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Legislation News & Report (TM) TheWeekInCongress.com (TM) Managing America: Appropriations |
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TheWeekInCongress.com (TM) Week Ending June 29, 2006
H.R.2829 Making appropriations for financial services and general government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes.
The department of Treasury and the Executive Office of the President are funded in this bill. The bill also brings to light numerous agencies and commissions that occasionally rise to recognition in the media from time to time, while carrying out a great amount of US business, regulate commerce and investments and other activities ongoing daily in society.
The Committee reports that it is taking a long-term approach to improving the Nation’s financial resources because it does not have the resources to solve all problems immediately. The bill report noted that “the population of the United States has grown by 73 million people, or 32 percent, since 1980. The census bureau predicts that, by 2010, the population will be close to 309 million. At the same time, non-defense discretionary spending has been severely curtailed. Such spending amounted to 5.2 percent of the gross domestic product in 1980, whereas it now represents 3.6 percent of GDP. It is not surprising that government is unable to meet many basic needs in the face of a reduction of that magnitude.”
Some of the provisions to rectify the current problems and to provide "good government to all Americans, regardless of economic or social background” include improving the effectiveness and fairness of tax enforcement to begin to close the tax gap-the difference between taxes owed and taxes paid. Stronger regulatory protections for consumers and investors are added along with encouragement of financial opportunities for communities and small businesses.
Financial assistance to low-income, disadvantaged and rural communities would be accomplished to improve the statistic that 22% of low income households lack a bank or credit union account. The primary vehicle would be the community development financial institution. Each such institution leverages one Federal dollar to 27 non-Federal dollars. But financial education is important, too. Americans test poorly on understanding of the ins and outs of finance. The bill increases funding to the Office of Financial Education to expand its activities through the National Strategy for Financial Literacy.
The amount of consumers having experienced risk or injury with more than 15,000 products would be reduced through an increase in the Consumer Product Safety Commission staff. The Staff dwindled from 978 in 1980 to 518 in 1994. The President has recommended capping the Commission at 401 employees. The bill increases spending to increase staff levels. Congress would look to determine if fines are too low to deter unsafe products, consumer fraud, deceitful marketing and inadequate protection of customer information.
The Federal Trade Commission is to be funded to increase anti-trust actions and would look more closely at the Internet due to the prolific scams developed there. Investors too would benefit from an increase in well-trained and experienced staff to ride herd on the financial markets as more and more Americans are involved in stock market and other investments.
The Committee concludes that the Federal civilian workforce was 1.2 million in 1980 and has declined by 13% while the US population has increased 32%. On the other hand, the Committee notes the decline in actual civil servants is in the context of a rapid increase in the use of contract employees. Contractors earned about $400 billion in FY 2006.
Earmarking in bills has become a current concern with Americans but the Committee notes that much direct spending of that nature begins with the Executive Branch. The use of that process is of concern when the example of more contractors on the job at one location than actual federal employees there. Non-competitive contracting has ‘exploded’ resulting in 28% of contracts let without competition. The bill includes provisions from other, recent appropriation bills to strengthen language governing direct contracts and moving towards more a more competitive award process.
Although it is not evident in the bill, procedural moves effectively approved a pay raise for Members. The new salary is estimated around $169,000 yearly. Vote by Member
AMENDMENTS Amendment activity included attempts to prohibit funds for earmarks, funning directed to a Member's district. Most failed. Other amendments included a failed attempt to cut $4 million from spending for the Vice President's housing expenses and a successful amendment to prohibit funds for implementing the Fairness Doctrine by the FCC. The Fairness Doctrine, required broadcaster using the public airwaves to provide opposing views when political positions were taken on the air. It was repealed under the Reagan administration.
A motion to recommit the bill prohibited the IRS from enforcing any tax laws other than those implemented by Congress and known as the President's tax breaks.
Sponsor: Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY-16th) Vote: The Motion to Recommit the bill with instructions failed 199 TO 222 RC 605. The bill passed 240 to 179 RC 606 June 28, 2007. Votes by Member will be updated as they become available. Cost of living increase-Members are paid $165,500 yearly. Automatic cost-of-living pay increases for civil servants and Members of the House were established as law and Members must vote against the increases if they want to forego them. A procedural motion on a resolution establishing a rule for debate on HR 2829 was voted on. If the motion was defeated, the pay increase could have been brought to an up or down vote. The motion, however, was agreed to and therefore the COLA was approved. The increase of $4,400 per year will bring Members salaries to $169,900. The resolution passed in a vote 244 to 181 RC 580 Cost to the taxpayers: $21.434 billion Earmark Certification: The bill contains Member and White House placed earmarks. ## All Rights Reserved. © 2007 TheWeekInCongress.com(TM) No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)
MORE INFORMATION COMMITTEE COMMENTS ON THE BILL TITLE I-DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY TITLE II-EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT TITLE IV- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TITLE VII- GENERAL PROVISIONS GOVERNMENT-WIDE TITLE VIII- GENERAL PROVISIONS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
TITLE I-DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Department-Wide Systems and Capital Investments ProgramsOffice of Inspector GeneralTreasury Inspector General for Tax AdministrationAir Transportation Stabilization Program AccountFinancial Crimes Enforcement NetworkAlcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade BureauUnited States MintCommunity Development Financial Institutions Fund Program AccountINTERNAL REVENUE SERVICES Taxpayer ServicesEnforcementOperations SupportBusiness Systems ModernizationHealth Insurance Tax Credit Administration Administrative Provisions--Internal Revenue ServiceAdministrative Provisions--Department of the TreasuryTITLE IFor necessary expenses of the Departmental Offices including operation and maintenance of the Treasury Building and Annex; hire of passenger motor vehicles; maintenance, repairs, and improvements of, and purchase of commercial insurance policies for, real properties leased or owned overseas, when necessary for the performance of official business, $250,591,000, Department-Wide Systems and Capital Investments ProgramsFor development and acquisition of automatic data processing equipment, software, and services for the Department of the Treasury, $18,710,000. None of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be used to support or supplement `Internal Revenue Service, Operations Support' or `Internal Revenue Service, Business Systems Modernization'.Office of Inspector GeneralInspector General of the Treasury, $18,450,000Treasury Inspector General for Tax AdministrationInspector General for Tax Administration, $140,533,000.Air Transportation Stabilization Program AccountSections 101(a)(1), 102, 104, and 107(2) of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (title I, Public Law 107-42) are hereby repealed. All unobligated balances under this heading are rescinded. Financial Crimes Enforcement Networkfor assistance to Federal law enforcement agencies, with or without reimbursement, $83,344,000Financial Management Service For necessary expenses of the Financial Management Service, $234,423,000.
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade BureauFor necessary expenses of carrying out section 1111 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, including hire of passenger motor vehicles, $93,515,000United States MintThe United States Mint is provided funding through the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for costs associated with the production of circulating coins, numismatic coins, and protective services, including both operating expenses and capital investments. The aggregate amount of new liabilities and obligations incurred during fiscal year 2008 under such section 5136 for circulating coinage and protective service capital investments of the United States Mint shall not exceed $33,200,000.For necessary expenses connected with any public-debt issues of the United States, $182,871,000 Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Program Account,$100,000,000 $7,500,000 may be used for the cost of direct loansINTERNAL REVENUE SERVICES Taxpayer ServicesFor necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service to provide taxpayer services, including pre-filing assistance and education, filing and account services, taxpayer advocacy services, and other services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may be determined by the Commissioner, $2,155,000,000, of which up to $4,100,000 shall be for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program, of which $8,000,000 shall be available for low-income taxpayer clinic grants, and of which not less than $179,600,000 shall be available for operating expenses of the Taxpayer Advocate Service. EnforcementFor necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service to determine and collect owed taxes, to provide legal and litigation support, to conduct criminal investigations, to enforce criminal statutes related to violations of internal revenue laws and other financial crimes, to purchase (for police-type use, not to exceed 850) and hire of passenger motor vehicles (31 U.S.C. 1343(b)), and to provide other services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may be determined by the Commissioner, $4,925,498,000, of which not less than $57,252,000 shall be for the Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement programOperations SupportFor necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service to operate and support taxpayer services and tax law enforcement programs, including rent payments; facilities services; printing; postage; physical security; headquarters and other IRS-wide administration activities; research and statistics of income; telecommunications; information technology development, enhancement, operations, maintenance, and security; the hire of passenger motor vehicles (31 US.C. 1343(b)); and other services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, at such rates as may be determined by the Commissioner; $3,769,587,000Business Systems ModernizationFor necessary expenses of the Internal Revenue Service's business systems modernization program, $282,090,000Health Insurance Tax Credit Administration For expenses necessary to implement the health insurance tax credit included in the Trade Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-210), $15,235,000.
Administrative Provisions--Internal Revenue ServiceSEC. 101. Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available in this Act to the Internal Revenue Service or not to exceed 3 percent of appropriations under the heading `Enforcement' may be transferred to any other Internal Revenue Service appropriation upon the advance approval of the Committees on Appropriations. SEC. 102. The Internal Revenue Service shall maintain a training program to ensure that Internal Revenue Service employees are trained in taxpayers' rights, in dealing courteously with taxpayers, and in cross-cultural relations. SEC. 103. The Internal Revenue Service shall institute and enforce policies and procedures that will safeguard the confidentiality of taxpayer information. SEC. 104. Funds made available by this or any other Act to the Internal Revenue Service shall be available for improved facilities and increased manpower to provide sufficient and effective 1-800 help line service for taxpayers. The Commissioner shall continue to make the improvement of the Internal Revenue Service 1-800 help line service a priority and allocate resources necessary to increase phone lines and staff to improve the Internal Revenue Service 1-800 help line service. SEC. 105. Of the funds made available by this Act to the Internal Revenue Service, not less than $6,822,000,000 shall be available only for tax enforcement and related support activities funded in Internal Revenue Service, `Enforcement' and `Operations Support'. In addition, of the funds made available by this Act to the Internal Revenue Service, and subject to the same terms and conditions, an additional $406,000,000 shall be available for tax enforcement and related support activities. SEC. 106. Not more than $1,000,000 of the funds made available in this or any other Act may be used to enter into, renew, extend, administer, implement, enforce, provide oversight of, or make any payment related to any qualified tax collection contract (as defined in section 6306 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986). SEC. 107. Section 9503(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking `for a period of 10 years after the date of enactment of this section' and inserting `before July 23, 2013'. SEC. 108. Sections 9504 (a) and (b), and 9505(a) of title 5, United States Code, are amended by striking `For a period of 10 years after the date of enactment of this section' each place it occurs and inserting `Before July 23, 2013'. SEC. 109. Section 9502(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking `Office of Management and Budget' and inserting `Office of Personnel Management'. Administrative Provisions--Department of the TreasurySEC. 110. Appropriations to the Department of the Treasury in this Act shall be available for uniforms or allowances therefore, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901), including maintenance, repairs, and cleaning; purchase of insurance for official motor vehicles operated in foreign countries; purchase of motor vehicles without regard to the general purchase price limitations for vehicles purchased and used overseas for the current fiscal year; entering into contracts with the Department of State for the furnishing of health and medical services to employees and their dependents serving in foreign countries; and services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109. SEC. 111. Not to exceed 2 percent of any appropriations in this Act made available to the Departmental Offices--Salaries and Expenses, Office of Inspector General, Financial Management Service, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and Bureau of the Public Debt, may be transferred between such appropriations upon the advance approval of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That no transfer may increase or decrease any such appropriation by more than 2 percent. SEC. 112. Not to exceed 2 percent of any appropriation made available in this Act to the Internal Revenue Service may be transferred to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration's appropriation upon the advance approval of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That no transfer may increase or decrease any such appropriation by more than 2 percent. SEC. 113. Of the funds available for the purchase of law enforcement vehicles, no funds may be obligated until the Secretary of the Treasury certifies that the purchase by the respective Treasury bureau is consistent with departmental vehicle management principles: Provided, That the Secretary may delegate this authority to the Assistant Secretary for Management. SEC. 114. None of the funds appropriated in this Act or otherwise available to the Department of the Treasury or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing may be used to redesign the $1 Federal Reserve note. SEC. 115. The Secretary of the Treasury may transfer funds from Financial Management Services, Salaries and Expenses to Debt Collection Fund as necessary to cover the costs of debt collection: Provided, That such amounts shall be reimbursed to such salaries and expenses account from debt collections received in the Debt Collection Fund. SEC. 116. Section 122(g)(1) of Public Law 105-119, as amended (5 U.S.C. 3104 note), is further amended by striking `8 years' and inserting `10 years'. SEC. 117. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act may be used by the United States Mint to construct or operate any museum without the explicit approval of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. SEC. 118. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act or source to the Department of the Treasury, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the United States Mint, individually or collectively, may be used to consolidate any or all functions of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint without the explicit approval of the House Committee on Financial Services; the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the House Committee on Appropriations; and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
TITLE II-EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT Compensation of the PresidentWhite House OfficeExecutive Residence at the White HouseWhite House Repair and RestorationOffice of Policy DevelopmentNational Security CouncilOffice of AdministrationOffice of Management and BudgetOffice of National Drug Control PolicyCounterdrug Technology Assessment CenterFederal Drug Control ProgramsOther Federal Drug Control ProgramsUnanticipated NeedsSpecial Assistance to the President and the Official Residence of the Vice PresidentADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS--EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Compensation of the PresidentFor compensation of the President, including an expense allowance at the rate of $50,000 per annum as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 102, $450,000: Provided, That none of the funds made available for official expenses shall be expended for any other purpose and any unused amount shall revert to the TreasuryWhite House OfficeFor necessary expenses for the White House as authorized by law, including not to exceed $3,850,000 for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 105; subsistence expenses as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 105, which shall be expended and accounted for as provided in that section; hire of passenger motor vehicles, newspapers, periodicals, teletype news service, and travelExecutive Residence at the White HouseFor the care, maintenance, repair and alteration, refurnishing, improvement, heating, and lighting, including electric power and fixtures, of the Executive Residence at the White House and official entertainment expenses of the President, $12,814,000White House Repair and RestorationFor the repair, alteration, and improvement of the Executive Residence at the White House, $1,600,000For necessary expenses of the Council of Economic Advisers in carrying out its functions under the Employment Act of 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.), $4,118,000 Office of Policy DevelopmentFor necessary expenses of the Office of Policy Development, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 107, $3,482,000National Security CouncilFor necessary expenses of the National Security Council, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $8,640,000Office of AdministrationFor necessary expenses of the Office of Administration, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 107, and hire of passenger motor vehicles, $92,829,000, of which $11,923,000 shall remain available until expended for continued modernization of the information technology infrastructure within the Executive Office of the PresidentOffice of Management and BudgetFor necessary expenses of the Office of Management and Budget, including hire of passenger motor vehicles and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and to carry out the provisions of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, $78,394,000Office of National Drug Control PolicyFor necessary expenses of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; for research activities and for participation in joint projects or in the provision of services on matters of mutual interest with nonprofit, research, or public organizations or agencies, with or without reimbursement, $26,636,000.For necessary expenses for the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center for research activities pursuant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469), $10,000,000,For necessary expenses of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program authorized by the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469), $226,000,000 for drug control activities consistent with the approved strategy for each of the designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.For activities to support a national anti-drug campaign for youth, and for other purposes, authorized by the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469), $197,800,000, to remain available until expended, of which the amounts are available as follows: $93,000,000 to support a national media campaignUnanticipated NeedsFor expenses necessary to enable the President to meet unanticipated needs, in furtherance of the national interest, security, or defense which may arise at home or abroad during the current fiscal year, as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 108, $1,000,000Special Assistance to the President and the Official Residence of the Vice PresidentFor necessary expenses to enable the Vice President to provide assistance to the President in connection with specially assigned functions; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 3 U.S.C. 106, including subsistence expenses as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 106, which shall be expended and accounted for as provided in that section; and hire of passenger motor vehicles, $4,432,000ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS--EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
SEC. 201. From funds made available in this Act under the headings `White House Office', `Executive Residence at the White House', `White House Repair and Restoration', `Council of Economic Advisors', `National Security Council', `Office of Administration', `Office of Policy Development', `Special Assistance to the President', and `Official Residence of the Vice President', the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (or such other officer as the President may designate in writing), may, 15 days after giving notice to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, transfer not to exceed 10 percent of any such appropriation to any other such appropriation, to be merged with and available for the same time and for the same purposes as the appropriation to which transferred: Provided, That the amount of an appropriation shall not be increased by more than 50 percent by such transfers: Provided further, That no amount shall be transferred from `Special Assistance to the President' or `Official Residence of the Vice President' without the approval of the Vice President. SEC. 202. The President shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and prior to the initial obligation of funds appropriated under the heading `Office of National Drug Control Policy', a financial plan on the proposed uses of all funds under the heading on a project-by-project basis, for which the obligation of funds is anticipated: Provided, That up to 20 percent of funds appropriated under this heading may be obligated before the submission of the report subject to prior approval of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the report shall be updated and submitted to the Committees on Appropriations every six months and shall include information detailing how the estimates and assumptions contained in previous reports have changed: Provided further, That any new projects and changes in funding of ongoing projects shall be subject to the prior approval of the Committees on Appropriations. This title may be cited as the `Executive Office of the President Appropriations Act, 2008'.
