Reprogramming, Notification, Consultation, and Reporting Requirements

Congressional Requirements for Legislative Branch Cyber and Physical Data Security

Office of House Employment Counsel

Interoperability and Personal Protection for Members of Congress

Implementation plan within 60 days of posting this report

The Committee recognizes the importance of providing nontraditional food alternatives to accommodate Members of Congress, staff members, and Capitol visitors with dietary restrictions. Within 120 days after the enactment of this Act, the CAO is directed to update the Committee on additional alternative proteins choices that will be offered to consumers in all House dining facilities.

The Committee is concerned about the limitations of the House telephone system and Capitol Police’s inability to trace threatening calls that come into Member offices through the Capitol switchboard. The Committee directs the Chief Administrative Officer, in conjunction with House Sergeant at Arms, to conduct a study on the Capitol switchboard and telephone system in the U.S. House of Representatives and provide a report within 90 days of enactment of this Act. The report should identify the current House telephone system’s technical limitations and security risks, and make detailed recommendations for improving or replacing the current system, including timelines and cost estimates associated with replacing or upgrading the current system.

The Committee commends the CAO Task Force on a Diverse and Talented House Workforce for providing the House Staff Benefits and Retention Study. The Committee directs the Task Force to fully research and develop the following employee benefit programs for House staff: (1) Reimbursing staff for the costs of adoption or fertility treatment not covered by insurance; (2) Providing child-care subsidies for staffers who do not use the House daycare; (3) Offering staff access to a tax-advantaged college-savings benefit; (4) Enabling staff of offices that are closing down operations to stay on the House payroll for 60 additional days past the date of office closure, a benefit the Senate already extends to its workforce. The Committee directs that within 120 days after the official posting of this report, the task force shall present ‘‘ready to implement’’ employee benefit program options as outlined above and associated costs to House Leadership, the House Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on House Administration. Implementation of these programs is subject to the approval of the Committee on Appropriations and regulations set forth by the Committee on House Administration.

The Committee recognizes that childcare costs are a major hardship for families across the nation and helping to cover those costs can be a major incentive to recruiting and retaining employees, including those of the House of Representatives. The Committee thanks the CAO’s Task Force on a Diverse and Talented House Workforce for its study on potential staff benefits and efforts to retain staff including childcare stipends, subsidies, or other benefits related to childcare. The Committee looks forward to continuing discussions with the Task Force and its stakeholders to identify the best options to pursue for House staff regarding childcare access. The CAO shall provide a report to the Appropriations Committee and the Committee on House Administration within 120 days of the posting of this report that examines the feasibility of providing a childcare stipend to House staff with children. The report should examine and make recommendations on (1) how many staff might qualify to receive such a benefit, (2) an appropriate age range for a child to be eligible, (3) the appropriate level of benefit to provide, (4) costs of administration, and (5) how best to structure the benefit. As part of this report, the CAO should conduct a survey of current House employees on their challenges accessing affordable childcare, both within the House of Representatives Child Care Center and in external childcare settings. This survey shall include efforts to determine the percentage of household income spent on childcare among house employees, whether childcare costs are or would be a barrier to remaining as an employee with the House, and what efforts to defray those costs might be effective as a retention tool.

The Committee encourages the House CAO to offer courses through the Congressional Staff Academy and the new Congressional Member Leadership Development Program that will promote civility, collaboration and leadership skills. Suggested topics for training include but are not limited to (1) best practices for facilitating forums that bring constituents with opposing views together to promote dialogue and understanding, (2) fostering bipartisan collaboration as a chair and/or ranking member, (3) perspectives on social media distortions (4) leadership development including legislative effectiveness, and (5) conflict resolution. In addition, the Committee recognizes the critical role that senior-level staff play in recruiting, hiring, retaining a diverse workforce and ensuring that congressional offices are safe and professional work environments in which diverse talent can succeed. However, current training requirements for senior-level staff may not fully equip them with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to fulfill this responsibility. Therefore, the Committee directs the CAO to conduct an assessment of unmet training needs for senior-level congressional staff and to report to the Committee on the results of this assessment no later than 120 days after the official posting of this report.

The Committee remains concerned with the rising prevalence of substance use disorders and the difficulties they present for those in recovery when reentering the workforce. Therefore, the Committee encourages the OEA to develop programming and to prioritize access to services for House employees in recovery from substance use disorders.

The Committee is troubled by reports of understaffing and possible mistreatment of cafeteria employees. Within 90 days of the enactment of this legislation, the Committee requests a report on the performance of the vendor with respect to the underlying terms of the contract, the staffing level and treatment of food service staff, and ways in which any identified deficiencies will be resolved.

The House Wellness Center has an agreement with a work life services provider to support House staff with technical assistance for financial planning, legal aid, and child and elder care. This service is an important mechanism to help promote staff retention for employees facing everyday life challenges. The Committee supports the ongoing offering of backup care, which provides staff with temporary, alternative coverage for a dependent when primary coverage falters.

The Committee expresses concern with the availability of mental health resources for all staff including custodial staffs and other contractors who work in the Capitol Complex. The Committee directs the CAO and the AOC to ensure mental health services are available to support the diverse needs of all staff and conduct an awareness campaign advertising these services for all those who work in the Capitol Complex within 30 days of the enactment of this Act.

Of the funds provided, the recommendation includes $500,000 for expenses pertaining to the translation of official, communication material on behalf of constituents with Limited English Proficiency.

