CODIFICATION OF RECENT LAWS Fourth, bills to codify recent laws relating to money and finance and transportation (H.R. 2727) and to enact title 8 (H.R. 2728) were introduced during the last session. H.R. 2727 passed the House of Representatives August 1, 1983, the Senate on January 31, 1984, and is now awaiting approval by the President. Work is progressing on bills to enact titles 19 and 25. Also, substantial codification advice and assistance was provided the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in preparing a bill (enacted as Public Law 9889) to codify certain shipping laws as subtitle II of title 46. [The statement of Mr. Willett follows:] STATEMENT OF EDWARD F. WILLETT, JR., LAW REVISION COUNSEL OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. Chairman, and members of the Subcommittee, it is a pleasure to appear before you with regard to our request for Fiscal Year 1985 and to report on the progress that has been made during the past year in the United States Code and codification work. I am requesting $818,000 for Fiscal Year 1985, an increase of $77,000 over Fiscal Year 1984. Of this increase, $11,000 is attributable to non-personnel costs, and $66,000 is attributable to increased personnel costs. The increased personnel costs breakout as follows: $26,000 for the January 1, 1984, comparability increase; $40,000 for meritorious promotions. The amount requested for personnel funding is based on 19 employees, which is the same number of employees provided for in the 1984 appropriation. The figure of 19 employees includes 11 positions for attorneys, and 8 technical and clerical positions. Included in the 19 positions are 5 new positions (required by reason of the increased workload associated with the recently installed computerized Integrated Law Revision and Retrieval System) which were authorized by the fiscal year 1983 and 1984 appropriations. Three of the positions have been filled, and, as I testified before you last year, the 2 other positions are expected to be filled during fiscal year 1984. During the past year, our efforts have been concentrated on preparing and publishing the new 1982 edition of the United States Code. As you know, a new edition of the Code is prepared and published every 6 years, with annual cumulative Supplements for each of the 5 intervening years. The 1982 edition of the Code, which includes laws enacted through January 14, 1983, will consist of over 31,000 pages, comprising 25 volumes, and is approximately 25 percent larger in volume than the 1976 edition. Of the 31,000 pages, titles 1 through 50 will take up 22,000 pages (19 volumes), and the remaining 9,000 pages (6 volumes) cover Index, Popular Names, and Parallel Reference Tables. In testimony before you over the past several years, I have outlined the many benefits that were expected to be derived from the new computer system. The benefits from utilizing the system for producing the 1982 edition of the Code are now being realized, and include timelier publication, an extremely high degree of accuracy in typesetting, and substantial savings in typesetting costs. As of the beginning of this month, work had been completed on 43 of the 50 titles of the new edition of the Code. These 43 titles comprise over 17,000 pages (compared to about 13,800 pages for the same 43 titles in the 1976 edition) and the work on these titles was completed more than 4 months earlier than completion of the same titles for the 1976 edition. Looked at another way, we have been able to produce about 25 percent more in about 25 percent less time. At this point I want to pay tribute to a loyal and dedicated staff and to the excellent assistance of the Government Printing Office, without which this would not have been possible. We expect to complete the editorial work on the new edition of the Code by the end of May and to have all the remaining volumes published by the end of the summer. Work has commenced on Supplement I (1983), which will contain laws enacted between January 15, 1983 and January 22, 1984. We expect work on this Supplement to be completed in about 6 months. Upon completion of Supplement I, we will update the Code data base by including laws enacted during 1984, and then keep the data base current by including new laws as soon as they are enacted. Changes in the data base will also be reflected in the Code research and retrieval system being maintained by H.I.S. With regard to the preparation of codification bills to enact titles of the Code into positive law, a bill was prepared to codify recent law relating to money and finance and transportation (titles 31 and 49). That bill (H.R. 2727) was passed by the House on August 1, 1983, and the Senate on January 31, 1984, and is awaiting approval by the President. A bill to enact title 8, Aliens and Nationality, which had been introduced in the 97th Congress and circulated for comment, was revised and updated and introduced as H.R. 2728. Action on this bill by the Judiciary Committee is being deferred pending action on immigration legislation now before the Congress. If immigration legislation is enacted, H.R. 2728 will need to be revised so as to include this legislation. Work is also progressing on bills to enact title 19, Customs Duties, and title 25, Indians. The Office also provided substantial codification advice and assistance