TITLE III-THE JUDICIARY Supreme Court of the United StatesUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit United States Court of International TradeCourts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial ServicesDefender ServicesFees of Jurors and CommissionersCourt SecurityAdministrative Office of the United States CourtsFederal Judicial CenterJudicial Retirement FundsUnited States Sentencing CommissionAdministrative Provisions--The Judiciary
Supreme Court of the United StatesFor expenses necessary for the operation of the Supreme Court, as required by law, excluding care of the building and grounds, including purchase or hire, driving, maintenance, and operation of an automobile for the Chief Justice, not to exceed $10,000 for the purpose of transporting Associate Justices, and hire of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1343 and 1344; not to exceed $10,000 for official reception and representation expenses; and for miscellaneous expenses, to be expended as the Chief Justice may approve, $66,526,000, of which $2,000,000 shall remain available until expendedUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit For salaries of the chief judge, judges, and other officers and employees, and for necessary expenses of the court, as authorized by law, $27,976,000.
United States Court of International TradeFor salaries of the chief judge and eight judges, salaries of the officers and employees of the court, services, and necessary expenses of the court, as authorized by law, $16,544,000Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial ServicesFor the salaries of circuit and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts of the United States), justices and judges retired from office or from regular active service, judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, and all other officers and employees of the Federal Judiciary not otherwise specifically provided for, and necessary expenses of the courts, as authorized by law, $4,660,590,000Defender Services,$830,499,000Fees of Jurors and Commissioners$62,350,000Court SecurityFor necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, incident to the provision of protective guard services for United States courthouses and other facilities housing Federal court operations, and the procurement, installation, and maintenance of security systems and equipment for United States courthouses and other facilities housing Federal court operations, including building ingress-egress control, inspection of mail and packages, directed security patrols, perimeter security, basic security services provided by the Federal Protective Service, and other similar activities as authorized by section 1010 of the Judicial Improvement and Access to Justice Act (Public Law 100-702), $396,476,000, of which not to exceed $15,000,000Administrative Office of the United States Courts$75,667,000For necessary expenses of the Federal Judicial Center, as authorized by Public Law 90-219, $23,994,000Judicial Retirement FundsFor payment to the Judicial Officers' Retirement Fund, as authorized by 28 U.S.C. 377(o), $59,400,000United States Sentencing CommissionFor the salaries and expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of chapter 58 of title 28, United States Code, $15,477,000Administrative Provisions--The JudiciarySEC. 301. Appropriations and authorizations made in this title which are available for salaries and expenses shall be available for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109. SEC. 302. Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Judiciary in this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such appropriation, except `Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services, Defender Services' and `Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services, Fees of Jurors and Commissioners', shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers: Provided, That any transfer pursuant to this section shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under sections 605 and 610 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section. SEC. 303. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the salaries and expenses appropriation for `Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services' shall be available for official reception and representation expenses of the Judicial Conference of the United States: Provided, That such available funds shall not exceed $11,000 and shall be administered by the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in the capacity as Secretary of the Judicial Conference. SEC. 304. Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a comprehensive financial plan for the Judiciary allocating all sources of available funds including appropriations, fee collections, and carryover balances, to include a separate and detailed plan for the Judiciary Information Technology fund. Sec. 305. Section 203(c) of the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-650; 28 U.S.C. 133 note) is amended in the sixth sentence (relating to the Northern District of Ohio), by striking `15 years' and inserting `20 years'.
TITLE IV- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Federal Payment for Resident Tuition SupportFederal Payment for Emergency Planning and Security Costs in the District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia CourtsDefender Services in District of Columbia CourtsFederal Payment to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC.Federal Payment to District of Columbia Public Defender ServiceFederal Payment to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer AuthorityFederal Payment to the Criminal Justice Coordinating CouncilFederal Payment to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of ColumbiaFederal Payment for School ImprovementFederal Payment for Consolidated Laboratory FacilityFederal Payment for Central Library and Branch LocationsFederal Payment To Reimburse the Federal Bureau of InvestigationDistrict of Columbia Funds
Federal Payment for Resident Tuition SupportFor a Federal payment to the District of Columbia, to be deposited into a dedicated account, for a nationwide program to be administered by the Mayor, for District of Columbia resident tuition support, $35,100,000Federal Payment for Emergency Planning and Security Costs in the District of ColumbiaFor necessary expenses, as determined by the Mayor of the District of Columbia in written consultation with the elected county or city officials of surrounding jurisdictions, $3,352,000District of Columbia CourtsFor the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, $10,800,000, for the District of Columbia Superior Court, $100,543,000Defender Services in District of Columbia Courts$52,475,000Federal Payment to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC.For salaries and expenses, including the transfer and hire of motor vehicles, of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia, as authorized by the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, $190,343,000Federal Payment to District of Columbia Public Defender ServiceFor salaries and expenses, including the transfer and hire of motor vehicles, of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, as authorized by the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, $32,710,000Federal Payment to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer AuthorityFor a Federal payment to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, $12,000,000Federal Payment to the Criminal Justice Coordinating CouncilFor a Federal payment to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, $1,300,000,.Federal Payment to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of ColumbiaFor a Federal payment to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia, $6,148,000Federal Payment for School ImprovementFor a Federal payment for a school improvement program in the District of Columbia, $40,800,000Federal Payment for Consolidated Laboratory FacilityFor a Federal payment to the District of Columbia, $10,000,000Federal Payment for Central Library and Branch LocationsFor a Federal payment to the District of Columbia, $10,000,000Federal Payment To Reimburse the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFor a Federal payment to the District of Columbia, $4,000,000 for reimbursement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for additional laboratory services, including DNA analysis, performed for cases currently waiting analysisDistrict of Columbia FundsThe following amounts are appropriated for the District of Columbia for the current fiscal year out of the general fund of the District of Columbia, except as otherwise specifically provided: not exceed the lesser of the sum of the total revenues of the District of Columbia for such fiscal year or $9,777,362,000 (of which $6,022,444,000 shall be from local funds, $2,015,853,000 shall be from Federal grant funds, $1,730,503,000 shall be from other funds, and $8,562,000 shall be from private funds, in addition, $116,552,000 from funds previously appropriated in this Act as Federal payments: Provided further, That of the local funds, $153,900,000 shall be derived from the District's general fund balance: Provided further, That of these funds the District's intradistrict authority shall be $648,289,000: Provided further, That in addition, for capital construction projects, there is appropriated an increase of $1,595,503,000, of which $1,042,712,000 shall be from local funds, $38,523,000 from the District of Columbia Highway Trust Fund, $73,260,000 from the Local Street Maintenance Fund, $75,000,000 from revenue bonds, $150,000,000 from financing for construction of a consolidated laboratory facility, $30,000,000 for construction of a baseball stadium, $186,008,000 from Federal grant funds, and a rescission of $212,696,000 from local funds appropriated under this heading in prior fiscal years (of which $187,450,000 are from local funds and $51,444,000 are from the Local Street Maintenance Fund), for a net amount of $1,382,807,000.
