Mr. JENNINGS. This shows the employees of the standing committees by categories, professional and clerical, the total, the number authorized, and the number employed. Mr. LIVINGSTON. The salaries go up to $27,055. Mr. ANDREWS. Who determines the salaries? Mr. LIVINGSTON. The chairman of the committee or the committee. Mr. ANDREWs. I take it there are increases other than the general pay raise? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes. The figures I just gave will indicate the decrease or increase or the rapidity with which it is increased. Mr. ANDREWS. What about the additional number added in the last year or in the last month? Mr. JENNINGS. For instance, as of last July there were 270 in the committees and it is 269 as of February, so it has been rather constant. Mr. ANDREWS. What is the basic reason why you evidently underestimated this appropriation last year? Mr. JENNINGS. Increases both as to numbers and the amount paid. Mr. ANDREWS. And they are both matters over which you have no control? Mr. JENNINGS. No control. For instance, in July 1966, which is when we made our estimate, we had 251 employees. In July 1967 we had 270. Mr. ANDREWS. Just by way of recapitulation in connection with the request of $125,000 for standing committee employees, the regular appropriation was $4,300,000. To that you would propose to add the pending request of $125,000, and to that shortly, as I understand it, you would submit a supplemental request for the pay act of $231,340, which would give you a total of $4,656,340. Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. That is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. Against which, if I understand it correctly, you have expended through the first 8 months $3,019,000, which would leave an unexpended balance for the remaining 4 months of the year of $1,637,340? Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. While you cannot anticipate what the expenditure in the remaining 4 months will be, if you get the funds I have enumerated, would you expect there would be some unused balance on June 30, 1968, and, if so, approximately how much? Mr. JENNINGS. If you were to carry this rate of increase forward in the same amount that we have projected here, we probably would have $78,000 remaining. However, if the committees were to employ additional personnel, then it would be extremely tight and we could conceivably have a slight deficit. Mr. ANDREWS. In arriving at that projected balance of $78,000, potentially, did you use perhaps January and February experience as a basis? I notice in January you spent $384,000 and in February $387,000. In other words, there is some indication the rate is settling down. Mr. JENNINGS. In December we used $119,000, but that included retroactive pay. If we go back to November the amount was $366,000, and it was $384,000 in January and $386,000 in February. However, if you take July, August, and September, we spent an average of $365,000. If we continued at that rate we would have a deficit of $80,000. We did use January and February, as they were more stable and, projected on that basis, we would have a $78,000 cushion. Mr. ANDREWS. That is the basis you used, I take it, in projecting the balance of $78,000? Mr. JENNINGS. We just tried to strike an average of all of this. That is an educated, calculated guess. Mr. ANDREWS. Any questions? MEMBERS' CLERK HIRE Mr. ANDREWS. Now we will take up Members' clerk hire for the current fiscal year 1968 where you are requesting $600,000 additional. The appropriation in the regular bill for 1968 was $35,500,000. Evidently we missed our guess because your request in last year's budget was $36 million. Now this $600,000 is aside from the amount needed for the general pay raise effective last October and which we will consider in connection with a separate item. Is that correct? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. How much will that be? Mr. JENNINGS. It is going to be $1,217,700. Mr. ANDREWS. What about this $600,000 more you are requesting? Mr. JENNINGS. That is how much we underestimated it not considering the pay raise, and the reason we did is because the same thing is happening, more and more clerks are being hired by the Members. Mr. ANDREWS. The law permits a Member to hire a certain number of employees in his office? Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. Within a certain monetary limit. Some use the full allowance and others do not. Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. The questions of how many employees are in a Member's office and at what rate of pay they are paid are questions over which, again, you have no control? The Member decides that-within the overall limits set by law. Mr. JENNINGS. Yes sir; absolutely no control. Mr. ANDREWS. We gave you $35,500,000 for fiscal year 1968 and we missed our guess by roughly $600,000? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. On the request for $600,000, since this appropriation is entirely and solely for salaries, to make a proper projection would also require that we crank in the $1,217,700 for the general pay raise? Mr. JENNINGS. That is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. You project a theoretical balance as of June 30 of $75,000, is that correct? Mr. JENNINGS. If they continue on the same basis, yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. What do you project as the total expenditures under this appropriation? What have you spent through February 28 and on what basis do you project a figure for the remaining 4 months, March through June? Mr. JENNINGS. We spent $24,683,134.58 through the month of February. Mr. ANDREWs. How much does that leave? Mr. JENNINGS. That would leave us a balance of $10 million. Mr. ANDREWS. What can you tell us about the average salary, is it going up or down, aside from the general pay bill? Mr. JENNINGS. It is going up both as to the amount and as to the number of clerks being employed by the Members. Mr. ANDREWS. Off the record. (Discussion off the record.) Mr. ANDREWS. Any questions? CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF THE HOUSE MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Mr. ANDREWs. The next item is for miscellaneous items under the contingent fund, $750,000. I suppose this is what you would regard as a catchall item. Tell us about this item. It represents a lot of money. But before you tell us that, the amount for this item in the regular bill was $6,900,000? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir; that is correct. Mr. ANDREWS. How much of that have you actually expended through February? Mr. JENNINGS. Of that amount through February 29, we have expended $4,385,092.50, leaving a balance of $2,516,823.25. Mr. ANDREWS. I notice in the sheet you have supplied to us that this request apparently rests on a number of resolutions? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. As you explain each one, I wish you would make it. clear as to when each came into effect so far as its impact on the contingency fund is concerned. Mr. JENNINGS. Mr. Chairman, this continues to increase also. Going back to the same period of time from July through February 1966, we spent $3,246,270.84. For 1967, the same period, we spent $3,415,688.25. And, as we pointed out here, during this same period this year we spent $4,385,092.50, so this continues to go up also. However, this is brought about primarily by a number of resolutions that were passed by the House. PURCHASE OF ANNOTATED CODES FOR MEMBERS-HOUSE RESOLUTION 506 The first I would point out is House Resolution 506 which was passed on August 21, 1967. Mr. ANDREWs. That has to do with the Annotated Code? Mr. JENNINGS. It provides each Member, including the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, upon making application to the Clerk, will be provided a set of United States Code Annotated or of the Federal Code Annotated, and if you take 436 Members at a cost of $378 per set, the total cost would be $164,800. Here is a copy of House Resolution 506. Mr. ANDREWS. We will insert it in the record at this point. (H. Res. 506 follows:) H. RES. 506 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. August 21, 1967. Resolved, That (a) subject to subsection (b), the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall procure for and furnish to each Member of the House of Representatives and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, either one complete set of the current volumes of the United States Code Annotated, and the current pocket parts thereof, published by the West Publishing Company, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the Edward Thompson Company, Brooklyn, New York, or one complete set of the current volumes of the Federal Code Annotated, and the current pocket parts thereof, published by the Bobbs-Merrill Company, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Howard W. Sams and Company, Incorporated, Indianapolis, Indiana, and New York, New York, as such Member or Resident Commissioner may elect, upon his written application to the Clerk containing his certification that the volumes and pocket parts thereof for which he applies are intended for his personal use exclusively. The complete set of the volumes and pocket parts thereof for which the Member or Resident Commissioner applies shall be furnished on a current basis for the continuous period of his service as Member or Resident Commissioner beginning immediately after his application therefor, irrespective of the number of his terms of office covered by such period of service, and his selection of the set of such volumes and pockets parts may not be changed during such period of service. A Member and the Resident Commissioner is entitled to apply for and receive a set of volumes and pocket parts under this authoriaztion after each break in his service as Member or Resident Commissioner. (b) A Member or the Resident Commissioner is not entitled, for the continuous period of his service described in subsection (a), to more than one copy of each of the current volumes, and the current pocket parts thereof, for which he applies under this authoriaztion or, after the close of the Ninetieth Congress to receive a set of volumes and pocket parts under this authorization and a set of the Code of Laws of the United States, and supplements thereto, under section 212 of title 1, United States Code. (c) Until otherwise provided by law, there shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary to carry out this authorization. (d) The Committee on House Administration is authorized to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this authorization. Mr. ANDREWS. How many Members have taken advantage of that allowance? Mr. JENNINGS. 