COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman GEORGE H. MAHON, Texas HUGH Q. ALEXANDER, North Carolina JOHN TABER, New York H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota CHARLES RAPER JONAS, North Carolina MELVIN R. LAIRD, Wisconsin ELFORD A. CEDERBERG, Michigan GLENARD P. LIPSCOMB, California JOHN J. RHODES, Arizona PHIL WEAVER, Nebraska KENNETH SPRANKLE, Clerk and Staff Director J61 86th DOCUMENTS SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1960 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1960. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF THE HOUSE, MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS WITNESS HON. RALPH R. ROBERTS, CLERK, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. THOMAS. Will the committee please come to order. We have with us this morning our distinguished friend, the Honorable Ralph R. Roberts, Clerk of the House of Representatives, and our friend, Mr. Harper, the administrative assistant to the Clerk for budget and finance, who have a deficiency item in the amount of $523,200. This item is contained in House Document 327. Tell us about it. Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, this request is made for a supplemental appropriation in order to reimburse the contingent fund "Miscellaneous items, 1960" appropriation for the amount transferred to the stationery revolving fund to carry out the provisions of House Resolution 314. Mr. THOMAS. That is because of an increase from $1,200 to $1,800 stationery allowance for each member? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. THOMAS. Is there any guesswork in this figure? Mr. ROBERTS. No, sir. This is an exact figure. Mr. THOMAS. We will insert at this point in the record the letter from the Clerk of the House dated February 11, 1960. (The letter follows:) Hon. ALBERT THOMAS, Chairman, Subcommittee on Deficiencies, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives. OFFICE OF THE CLERK, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C., February 11, 1960. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Clerk requests a supplemental appropriation of $523,200 for "miscellaneous items" for the year ending June 30, 1960, to carry out the provisions of House Resolution 314, approved July 27, 1959, increasing the stationery allowance of the Members of the House of Representatives from $1,200 to $1,800 per session beginning with the 1st session of the 86th Congress. For the 1st session of the 86th Congress I transferred from “Miscellaneous items, 1960" the sum of $262,800, and for the 2d session of the 86th Congress the sum of $260,400, or a total sum of $523,200. Request is made for this supplemental appropriation in order to reimburse the "Miscellaneous items, 1960" appropriation for the amount transferred to the "Stationery (revolving fund)." Sincerely yours, RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. 904 Mr. ROBERTS. Here is House Resolution 314, if you are not familiar with it. Mr. THOMAS. Yes; we are familiar with it. Are there any questions, gentlemen? If not, thank you, Mr. Roberts. Nice to see you. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1960. ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL WITNESSES J. GEORGE STEWART, ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL Mr. THOMAS. Next we have with us our very distinguished and able friend, the Architect of the Capitol, Mr. J. George Stewart. Mr. Stewart, it is nice to see you. Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. THOMAS. You are seeking in House Document 327 funds for several items-Capitol Buildings, Senate Office Buildings, House Office Buildings, and Library Buildings and Grounds. The four items add up to what amount? Mr. STEWART. $32,200. Mr. THOMAS. We will insert in the record at this point the justifications, pages 1, 2, and 3. (The pages follow:) WAGE-BOARD INCREASES, PUBLIC LAW 763, 83D CONGRESS Under the provisions of Public Law 763, 83d Congress, 873 laborers and mechanics on payrolls under the Architect of the Capitol and the Botanic Garden, carried in the annual Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, are compensated on a wage-board, prevailing-rate basis. Public Law 763 provides that the compensation of such employees shall be fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with prevailing rates. A general survey of Government and industrial employees' wages in the Washington metropolitan area has recently been conducted and completed by the Army, Air Force, Navy, and other large agencies. As a result of this survey, new prevailing rates have been established for the positions held by wage-board employees under the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect was notified of the new rates January 15, 1960. The new rates have been made effective February 7, 1960. Under the provisions of Public Law 85-872, 85th Congress, approved September 2, 1958, it is mandatory that wage-board increases be put into effect not later than the first day