BILL SUMMARY: Legislative Branch Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill
Bill delivers resources to carry out the work of the American people, assist constituents, keep the Capitol safe, and support the officers who bravely protect it
Rejects unacceptable riders that would have set back efforts to ensure dedicated public servants from all backgrounds are able to work in Congress and serve their communities
***Bill text, explanatory statement, & more available HERE***
Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2024 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act provides $6.75 billion for the operations of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, the United States Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Copyright Office, the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Office of the Attending Physician.
“This is an essential investment in democracy and oversight that bolsters the legislative branch’s capacity to better serve the public. This bill delivers the funding and infrastructure required for the U.S. Capitol Police to safeguard the Capitol complex and keep it accessible to the public,” said Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Chair of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee. “The bill reflects a bipartisan commitment to ensuring Congress has the resources to carry out its constitutional responsibilities. It also maintains the capacity of important watchdog agencies, such as the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, which helps enhance transparency and accountability throughout the federal government to save taxpayers money. It also makes needed investments in modernizing the Library of Congress and legislative branch offices. And it prioritizes operations at the Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Economic Committee, and Government Publishing Office, which are crucial to providing lawmakers with trusted information and keeping the American public well-informed.”
“This bipartisan bill delivers the resources needed to carry out our constitutional responsibilities as legislators, deliver for constituents back home, and to keep our Capitol safe for all those who work in it and come to visit,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This bill invests in the brave Capitol Police officers who protect the Capitol complex and have made heroic sacrifices to do so—especially over the last few years. It has always been important to me that the doors of Congress be open to public servants from all backgrounds, so I am glad to have secured several new steps in this bill to help more moms and parents be able to work here in Congress. This bill will allow for updates to lactation rooms for nursing mothers and allow Senate offices to ease the burden of child care costs for staff for the first time ever. Importantly, it also sustains essential funding to ensure reliable, nonpartisan expertise and research are available to Congress—and to support critical oversight and accountability efforts.”
Key Points & Highlights
Capitol Police: The bill provides $792 million—$56.9 million over fiscal year 2023—for the United States Capitol Police (USCP) to protect the Capitol and everyone who works in it and comes to visit. This includes resources to recruit, support, and retain a highly qualified workforce to protect the Capitol complex—including by supporting recruitment and retention incentives for USCP officers, re-implementing USCP’s tuition reimbursement program, and funding its student loan repayment program.
Security: The bill also provides funding to address threats to members, their families, and staff to ensure that the work of the American people can be carried out safely—and provides resources to support state office operations and security to be able to best serve constituents.
The bill provides critical funding for the Architect of the Capitol to support Capitol complex physical security requirements to keep members, staff, and visitors safe, and provides funds to support strong cybersecurity practices within congressional offices and legislative branch agencies.
Capitol Workforce: The bill provides key funding to support the workforce that keeps Congress and legislative branch agencies running. Notably, it provides $1 million in new funding to retrofit lactation rooms across the Capitol complex for nursing mothers, and it provides Senate offices with the authority for the first time ever to use their existing budgets to provide child care subsidies to staff. Importantly, the bill also sustains $7 million in dedicated funding to pay Senate interns.
Government Accountability Office (GAO): The bill provides $811.9 million for GAO—a $21.5 million increase over fiscal year 2023—to support the agency’s essential oversight and auditing responsibilities. As Congress’ independent, nonpartisan watchdog, GAO helps ensure federal programmatic and grant activities are executed in an efficient and effective manner as intended by law.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO): The bill provides $70 million—a $6.8 million increase over fiscal year 2023—to support CBO’s essential role providing Congress with objective, timely, and non-partisan analysis to inform budgetary and economic deliberations essential to the legislative process.
Congressional Research Service (CRS): The bill provides $136 million for CRS—$2.5 million above fiscal year 2023—to support its vital responsibility to provide Congress with expert, non-partisan policy and legal analysis.
Constituent Services: The bill sustains funding to support the operations of Senate and House offices and committees as they carry out their legislative and oversight responsibilities and provide services to constituents.
Campus Operations: The bill provides resources for the Architect of the Capitol to maintain Capitol complex buildings, grounds, and other facilities, and it funds key infrastructure and security requirements for the Capitol complex.
Library of Congress: The bill provides $591 million—a $9.2 million increase over fiscal year 2023—for the Library of Congress to continue its role as the primary research arm of Congress and as a resource available to the American people.
U.S. Copyright Office: The bill provides $103 million—a $2 million increase over fiscal year 2023—for the U.S. Copyright Office to fulfill its responsibilities administering the copyright processes for the country.
Office of Congressional Workplace Rights: The bill provides $8.15 million—$150,000 above fiscal year 2023—for the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: The bill establishes and funds the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 2025, which is responsible for the planning and execution of the Inaugural Ceremonies of the President-elect and Vice President-elect at the Capitol.
Member Pay: The bill continues a longstanding freeze on members’ pay.
###
Next Article Previous Article