371 sets have been ordered as of this date. Mr. ANDREWS. How often does the allowance recur, or is it a matter of providing supplements from time to time? Mr. JENNINGS. The United States Code Annotated costs the Government $378 a set. The replacement volumes issued from time to time cost $4 each and the annual pocket parts for the set cost $55. In addition to these costs, from time to time there are special pocket parts issued which vary in cost according to the size and the cost of the information. In the case of the Federal Code Annotated, a set costs $335.75. The yearly pocket parts cost $52.50. The replacement volumes-I might point out they are not as frequent as those of the United States Code Annotated-range from $7.50 to $21 depending on the titles in the volume. Mr. ANDREWS. Once a Member gets a set does he continue to receive them in the future or does he have to reorder? Mr. JENNINGS. They continue to bring them up to date with the pocket parts. Mr. ANDREWS. Once he gets a set does he automatically get the pocket parts? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. Without having to order? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. And you say that resolution has cost how much as of a recent date? Mr. JENNINGS. I do not exactly have that because we have not gotten all the bills in for the 371 sets. I can tell you 346 Members ordered the United States Code Annotated at a cost of $378 per set, and 25 Members ordered the Federal Code Annotated. DISTRICT OFFICE TELEPHONE EXPENSE ALLOWANCE-H. RES. 161 Mr. ANDREWS. On H. Res. 161, can you say anything about the expense of that item? As I understand it, the allowance is based on reimbursement for costs incurred? Mr. JENNINGS. House Resolution 161 provides for district telephone expenses not to exceed $1,200 for each Member. Multiply that by 436 Members and you could have a cost of $523,200. Mr. ANDREWs. Is it correct that the allowance must be based on reimbursement for costs incurred? Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir; that is correct. However, this is something that can be presented at any time. Three hundred and sixty-two Members took advantage of the resolution. It is broken down as follows: 265 were reimbursed for four quarters; 52 were reimbursed for three quarters; 32 were reimbursed for two quarters; and 13 were reimbursed for one quarter; 74 have not taken advantage of this at all. This does not mean, however, that the bills cannot be presented and if they are presented then we are required to honor them. Mr. ANDREWS. We will insert a copy of House Resolution 161 in the record at this point. (H. Res. 161 follows:) H. RES. 161 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S., May 11, 1967. Resolved, That, effective January 3, 1967, until otherwise provided by law, the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall reimburse each Member, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, from the contingent fund of the House of Representatives, not to exceed $300 quarterly for charges for strictly official telephone service incurred outside the District of Columbia, upon submission to the Clerk of a receipt showing payment by such Member or Resident Commissioner of such charges. Any unused portion of each such quarterly allowance shall lapse. The Committee on House Administration shall make such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to carry out this resolution. The amounts provided in this resolution shall be in addition to any other amounts provided by law which may be available for payment of such charges. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS-RETIREMENT AND LIFE INSURANCE Mr. ANDREWs. As to the item for Government contributions to retirement and life insurance programs because of the pay raise, how firm are your figures and how much are you asking for? Mr. JENNINGS. Due to the pay raise? Mr. ANDREWS. Not the pay raise, but Government contributions to retirement and life insurance programs because of the pay raise. Mr. JENNINGS. We have $155,000 and an additional $8,000 and this does not include the Government contributions which will become effective March 1, 1968, which is the time we are supposed to get back the slips or the forms filled out by the individuals determining what and how much and what type of insurance they want to participate in. I will say it is going up considerably. Mr. ANDREWS. Due to a resolution? |