TITLE V- INDEPENDENT AGENCIES Consumer Product Safety CommissionElection Assistance Commission Election reform programsFederal Communications CommissionFederal Deposit Insurance CorporationFederal Election CommissionFederal Labor Relations AuthorityFederal Trade CommissionFEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Real Property ActivitiesGENERAL ACTIVITIES Allowance and Office Staff for Former Presidents Federal Citizen Information center Fund Administrative Provisions- General Services Administration Merit Systems Protection BoardMorris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy FoundationEnvironmental Dispute Resolution Fund National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Historical Publications and Records Commission Grants Program National Credit Union AdministrationCommunity Development Credit Union Revolving Loan FundOffice of Government EthicsOffice of Personnel ManagementOffice of Inspector GeneralGovernment Payment for Annuitants, Employees Health Benefits, Employee Life Insurance.Payment to Civil Service Retirement and Disability FundOffice of Special CounselSecurities and Exchange CommissionSelective Service SystemSmall Business AdministrationOffice of Inspector GeneralSurety Bonds Guarantee Revolving FundBusiness Loans Program AccountsAdministrative Provisions-SBAsUnited States Postal ServiceUnited States Tax Court
TITLE V Consumer Product Safety CommissionFor necessary expenses of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including hire of passenger motor vehicles, services as authorized $66,838,000Election Assistance Commission For necessary expenses to carry out the Help America Vote Act of 2002, $15,467,000, of which $3,250,000 shall be transferred to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for election reform activities authorized under the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Election Reform programsFor necessary expenses to carry out programs under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-252), $300,950,000: Provided, That of the amount appropriated under this heading, $300,000,000 shall be available for requirements payments under section 257 of such Act, but only for States that file a new State plan under section 253(b)(1) of such Act for fiscal year 2008Federal Communications CommissionFor necessary expenses of the Federal Communications Commission, as authorized by law, including uniforms and allowances therefore, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; not to exceed $4,000 for official reception and representation expenses; purchase and hire of motor vehicles; special counsel fees; and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $313,000,00Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationFor necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, $26,848,000.Federal Election CommissionFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, $59,224,000, of which no less than $8,100,000 shall be available for internal automated data processing systems, and of which not to exceed $5,000 shall be available for reception and representation expensesFederal Labor Relations Authority$23,641,000Federal Trade CommissionFor necessary expenses of the Federal Trade Commission, including uniforms or allowances therefor, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; hire of passenger motor vehicles; and not to exceed $2,000 for official reception and representation expenses, $247,489,000FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Real Property ActivitiesFor an additional amount to be deposited in the Federal Buildings Fund, $88,144,000. Amounts in the fund, including the revenues and collections deposited into the Fund shall be available for necessary expenses of real property management and related activities not otherwise provided for.New Construction: Arizona: San Luis, Land Port of Entry I, $7,053,000. California: San Ysidro, Land Port of Entry, $37,742,000. District of Columbia: DHS Consolidation and development of St. Elizabeths campus, $275,133,000. St. Elizabeths West Campus Infrastructure, $20,572,000. St. Elizabeths West Campus Site Acquisition, $7,000,000. Maine: Madawaska, Land Port of Entry, $17,160,000. Maryland: Montgomery County, Food and Drug Administration Consolidation, $57,749,000. Minnesota: Warroad, Land Port of Entry, $43,628,000. New York: Alexandria Bay, Land Port of Entry, $11,676,000. Texas: El Paso, Tronillo-Guadalupe Land Port of Entry, $4,290,000. Vermont: Derby Line, Land Port of Entry, $33,139,000. Nonprospectus Construction, $9,398,000 District of Columbia: Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Phase III, $172,279,000. Joint Operations Center, $12,800,000. Nebraska Avenue Complex, $27,673,000. Nevada: Reno, C. Clifton Young Federal Building and Courthouse, $12,793,000. New York: New York, Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, $170,544,000. West Virginia: Martinsburg, Internal Revenue Service Enterprise Computing Center, $35,822,000. Special Emphasis Programs: Energy Program, $15,000,000. Design Program, $7,372,000. Basic Repairs and Alterations, $278,984,000:
GENERAL ACTIVITIES $142,945,000 For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General and service authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $47,382,000 For necessary expenses in support of interagency projects that enable the Federal Government to expand its ability to conduct activities electronically, through the development and implementation of innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic methods, $2,970,000 Allowance and Office Staff for Former Presidents $2,500,000:
Federal Citizen Information center Fund $15,798,000 Administrative Provisions- General Services Administration SEC. 501. The appropriate appropriation or fund available to the General Services Administration shall be credited with the cost of operation, protection, maintenance, upkeep, repair, and improvement, included as part of rentals received from Government corporations pursuant to law (40 U.S.C. 129). SEC. 502. Funds available to the General Services Administration shall be available for the hire of passenger motor vehicles. SEC. 503. Funds in the Federal Buildings Fund made available for fiscal year 2008 for Federal Buildings Fund activities may be transferred between such activities only to the extent necessary to meet program requirements: Provided, That any proposed transfers shall be approved in advance by the Committees on Appropriations. SEC. 504. Except as otherwise provided in this title, no funds made available by this Act shall be used to transmit a fiscal year 2009 request for United States Courthouse construction that: (1) does not meet the design guide standards for construction as established and approved by the General Services Administration, the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the Office of Management and Budget; and (2) does not reflect the priorities of the Judicial Conference of the United States as set out in its approved 5-year construction plan: Provided, That the fiscal year 2009 request must be accompanied by a standardized courtroom utilization study of each facility to be constructed, replaced, or expanded. SEC. 505. None of the funds provided in this Act may be used to increase the amount of occupiable square feet, provide cleaning services, security enhancements, or any other service usually provided through the Federal Buildings Fund, to any agency that does not pay the rate per square foot assessment for space and services as determined by the General Services Administration in compliance with the Public Buildings Amendments Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-313). SEC. 506. From funds made available under the heading `Federal Buildings Fund, Limitations on Availability of Revenue', claims against the Government of less than $250,000 arising from direct construction projects and acquisition of buildings may be liquidated from savings effected in other construction projects with prior notification to the Committees on Appropriations.
Merit Systems Protection Board$37,507,000, together with not to exceed $2,579,000 for administrative expenses to adjudicate retirement appeals to be transferred from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund in amounts determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board. Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy FoundationFor payment to the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Trust Fund, pursuant to the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 (20 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.), $2,000,000Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund $2,000,000 National Archives and Records Administration$315,000,000$58,028,000
National Historical Publications and Records Commission Grants Program $10,000,000 National Credit Union Administrationgross obligations of the Central Liquidity Facility for the principal amount of new direct loans to member credit unions, as authorized by 12 U.S.C. 1795 et seq., shall not exceed $1,500,000,000Community Development Credit Union Revolving Loan FundFor the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund program as authorized by 42 U.S.C. 9812, 9822 and 9910, $1,000,000Office of Government Ethics$11,750,000.Office of Personnel Management$101,765,000Office of Inspector General$16,981,000 for administrative expenses to audit, investigate, and provide other oversight of the Office of Personnel Management's retirement and insurance programGovernment Payment for Annuitants, Employees Health Benefits, Employee LifeInsurance.For payment of Government contributions with respect to employees retiring after December 31, 1989, as required by chapter 87 of title 5, United States Code, such sums as may be necessary. Payment to Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fundsuch sums as may be necessaryOffice of Special Counselthe Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-12), Public Law 107-304, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-353), including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, payment of fees and expenses for witnesses, rental of conference rooms in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and hire of passenger motor vehicles; $16,368,000. Securities and Exchange Commission$908,442,000Selective Service System$22,000,000Small Business Administration$346,553,000Office of Inspector GeneralFor necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, $15,000,000. Surety Bonds Guarantee Revolving FundFor additional capital for the Surety Bond Guarantees Revolving Fund, authorized by the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, $3,000,000Business Loans Program AccountsFor the cost of direct loans, $2,530,000, to remain available until expended; and for the cost of guaranteed loans, $80,000,000: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That subject to section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, during fiscal year 2008 commitments to guarantee loans under section 503 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, shall not exceed $7,500,000,000Administrative Provisions-SBAsNot to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Small Business Administration in this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such appropriation shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers: Provided, That any transfer pursuant to this paragraph shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 610 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section. United States Postal ServiceFor payment to the Postal Service Fund for revenue forgone on free and reduced rate mail, pursuant to subsections (c) and (d) of section 2401 of title 39, United States Code, $88,864,000United States Tax CourtFor necessary expenses, including contract reporting and other services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $45,069,000: Provided, That travel expenses of the judges shall be paid upon the written certificate of the judge.
TITLE VI-GENERAL PROVISIONS SEC. 601. Such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 pay raises for programs funded in this Act shall be absorbed within the levels appropriated in this Act or previous appropriations Acts. SEC. 602. None of the funds in this Act shall be used for the planning or execution of any program to pay the expenses of, or otherwise compensate, non-Federal parties intervening in regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings funded in this Act. SEC. 603. None of the funds appropriated in this Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current fiscal year, nor may any be transferred to other appropriations, unless expressly so provided herein. SEC. 604. The expenditure of any appropriation under this Act for any consulting service through procurement contract pursuant to section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, shall be limited to those contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public inspection, except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under existing Executive order issued pursuant to existing law. SEC. 605. None of the funds made available in this Act may be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act or any other appropriations Act. SEC. 606. None of the funds made available by this Act shall be available for any activity or for paying the salary of any Government employee where funding an activity or paying a salary to a Government employee would result in a decision, determination, rule, regulation, or policy that would prohibit the enforcement of section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307). SEC. 607. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall be available to pay the salary for any person filling a position, other than a temporary position, formerly held by an employee who has left to enter the Armed Forces of the United States and has satisfactorily completed his period of active military or naval service, and has within 90 days after his release from such service or from hospitalization continuing after discharge for a period of not more than 1 year, made application for restoration to his former position and has been certified by the Office of Personnel Management as still qualified to perform the duties of his former position and has not been restored thereto. SEC. 608. No funds appropriated pursuant to this Act may be expended by an entity unless the entity agrees that in expending the assistance the entity will comply with sections 2 through 4 of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a-10c, popularly known as the `Buy American Act'). SEC. 609. No funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act shall be made available to any person or entity that has been convicted of violating the Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a-10c). SEC. 610. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, none of the funds provided in this Act, provided by previous appropriations Acts to the agencies or entities funded in this Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2008, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury derived by the collection of fees and available to the agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds that: (1) creates a new program; (2) eliminates a program, project, or activity; (3) increases funds or personnel for any program, project, or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted by the Congress; (4) proposes to use funds directed for a specific activity by either the House or Senate Committees on Appropriations for a different purpose; (5) augments existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; (6) reduces existing programs, projects, or activities by $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; or (7) reorganizes offices, programs, or activities unless prior approval is received from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, each agency funded by this Act shall submit an operating plan to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and of the House of Representatives to establish the baseline for application of reprogramming and transfer authorities for the current fiscal year: Provided further, That the report shall include: (1) a table for each appropriation with a separate column to display the President's budget request, adjustments made by Congress, adjustments due to enacted rescissions, if appropriate, and the fiscal year enacted level; (2) a delineation in the table for each appropriation both by object class and program, project, and activity as detailed in the budget appendix for the respective appropriation; and (3) an identification of items of special congressional interest: Provided further, That the amount appropriated or limited for salaries and expenses for an agency shall be reduced by $100,000 per day for each day after the required date that the report has not been submitted to the Congress. SEC. 611. Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, not to exceed 50 percent of unobligated balances remaining available at the end of fiscal year 2008 from appropriations made available for salaries and expenses for fiscal year 2008 in this Act, shall remain available through September 30, 2009, for each such account for the purposes authorized: Provided, That a request shall be submitted to the Committees on Appropriations for approval prior to the expenditure of such funds: Provided further, That these requests shall be made in compliance with reprogramming guidelines. SEC. 612. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used by the Executive Office of the President to request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation any official background investigation report on any individual, except when-- (1) such individual has given his or her express written consent for such request not more than 6 months prior to the date of such request and during the same presidential administration; or (2) such request is required due to extraordinary circumstances involving national security. SEC. 613. The cost accounting standards promulgated under section 26 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (Public Law 93-400; 41 U.S.C. 422) shall not apply with respect to a contract under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program established under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code. SEC. 614. For the purpose of resolving litigation and implementing any settlement agreements regarding the nonforeign area cost-of-living allowance program, the Office of Personnel Management may accept and utilize (without regard to any restriction on unanticipated travel expenses imposed in an Appropriations Act) funds made available to the Office of Personnel Management pursuant to court approval. SEC. 615. No funds appropriated by this Act shall be available to pay for an abortion, or the administrative expenses in connection with any health plan under the Federal employees health benefits program which provides any benefits or coverage for abortions. SEC. 616. The provision of section 615 shall not apply where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest. SEC. 617. In order to promote Government access to commercial information technology, the restriction on purchasing nondomestic articles, materials, and supplies set forth in the Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a et seq.), shall not apply to the acquisition by the Federal Government of information technology (as defined in section 11101 of title 40, United States Code), that is a commercial item (as defined in section 4(12) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(12)). SEC. 618. None of the funds made available in the Act may be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce-- (1) the proposed rule relating to the determination that real estate brokerage is an activity that is financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity published in the Federal Register on January 3, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 307 et seq.); or (2) the revision proposed in such rule to section 1501.2 of title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Sec. 619. Notwithstanding section 10(b) of the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Act (20 U.S.C. 2009(b)), hereafter, at the request of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full the amounts appropriated and contributed to the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund, as provided in such section. All requests of the Board of Trustees to the Secretary provided for in this section shall be binding on the Secretary. SEC. 620. (a) IN GENERAL- None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any Federal Government contract with any foreign incorporated entity which is treated as an inverted domestic corporation under section 835(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 395(b)) or any subsidiary of such an entity. (b) Waivers- (1) IN GENERAL- Any Secretary shall waive subsection (a) with respect to any Federal Government contract under the authority of such Secretary if the Secretary determines that the waiver is required in the interest of national security. (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS- Any Secretary issuing a waiver under paragraph (1) shall report such issuance to Congress. (c) EXCEPTION- This section shall not apply to any Federal Government contract entered into before the date of the enactment of this Act, or to any task order issued pursuant to such contract. SEC. 621. For an additional amount under the heading `Small Business Administration, Salaries and Expenses', $61,318,000, to remain available until September 30, 2009, shall be for initiatives related to small business development and entrepreneurship, including programmatic and construction activities: Provided, That amounts made available under this section shall be provided in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the statement of managers accompanying this Act.
