As included in previous House Reports 117–80 and 117–389, the Committee again requests that the Inspector General institute procedures to make its reports publicly available whenever practicable, and to begin publishing reports on its website. The Committee is aware of the process initiated by the Office of the Inspector General to gain approval for the public posting of its reports and directs the Capitol Police Board to further these efforts to expedite the process.

Budgetary and administrative data, as well as other information held by Executive Branch agencies, are critical to the work of the Congress. To the greatest extent practicable under existing legal requirements, Executive Branch agencies should prioritize requests from the Congressional Budget Office for data and other information and ensure agency procedures and permissions are in place to expedite responses to CBO requests.

In House Report 116–64, the Committee urged the LOC to convene a public meeting at least once a year during the following two years to discuss public input into the Library’s legislative information services. The Library held three public forums which were widely attended and viewed as a success by both the LOC and the participants. The Library should continue to host these public forums, both in person and virtually, at least once a year and continue to report on the recommendations it receives, including making those recommendations available to the public.

The Committee directs the Library of Congress to make available to the public the most recent version of all non-confidential CRS Reports contained on the public crsreports.congress.gov website in HTML format, or a successor format when appropriate, to facilitate use and reuse of information contained in the reports. To the extent practical, this enhancement of the public CRS report site should be implemented within one year of the enactment of this legislation. The Library can satisfy this requirement by contemporaneously publishing this information in bulk, such as through the Government Publishing Office’s bulk data repository.

The Committee looks forward to the report ordered in the joint explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 117–328 to gain insight on how Congress.gov could better track the legislative process.

The Committee is aware of the GAO’s efforts to improve congressional and public access to the information contained in its reports and testimony by issuing products in HTML through the agency’s New Blue program. Through this program, the GAO is starting a pilot to issue more reports in HTML along with the traditional PDF formats. The Committee encourages the Comptroller General to continue furthering efforts in this program and report to the Committee its progress 90 days after enactment of this Act.

The joint explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 117–328 directed the GAO to publish on its website and provide a report estimating the cost savings that could be achieved if agencies acted on GAO’s recommendations organized by agency. The Committee looks forward to the report upon completion in June 2023.

Congressional Requirements for Legislative Branch Cyber and Physical Data Security

OCAS and House Recording Studio

The Committee supports resourcing the Department to meet its essential needs and believes that the Department can fulfill its mission with a maintained level of funding for general expenses. The Capitol Police’s budget has seen a significant increase in recent years, which has been widely supported, but the Committee acknowledges that full execution of funding has been a challenge. Additionally, the Committee notes that investments provided for in recent years are being considered for replacement in the Department’s fiscal year 2024 request. For example, new handguns funded in fiscal years 2019 and 2021 are being considered for replacement. Properly equipping sworn officers is imperative, but the operational requirement for this request of over $12,000,000 for new handguns, holsters and ammunition is early to need. It is for these reasons that the Committee is recommending level funding, which should not be taken as a lack of support for the Capitol Police or its mission, but rather in line with a requirement for prudent fiscal decisions.

The Committee is in receipt of the report requested in House Report 117–389 regarding the Department’s two-way sharing of critical information. The Committee commends the USCP for developing a robust threat identification, investigation, and mitigation process. To further enhance these processes, the U.S. Capitol Police Chief is directed to continue plans to expand the use of other local, state, and Federal law enforcement entities through reimbursable mutual aid agreements and to ensure collaborative two-way sharing of critical information is used to meet mission requirements.

The Committee appreciates the diligent work that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has done with the increased workload due to Committee and Board project requests, and the recommendation includes $850,000, an increase of $376,000 from fiscal year 2023, for the OIG. As the Department’s budget increases, the complexities of the financial statement audit have necessitated its outsourcing so that the OIG may continue to fulfill its statutory responsibilities for auditing Department programs and operations to ensure efficacy and investigation of complaints for potential fraud, waste, or abuse.

The Committee appreciates the efforts undertaken by the USCP to develop and implement a holistic wellness and resiliency program for its workforce, including the Howard C. ‘Howie’ Liebengood Center for Wellness. The Committee directs the U.S. Capitol Police Chief to survey the force to help shape updates to the wellness program and its assessibility to the USCP workforce and submit a report to the Committee not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act that includes the results of the survey, a prioritization of updates to be considered, and their associated cost projections.

The Committee directs the Congressional Budget Office, in coordination with the Joint Committee on Taxation, to provide a report to the Committee, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, on the impacts of adding debt-service costs to CBO’s estimates.

