July 18, 1977
Page 23528
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the Senate has before it H.R. 7932, the legislative branch appropriation bill for fiscal 1978 which provides funds for the Congress, the Library of Congress, the General Accounting Office, the Government Printing Office, and other agencies.
I take this opportunity to comment on the relationship between this bill and the targets set out in the first budget resolution for fiscal 1978.
This bill provides $1.0 billion in budget authority and $1.1 billion in outlays for fiscal 1978, including $0.1 billion in outlays from prior year authority. The bill is consistent with the assumptions of the first budget resolution.
Under section 302(B) of the Budget Act, the Appropriations Committee divides among its subcommittees the total budget authority and outlays allocated to it under the budget resolution.
The funds provided in this appropriation bill are within the totals allocated to the subcommittee on the legislative branch pursuant to section 302(B) of the Budget Act. That allocation is $1.0 billion in budget authority and $1.1 billion in outlays. This appropriation bill as reported is $9 million in budget authority and $45 million in outlays below the amounts allocated to the subcommittee.
Later requirements for items not provided in the bill are expected to be negligible. However, I would point out that on a comparable basis, the House bill is $99 million in budget authority and $45 million in outlays above the Senate bill. This is due to the inclusion by the House of funds for the extension of the West Front of the Capitol — which was not included by the Senate — and the changes by the Senate in the financial treatment of certain fee related services performed by the Library of Congress, the Copyright Office, and the Government Printing Office which were not made by the House. If the House position on both of these items were accepted in conference, there would be a potential breach of the subcommittee's section 302(b) allocation by $0.1 billion in budget authority. It is therefore particularly important to hold this appropriation bill to the level reported in the Senate, and to maintain the Senate position in the conference.
I wish to commend the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch. Senator HUDDLESTON, for his outstanding efforts in bringing in a bill with the allocation made to his subcommittee.
I wish also to commend the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator McCLELLAN, for his continuing efforts to assure that the discipline of the budget process is maintained and that the total of all regular and supplemental appropriation bills for fiscal 1978 remains within the first budget resolution targets.