TITLE VII- GENERAL PROVISIONS GOVERNMENT-WIDE Departments, Agencies, and CorporationsSEC. 701. Hereafter, funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be used to pay travel to the United States for the immediate family of employees serving abroad in cases of death or life threatening illness of said employee. SEC. 702. No department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States receiving appropriated funds under this or any other Act for fiscal year 2008 shall obligate or expend any such funds, unless such department, agency, or instrumentality has in place, and will continue to administer in good faith, a written policy designed to ensure that all of its workplaces are free from the illegal use, possession, or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) by the officers and employees of such department, agency, or instrumentality. SEC. 703. Unless otherwise specifically provided, the maximum amount allowable during the current fiscal year in accordance with section 16 of the Act of August 2, 1946 (60 Stat. 810), for the purchase of any passenger motor vehicle (exclusive of buses, ambulances, law enforcement, and undercover surveillance vehicles), is hereby fixed at $12,888 except station wagons for which the maximum shall be $13,312: Provided, That these limits may be exceeded by not to exceed $3,700 for police-type vehicles, and by not to exceed $4,000 for special heavy-duty vehicles: Provided further, That the limits set forth in this section may not be exceeded by more than 5 percent for electric or hybrid vehicles purchased for demonstration under the provisions of the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1976: Provided further, That the limits set forth in this section may be exceeded by the incremental cost of clean alternative fuels vehicles acquired pursuant to Public Law 101-549 over the cost of comparable conventionally fueled vehicles. SEC. 704. Appropriations of the executive departments and independent establishments for the current fiscal year available for expenses of travel, or for the expenses of the activity concerned, are hereby made available for quarters allowances and cost-of-living allowances, in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5922-5924. SEC. 705. Unless otherwise specified during the current fiscal year, no part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be used to pay the compensation of any officer or employee of the Government of the United States (including any agency the majority of the stock of which is owned by the Government of the United States) whose post of duty is in the continental United States unless such person: (1) is a citizen of the United States; (2) is a person in the service of the United States on the date of the enactment of this Act who, being eligible for citizenship, has filed a declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States prior to such date and is actually residing in the United States; (3) is a person who owes allegiance to the United States; (4) is an alien from Cuba, Poland, South Vietnam, the countries of the former Soviet Union, or the Baltic countries lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence; (5) is a South Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Laotian refugee paroled in the United States after January 1, 1975; or (6) is a national of the People's Republic of China who qualifies for adjustment of status pursuant to the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-404): Provided, That for the purpose of this section, an affidavit signed by any such person shall be considered prima facie evidence that the requirements of this section with respect to his or her status have been complied with: Provided further, That any person making a false affidavit shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction, shall be fined no more than $4,000 or imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both: Provided further, That the above penal clause shall be in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other provisions of existing law: Provided further, That any payment made to any officer or employee contrary to the provisions of this section shall be recoverable in action by the Federal Government. This section shall not apply to citizens of Ireland, Israel, or the Republic of the Philippines, or to nationals of those countries allied with the United States in a current defense effort, or to international broadcasters employed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, or to temporary employment of translators, or to temporary employment in the field service (not to exceed 60 days) as a result of emergencies. SEC. 706. Appropriations available to any department or agency during the current fiscal year for necessary expenses, including maintenance or operating expenses, shall also be available for payment to the General Services Administration for charges for space and services and those expenses of renovation and alteration of buildings and facilities which constitute public improvements performed in accordance with the Public Buildings Act of 1959 (73 Stat. 479), the Public Buildings Amendments of 1972 (86 Stat. 216), or other applicable law. SEC. 707. In addition to funds provided in this or any other Act, all Federal agencies are authorized to receive and use funds resulting from the sale of materials, including Federal records disposed of pursuant to a records schedule recovered through recycling or waste prevention programs. Such funds shall be available until expended for the following purposes: (1) Acquisition, waste reduction and prevention, and recycling programs as described in Executive Order No. 13101 (September 14, 1998), including any such programs adopted prior to the effective date of the Executive order. (2) Other Federal agency environmental management programs, including, but not limited to, the development and implementation of hazardous waste management and pollution prevention programs. (3) Other employee programs as authorized by law or as deemed appropriate by the head of the Federal agency. SEC. 708. Funds made available by this or any other Act for administrative expenses in the current fiscal year of the corporations and agencies subject to chapter 91 of title 31, United States Code, shall be available, in addition to objects for which such funds are otherwise available, for rent in the District of Columbia; services in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3109; and the objects specified under this head, all the provisions of which shall be applicable to the expenditure of such funds unless otherwise specified in the Act by which they are made available: Provided, That in the event any functions budgeted as administrative expenses are subsequently transferred to or paid from other funds, the limitations on administrative expenses shall be correspondingly reduced. SEC. 709. Hereafter, no part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be paid to any person for the filling of any position for which he or she has been nominated after the Senate has voted not to approve the nomination of said person. SEC. 710. No part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be available for interagency financing of boards (except Federal Executive Boards), commissions, councils, committees, or similar groups (whether or not they are interagency entities) which do not have a prior and specific statutory approval to receive financial support from more than one agency or instrumentality. SEC. 711. None of the funds made available pursuant to the provisions of this Act shall be used to implement, administer, or enforce any regulation which has been disapproved pursuant to a joint resolution duly adopted in accordance with the applicable law of the United States. SEC. 712. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and except as otherwise provided in this section, no part of any of the funds appropriated for fiscal year 2008, by this or any other Act, may be used to pay any prevailing rate employee described in section 5342(a)(2)(A) of title 5, United States Code-- (1) during the period from the date of expiration of the limitation imposed by the comparable section for previous fiscal years until the normal effective date of the applicable wage survey adjustment that is to take effect in fiscal year 2008, in an amount that exceeds the rate payable for the applicable grade and step of the applicable wage schedule in accordance with such section; and (2) during the period consisting of the remainder of fiscal year 2008, in an amount that exceeds, as a result of a wage survey adjustment, the rate payable under paragraph (1) by more than the sum of-- (A) the percentage adjustment taking effect in fiscal year 2008 under section 5303 of title 5, United States Code, in the rates of pay under the General Schedule; and (B) the difference between the overall average percentage of the locality-based comparability payments taking effect in fiscal year 2008 under section 5304 of such title (whether by adjustment or otherwise), and the overall average percentage of such payments which was effective in the previous fiscal year under such section. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no prevailing rate employee described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of section 5342(a)(2) of title 5, United States Code, and no employee covered by section 5348 of such title, may be paid during the periods for which subsection (a) is in effect at a rate that exceeds the rates that would be payable under subsection (a) were subsection (a) applicable to such employee. (c) For the purposes of this section, the rates payable to an employee who is covered by this section and who is paid from a schedule not in existence on September 30, 2007, shall be determined under regulations prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management. (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rates of premium pay for employees subject to this section may not be changed from the rates in effect on September 30, 2007, except to the extent determined by the Office of Personnel Management to be consistent with the purpose of this section. (e) This section shall apply with respect to pay for service performed after September 30, 2007. (f) For the purpose of administering any provision of law (including any rule or regulation that provides premium pay, retirement, life insurance, or any other employee benefit) that requires any deduction or contribution, or that imposes any requirement or limitation on the basis of a rate of salary or basic pay, the rate of salary or basic pay payable after the application of this section shall be treated as the rate of salary or basic pay. (g) Nothing in this section shall be considered to permit or require the payment to any employee covered by this section at a rate in excess of the rate that would be payable were this section not in effect. (h) The Office of Personnel Management may provide for exceptions to the limitations imposed by this section if the Office determines that such exceptions are necessary to ensure the recruitment or retention of qualified employees. SEC. 713. During the period in which the head of any department or agency, or any other officer or civilian employee of the Federal Government appointed by the President of the United States, holds office, no funds may be obligated or expended in excess of $5,000 to furnish or redecorate the office of such department head, agency head, officer, or employee, or to purchase furniture or make improvements for any such office, unless advance notice of such furnishing or redecoration is expressly approved by the Committees on Appropriations. For the purposes of this section, the term `office' shall include the entire suite of offices assigned to the individual, as well as any other space used primarily by the individual or the use of which is directly controlled by the individual. SEC. 714. Notwithstanding section 1346 of title 31, United States Code, or section 710 of this Act, funds made available for the current fiscal year by this or any other Act shall be available for the interagency funding of national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications initiatives which benefit multiple Federal departments, agencies, or entities, as provided by Executive Order No. 12472 (April 3, 1984). SEC. 715. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this or any other Act may be obligated or expended by any Federal department, agency, or other instrumentality for the salaries or expenses of any employee appointed to a position of a confidential or policy-determining character excepted from the competitive service pursuant to section 3302 of title 5, United States Code, without a certification to the Office of Personnel Management from the head of the Federal department, agency, or other instrumentality employing the Schedule C appointee that the Schedule C position was not created solely or primarily in order to detail the employee to the White House. (b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to Federal employees or members of the armed services detailed to or from-- (1) the Central Intelligence Agency; (2) the National Security Agency; (3) the Defense Intelligence Agency; (4) the offices within the Department of Defense for the collection of specialized national foreign intelligence through reconnaissance programs; (5) the Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State; (6) any agency, office, or unit of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Energy performing intelligence functions; and (7) the Director of National Intelligence or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. SEC. 716. Hereafter, no department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States receiving appropriated funds under this or any other Act shall obligate or expend any such funds, unless such department, agency, or instrumentality has in place, and will continue to administer in good faith, a written policy designed to ensure that all of its workplaces are free from discrimination and sexual harassment and that all of its workplaces are not in violation of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (Public Law 90-202, 81 Stat. 602), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112, 87 Stat. 355). SEC. 717. No part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be available for the payment of the salary of any officer or employee of the Federal Government, who-- (1) prohibits or prevents, or attempts or threatens to prohibit or prevent, any other officer or employee of the Federal Government from having any direct oral or written communication or contact with any Member, committee, or subcommittee of the Congress in connection with any matter pertaining to the employment of such other officer or employee or pertaining to the department or agency of such other officer or employee in any way, irrespective of whether such communication or contact is at the initiative of such other officer or employee or in response to the request or inquiry of such Member, committee, or subcommittee; or (2) removes, suspends from duty without pay, demotes, reduces in rank, seniority, status, pay, or performance or efficiency rating, denies promotion to, relocates, reassigns, transfers, disciplines, or discriminates in regard to any employment right, entitlement, or benefit, or any term or condition of employment of, any other officer or employee of the Federal Government, or attempts or threatens to commit any of the foregoing actions with respect to such other officer or employee, by reason of any communication or contact of such other officer or employee with any Member, committee, or subcommittee of the Congress as described in paragraph (1). SEC. 718. (a) None of the funds made available in this or any other Act may be obligated or expended for any employee training that-- (1) does not meet identified needs for knowledge, skills, and abilities bearing directly upon the performance of official duties; (2) contains elements likely to induce high levels of emotional response or psychological stress in some participants; (3) does not require prior employee notification of the content and methods to be used in the training and written end of course evaluation; (4) contains any methods or content associated with religious or quasi-religious belief systems or `new age' belief systems as defined in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Notice N-915.022, dated September 2, 1988; or (5) is offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle outside the workplace. (b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit, restrict, or otherwise preclude an agency from conducting training bearing directly upon the performance of official duties. SEC. 719. No funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be used to implement or enforce the agreements in Standard Forms 312 and 4414 of the Government or any other nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement if such policy, form, or agreement does not contain the following provisions: `These restrictions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by Executive Order No. 12958; section 7211 of title 5, United States Code (governing disclosures to Congress); section 1034 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by the Military Whistleblower Protection Act (governing disclosure to Congress by members of the military); section 2302(b)(8) of title 5, United States Code, as amended by the Whistleblower Protection Act (governing disclosures of illegality, waste, fraud, abuse or public health or safety threats); the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (50 U.S.C. 421 et seq.) (governing disclosures that could expose confidential Government agents); and the statutes which protect against disclosure that may compromise the national security, including sections 641, 793, 794, 798, and 952 of title 18, United States Code, and section 4(b) of the Subversive Activities Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 783(b)). The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by said Executive order and listed statutes are incorporated into this agreement and are controlling.': Provided, That notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, a nondisclosure policy form or agreement that is to be executed by a person connected with the conduct of an intelligence or intelligence-related activity, other than an employee or officer of the United States Government, may contain provisions appropriate to the particular activity for which such document is to be used. Such form or agreement shall, at a minimum, require that the person will not disclose any classified information received in the course of such activity unless specifically authorized to do so by the United States Government. Such nondisclosure forms shall also make it clear that they do not bar disclosures to Congress, or to an authorized official of an executive agency or the Department of Justice, that are essential to reporting a substantial violation of law. SEC. 720. No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other Act shall be used by an agency of the executive branch, other than for normal and recognized executive-legislative relationships, for publicity or propaganda purposes, and for the preparation, distribution or use of any kit, pamphlet, booklet, publication, radio, television, or film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself. SEC. 721. None of the funds appropriated by this or any other Act may be used by an agency to provide a Federal employee's home address to any labor organization except when the employee has authorized such disclosure or when such disclosure has been ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. SEC. 722. None of the funds made available in this Act or any other Act may be used to provide any non-public information such as mailing or telephone lists to any person or any organization outside of the Federal Government without the approval of the Committees on Appropriations. SEC. 723. No part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be used directly or indirectly, including by private contractor, for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofor authorized by the Congress. SEC. 724. (a) In this section, the term `agency'-- (1) means an Executive agency, as defined under section 105 of title 5, United States Code; (2) includes a military department, as defined under section 102 of such title, the Postal Service, and the Postal Rate Commission; and (3) shall not include the Government Accountability Office. (b) Unless authorized in accordance with law or regulations to use such time for other purposes, an employee of an agency shall use official time in an honest effort to perform official duties. An employee not under a leave system, including a Presidential appointee exempted under section 6301(2) of title 5, United States Code, has an obligation to expend an honest effort and a reasonable proportion of such employee's time in the performance of official duties. SEC. 725. Notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 1346 and section 710 of this Act, funds made available for the current fiscal year by this or any other Act to any department or agency, which is a member of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), shall be available to finance an appropriate share of FASAB administrative costs. SEC. 726. Notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 1346 and section 710 of this Act, the head of each Executive department and agency is hereby authorized to transfer to or reimburse `General Services Administration, Policy and Operations' with the approval of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, funds made available for the current fiscal year by this or any other Act, including rebates from charge card and other contracts: Provided, That these funds shall be administered by the Administrator of General Services to support Government-wide financial, information technology, procurement, and other management innovations, initiatives, and activities, as approved by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the appropriate interagency groups designated by the Director (including the President's Management Council for overall management improvement initiatives, the Chief Financial Officers Council for financial management initiatives, the Chief Information Officers Council for information technology initiatives, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council for human capital initiatives, and the Chief Acquisition Officers Council for procurement initiatives): Provided further, the total funds transferred or reimbursed shall not exceed $10,000,000: Provided further, such transfers or reimbursements may only be made after 15 days following notification of the Committees on Appropriations by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. SEC. 727. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a woman may breastfeed her child at any location in a Federal building or on Federal property, if the woman and her child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location. SEC. 728. Nothwithstanding section 1346 of title 31, United States Code, or section 710 of this Act, funds made available for the current fiscal year by this or any other Act shall be available for the interagency funding of specific projects, workshops, studies, and similar efforts to carry out the purposes of the National Science and Technology Council (authorized by Executive Order No. 12881), which benefit multiple Federal departments, agencies, or entities: Provided, That the Office of Management and Budget shall provide a report describing the budget of and resources connected with the National Science and Technology Council to the Committees on Appropriations, the House Committee on Science, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 90 days after enactment of this Act. SEC. 729. Any request for proposals, solicitation, grant application, form, notification, press release, or other publications involving the distribution of Federal funds shall indicate the agency providing the funds, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number, as applicable, and the amount provided: Provided, That this provision shall apply to direct payments, formula funds, and grants received by a State receiving Federal funds. SEC. 730. Subsection (f) of section 403 of Public Law 103-356 (31 U.S.C. 501 note) is repealed. SEC. 731. (a) PROHIBITION OF FEDERAL AGENCY MONITORING OF INDIVIDUALS' INTERNET USE- None of the funds made available in this or any other Act may be used by any Federal agency-- (1) to collect, review, or create any aggregation of data, derived from any means, that includes any personally identifiable information relating to an individual's access to or use of any Federal Government Internet site of the agency; or (2) to enter into any agreement with a third party (including another government agency) to collect, review, or obtain any aggregation of data, derived from any means, that includes any personally identifiable information relating to an individual's access to or use of any nongovernmental Internet site. (b) EXCEPTIONS- The limitations established in subsection (a) shall not apply to-- (1) any record of aggregate data that does not identify particular persons; (2) any voluntary submission of personally identifiable information; (3) any action taken for law enforcement, regulatory, or supervisory purposes, in accordance with applicable law; or (4) any action described in subsection (a)(1) that is a system security action taken by the operator of an Internet site and is necessarily incident to providing the Internet site services or to protecting the rights or property of the provider of the Internet site. (c) DEFINITIONS- For the purposes of this section: (1) The term `regulatory' means agency actions to implement, interpret or enforce authorities provided in law. (2) The term `supervisory' means examinations of the agency's supervised institutions, including assessing safety and soundness, overall financial condition, management practices and policies and compliance with applicable standards as provided in law. SEC. 732. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be used to enter into or renew a contract which includes a provision providing prescription drug coverage, except where the contract also includes a provision for contraceptive coverage. (b) Nothing in this section shall apply to a contract with-- (1) any of the following religious plans: (A) Personal Care's HMO; and (B) OSF HealthPlans, Inc.; and (2) any existing or future plan, if the carrier for the plan objects to such coverage on the basis of religious beliefs. (c) In implementing this section, any plan that enters into or renews a contract under this section may not subject any individual to discrimination on the basis that the individual refuses to prescribe or otherwise provide for contraceptives because such activities would be contrary to the individual's religious beliefs or moral convictions. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require coverage of abortion or abortion-related services. SEC. 733. The Congress of the United States recognizes the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American, and Paralympic sport in the United States. SEC. 734. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated for official travel by Federal departments and agencies may be used by such departments and agencies, if consistent with Office of Management and Budget Circular A-126 regarding official travel for Government personnel, to participate in the fractional aircraft ownership pilot program. SEC. 735. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds appropriated or made available under this Act or any other appropriations Act may be used to implement or enforce restrictions or limitations on the Coast Guard Congressional Fellowship Program, or to implement the proposed regulations of the Office of Personnel Management to add sections 300.311 through 300.316 to part 300 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, published in the Federal Register, volume 68, number 174, on September 9, 2003 (relating to the detail of executive branch employees to the legislative branch). SEC. 736. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no executive branch agency shall purchase, construct, and/or lease any additional facilities, except within or contiguous to existing locations, to be used for the purpose of conducting Federal law enforcement training without the advance approval of the Committees on Appropriations, except that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is authorized to obtain the temporary use of additional facilities by lease, contract, or other agreement for training which cannot be accommodated in existing Center facilities. SEC. 737. (a) No funds shall be available for transfers or reimbursements to the E-Government Initiatives sponsored by the Office of Management and Budget prior to 15 days following submission of a report to the Committees on Appropriations by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and receipt of approval to transfer funds by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. (b) The report in (a) shall detail-- (1) the amount proposed for transfer for any department and agency by program office, bureau, or activity, as appropriate; (2) the specific use of funds; (3) the relevance of that use to that department or agency, and each bureau or office within, which is contributing funds; and (4) a description of any such activities for which funds were appropriated that will not be implemented or partially implemented by the department or agency as a result of the transfer. SEC. 738. (a) Requirement for Public-Private Competition- (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds appropriated by this or any other Act shall be available to convert to contractor performance an activity or function of an executive agency that, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, is performed by more than 10 Federal employees unless-- (A) the conversion is based on the result of a public-private competition that includes a most efficient and cost effective organization plan developed by such activity or function; (B) the Competitive Sourcing Official determines that, over all performance periods stated in the solicitation of offers for performance of the activity or function, the cost of performance of the activity or function by a contractor would be less costly to the executive agency by an amount that equals or exceeds the lesser of-- (i) 10 percent of the most efficient organization's personnel-related costs for performance of that activity or function by Federal employees; or (ii) $10,000,000; and (C) the contractor does not receive an advantage for a proposal that would reduce costs for the Federal Government by-- (i) not making an employer-sponsored health insurance plan available to the workers who are to be employed in the performance of that activity or function under the contract; (ii) offering to such workers an employer-sponsored health benefits plan that requires the employer to contribute less towards the premium or subscription share than the amount that is paid by the Federal Government for health benefits for civilian employees under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code; or (iii) offering to such workers a retirement benefit that in any year costs less than the annual retirement cost factor applicable to Federal employees under chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code. (2) This paragraph shall not apply to-- (A) the Department of Defense; (B) section 44920 of title 49, United States Code; (C) a commercial or industrial type function that-- (i) is included on the procurement list established pursuant to section 2 of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 47); or (ii) is planned to be converted to performance by a qualified nonprofit agency for the blind or by a qualified nonprofit agency for other severely handicapped individuals in accordance with that Act; (D) depot contracts or contracts for depot maintenance as provided in sections 2469 and 2474 of title 10, United States Code; or (E) activities that are the subject of an ongoing competition that was publicly announced prior to the date of enactment of this Act. (b) USE OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE COMPETITION- Nothing in Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 shall prevent the head of an executive agency from conducting a public-private competition to evaluate the benefits of converting work from contract performance to performance by Federal employees in appropriate instances. The Circular shall provide procedures and policies for these competitions that are similar to those applied to competitions that may result in the conversion of work from performance by Federal employees to performance by a contractor. (c) Bid Protests by Federal Employees in Actions Under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76- (1) Eligibility to protest- (A) Section 3551(2) of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: `(2) The term `interested party'-- `(A) with respect to a contract or a solicitation or other request for offers described in paragraph (1), means an actual or prospective bidder or offeror whose direct economic interest would be affected by the award of the contract or by failure to award the contract; and `(B) with respect to a public-private competition conducted under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 regarding performance of an activity or function of a Federal agency, or a decision to convert a function performed by Federal employees to private sector performance without a competition under OMB Circular A-76, includes-- `(i) any official who submitted the agency tender in such competition; and `(ii) any one person who, for the purpose of representing them in a protest under this subchapter that relates to such competition, has been designated as their agent by a majority of the employees of such Federal agency who are engaged in the performance of such activity or function.'. (B)(i) Subchapter V of chapter 35 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new section: `Sec. 3557. Expedited action in protests for public-private competitions.`For protests in cases of public-private competitions conducted under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 regarding performance of an activity or function of Federal agencies, the Comptroller General shall administer the provisions of this subchapter in a manner best suited for expediting final resolution of such protests and final action in such competitions.'. (ii) The chapter analysis at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 3556 the following new item: `3557. Expedited action in protests for public-private competitions.'. (2) Right to intervene in civil action- Section 1491(b) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: `(5) If a private sector interested party commences an action described in paragraph (1) in the case of a public-private competition conducted under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 regarding performance of an activity or function of a Federal agency, or a decision to convert a function performed by Federal employees to private sector performance without a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, then an official or person described in section 3551(2)(B) of title 31 shall be entitled to intervene in that action.'. (3) APPLICABILITY- Subparagraph (B) of section 3551(2) of title 31, United States Code (as added by paragraph (1)), and paragraph (5) of section 1491(b) of title 28, United States Code (as added by paragraph (2)), shall apply to-- (A) protests and civil actions that challenge final selections of sources of performance of an activity or function of a Federal agency that are made pursuant to studies initiated under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 on or after January 1, 2004; and (B) any other protests and civil actions that relate to public-private competitions initiated under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, or a decision to convert a function performed by Federal employees to private sector performance without a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. (d) LIMITATION- (1) None of the funds available in this Act may be used-- (A) by the Office of Management and Budget to direct or require another agency to take an action specified in paragraph (2); or (B) by an agency to take an action specified in paragraph (2) as a result of direction or requirement from the Office of Management and Budget. (2) An action specified in this paragraph is the preparation for, undertaking, continuation of, or completion of a public-private competition or direct conversion under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 or any other administrative regulation, directive, or policy. (e) APPLICABILITY- This section shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2008 and each succeeding fiscal year. SEC. 739. (a) The adjustment in rates of basic pay for employees under the statutory pay systems that takes effect in fiscal year 2008 under sections 5303 and 5304 of title 5, United States Code, shall be an increase of 3.5 percent, and this adjustment shall apply to civilian employees in the Department of Homeland Security and shall apply to civilian employees in the Department of Defense who are represented by a labor organization as defined in 5 U.S.C. 7103(a)(4), and such adjustments shall be effective as of the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2008. Civilian employees in the Department of Defense who are eligible to be represented by a labor organization as defined in 5 U.S.C. 7103(a)(4), but are not so represented, will receive the adjustment provided for in this section unless the positions are entitled to a pay adjustment under 5 U.S.C. 9902. (b) Notwithstanding section 712 of this Act, the adjustment in rates of basic pay for the statutory pay systems that take place in fiscal year 2008 under sections 5344 and 5348 of title 5, United States Code, shall be no less than the percentage in paragraph (a) as employees in the same location whose rates of basic pay are adjusted pursuant to the statutory pay systems under section 5303 and 5304 of title 5, United States Code. Prevailing rate employees at locations where there are no employees whose pay is increased pursuant to sections 5303 and 5304 of title 5 and prevailing rate employees described in section 5343(a)(5) of title 5 shall be considered to be located in the pay locality designated as `Rest of US' pursuant to section 5304 of title 5 for purposes of this paragraph. (c) Funds used to carry out this section shall be paid from appropriations, which are made to each applicable department or agency for salaries and expenses for fiscal year 2008. SEC. 740. Unless otherwise authorized by existing law, none of the funds provided in this Act or any other Act may be used by an executive branch agency to produce any prepackaged news story intended for broadcast or distribution in the United States, unless the story includes a clear notification within the text or audio of the prepackaged news story that the prepackaged news story was prepared or funded by that executive branch agency. SEC. 741. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used in contravention of section 552a of title 5, United States Code (popularly known as the Privacy Act) or of section 552.224 of title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations. SEC. 742. Each executive department and agency shall evaluate the creditworthiness of an individual before issuing the individual a government travel charge card. Such evaluations for individually-billed travel charge cards shall include an assessment of the individual's consumer report from a consumer reporting agency as those terms are defined in section 603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (Public Law 91-508): Provided, That section 604(a)(3) of such Act shall be amended by adding to the end the following: `(G) executive departments and agencies in connection with the issuance of government-sponsored individually-billed travel charge cards.': Provided further, That the department or agency may not issue a government travel charge card to an individual that either lacks a credit history or is found to have an unsatisfactory credit history as a result of this evaluation: Provided further, That this restriction shall not preclude issuance of a restricted-use charge, debit, or stored value card made in accordance with agency procedures to: (1) an individual with an unsatisfactory credit history where such card is used to pay travel expenses and the agency determines there is no suitable alternative payment mechanism available before issuing the card; or (2) an individual who lacks a credit history. Each executive department and agency shall establish guidelines and procedures for disciplinary actions to be taken against agency personnel for improper, fraudulent, or abusive use of government charge cards, which shall include appropriate disciplinary actions for use of charge cards for purposes, and at establishments, that are inconsistent with the official business of the Department or agency or with applicable standards of conduct. Sec. 743. Crosscut Budget- (a) Definitions- For purposes of this section the following definitions apply: (1) GREAT LAKES- The terms `Great Lakes' and `Great Lakes State' have the same meanings as such terms have in section 506 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 1962d-22). (2) GREAT LAKES RESTORATION ACTIVITIES- The term `Great Lakes restoration activities' means any Federal or State activity primarily or entirely within the Great Lakes watershed that seeks to improve the overall health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. (b) Report- Not later than 30 days after submission of the budget of the President to Congress, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Governor of each Great Lakes State and the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, shall submit to the appropriate authorizing and appropriating committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives a financial report, certified by the Secretary of each agency that has budget authority for Great Lakes restoration activities, containing-- (1) an interagency budget crosscut report that-- (A) displays the budget proposed, including any planned interagency or intra-agency transfer, for each of the Federal agencies that carries out Great Lakes restoration activities in the upcoming fiscal year, separately reporting the amount of funding to be provided under existing laws pertaining to the Great Lakes ecosystem; and (B) identifies all expenditures since fiscal year 2004 by the Federal Government and State governments for Great Lakes restoration activities; (2) a detailed accounting of all funds received and obligated by all Federal agencies and, to the extent available, State agencies using Federal funds, for Great Lakes restoration activities during the current and previous fiscal years; (3) a budget for the proposed projects (including a description of the project, authorization level, and project status) to be carried out in the upcoming fiscal year with the Federal portion of funds for activities; and (4) a listing of all projects to be undertaken in the upcoming fiscal year with the Federal portion of funds for activities. SEC. 744. Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to `this Act' contained in any title other than title IV or VIII shall not apply to such titles IV or VIII.