to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in preparing a bill (enacted as Public Law 98-89) to codify into positive law, with non-controversial substantive changes, certain shipping laws as subtitle II of title 46. In accordance with section 2(j) of that law and the accompanying report on the bill, we are working with the Federal Maritime Commission and the Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation, in preparing a bill that will codify into positive law the balance of title 26. This completes my prepared statement. I will be pleased to respond to any question you may have. QUESTIONS FOR LAW REVISION COUNSEL Mr. FAZIO. Thank you very much. I appreciate the fact those investments in computer systems are paying off in greater productivity. Any further question for Mr. Willett? Mrs. BOGGS. May I ask about the shipping laws? Has that been completed? Mr. WILLETT. The first part, relating to vessels and seamen, has been completed and was signed by the President during the 1st session. Basically that included the laws that are administered by the Coast Guard. The second part of title 46 is now being worked on by the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, and we are again assisting their staff in this codification. Mrs. BOGGS. Thank you very much. Mr. FAZIO. You might let Mrs. Boggs know when that has been completed. She wants to hand them out at the Port of New Orleans, I am sure. Mr. WILLETT. Thank you. OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL Mr. GUTHRIE. The Office of the Legislative Counsel. For salaries and expenses of the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House, $2,863,000. This request includes personnel funding of $2,771,000 and non-personnel funding of $92,000. This is a decrease under the Fiscal Year 1984 appropriation primarily attributed to the one time cost in Fiscal Year 1984 of computer system upgrading. Mr. Ward Hussey, the Legislative Counsel of the House, is here today to discuss the operations of his office with the Subcommittee. I would like to insert the table for the Record. [The table follows:] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL: APPROPRIATIONS, ACTUAL EXPENDITURES, UNEXPENDED BALANCES STATEMENT OF LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL Mr. FAZIO. We want to thank you and Paul Smith for the help you provide us on a regular basis. Mr. HUSSEY. We appreciate working with you and Mr. Lombard. Mr. FAZIO. It is probably more Mr. Lombard. Mr. HUSSEY. Mr. Chairman, I have two statements, a four-page statement and a two-page statement, or I can say I am here for questions. us. Mr. FAZIO. Why don't you briefly summarize your statement for Mr. HUSSEY. Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, it is a pleasure to appear before you again. I am requesting $2,863,000 for the fiscal year 1985. While the request for Fiscal Year 1985 is $222,000 less than the amount appropriated for Fiscal Year 1984 ($3,085,000), it does represent an increase of $93,000 over the amount appropriated for Fiscal Year 1984 for all items other than the $315,000 appropriated for that year to upgrade our computer system. This $93,000 increase may be broken down as follows: January 1984 pay comparability increase, $84,152; meritorious promotions, $8,848. The amount requested for personnel funding is based on 52 employees. This figure of 52 employees includes 35 positions for attorneys, and 17 administrative, technical, and clerical positions. ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE FIRST SESSION 98TH CONGRESS During the first session of the 98th Congress, our office completed 5,014 jobs for individual members, which is up 692 from the 4,322 jobs for individual members completed during the first session of the 97th Congress. There was a comparable increase in the work which we did for committees, which takes the major portion of our staff's time. During the first session of the 98th Congress, we completed 938 committee jobs; whereas during the first session of the 97th Congress we completed only 797 jobs. Incidentally, during the first session of this Congress we did work for 415 members of the House and for all of the 22 standing committees of the House. The amount requested for non-personnel funding other than computer upgrade ($92,000) is the same as it was for fiscal years 1982, 1983, and 1984. UPGRADING COMPUTER SYSTEM I would like at this point to express my appreciation to this subcommittee for its action last year in approving the item relating to the funding for upgrading the computer system in our office. As a result of this action, I expect the House Information Systems to install a new computer system which is tailored to the special needs in our office about the 1st of August. The total cost for the system is $344,520, an increase of $29,520 over our original request. This increase will be paid for from our miscellaneous funds without the need for any supplemental appropriation for this item. In the statement there is a table showing an increase in the number of pages printed by the Government Printing Office from tapes prepared in our office. In the first session of the 98th Congress this totalled 16,539 pages. I shall, of course, be glad to answer any questions. [The statement of Mr. Hussey follows:] STATEMENT OF WARD M. HUSSEY, LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL Mr. Chairman and Members of the subcommittee, it is a pleasure to appear before you again. I am requesting $2,863,000 for the fiscal year 1985. While the request for fiscal year 1985 is $222,000 less than the amount appropriated for fiscal year 1984 ($3,085,000), it does represent an increase of $93,000 over the amount appropriated for fiscal year 1984 for all items other than the $315,000 appropriated for that year to upgrade our computer system. This $93,000 increase may be broken down as follows: January 1984 pay comparability increase.. $84,152 8,848 The amount requested for personnel funding is based on 52 employees, which is the number of employees provided for in the 1982, 1983, and 1984 appropriations, but 2 fewer than the 54 employees provided for by the 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981 appropriations. This figure of 52 employees includes 35 positions for attorneys, and 17 administrative, technical, and clerical positions. At the present time we have 4 vacancies distributed as follows: 2 attorneys, 1 position for a Ramseyer specialist (that is, a person who prepares copy showing the changes in existing law which will be made by reported bills); and 1 position for a legal stenographer. The 2 attorneys have been selected and will begin work this summer after they have completed law school. We are presently interviewing to fill the other 2 positions. During the 1st Session of the 98th Congress, our office completed 5,014 jobs for individual Members, which is up 692 from the 4,322 jobs for individual Members completed during the 1st Session of the 97th Congress. There was a comparable increase in the work which we did for committees (which takes the major portion of our staff's time). During the 1st Session of the 98th Congress we completed 938 committee jobs; whereas during the 1st session of the 97th Congress we completed only 797 jobs. Incidentally, during the 1st session of this Congress we did work for 415 Members of the House and for all of the 22 standing committees of the House. There are preliminary indications that a number of committees of the House plan to be far more active from the standpoint of working on legislation during the next Congress than they have been during this Congress. Despite our increasing workload, and despite these indications that the workload will continue to increase, I have not thought it necessary to request funds to increase our legal staff to the recommended level of 40 attorneys contained in the December 1975 report on the staffing of our office made by the House Commission on Information and Facilities. The amount requested for non-personnel funding (other than the computer upgrade) ($92,000) is the same as it was for fiscal years 1982, 1983, and 1984. This figure of $92,000 includes an item of $20,000 for consultant contracts in connection with our computer system to be sure we are getting the maximum efficient use of our system. I would like at this point to express my appreciation to this subcommittee for its action last year in approving the item relating to the funding for upgrading the computer system in our Office. As a result of this action, I expect the House Information Systems to install a new computer system which is tailored to the special needs in out Office about the first of August. The total cost for the system is $344,520, an increase of $29,520 over our original request. This increase will be paid for from our miscellaneous funds without the need for any supplemental appropriation for this item. The new computer system, like the present system, will pay for itself in a very short period of time through— (1) The increased volume of work which our attorneys and clerks can turn out without any increase in personnel, and (2) The use of our tapes by the Government Printing Office in printing bills and resolutions. During the 1st session of the 98th Congress, we sent the computer tapes which our stenographers had prepared to the Government Printing Office, for direct printing from these tapes, in the case of 3,102 bills and 74 committee prints. According to our records, the total number of printed pages involved was 16,539 (this compares favorably with the 13,384 pages recorded for the 1st session of the 97th Congress and the 13,391 pages recorded for the 2nd session of the 97th Congress). The steady increase in the use of these tapes by the Government Printing Office may be shown from the following table: PAGES SENT TO PRINT BY THE OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL-OCTOBER 1978 THROUGH POSSIBLE USE OF OLD COMPUTER SYSTEM Mr. FAZIO. Just one item. Ed remembered that there was some discussion of perhaps the Parliamentarian making use of your old computer. Is that being discussed as a possible option? Mr. HUSSEY. I talked it over with Bill Brown. It is available. Mr. GUTHRIE. It is being discussed with the Parliamentarian as we upgrade to the Atex 4 system. Mr. FAZIO. What would happen otherwise to that computer? Mr. FAZIO. To whom? Mr. HUSSEY. I think we are getting an allowance from Atex. Mr. GUTHRIE. It would be disposed of by transfer to another government office, either within the House or through GSA. Mr. FAZIO. Thank you very much. Unless there are questions from other Members of the Committee? Mr. LEWIS. No complaints. No questions. We appreciate your testimony. Mr. HUSSEY. Thank you. |