The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. As such, the Committee requests that the Director of CBO expand the agency’s outreach to better inform Congress of the products and services the CBO provides.

The Committee continues to expect CBO to ensure a high level of responsiveness to committees, leadership and Members, to the greatest extent practicable under the priorities for CBO set by law, especially when working on current pending legislation. As an agency that prides itself as being nonpartisan, CBO should be providing the same information to all stakeholders at the appropriate time when addressing legislation that has been made public.

The Committee thanks the AOC for including in the congressional budget justifications the description of the activities of the AOC Construction Division, as requested. The Committee requests that this information identifying the number and scope of projects, and the number of staff funded through Construction Division activities, and the funding provided to the Division from AOC jurisdiction accounts continue to be included in the budget justification material. The Committee directs that the justifications include, in each jurisdiction’s section, the appropriations bill language requested, along with any changes to be identified with brackets and italicization.

The Committee recognizes the AOC’s Capitol Power Plant cogeneration project and the energy savings performance contracts at the Capitol, House, and Senate have resulted in roughly $100,000,000 in cost avoidance and serve as an important effort in grid resiliency and domestic renewable energy production. The AOC is encouraged to continue to address facility needs in an energy efficient and fiscally responsible manner and seek ways to increase Capitol campus resiliency and efficiency.

The Committee recognizes the necessity for wireless connectivity throughout the Capitol complex. The Committee continues to urge the Architect to assess the feasibility of upgrading the wireless local area network to ensure the highest level of connectivity in all areas of the Capitol complex.

The Committee directs the Architect of the Capitol to provide a report to the Committee, within 60 days of enactment of this Act, on the cost estimates associated with the annual Americans with Disabilities Act progress report on removing the accessibility barriers.

To mitigate traffic and pedestrian safety concerns, the Committee encourages the AOC to work with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) to evaluate and improve road conditions and traffic light sequences to the roads immediately surrounding the House Office Buildings

As stated in House Report 117–389, the AOC is commended for and should continue its efforts to develop a safe and accessible street system to better connect all road users to the U.S. Capitol, Union Station, and the National Mall.

The Committee recognizes the urgent need to complete the Cannon Building renewal, which will replace outdated building systems, conserve historic aspects of the building, and optimize the functionality of Member suites, among other improvements. The Committee remains concerned that the cost of the Cannon renovation has continued to increase from an initial project estimate of $752,700,000 to the current project estimate of $971,300,000. The Committee continues to receive periodic reports from the Architect, the AOC IG, and the Government Accountability Office on the Cannon project schedule, actual costs incurred and expected future costs, and design and construction modifications. The Committee expects to receive prompt notice of any further cost increases and how the AOC expects to absorb them, as detailed in periodic report submission. The AOC is reminded of the administrative provision in the bill prohibiting funding for incentive or award payments to contractors for projects that are behind schedule or over budget.

The House Office Buildings jurisdiction is responsible for the operation, maintenance and preservation of more than 5 million square feet of facility space, including Cannon, which is in the middle of an approximately 10-year renewal project; Ford; Longworth; O’Neill, which the AOC received stewardship responsibility for in 2017; and Rayburn House Office Buildings. The Committee recommends the Architect of the Capitol review current funding priorities for the House Office Buildings and directs a briefing to the Committee not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act to explain the expanding size and scope of projects as well as the growing list of deferred maintenance.

The Committee is in receipt of the Architect of the Capitol’s Integrated Pest Management Program report and notes the AOC’s continuing commitment to addressing pests in an environmentally responsible manner to create a safe workplace for all who work at and visit the Capitol campus, and further expects the AOC to continue its efforts in proactive pest management and mitigation.

In September 2019, Congress approved the Visitor Experience Master Plan (VEMP), a $60,000,000 Public-Private Partnership ($40,000,000 appropriated funds, $20,000,000 donated funds) that will transform how the Library of Congress’ visitors will engage with the Thomas Jefferson Building’s architecture, interiors, exhibits and experiences. The Committee appreciates the bi-weekly project status reports produced by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) and the Library of Congress (LOC) but remains concerned with the accuracy of construction cost estimates, schedules, and overall evolution of the project. Every effort must be made to complete this project in time for the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration. The AOC, in collaboration with the LOC, is directed to continue the bi-weekly project status reports to the Senate and House appropriations and authorization committees of jurisdiction.

The Committee continues to recognize the value of the USBG supporting the evolution of urban agriculture. The Committee encourages USBG to continue to collaborate with USDA to support the USBG’s efforts to host and serve as an educational and training location for local and national audiences.