TITLE VIII- GENERAL PROVISIONS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)SEC. 801. Whenever in this Act, an amount is specified within an appropriation for particular purposes or objects of expenditure, such amount, unless otherwise specified, shall be considered as the maximum amount that may be expended for said purpose or object rather than an amount set apart exclusively therefor. SEC. 802. Appropriations in this Act shall be available for expenses of travel and for the payment of dues of organizations concerned with the work of the District of Columbia government, when authorized by the Mayor, or, in the case of the Council of the District of Columbia, funds may be expended with the authorization of the Chairman of the Council. SEC. 803. There are appropriated from the applicable funds of the District of Columbia such sums as may be necessary for making refunds and for the payment of legal settlements or judgments that have been entered against the District of Columbia government. SEC. 804. None of the Federal funds provided in this Act shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes or implementation of any policy including boycott designed to support or defeat legislation pending before Congress or any State legislature. SEC. 805. (a) None of the funds provided under this Act to the agencies funded by this Act, both Federal and District government agencies, that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2008, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees available to the agencies funded by this title, shall be available for obligation or expenditures for an agency through a reprogramming of funds which-- (1) creates new programs; (2) eliminates a program, project, or responsibility center; (3) establishes or changes allocations specifically denied, limited or increased under this Act; (4) increases funds or personnel by any means for any program, project, or responsibility center for which funds have been denied or restricted; (5) reestablishes any program or project previously deferred through reprogramming; (6) augments any existing program, project, or responsibility center through a reprogramming of funds in excess of $3,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; or (7) increases by 20 percent or more personnel assigned to a specific program, project or responsibility center, unless in the case of federal funds, the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate are notified in writing 15 days in advance of the reprogramming and in the case of local funds, the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate are provided summary reports on April 1, 2008 and October 1, 2008, setting forth detailed information regarding each such local funds reprogramming conducted subject to this subsection. (b) None of the local funds contained in this Act may be available for obligation or expenditure for an agency through a transfer of any local funds in excess of $3,000,000 from one appropriation heading to another unless the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate are provided summary reports on April 1, 2008 and October 1, 2008, setting forth detailed information regarding each reprogramming conducted subject to this subsection, except that in no event may the amount of any funds transferred exceed 4 percent of the local funds in the appropriations. (c) The District of Columbia Government is authorized to approve and execute reprogramming and transfer requests of local funds under this title through September 30, 2008. SEC. 806. Consistent with the provisions of section 1301(a) of title 31, United States Code, appropriations under this Act shall be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made except as otherwise provided by law. SEC. 807. (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the provisions of the District of Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of 1978 (D.C. Law 2-139; sec. 1-601.01 et seq., D.C. Official Code), enacted pursuant to section 422(3) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (sec. 1-204.22(3), D.C. Official Code), shall apply with respect to the compensation of District of Columbia employees. For pay purposes, employees of the District of Columbia government shall not be subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code. (b) Notwithstanding section 8344(a) of title 5, United States Code, the amendment made by section 2 of the District Government Reemployed Annuitant Offset Elimination Amendment Act of 2004 (D.C. Law 15-207) shall apply with respect to any individual employed in an appointive or elective position with the District of Columbia government after December 7, 2004. SEC. 808. No later than 30 days after the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall submit to the Council of the District of Columbia and the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate the new fiscal year 2008 revenue estimates as of the end of such quarter. These estimates shall be used in the budget request for fiscal year 2009. The officially revised estimates at midyear shall be used for the midyear report. SEC. 809. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Mayor, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia may accept, obligate, and expend Federal, private, and other grants received by the District government that are not reflected in the amounts appropriated in this Act. (b)(1) No such Federal, private, or other grant may be obligated, or expended pursuant to subsection (a) until-- (A) the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia submits to the Council a report setting forth detailed information regarding such grant; and (B) the Council has reviewed and approved the obligation, and expenditure of such grant. (2) For purposes of paragraph (1)(B), the Council shall be deemed to have reviewed and approved the obligation, and expenditure of a grant if-- (A) no written notice of disapproval is filed with the Secretary of the Council within 14 calendar days of the receipt of the report from the Chief Financial Officer under paragraph (1)(A); or (B) if such a notice of disapproval is filed within such deadline, the Council does not by resolution disapprove the obligation, or expenditure of the grant within 30 calendar days of the initial receipt of the report from the Chief Financial Officer under paragraph (1)(A). (c) No amount may be obligated or expended from the general fund or other funds of the District of Columbia government in anticipation of the approval or receipt of a grant under subsection (b)(2) or in anticipation of the approval or receipt of a Federal, private, or other grant not subject to such subsection. (d) The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia may adjust the budget for Federal, private, and other grants received by the District government reflected in the amounts appropriated in this title, or approved and received under subsection (b)(2) to reflect a change in the actual amount of the grant. (e) The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall prepare a quarterly report setting forth detailed information regarding all Federal, private, and other grants subject to this section. Each such report shall be submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia, to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate, not later than 15 days after the end of the quarter covered by the report. SEC. 810. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, none of the funds made available by this Act or by any other Act may be used to provide any officer or employee of the District of Columbia with an official vehicle unless the officer or employee uses the vehicle only in the performance of the officer's or employee's official duties. For purposes of this paragraph, the term `official duties' does not include travel between the officer's or employee's residence and workplace, except in the case of-- (1) an officer or employee of the Metropolitan Police Department who resides in the District of Columbia or is otherwise designated by the Chief of the Department; (2) at the discretion of the Fire Chief, an officer or employee of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department who resides in the District of Columbia and is on call 24 hours a day or is otherwise designated by the Fire Chief; (3) the Mayor of the District of Columbia; and (4) the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia. (b) The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall submit by March 1, 2008, an inventory, as of September 30, 2007, of all vehicles owned, leased or operated by the District of Columbia government. The inventory shall include, but not be limited to, the department to which the vehicle is assigned; the year and make of the vehicle; the acquisition date and cost; the general condition of the vehicle; annual operating and maintenance costs; current mileage; and whether the vehicle is allowed to be taken home by a District officer or employee and if so, the officer or employee's title and resident location. SEC. 811. (a) None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used by the District of Columbia Corporation Counsel or any other officer or entity of the District government to provide assistance for any petition drive or civil action which seeks to require Congress to provide for voting representation in Congress for the District of Columbia. (b) Nothing in this section bars the District of Columbia Corporation Counsel from reviewing or commenting on briefs in private lawsuits, or from consulting with officials of the District government regarding such lawsuits. SEC. 812. None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used for any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug. SEC. 813. None of the funds contained in this Act may be used after the expiration of the 60-day period that begins on the date of the enactment of this Act to pay the salary of any chief financial officer of any office of the District of Columbia government (including any independent agency of the District of Columbia) who has not filed a certification with the Mayor and the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia that the officer understands the duties and restrictions applicable to the officer and the officer's agency as a result of this Act (and the amendments made by this Act), including any duty to prepare a report requested either in the Act or in any of the reports accompanying the Act and the deadline by which each report must be submitted: Provided, That the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate by April 1, 2008 and October 1, 2008, a summary list showing each report, the due date, and the date submitted to the Committees. SEC. 814. Nothing in this Act may be construed to prevent the Council or Mayor of the District of Columbia from addressing the issue of the provision of contraceptive coverage by health insurance plans, but it is the intent of Congress that any legislation enacted on such issue should include a `conscience clause' which provides exceptions for religious beliefs and moral convictions. SEC. 815. The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate, the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate quarterly reports addressing-- (1) crime, including the homicide rate, implementation of community policing, the number of police officers on local beats, and the closing down of open-air drug markets; (2) access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment, including the number of treatment slots, the number of people served, the number of people on waiting lists, and the effectiveness of treatment programs; (3) management of parolees and pre-trial violent offenders, including the number of halfway houses escapes and steps taken to improve monitoring and supervision of halfway house residents to reduce the number of escapes to be provided in consultation with the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia; and (4) education, including access to special education services and student achievement to be provided in consultation with the District of Columbia Public Schools and the District of Columbia public charter schools. SEC. 816. (a) No later than 30 calendar days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, the Mayor, and the Council of the District of Columbia a revised appropriated funds operating budget in the format of the budget that the District of Columbia government submitted pursuant to section 442 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (D.C. Official Code, section 1-204.42), for all agencies of the District of Columbia government for fiscal year 2008 that is in the total amount of the approved appropriation and that realigns all budgeted data for personal services and other-than-personal-services, respectively, with anticipated actual expenditures. (b) This section shall apply only to an agency where the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia certifies that a reallocation is required to address unanticipated changes in program requirements. SEC. 817. (a) None of the funds contained in this Act may be made available to pay-- (1) the fees of an attorney who represents a party in an action or an attorney who defends an action brought against the District of Columbia Public Schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) in excess of $4,000 for that action; or (2) the fees of an attorney or firm whom the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia determines to have a pecuniary interest, either through an attorney, officer, or employee of the firm, in any special education diagnostic services, schools, or other special education service providers. (b) In this section, the term `action' includes an administrative proceeding and any ensuing or related proceedings before a court of competent jurisdiction. SEC. 818. The amount appropriated by this Act may be increased by no more than $42,000,000 from funds identified in the comprehensive annual financial report as the District's fiscal year 2007 unexpended general fund surplus. The District may obligate and expend these amounts only in accordance with the following conditions: (1) The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall certify that the use of any such amounts is not anticipated to have a negative impact on the District's long-term financial, fiscal, and economic vitality. (2) The District of Columbia may only use these funds for the following expenditures: (A) One-time expenditures. (B) Expenditures to avoid deficit spending. (C) Debt reduction. (D) Program needs. (E) Expenditures to avoid revenue shortfalls. (3) The amounts shall be obligated and expended in accordance with laws enacted by the Council in support of each such obligation or expenditure. (4) The amounts may not be used to fund the agencies of the District of Columbia government under court ordered receivership. (5) The amounts may not be obligated or expended unless the Mayor notifies the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate not fewer than 30 days in advance of the obligation or expenditure. SEC. 819. (a) To account for an unanticipated growth of revenue collections, the amount appropriated as District of Columbia Funds pursuant to this Act may be increased-- (1) by an aggregate amount of not more than 25 percent, in the case of amounts proposed to be allocated as `Other-Type Funds' in the Fiscal Year 2008 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan submitted to Congress by the District of Columbia; and (2) by an aggregate amount of not more than 6 percent, in the case of any other amounts proposed to be allocated in such Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. (b) The District of Columbia may obligate and expend any increase in the amount of funds authorized under this section only in accordance with the following conditions: (1) The Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia shall certify-- (A) the increase in revenue; and (B) that the use of the amounts is not anticipated to have a negative impact on the long-term financial, fiscal, or economic health of the District. (2) The amounts shall be obligated and expended in accordance with laws enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia in support of each such obligation and expenditure, consistent with the requirements of this Act. (3) The amounts may not be used to fund any agencies of the District government operating under court-ordered receivership. (4) The amounts may not be obligated or expended unless the Mayor has notified the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate not fewer than 30 days in advance of the obligation or expenditure. SEC. 820. The Chief Financial Officer for the District of Columbia may, for the purpose of cash flow management, conduct short-term borrowing from the emergency reserve fund and from the contingency reserve fund established under section 450A of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (Public Law 98-198): Provided, That the amount borrowed shall not exceed 50 percent of the total amount of funds contained in both the emergency and contingency reserve funds at the time of borrowing: Provided further, That the borrowing shall not deplete either fund by more than 50 percent: Provided further, That 100 percent of the funds borrowed shall be replenished within 9 months of the time of the borrowing or by the end of the fiscal year, whichever occurs earlier: Provided further, That in the event that short-term borrowing has been conducted and the emergency or the contingency funds are later depleted below 50 percent as a result of an emergency or contingency, an amount equal to the amount necessary to restore reserve levels to 50 percent of the total amount of funds contained in both the emergency and contingency reserve fund must be replenished from the amount borrowed within 60 days. SEC. 821. (a) None of the funds contained in this Act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative. (b) The Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998, also known as Initiative 59, approved by the electors of the District of Columbia on November 3, 1998, shall not take effect. SEC. 822. None of the funds appropriated under this Act shall be expended for any abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest. SEC. 823. (a) DIRECT APPROPRIATION- Section 307(a) of the District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970 (sec. 2-1607(a), D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking the first 2 sentences and inserting the following: `There are authorized to be appropriated to the Service in each fiscal year such funds as may be necessary to carry out this chapter.'. (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 11233 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (sec. 24-133, D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking subsection (f). (c) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2008 and each succeeding fiscal year. SEC. 824. Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to `this Act' contained in this title or in title IV shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of this title or of title IV. This Act may be cited as the `Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008'.
