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14. Object Class Definitions

11 Personnel Compensation

Obligations for regular compensation of employees in full-time permanent positions or employees in positions not included in full-time permanent positions, such as full-time and part-time temporary employees, part-time permanent employees, or public members of the OTA Advisory Council. Obligations for compensation for all appointed consultants who are paid at a daily rate when actually employed are also included in this object class.

12 Personnel Benefits

Obligations for employers' share of employee retirement, life insurance, health insurance, Medicare, and Social Security.

13 Benefits to Former Personnel

Obligations for unemployment compensation for former employees.

21 Travel

Obligations for all travel expenses for OTA employees or others, whether paid to traveler or commercial transportation charges (e.g., rental car). Included in this object class are obligations for transportation expenses incident to permanent change of station and per diem.

22 Transportation of Things

Obligations for transportation of things and for the care of such things while in the process of being transported, including General Services Administration for leasing and maintenance of the OTA delivery vehicles, U.S. Postal Service for penalty (franked) mail, Express Mail, services provided by USPS, private freight and mail services (this does not include local delivery service), and transport of household furnishings associated with a permanent change of station.

23 Rent, Communication, Utilities

Obligations for space rental; rental of reproduction equipment; telegraph and teletype service; mail delivered by a messenger (local delivery); C&P or other telephone companies for regular, WATS, telecopier, and data phone.

24 Printing and Reproduction

Obligations to the Government Printing Office (GPO) for reproduction of printing OTA reports for Congress; GPO or other vendors for printing of OTA letterhead, memo or note paper, and envelopes; graphics work done outside GPO for OTA reports and presentations; GPO or other vendors for forms used by OTA; and GPO or a printing firm for OTA sharing the cost of printing a publica

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25 Other Services

Obligations for services acquired by contract that provide management and professional support services; studies, analyses, and evaluations. Includes on-site (in-house) contractors, panelists and obligations for services associated with an OTA assessment or study. Excludes personnel appointments and advisory committees, which are classified under object class 11. Also includes obligations for building maintenance and repairs when done by contract, temporary secretarial services, training and meeting registration, court reporting, equipment services not covered under rental agreement, services of editors and proofreaders, maintenance agreements for office equipment, computerized information retrieval, development of software, and advertising.

26 Supplies and Materials

Obligations for supplies and materials that are ordinarily consumed or expended within one year after they are purchased or that are used to form a minor part of equipment or fixed property; subscriptions for journals, magazines, newspapers, etc., pamphlets and leaflets or minor publications having an expected useful life of less than one year and that are not for the permanent collection; and ADP supplies (e.g., computer disks, tapes or off-the-shelf software).

31 Equipment

Obligations for personal property or equipment that is of a durable nature which normally may be expected to have a period of service of a year or more after purchase without material impairment of its physical condition, such as: (1) major purchased equipment and furnishing; (2) minor movable equipment for office use; (3) computer equipment; (4) audiovisual equipment; (5) books, bound reports, directories, etc. for OTA's Information Center permanent collection; and (6) charges for the initial installation of equipment when performed by the vendor. This object class consists of both non-capitalized equipment (purchases orders under $5,000) and capitalized equipment (unit

Supplementary

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15.A. Publications Printed and Delivered During Fiscal Year 1993

Formal Assessment Reports

Pharmaceutical R&D: Costs, Risks, and Rewards

February 1993

Pharmaceutical costs are among the fastest growing components of health care costs today. Although increases in the inflation-adjusted prices of ethical drugs and perceived high prices of new drugs have been a concern of congressional committees for over 30 years, the growing Federal role in paying for prescription drugs has increased the concern over the appropriateness of prices relative to the costs of bringing new drugs to market. Specific policies of U.S. and other governments can alter the delicate balance between costs and returns to pharmaceutical R&D, with ramifications for the future health of Americans, for health care costs, and for the future of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.

This report focuses mainly on the economic side of the R&D process. Pharmaceutical R&D is an investment, and the principal characteristic of an investment is that money is spent today in the hopes of generating even more money in the future. Pharmaceutical R&D is a risky investment; therefore, high financial returns are necessary to induce companies to invest in researching new chemical entities. Changes in Federal policy that affect the cost, uncertainty and returns of pharmaceutical R&D may have dramatic effects on the investment patterns of the industry. Given this sensitivity to policy changes, careful consideration of the effects on R&D is needed. Requested by:

House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Hon. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment

Industrial Energy Efficiency

April 1993

This report focuses on energy use in industry, and how government policy can affect it. Trends and patterns in industrial energy use are reviewed, energy-efficient industrial equipment and practices are described, and the factors that influence corporate investment in efficient technologies are explored. Lastly, past Federal efforts to improve industrial energy efficiency are reviewed, and policy options for encouraging the further development and adoption of efficient industrial technologies are discussed.

Requested by:

Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs

Hon. John Glenn, Chairman

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Hon. J. Bennett Johnston, Chairman

Hon. James A. McClure, then Ranking Minority Member

Hon. Timothy Wirth, then Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy Regulation and Conservation