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LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1960

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-SIXTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

SUBCOMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS

W. F. NORRELL, Arkansas, Chairman

MICHAEL J. KIRWAN, Ohio

TOM STEED, Oklahoma

WALT HORAN, Washington
FRANK T. BOW, Ohio

PAUL M. WILSON, Staff Assistant to the Subcommittee

Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations

40866

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1959

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman

GEORGE H. MAHON, Texas
HARRY R. SHEPPARD, California
ALBERT THOMAS, Texas
MICHAEL J. KIRWAN, Ohio
W. F. NORRELL, Arkansas
JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi
GEORGE W. ANDREWS, Alabama
JOHN J. ROONEY, New York
J. VAUGHAN GARY, Virginia
JOHN E. FOGARTY, Rhode Island
ROBERT L. F. SIKES, Florida
PRINCE H. PRESTON, Georgia
OTTO E. PASSMAN, Louisiana
LOUIS C. RABAUT, Michigan
SIDNEY R. YATES, Illinois
FRED MARSHALL, Minnesota
JOHN J. RILEY, South Carolina
JOE L. EVINS, Tennessee
JOHN F. SHELLEY, California
EDWARD P. BOLAND, Massachusetts
DON MAGNUSON, Washington
WILLIAM H. NATCHER, Kentucky
DANIEL J. FLOOD, Pennsylvania
WINFIELD K. DENTON, Indiana
TOM STEED, Oklahoma
HUGH Q. ALEXANDER, North Carolina
CHARLES A. BOYLE, Illinois

ALFRED E. SANTANGELO, New York
JOSEPH M. MONTOYA, New Mexico

JOHN TABER, New York
BEN F. JENSEN, Iowa

H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota
WALT HORAN, Washington
GORDON CANFIELD, New Jersey
IVOR D. FENTON, Pennsylvania
GERALD R. FORD, JR., Michigan
HAROLD C. OSTERTAG, New York
FRANK T. BOW, Ohio

CHARLES RAPER JONAS, North Carolina

MELVIN R. LAIRD, Wisconsin

ELFORD A. CEDERBERG, Michigan

GLENARD P. LIPSCOMB, California
JOHN J. RHODES, Arizona
JOHN R. PILLION, New York
PHIL WEAVER, Nebraska
WILLIAM E. MINSHALL, Ohio
KEITH THOMSON, Wyoming
ROBERT H. MICHEL, Illinois
SILVIO O. CONTE, Massachusetts

KENNETH SPRANKLE, Clerk and Staff Director

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J61

Ab
86th
v. 31

DOCUMENTS
DEPT.

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1960

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1959.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WITNESSES

RALPH R. ROBERTS, CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H. NEWLIN MEGILL, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

ROBERT H. HARPER, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR FINANCE AND BUDGET

Mr. NORRELL. Gentlemen, the committee will please come to order. We start our legislative appropriation hearings for 1960 this morning. In looking over the items that are being requested in the budget, we find that the total of the request, $105,460,005, not counting the Senate, is below 1959 appropriations by $567,710. That is fine. I hope that fact will be well noted.

We have a new member of the subcommittee, Congressman Steed. Congressman Steed was elected to the 81st Congress and has been reelected since that time. We are glad to have Mr. Steed as a member of the committee. I know he will make a great contribution.

We have this morning our Clerk, Mr. Roberts, as our first witness. Mr. Roberts, at this time we are glad to have you, and you may proceed with your general statement.

GENERAL STATEMENT

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, I have been happy to appear before this subcommittee on many occasions. In fact, I believe that this is the ninth time that it has been my privilege to present to you the budget for the House of Representatives.

Most of you have served for many years on the legislative subcommittee and are already thoroughly familiar with the basic requirements for this appropriation.

Today, I am actually appearing in two capacities. One as Budget Officer for the House of Representatives and the other as Clerk of the House.

First, I wish to present to you as fully as I can the overall budget for the House of Representatives; and,

Secondly, I am prepared to justify in detail that portion of the budget which relates to the activities of the Office of the Clerk.

I shall address myself at this time to the overall budget, reserving for a later time a detailed statement of the functions and operations of the Clerk's Office.

While I am generally familiar with the activities of the other offices of the House, I respectfully request that any specific informa

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tion desired relative to the operation of any office not under the Clerk be obtained from the appropriate officer of the House.

There is nothing unusual or complicated about this year's requests. Every single item is authorized by law or by resolution of the House. We are here asking for virtually the same things we received last year. It is true that just a few of the items are in larger amounts, but there are justifications in each instance.

There are only two new items in the bill, and one of them is a normal requirement that comes up about every 6 years.

1. A clerk is provided for the House member of the NATO Parliamentarian's Conference.

2. Money is requested for the compilation of a new U.S. Code. All other requests relate to the normal and routine functions of the House of Representatives.

With few exceptions, the increases result from:

1. The 10 percent overall increase in salaries of employees, or 2. New positions or salary increases as the result of the passage of House resolutions.

Increases which do not fall into the above categories relate to requests from the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation; the attending physician's office; cost of handling mail; and the "Contingent and miscellaneous" items.

As regards the "Contingent and miscellaneous" items, the $150,000 for the compilation of the code represents by far the largest single increase. We try as best we can to estimate what expenditures will be required in this category, but by their very nature, accurate estimates are impossible.

The general rise in cost of services and materials, coupled with the 10 percent increase in pay, justify fully, in my opinion, all of the increases requested.

Further safeguards are thrown around the contingent expenditures by the requirement that each such expenditure must have my personal approval as well as that of the Committee on House Administration.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF ESTIMATES FOR 1960

A very complete and detailed analysis of the entire budget has been prepared, as has been the custom in previous years, and I request that it be inserted in the record at this point.

Mr. NORRELL. We would prefer that you follow the custom of taking up each item, and we can ask questions as we go along.

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, as I said, a copy of the item-by-item breakdown has previously been furnished to each member of the committee. Insert the sum

Mr. NORRELL. That is what I am getting to now. mary list here and then take up the first item. (The summary follows:)

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