but I saw something of it and, as you stated earlier, thousands of volumes were uncovered or discovered, whatever the case may be. What happened to all that material? What use was made of it?

Mr. JENNINGS. We set up a system of priorities. First of all, Mr. Hollowell, the attorney on the staff, researched the rules and statutes to see what we were supposed to keep. Of course, that took first priority.

Second priority we gave to the National Archives.

The third priority we gave to all of the depository libraries located throughout the country. Third priority we gave to schools of higher learning, especially those that had graduate schools, either giving masters or doctors degrees in foreign affairs, political science, and government.

Then after that we have just given them to anybody that would take them. If no one would take them, we literally hauled off truckloads to the dump.