COMMITTEE COMMENTS ON THE BILL PLANNING FOR ESSENTIAL LONG-TERM BUDGET NEEDSThe Committee believes that it is important to plan now for the long-term strength of the economic and social fabric of the country. The American people expect and deserve the best services their government can offer. Unfortunately, over the past several years government services have become deficient in many important areas. The American people deserve better. This bill includes recommendations that will begin to close the gap between the basic government services that are currently available and the services that this Nation needs. The Committee does not have the budgetary resources, nor does it propose, to close this gap in one year. However, the Committee believes that sound planning for the future involves making a down payment today toward better government services in the future. The population of the United States has grown by 73 million people, or 32 percent, since 1980. The census bureau predicts that, by 2010, the population will be close to 309 million. At the same time, non-defense discretionary spending has been severely curtailed. Such spending amounted to 5.2 percent of the gross domestic product in 1980, whereas it now represents 3.6 percent of GDP. It is not surprising that government is unable to meet many basic needs in the face of a reduction of that magnitude. The programs funded by this bill are an important part of efforts to provide good government to all Americans, regardless of economic or social background. In this bill, Congress can improve the effectiveness and fairness of enforcement of the payment of tax obligations of those who are responsible for the tax gap, which is the difference between the taxes that should be paid and the taxes that are actually paid voluntarily and on time. The bill can also offer strong regulatory protections for consumers and investors, encourage financial opportunities for communities and small businesses, and enhance essential government services by supporting the people and infrastructure that provide those services. CLOSING THE TAX GAPAccording to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), taxpayers paid about $1.8 trillion in taxes on time in 2001. Research conducted by the IRS has estimated that the `tax gap', or the difference between total Federal taxes owed and the tax collections received, was $345 billion for tax year 2001. Once IRS collection and enforcement actions are taken into account, the net tax gap is estimated to be $290 billion. Others have disputed this figure and argued that the actual figure is higher. In addition to the effect of the tax gap on overall Federal resources, the very existence of the tax gap stands contrary to IRS efforts to promote compliance. The Committee agrees with the assessment of the IRS Oversight Board in its most recent annual report that `the tax gap is an injustice to compliant taxpayers who ultimately are bearing the financial burden of those who do not pay what they owe, whether intentionally or not.' As the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate noted in her annual report this year, the existence of the tax gap effectively amounts to a per-taxpayer `surtax of more than $2,200 to subsidize noncompliance by others.' The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has listed `Enforcement of Tax Laws' among the items on its latest `High-risk Series' (report number GAO-07-310). In this report, GAO notes that `enforcement of tax laws is vital to promote compliance by giving taxpayers confidence that others are paying their fair share.' While a commitment to tax law enforcement is one important way to maximize tax compliance, the Committee strongly believes that enforcement efforts should not be disproportionately focused on low-income taxpayers. For example, it was revealed last year that the IRS had delayed thousands of tax refunds under the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the vast majority of the refund claims were not fraudulent but were in fact the legitimate EITC claims of families and individuals. Today, fully 40 percent of all IRS individual examinations are of EITC claims, even though just 17 percent of individual tax returns claim the EITC. This is clearly a disproportionate audit focus on the poor. It is all the more troubling considering a recent finding by GAO with regard to audits of individuals who use offshore tax havens. Even in offshore tax haven cases in which agents have seen signs of tax evasion, the IRS has been either prematurely ending many of these audits, or even declining to conduct audits in the first place, in order to comply with the 3-year statute of limitations on offshore cases. With regard to its fiscal year 2008 budget request, the Administration has proposed $291 million in new enforcement initiatives in its fiscal year 2008 budget request, and the Treasury Department's fiscal year 2008 budget in brief notes that `once the new staff proposed in this request are trained and gain more experience, the enforcement revenue generated each year will be $699 million. However, this estimate excludes the likely larger revenue impact from the deterrence value of these and other IRS enforcement programs (e.g., criminal investigations).' The Committee notes that since $699 million is obviously a very small portion of the overall tax gap, the indirect effect of these enforcement initiatives would need to be quite significant in order to have any appreciable impact on the overall tax gap. In addition, the Administration has issued a package of legislative proposals aimed at improving tax compliance. But these proposals are estimated to raise just $29 billion over 10 years, a mere one percent of the net tax gap. While a commitment to tax law enforcement is important in maximizing tax compliance, the Committee believes that a strong commitment to IRS taxpayer service is equally important. As the IRS Oversight Board annual report notes, `Both good customer service and vigorous enforcement of the tax law benefit taxpayers. It is not an either/or proposition; both are necessary for effective tax administration. Good service leads to fully informed and satisfied taxpayers who understand their tax obligations and experience few problems when interacting with the IRS.' While the Committee applauds the joint efforts of the IRS, the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate, and the IRS Oversight Board in developing the recent Congressionally-mandated Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint (TAB), the Committee believes that a sustained, long-term commitment to funding and strengthening IRS taxpayer services must be included in any strategy for closing the tax gap. Overall, the Committee believes strongly that the following priorities must be pursued by this Committee both this year and in years to come: Consistent growth in the budget of the Internal Revenue Service. In his September 2002 `Report to the IRS Oversight Board: Assessment of the IRS and the Tax System,' former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti called for a two percent annual growth in IRS staff together with a 3 percent annual productivity growth, similar to recommendations made by the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS in 1997. But current IRS staff levels are far below what Commissioner Rossotti argued would be needed to help close the tax gap. The Commissioner's report noted that due to continued growth in the IRS workload and the large accumulated backlog of cases, strong productivity growth alone could not possibly close the compliance gap. The Committee strongly believes that consistent staff growth at the IRS merits attention and resources. Regular research efforts to determine which taxpayer service and enforcement strategies are important and effective at closing the tax gap. The Committee agrees with the assessment of the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate and the IRS Oversight Board that the IRS must conduct regular, ongoing research to determine the most effective taxpayer service and enforcement strategies for reducing the tax gap. While the Committee is supportive of the Administration's proposal to add funding for regular research efforts into the base budget of the IRS, the Committee also agrees with the recommendation of the IRS Oversight Board that the IRS should develop a long-range strategic plan for research that goes beyond the IRS Strategic Plan's 2009 end date. The Committee directs IRS to work with the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate and the IRS Oversight Board to develop a 5-year strategic plan for research. The plan should be delivered to the Committee by no later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Funding and Oversight of IRS Business Systems Modernization (BSM). The IRS continues to experience occasional cost overruns and delays associated with its multi-year effort to modernize its computer systems. Challenges and risks remain, and BSM continues to remain on the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) `high risk list'. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that the overall BSM effort is much better focused than it has been in the past. As GAO noted in a report this year, BSM `is critical to supporting IRS's taxpayer service and enforcement goals and reducing the tax gap.' As long as the IRS depends on outdated tools to perform its critical functions, the overall system of tax administration will not be in a position to effectively address the tax gap. For example, the IRS Oversight Board report points out that currently `taxpayers cannot access their own account information electronically as they can routinely do with their bank, credit card and mutual fund accounts.' BSM is critical to allowing the IRS to perform its tax administration functions at peak efficiency and effectiveness. The Committee believes that, notwithstanding the wasted dollars of the past and the challenges and risks of the present, the BSM program is a vital part of the future of both service and enforcement efforts. BSM should be provided sustained funding and close oversight both this year and in future years in order to fully modernize the IRS as soon as possible. PROVIDING FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY TO DISADVANTAGED AND RURAL COMMUNITIESThe Committee finds that there is a crucial need for expanding financial services to disadvantaged and rural communities, in order to reduce the reliance on such high-cost alternative services such as payday lending. An estimated 22 percent of low-income households lack a bank or credit union account. The Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a hearing earlier this year on the subject of financial services for disadvantaged communities. Among the issues discussed at the hearing, two very strong needs were identified: Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. While several government agencies have addressed this issue, the Treasury CDFI Fund has particularly helped to expand the availability of credit, capital, and financial services to underserved communities throughout the Nation. A community development financial institution, or CDFI, is a legally-existing entity and a predominantly financing entity whose primary mission is community development. CDFI's include banks, credit unions, loan funds, and venture capital funds. Among CDFI banks and credit unions, one-half offer alternatives to payday loans, and nearly 40 percent provide check-cashing services to people who do not have accounts with these institutions. Yet while the number of certified CDFI's has increased in recent years, from 468 in 2001 to 774 by the end of 2006, the annual appropriation provided to the CDFI Fund has declined during these same years, from $118 million in fiscal year 2001 down to just $54.5 million in fiscal years 2006 and 2007. On average, each Federal dollar invested in the CDFI Fund leverages an additional 27 dollars in non-Federal funds. An increased appropriation to the CDFI Fund will, among other things, help provide additional financial and technical assistance to a larger number of CDFI's throughout the Nation. This, in turn, will help to further advance the goal of providing better and lower-cost financial services to disadvantaged and rural communities in the United States. The Committee believes strongly that there must be a renewed commitment over the next several years to providing sufficient resources to the CDFI Fund to help promote the program's objectives, including the wider availability of low-cost financial services. Financial Education. The need to promote the importance of saving in financial institutions was identified by the Chairman of the Board of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and by the Director of the CDFI Fund, who testified that `if you spend 10 hours with a young person on financial education, it sets them on a path that will do them well for their entire life. . .' The Committee has provided an increase of $200,000 above the request for the Treasury Department's Office of Financial Education to expand its activities and to help it provide better leadership over the National Strategy for Financial Literacy. The Committee has also provided funding increases for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for education and financial literacy. The Committee believes that these activities need ongoing attention and resources, and that there must be a particular emphasis on the financial education of students in elementary and high schools. In addition, as the Director of the CDFI Fund recently noted in testimony before the Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee, CDFI's must participate in financial education programs in order to receive funding. An increased commitment of federal resources to the CDFI Fund will lead to a corresponding increase in financial education efforts. Overall, the Committee believes strongly that a long-term commitment of support for financial education efforts is essential throughout Government, including at Treasury's Office of Financial Education, the IRS, the SEC, and the CDFI Fund. Other, less obvious, government efforts also help to reduce the reliance on high-cost financial services in disadvantaged communities. For example, a strong ongoing commitment to fund IRS Business Systems Modernization efforts, together with strong oversight of those efforts, will help ensure that IRS computer systems are fully modernized and able to process and send tax refunds much quicker than is currently the case. The anticipation of a quicker refund from the IRS can serve to dissuade low-income taxpayers from seeking to purchase Refund Anticipation Loans, whose costs often amount to a significant portion of tax refunds. STRENGTHENING REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND ENFORCEMENTCorporate ethics and accountability have received a lot of notice in recent years. Headlines regarding financial accounting scandals, contracting irregularities in Iraq, insider trading, and dangerous consumer products have caught the attention of many people concerned about how such problems erode the confidence of consumers and investors. Over the long-term, the continuation of these problems will threaten the economic strength of the Nation. The agencies that are responsible for deterring such problems must not be asleep at the switch. Many businesses and corporations have acknowledged these problems and have responded by increased standards of corporate responsibility and self-regulation. However, serious problems persist among those who place the enhancement of their personal wealth above social and ethical considerations. The rigorous enforcement of laws and regulations relating to consumer protection and securities markets is an important element in deterring wrongdoing and promoting corporate and individual responsibility. In this bill, the Committee recommendations begin to provide the resources that will enable several critical regulatory and enforcement agencies to better fulfill their missions. Yet, the funding provided by this bill must be seen as just a down payment on a renewed effort to give these agencies the tools they need to strengthen regulatory oversight and enforcement. In the coming years, the Committee should view consumer protection as an essential government service to which more resources can be directed for the benefit of the American people. Consumer products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with reducing the unreasonable risk of injury associated with more than 15,000 consumer products. The agency was involved in 471 product recalls in fiscal year 2006. However, the most important of the agency's resources--its people--has been in decline. From a high of 978 in 1980, staffing declined to 518 by 1994 and is proposed in the President's budget to be capped at 401 in 2008. The latest budget cuts come at a time when the CPSC should be preparing for the future so it can meet new challenges relating to emerging product technologies. This bill includes increases of $4,110,000 above fiscal year 2007 and $3,588,000 above the President's request to support additional staff and information technology improvements for the Commission. Fraudulent or misleading commercial practices. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has two vital missions: consumer protection and maintaining competition. The agency is currently active in efforts to deter and prosecute credit and financial fraud, as well as identity theft, and it takes action against companies that fail to protect sensitive customer data. The FTC also has authority to act against illegal subprime lending practices. However, the FTC will need additional tools and resources in the future to keep up with new challenges, such as new Internet and other technologies that provide violators with creative ways to scam the public. The FTC also needs to maintain a vigorous antitrust program, which benefits consumers by keeping prices lower through competition. For fiscal year 2008, this bill provides increases of $36,200,000 above fiscal year 2007 and $7,250,000 above the President's request to provide additional support for the FTC's activities. Investor protections. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated 46 insider trading cases in fiscal year 2006. The agency also promotes healthy capital markets and promotes informed decision-making by investors through corporate compliance with financial disclosure rules. The complexities of financial markets require that the SEC recruit and retain individuals who are well-trained and experienced. There are now over 10,000 publicly traded companies in the United States. The number of American households investing in the stock market increased from 15.9 million in 1983 to 56.9 million in 2005, an increase of 258 percent. The Committee is concerned, however, that under-enforcement of securities laws and regulations would have a harmful effect on investor confidence and lead to reduced participation in the markets. The SEC must have sufficient resources to meet fully its enforcement responsibilities. This bill includes increases of $15,882,000 above fiscal year 2007 and $3,112,000 above the President's request to enhance the SEC's enforcement program, as well as to support the investor education and assistance programs which is the SEC's primary point of contact with investors who complain about the possible mishandling of their investments by securities professionals. The future of telecommunications. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees a rapidly changing and expanding telecommunications environment. The digital age has revolutionized communication and how the public receives information. The FCC must keep up with these continuing changes so it can meet its missions of promoting investment and competition in the telecommunications industry, protecting consumers from privacy violations such as the unauthorized use of phone records, ensuring public safety needs are met, and promoting Internet access and choice. The bill includes an increase of $21,718,000 over the current fiscal year to support these critical activities. Fines and penalties. The Committee is concerned over the level of deterrence that is established when civil and criminal monetary penalties assessed by regulatory agencies are set too low. When such penalties simply become a cost of doing business for violators, they cease to be an effective enforcement tool. The Committee believes that Congress should look at whether current penalties provide an adequate deterrent to unsafe products, consumer fraud, deceitful marketing, and inadequate protection of customer information. SUPPORTING GOOD GOVERNMENT THROUGH PEOPLE AND INFRASTRUCTUREA strong Federal workforce needs to exist if government is to deliver effective services to the American people. Unfortunately, the Federal workforce has been under attack. This attack dates to the previous Administration and efforts to `reinvent' government and `right-size' the workforce. `Right-sizing' was a code word for `downsizing', and downsizing often resulted in reduced services for citizens. The current Administration has taken this concept a step further by increasing reliance on contractors, cutting back on the resources--people and money--for basic government services, and allowing the physical infrastructure of government to deteriorate. There has been too little emphasis on creating a workforce that is `right-skilled' or on offering the `right-services'. These ill-advised policies result in a government that is distant from the people that it should serve; government needs to return to being easily accessible and helpful to all Americans. In 1980, the Federal civilian workforce totaled 1.2 million people. Since that time, the population of this Nation has increased 32 percent, while the number of civilian workers providing services to those people has declined 13 percent. That number has declined by 10 percent just since 1994. The decline in the public's accessibility to government services is also reflected in the cutting back of locations throughout the Nation where the public can go for assistance. Agencies' regional or state offices have been eliminated or consolidated in order to save a few dollars, but the real impact is seen in the public's reduced accessibility to government. For example, the Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) closed 418 local offices across the country from 1995 to 2006 in order to manage its reduced budget and staff. This forces farmers to either stop using FSA services or drive many extra miles to visit an office. The Federal government needs to put resources where they are most needed to provide the services it offers. In addition to people, these resources must include physical infrastructure to support government services. Major public physical capital investment has declined as a percent of gross domestic product from 2.8 percent in the mid-1980s to an estimated 1.5 percent in fiscal year 2008. An example of this decline can be seen in spending on grants for investments in community and regional development, which fell 61 percent in inflation-adjusted terms from fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 2006. Government contracting. While the current Administration likes to take credit for `reducing' the size of government, it has also overseen the largest expansion of a `hidden government' of contractors in the history of the Nation. Spending on federal contracts has grown by $175 billion under this Administration and totaled roughly $400 billion in fiscal year 2006. This makes contracting one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing component of the Federal budget. This trend does not bode well for the future as it becomes harder to monitor contractor performance and ensure the effective use of taxpayers' dollars. It should also be noted that the United States Government Accountability Office has listed the management of government contracting as a high-risk area due to weaknesses that were discovered in the management and oversight of contractors specifically by the Departments of Defense and Energy, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Earlier this year, the Committee included in H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act, several provisions to address questionable government contracting practices. These provisions would minimize sole source contracting and cost-reimbursement contracting, require public disclosure of the justification for non-competitive contracts, and improve disclosure of government contractor overcharges. The growth of the hidden government is also seen in persistent efforts to outsource Federal jobs to contractors. The effectiveness of agencies is measured in part by the Office of Management and Budget by the number of OMB Circular A-76 competitive sourcing competitions they carry out for tasks currently performed by Federal employees. However, replacing Federal workers with contractors raises a host of serious questions relating to the true cost of the contractors. Such cost includes the loss of skilled, technical experts in the Federal workforce who have institutional knowledge and are able to monitor effectively contractor performance. A-76 competitions that do not take into account all the costs of contracting threaten the future viability of the Federal workforce. This bill addresses this problem by continuing and strengthening language on public-private competitions that has been included in recent appropriations bills. PROJECTSCongress has made significant reforms in the way it reviews funding for the Federal government; reforms which the Committee takes very seriously as it executes its constitutional authority. Earmarking or directed spending of Federal dollars does not begin with Congress. It begins with the Executive Branch. The Administration, in selecting projects, goes through a process that is the functional equivalent of earmarking. When the Committee reviews the budget request, it goes through a process of rigorous review and may alter or modify this list to reflect additional priorities. The Executive Branch also engages in another practice which steers or directs money to specific entities or purposes through a process of contracting out various activities and services. In many important work locations, the number of people working for contractors exceeds the number of Federal employees in the same building or location. Many of these, in fact, are non-competitive or sole-sourced. When added together, the Executive Branch steers or directs far greater spending to specific projects or corporations than is directed or earmarked by Congress. And the practice of non-competitive contracting has exploded in the past five years. As noted previously, A-76 competitions potentially outsource Federal workforce responsibilities and result in the loss of technically skilled Federal workers, institutional knowledge and effective oversight over worker performance. Limited-sourcing and sole-sourcing of contracts is another area that has grown rapidly and is a source of concern. In fiscal year 2000, 18 percent of the Treasury Department's outside contracts were not competitively bid. By fiscal year 2006, that number had risen to 28 percent. In fiscal year 2006, the Treasury Department awarded more than $1,000,000,000 in contracts that were not competitively bid. There is also a higher potential for abuse. The General Services Administration's (GSA) Office of Inspector General (IG) and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform continue to investigate the award of a no-bid contract by the GSA Administrator to a longtime associate. Within two months of Senate confirmation, the Administrator signed a contract for $20,000 for a 24-page report promoting the GSA's use of minority- and women-owned businesses. Issues surrounding this contract include the lack of competition in the award process, the drafting of the statement of work by the company, and the non-disclosure of the Administrator's longstanding business relationship with the recipient of the contract. The GSA IG stated in testimony that, `we are talking about the violation of key contracting principles--promoting open competition . . . and avoiding any appearance of personal favoritism in awarding government business--by the leader of the Government's premier civilian contracting agency.' Evidence further suggests that a number of actions were taken by the head of this company with the expectation of payment by GSA. While no payment was ultimately made, nonetheless, this action marks an example of potential abuses through the use of sole source contracting. OPERATING PLAN AND REPROGRAMMING PROCEDURESThe Committee will continue to evaluate reprogrammings proposed by agencies. Although reprogrammings may not change either the total amount available in an account or any of the purposes for which the appropriation is legally available, they represent a significant departure from budget plans presented to the Committee in an agency's budget justifications and supporting documents, which are the basis of this appropriations Act. Section 610 of this Act requires that agencies or entities funded by the Act notify the Committee and obtain prior approval from the Committee for any reprogramming of funds that: (1) creates a new program; (2) eliminates a program, project, or activity; (3) increases funds or personnel for any program, project, or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted by the Congress; (4) proposes to use funds directed for a specific activity by either the House or Senate Committees on Appropriations for a different purpose; (5) augments existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; (6) reduces existing programs, projects, or activities by $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; or (7) reorganizes offices, programs, or activities. Additionally, the Committee expects to be promptly notified of all reprogramming actions which involve less than the above-mentioned amounts if such actions would have the effect of significantly changing an agency's funding requirements in future years, or if programs or projects specifically cited in the Committee's reports are affected by the reprogramming. Reprogrammings meeting these criteria must be approved by the Committee regardless of the amount proposed to be moved. Section 610 also directs the agencies funded by this Act to submit operating plans for the Committee's review within 60 days of the bill's enactment. Each operating plan should include: (1) a table for each appropriation with a separate column to display the President's budget request, adjustments made by Congress, adjustments due to enacted rescissions, if appropriate, and the fiscal year enacted level; (2) a delineation in the table for each appropriation both by object class and program, project, and activity as detailed in the budget appendix for the respective appropriation; and (3) an identification of items of special congressional interest. RELATIONSHIP WITH BUDGET OFFICESThrough the years, the Committee has channeled most of its inquiries and requests for information and assistance through the budget offices of the various departments, agencies, and commissions. The Committee has often pointed to the natural affinity and relationship between these organizations and the Committee which makes such a relationship workable. The Committee reiterates its longstanding position that while the Committee reserves the right to call upon all offices in the departments, agencies, and commissions, the primary conjunction between the Committee and these entities must normally be through the budget offices. The Committee appreciates all the assistance received from each of the departments, agencies, and commissions during the past year. The workload generated by the budget process is large and growing, and therefore, a positive, responsive relationship between the Committee and the budget offices is absolutely essential to the appropriations process. QUALITY OF BUDGET DOCUMENTSFor years, the Committee has directed departments and agencies to improve the budget justification document quality and presentation by including relevant and specific budget information. While the Committee has seen some improvement in a few submissions, most justifications continue to be filled with references to the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), drowning in pleonasm, and yet still devoid of useful information. The Committee strongly encourages the administration to use a meaningful system of evaluation to justify proposed program funding levels, as long as the basis for the evaluations will also be shared with the Committee. The Committee finds little use for a budget justification which does not reveal specific details of the measurable indicators and standards used to evaluate a program's performance, relevance, or adherence to underlying authorization statute. Further, the Committee has little patience for secretaries and administrators who cannot explain the rationale behind a program's funding level other than `the PART score,' `getting to green,' or `this is what OMB provided.' The Committee welcomes the input from the agencies, and is very interested in the methodologies used by the administration to fund various program priorities. AMENDMENTS Amendment offered by Mr. Cardoza. An amendment to reduce funding for the General Activites under the General Services Administration by $8 million and increase funding for the Office of Inspector General under the General Services Administration by $6 million. Passed 281 to 144 RC 584
Amendment offered by Mr. DeFazio. An amendment numbered 8 printed in the Congressional Record to reduce funds for Selective Service System by $10,000,000 and increase funds for the Small Business Administration by $10,000,000. Failed 95 to 320 RC 585
Amendment offered by Mr. Price (GA). An amendment numbered 15 printed in the Congressional Record to stike section 738 regarding requirement for Public-Private Competition. Failed 158 to 268 RC 586
Amendment offered by Mr. Davis, Tom. An amendment to decrease funding (by transfer) regarding the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of Special Counsel by $1 million. Failed 146 to 249 RC 587
Amendment offered by Mr. Miller (NC). An amendment to prohibit funds to implement Executive Order 13422. An order requiring that Federal agencies, when developing regulations, take into account market failures. The EO aimed to allow agencies to consider market issues when developing regulations Agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Inglis (SC). An amendment to prohibit funds to be used to purchase light bulbs unless the light bulbs have the "ENERGY STAR" or "Federal Energy Management Program" designation. Agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Garrett (NJ). An amendment numbered 1 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit funds to be used by the SEC to enforce the requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Passed 267 to 154 RC 588
Amendment offered by Mr. Souder.
An amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used for the Prevention Works or Whitman-Walker Clinic needle exchange programs. Failed 208 to 216 RC 589
Amendment offered by Mr. Moran (KS). An amendment to prohibit funds to be used to administer, implement, or enforce the amendment made in section 515.533 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, that was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 25, 2005. Agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 18 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit funds for the Grace Johnstown Area Regional Industries Incubator and Workforce Development program. Failed 87 to 355 RC 590
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used for a project for Barracks Row Main Street, Inc. Failed 60 to 361 RC 591
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 21 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, SPUR Urban Center. Failed 102 to 317 RC 592
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 19 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds to be used for the Mitchell County Development Foundation, Inc. for the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Project. Passed 248 to 174 RC 593
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 17 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds for the Fairplex Trade and Conference Center, Pomona, California. Not agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 28 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds for the Advantage West Economic Development Group, Certified Entrepreneurial Community Program. Not agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake. An amendment numbered 22 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds for the West Virginia University Research Corporation for renovations of a small business incubator. failed 109 to 325 RC 594
Amendment offered by Mr. DeFazio. An amendment numbered 9 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit use of funds in the bill for the Selective Service System to prepare for, plan, or execute the Area Office Mobilization Prototype Exercise. Agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Campbell (CA). An amendment to prohibit use of funds for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission. Failed 107 to 318 RC 595
Amendment offered by Mr. Emanuel. An amendment to prohibit use of funds in the bill for the Office of the Vice President. {Reduces funds by $4 million} Failed 209 to 217 RC 596
Amendment offered by Mr. Campbell (CA). An amendment to prohibit use of funds in the bill for the Wittenberg University East Asian Study Center Not agreed to by voice vote
Amendment offered by Mr. Campbell (CA). An amendment to prohibit use of funds for a list of sundry projects contained in the bill Failed 48 to 372 RC 597
Amendment offered by Mr. Wicker. An amendment to limit the use of funds to implement section 5112 of title 31 United States Code. Passed 295 to 127 RC 598
Amendment offered by Mr. Pence. An amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used by the Federal Communications Commission to implement the Fairness Doctrine, as repealed in General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees or any other regulations having the same substances. Passed 309 to 115 with 1 voting 'Present' RC 599
Amendment offered by Mr. Jordan. An amendment numbered 31 printed in the Congressional Record to provide that each amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act that is not required to be appropriated or otherwise made available by a provision of law is reduced by 8.9 percent. Failed 149 to 276 RC 600
Amendment offered by Mr. Price (GA). An amendment to reduce appropriations in the bill by $214,340,000. Failed 191 to 233 RC 601
Amendment offered by Mrs. Musgrave. An amendment to require that each amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act is hereby reduced by 0.5 percent. Failed 205 to 220 RC 602
Amendment offered by Mr. Goode. An amendment to prohibit funds to be used to implement or enforce the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992. Passed 224 to 200 RC 603
Amendment offered by Mr. Stearns. An amendment to prohibit funds to be used by the Internal Revenue Service to implement a Spanish-language version of the "Where's my Refund?" service. Failed 165 to 207 RC 604
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