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HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE

For the House Republican Conference, $66,440.

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OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY FLOOR LEADER

For the Office of the Majority Floor Leader including $3.000 for the official expenses of the Majority Floor Leader, $149,805.

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OFFICE OF THE MINORITY FLOOR LEADER

For the Office of the Minority Floor Leader, including $3.000 for the official expenses of the minority floor leader, $133,190.

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OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY WHIP

For the Office of the Majority Whip, $107,810.

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OFFICE OF THE MINORITY WHIP

For the Office of the Minority Whip, $107,810.

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Two PRINTING CLERKS FOR CAUCUS ROOMS

For two printing clerks, one for the majority caucus room and one for the minority caucus room, to be appointed by the majority and minority leaders, respectively, $24,455.

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For a technical assistant in the Office of the Attending Physician to be appointed by the attending physician, subject to the approval of the Speaker, $21,975, the same as appropriated for 1973.

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Mr. WYMAN. Is that person a doctor?

Mr. JENNINGS. No; he is a corpsman. He has had extensive experience and serves as an administrative assistant to the physician.

Mr. CASEY. He takes blood pressure and a few things like that. Mr. JENNINGS. He can assist the doctor. He is a corpsman. Mr. CASEY. There are more doctors in the Office of the Attending Physician, quite a few.

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. They are assigned by the Navy Department. Mr. WYMAN. The technical assistant is also the administrator in that office?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes, sir. He is the administrator.

Mr. WYMAN. His duties go beyond taking blood pressure?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes. He is an assistant to the attending physician. Mr. WYMAN. He runs the files?

Mr. JENNINGS. Yes; and in general, helps manage the office.

OFFICIAL REPORTERS OF DEBATES

For official reporters of debates, $415,455, the same as appropriated for 1973. House Resolution 13, adopted January 3, 1973, provides that another reporter be employed and paid out of the contingent fund until otherwise provided by law. As customary, Mr. Chairman, I ask that this resolution be made permanent law in this year's appropriation bill.

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APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, INVESTIGATIVE STAFF

For salaries and expenses, studies and examinations of executive agencies by the Committee on Appropriations, to be expended in accordance with section 202(b) of the "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946," $1,612,000.

These funds were requested by the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who indicates the increase is due to the workload of the committee.

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OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL

For salaries and expenses of the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House, $958,000 compared with $869,000 appropriated for 1973, or an increase of $89,000.

Mr. Ward M. Hussey, the Legislative Counsel of the House, is here today to discuss his office with the subcommittee. Mr. Hussey, as you know, succeeded Mr. Edward O. Craft in this position when Mr. Craft retired last year.

Mr. Hussey's salary is set by law. All other positions and rates of salaries are established by him with the approval of the Speaker.

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Mr. CASEY. Welcome, Mr. Hussey. It is a pleasure to have you in your new position here.

Mr. HUSSEY. Thank you. I hope I do as good a job as my predecessor, Ed Craft, did.

Mr. CASEY. Do you have a statement Mr. Hussey?

Mr. HUSSEY. Yes I do, Mr. Chairman. Would you like me to read it?
Mr. CASEY. Handle it any way you like.

Mr. HUSSEY. It is short so I would like to read it, if I may.
Mr. CASEY. Certainly.

STATEMENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL

Mr. HUSSEY. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, it is a pleasure to appear before you in my new position as Legislative Counsel of the House.

FOUR NEW POSITIONS

I am requesting $958,000 for the fiscal year 1974, an increase of $89,000 from fiscal year 1973. This increase is primarily due to a request for four additional attorney positions, which will bring the number of positions on our legal staff to a total of 30 lawyers.

As you know, title V of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 was devoted exclusively to the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House. This rewriting of the charter for our office (which was established by the Revenue Act of 1918) emphasized the need for our office to expand to meet the needs of the Members of the House and of the committees of the House for our services.

We have approached this expansion in what has seemed to some to be a cautious and deliberate manner. This was because we felt that to hire large numbers of new lawyers would not be good for the quality of our work either during the training period (it takes approximately 2 years to train a new lawyer) or thereafter.

In 1970, when the Legislative Reorganization Act was enacted, we had 14 attorneys. Today we have 20 attorneys, an increase of six attorneys. In addition, by reason of the funds made available to us in the 1973 Legislative Appropriation Act, we have recruited four more thirdyear law students who will begin work with us shortly after they graduate in May or June of this year.

The four additional attorney positions which we are requesting for fiscal year 1974, when added to the 24 positions already filled and to the two existing vacancies, will give us a total of 30 attorneys.

That completes my written statement. I shall, of course, be happy to answer your questions.

WORKLOAD

Mr. CASEY. Can you give us some indication of how your workload has increased?

Mr. HUSSEY. Sir, as Ed Craft used to indicate, the use of “job” totals is an inexact way of measuring our workload, because one request for assistance may take only 1 or 2 hours, while another request for assistance (if a committee is involved) may take months to complete. With that warning, the total number of jobs done for committees and individual members increased from a total of 5,731 jobs for the 91st Congress to a total of 7,121 jobs for the 92d Congress. In addition, there seems to be a steady increase not only in the amount of work but in the difficulty of the work. We seem to be having more and more jobs which are complex and highly technical.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICE

Mr. CASEY. Your responsibility is primarily in drafting legislation? Mr. HUSSEY. Yes, sir; section 503 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 listed five functions for our office to perform. First of all, we are to assist conference committees in preparing conference reports and explanatory statements. Second, we are to work with the committees of the House in drafting legislation, amendments, and reports. Third, we are to assist the committees and Members on the floor during the consideration of legislation. Fourth, the 1970 act makes explicit for the first time a function we have been performing for many years. the function of drafting legislation at the request of individual Members of the House. We did this on an unofficial basis in the past, but the 1970 act codified this function and made it a definite requirement imposed on us by statute. Finally, section 503 of the Legislative Reorganization Act provides that at the direction of the Speaker we are to perform on behalf of the House of Representatives any legal services which are within the capabilities of the office and the performance of which would not be inconsistent with the main drafting functions of the office.

Mr. CASEY. Are there any questions?

OTHER LEGAL SERVICES

Mr. WYMAN. What would those legal services be? Give us a few examples of what you mean by that, not drafting but those which "are not inconsistent with the drafting function" of your office.

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