The Committee recognizes the cultural contributions of the American diasporic groups from nations and communities of the former Soviet Union and its Republics and appreciates the value in preserving their histories and traditions. The Committee commends the important work the Library of Congress is doing to identify, collect, and archive stories, documents, and other historical materials from cultural and ethnic diasporas across Europe and requests the Library further strengthen its partnerships with museums, non-profits, and ethnic heritage centers across the country to collect additional stories, documents and visual materials and recordings from families and institutions dedicated to Eastern and Central European historical collections, and encourages the Library to disseminate them for public use

The COVID–19 American History Project Act is an educational and commemorative program that collects, preserves, and makes available to the public an archive of submitted oral stories of those who were impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic, survivors of loved ones who lost their lives to the disease, and frontline healthcare workers who tirelessly worked to eradicate this virus. The Committee recommends $1,500,000 for the continuation of this program and directs the LOC to provide an update on the status of the project to the Committee 180 days after enactment of this Act.

The Committee continues to support the Library of Congress’s efforts to make available, as appropriate, their expertise for projects aimed at preserving America’s civil rights history abroad.

As a means to preserve the LOC’s literary and historical treasures, the Committee provides $943,000 to continue the deacidification preservation program.

The Committee commends the Library of Congress for the important work of educational programs like Teaching with Primary Sources, which offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching. Primary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. One example is the opportunity to develop a personal understanding of antisemitism through original materials. Some of the organizations that have received Teaching with Primary Sources regional grants have used Library collections to develop curriculum material and professional development opportunities for teachers related to combatting antisemitism. The Committee recognizes the importance of these educational tools in promoting understanding, respect and tolerance.

Few government bodies are more important to the growth of creativity and commercial artistic activity in our nation than the Copyright Office. The Committee continues to support the Copyright Office’s efforts to modernize its IT infrastructure to effectively serve its customers. The Librarian of Congress shall coordinate with the Director of the Copyright Office in implementing its information technology continuous development plan, and the Library shall expend funds on IT infrastructure for the Copyright Office in furtherance of that plan. The Committee encourages the Librarian of Congress to remain sensitive to the specialized requirements of the Copyright Office as the Office implements its IT continuous development in conjunction with the overall Library IT modernization effort.

The Committee continues to support the Office’s use of funds to offer expertise on copyright matters to the Executive Branch, including participation in international discussions. Consistent with historical practice, the Committee expects the Library to continue to defer to the copyright expertise of the Register of Copyrights and to ensure direct consultation between the Copyright Office and Congress.

The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) offers unique insight into an organization’s climate, and Committee directs the Director of CRS to share the results of the FEVS with the Committee and employees. Committee directs the Director of CRS to share the results of the FEVS with the Committee and employees.

The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. In particular, the Committee requests that the Director of CRS regularly and proactively engage in outreach efforts to Congress to determine where improvements can be made and where new approaches are appropriate.

The Committee also continues to support the modernization of Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) Infrastructure, which distributes audio and electronic braille materials. The program’s objective is to transition these services to a cloud-based environment.

The Committee continues to support the Braille eReader and Talking Book Machine initiatives. The recommendation provides for the continued acquisition new e-Reader devices for distribution through the NLS Machine Lending Agencies, which also distribute talking book machines.

The Committee commends the efforts made to update the software and to ensure legislative drafting and publishing platforms can accommodate UTF–8 characters. The Committee directs the GPO, along with the Office of the Clerk and the Library of Congress, to brief the Committee within 60 days of the enactment of this Act on its current capacity to support diacritical marks and its plans to expand and develop this capacity.

The Committee directs the GAO to again undertake an audit of Community Project Funding contained in fiscal year 2024 appropriations legislation. The audit shall include the same characteristics GAO adhered to in its fiscal year 2022 CPF directive after consulting with the Committees on Appropriations. In conducting its audit, GAO shall provide periodic briefings and reports based on available data to the Committees.

Each year, GAO identifies and reports on Federal agency programs with fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative goals or activities and ways to reduce costs or enhance revenue. The Committee continues to direct GAO to issue these reports and urges the Executive Branch to address duplicative programs.

The Committee requests that legislative support agencies take steps to ensure that their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. As such, the Committee requests that GAO expand its outreach to better inform Congress of the products and services the agency provides.

The Committee continues to be deeply troubled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supports COIL’s engagement with Ukrainians outside of Ukraine to maintain democratic advancement throughout wartime.

The Committee is pleased with COIL’s efforts to explore increased exchange with Poland as a former Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Committee continues to support COIL’s efforts to explore increased exchange with Hungary as a former Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe.