HR2985JUN24

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending June 24, 2005

HR 2985 Making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for FY 2006, and for other purposes.

BRIEF

A fairly straight forward bill, HR 2985 spends $2.9 billion for the House and later will add about $700 million for the Senate. About half the funds go to expenses of the House Members to hire, travel and use the mail. Any of those funds not spent by the end of FY 2006 would go to the Treasury for deficit reduction.

Included in the bill is HR 841 that passed the House in March 2005 concerned itself with replacing House Members lost to disaster; “In the event of more than 100 such deaths the Speaker of the House makes the announcement and the States once represented have 49 days to hold a special election to replace the fallen Members. If a regularly scheduled election is planned within 75 days of the announcement then that election will be the one to replace the Member.

“Political parties in the States would be authorized to nominate, within ten days, the candidates to run in the special election.

“The State is required to do its best to send-within 15 days-absentee ballots for military and other overseas voters in particular. The bill would also require the State to accept and process “any otherwise valid ballot or other election material from the voter…”” (TheWeekInCongress.com Week Ending March 4, 2005-HR841)

Other Capitol Hill agencies include the Capitol Police who would lose about $2 million but gained $11 million in the recent President’s supplemental.

Congressional Budget Office responsible for Congress’ budget and calculating the cost of bills and the Library of Congress are funded about the same as last year.

The investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, would see an increase of five million to spend $482 million.

The biggest bump is $16 million to the Architect of the Capitol and an addition $37 million to complete the Capitol Visitor’s Center.

Capitol police would lose after a year trial the horses they used for patrol. The horses would be transferred to the national Park Service. The bill now includes a provision that would aim to save over $5 million by reducing the number of Congressional Record publications printed each day from 6 thousand to about one thousand.

Sponsor: Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA-41^st)

Vote: Passed House 303 to 82 (RC 303) (June 22, 2005) a Motion to Recommit the bill failed 180 to 232 (RC 302) (June 22, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: 2006--$3.14 billion. 2005---$2.83 billion. Amounts do not include legislator’s salaries calculated over $1 billion.

MORE INFORMATION

AMENDMENTS

1. H.AMDT.338 to strike Title III of the bill relating to Continuity in Representation.
Sponsor: Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3] (introduced 6/22/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/22/2005 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Baird amendment (A001) Failed by recorded vote: 143 - 268 (RC. 299).

2. H.AMDT.339 to to strike the language in the bill prohibiting the Capitol Police from operating a mounted horse unit, and requiring the transfer of the current horses and equipment to the U.S. Park Police.
Sponsor: Rep Davis, Jo Ann [R-VA-1st] (introduced 6/22/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/22/2005 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Davis, Jo Ann amendment Failed by recorded vote: 185 - 226 (RC 300).

3. H.AMDT.340 to decrease the GPO Congressional Printing and Binding budget by $5.4 million.
Sponsor: Rep Flake, Jeff [R-AZ-6th] (introduced 6/22/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/22/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Flake amendment (A003) Agreed to by voice vote.

4. H.AMDT.341 decrease the GPO Congressional Printing and Binding funds by $2 million and increases Capitol Police general expenses funds (for security equipment, weapons, etc.) by $2 million. Amendment is intended to address the excess and unsolicited copies of bills, resolutions, and amendments that GPO prints and distributes to each sponsor and original co-sponsor.
Sponsor: Rep McHenry, Patrick T. [R-NC-10TH] (introduced 6/22/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/22/2005 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the McHenry amendment (A004) Failed by voice vote.

5. H.AMDT.342 to reduce the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill by 1%.
Sponsor: Rep Hefley, Joel [CO-5] (introduced 6/22/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/22/2005 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Hefley amendment (A005) Failed by recorded vote: 114 - 294 (RC 301).

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