of the first pay period which begins on or after the 20th day, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, following the date on which the Architect receives the data collected in the wage survey and necessary for the granting of increases. The estimated total cost of wage-board increases covering the 873 wage-board employees under the Architect of the Capitol and the Botanic Garden is $105,862 on a full-year basis. The estimated cost on a part-year basis for the fiscal year 1960, covering the period February 7, 1960, to June 30, 1960, is $43,750. Of the estimated cost of $43,750 for the fiscal year 1960, it is proposed to absorb $11,550 through lapse and other savings or 27 percent of the total cost necessitating supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 1960 totaling $32,200. As a result of this absorption, no supplemental appropriations are required for Capitol Grounds," "Legislative Garage," "Capitol Power Plant," and "Botanic Garden." Supplemental appropriations are required for 1960 for appropriation units, as follows: It is not possible to absorb the wage-board costs under these four appropriations. More than 80 percent of the funds carried under the "Capitol Buildings" lumpsum appropriation is for personal services, and no savings are expected to occur in this item. Due to the staffing of the New Senate Office Building, no savings are expected to occur under that appropriation. The Appropriations Committee, in allowing the regular annual appropriation for "House Office Buildings," made a $23,700 salary lapse cut for 1960, and no further savings are anticipated under this appropriation. There are only 57 employees carried under the "Library Buildings and Grounds" appropriation, and no savings are expected to occur on this small roll. FISCAL YEAR 1960 Analysis of increased wage rate costs and supplemental appropriations requested, Architect of the Capitol-Legislative, Public Law 763-83d Congress-Wage board employees Mr. THOMAS. The first item here is for what we call the blue-collar workers' pay item. You say: The estimated total cost of wage-board increases covering the 873 wage-board employees under the Architect of the Capitol and the Botanic Garden is $105,862 on a full-year basis. The estimated cost on a part-year basis for the fiscal year 1960, covering the period February 7, 1960, to June 30, 1960, is $43,750. Mr. STEWART. That is right. Mr. THOMAS. Is that a firm figure? Mr. STEWART. Yes, sir. Mr. THOMAS. How is it arrived at? Mr. STEWART. It is arrived at on the basis of the law that was passed. Mr. THOMAS. I notice you are absorbing $11,550. Mr. STEWART. Yes, sir. Mг. THOMAS. Making a total supplemental appropriation request of $32,200. Mr. STEWART. Yes. I have the eight appropriation units broken down. I was able to absorb four of those and the other four I cannot absorb. Mr. THOMAS. That is excellent work. Is this figure of $32,200 a firm figure now? Mr. STEWART. Yes. That is all based on law. Mr. THOMAS. The way you arrive at it sometimes involves a little element of guesswork, I think. We have seen a lot of these items based on wage-board increases and many times they do not take into account that some people will be out, will not work, and so forth. You say there are 873 of them and it is based on 40 hours a week multiplied by X dollars. The point I am raising is whether it is a firm figure? Mr. HENLOCK. It is. Mr. THOMAS. Is there any possibility of its being increased or decreased? Mr. STEWART. Not that I know of, unless you shut down some of our operations. Mr. THOMAS. Of course nobody has that in mind. Mr. STEWART. For instance, we have already suffered one cut, Mr. Chairman: In the judgment of the Appropriations Committee last year, they made a $23,700 salary lapse cut for 1960 in our request of last year for maintenance of the House Office Buildings. That had to be considered in arriving at the figure of $32,200. CAPITOL BUILDINGS Mr. THOMAS. Let us take Capitol Buildings. How many employees are involved here? Mr. HENLOCK. 92. HOUSE OFFICE BUILDINGS Mr. THOMAS. And how about the House Office Buildings? Mr. HENLOCK. About the same number. Mr. THOMAS. 260? Mr. HENLOCK. 284, to be exact. LIBRARY BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS Mr. THOMAS. And what about the Library Buildings and Grounds? Mr. HENLOCK. 57. Mr. THOMAS. Is this based on a 40-hour week or a 48-hour week? Mr. HENLOCK. A 44-hour week for most of the employees and a 48-hour week for those in the heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, and ventilating department, where they have around the clock service. Mr. THOMAS. And this all comes up to $105,862, and you are absorbing Mr. HENLOCK. 27 percent. Mr. THOMAS. That is a good record. Mr. HENLOCK. We have figured it job by job and man by man. Mr. THOMAS. And you think your figure will be a firm figure, there will not be any overruns and there will not be any surplus? Mr. STEWART. That is right. Mr. THOMAS. Any questions? Mr. JONAS. I have one, Mr. Chairman. |