The Committee recognizes that language barriers prevent Member offices from adequately communicating vital information with constituents with limited English proficiency. As such, the Committee directs the CAO, in coordination with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, to submit a report within 60 days of enactment of this Act on the resources necessary to establish an Office of Translation Services to assist Members of Congress with translating official materials into additional languages. The report should include the top 20 languages based on the most recent Census, staff required, and expected turnaround time to fulfill requests.

The Committee recognizes the importance of supporting Members and staff who balance family caregiving duties alongside their official work duties. The Committee directs OEA to develop programming that supports the needs of Members and staff who are caregivers and to conduct an awareness campaign on the emotional and technical assistance available for the purpose of supporting the needs of caregivers within the House community.

As directed in House Report 117–80, the Committee urges continued support for the comprehensive wellness program created to support and empower House staff with resources to navigate the fast pace of working on Capitol Hill while maintaining a healthy life. The Committee encourages the House Wellness Program, in coordination with the Office of Employee Assistance, to gather statistics on the short-term and long-term effects on House staff that regularly utilize the program offerings. In addition, the House Wellness Center and the Office of Employee Assistance are directed to provide the Committee with advance notice on all external contracts no later than 30 days in advance of a contract taking effect.

House Wellness Center and OEA

No later than 30 days in advance of a contract taking effect.

The Committee understands the needs of Members and staff for sufficient support when it comes to technological questions and needs. The Committee commends CAO for their efforts to provide Members and staff with resources through the customer advocate program and encourages the CAO to communicate and advertise the various options available for Members and staff in regard to technical support.

The Committee directs House Information Resources, in coordination with the Library of Congress and relevant stakeholders, to submit a report, no later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, on the feasibility and cost of (1) centralizing House information websites on one platform; (2) improving user accessibility for people with disability and non-English speakers; (3) developing educational resources for the public on how to find congressional information; and (4) improving the current user interface.

The CAO is encouraged to continue to investigate and pilot various cloud service options that will provide House offices with greater accessibility to their files, enhanced collaboration tools, and more storage. The Committee supports standardizing cloud services to strengthen the House’s security posture and provide Member offices additional support and cost savings.

The Committee recognizes that the use of digital workspace technologies in Member offices can increase user productivity, enhance cybersecurity, and allow workforce flexibility for both Congressional staff and Members of Congress. The Committee continues to encourage the exploration of multi-factor authentication solutions to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of all legislative offices, including strategies and programs that reduce the total life cycle costs of traditional legacy workspace infrastructure.

Workplace harassment and discrimination are an abuse of power and perpetrators must be held accountable to promote a safe and dignified work environment. While there is more work to be done, Congress took positive action by overhauling its reporting and dispute resolution process, requiring regular and anonymous climate surveys and anti-harassment training, and mandating annual reporting to Congress. Another positive step was establishing the Office of Employee Advocacy. To continue support of this office, the Committee recommends $1,541,000 for the Office to cover full-time employees, staff travel to district offices to litigate cases if necessary, and contractor support for court reporters to transcribe hearings and depositions.

The Committee appreciates the effort to implement the first ever Congressional Staff Salary report as requested in House Report 115–696. Given existing realities of gender and racial pay gaps in America, the Committee is concerned the data collected and findings asserted in the salaries report, where the report details an approximate 50 percent participation rate, insufficiently captures the necessary bench-mark data to reach the primary goal of the survey. The Committee directs ODI, in conjunction with the CAO, to explore options to re-implement the House Compensation and Diversity survey on a routine basis, and in a manner that provides a robust accounting of the population, exceeding prior year’s sample sizes. These considerations could include execution by in-house efforts, biannual application, or other means to improve accuracy and increase survey participation. The Committee requests a briefing from ODI to update the Committee on the progress no later than 120 days after enactment of this Act. The Committee recognizes the need for reliable data on Congressional staff diversity, including demographic information about staff recruitment, hiring, retention, and termination. The Committee encourages the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to brief the Committee on any gaps in available data that may hinder their development of a plan to improve recruitment, hiring, and retention of diverse staff 120 days after enactment of this Act.

Briefing no later than 120 days after enactment of this act

The Committee directs ODI to coordinate with the Congressional Staff Academy to develop an ongoing curriculum for anti-racism and racial bias training for managers and supervisors, which can be held quarterly. ODI and the Congressional Staff Academy are directed to brief the Committee on a bi-monthly basis on their efforts towards creating such a curriculum, until such curriculum is developed.

ODI and Congressional Staff Academy

Streamlining Transparency and Diversity in the House of Representatives

The Committee continues to recognize and to support the steps taken by the ODI to increase diversity on Capitol Hill through surveys and comprehensive reports. The Committee continues to support the streamlining of these efforts by adding disaggregated demographic data collection to the official onboarding process in the House of Representatives. Congress looks forward to seeing the implementation of this additional implementation of additional questions to employee onboarding forms requested in House Report 117–80.

In response to the Committee’s concern that the Government Contributions projections are becoming more complex due to increased contributions, the House awarded a contract to an actuarial contractor to assist with forecasting of the Government Contributions account. As a result, personnel benefits are now calculated based on historical data in a model provided by the actuarial contractor. The requested increase in Government Contributions will support an approximate 3.6 percent increase in personnel compensation (excluding Intern Allowances) and an average increase of 6.8 percent across all three categories of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The largest increase is attributed to the FERS–Further Revised Annuity Employees (FRAE) projection. The House Transit Benefit projection is now based on the average of the two most recent years of benefit expenditures. This method was chosen because the historical benefit expenditure was consistent year over year leading up to fiscal year 2020. However, the Public Health Emergency and consequential telework have impacted usage of this benefit category; and year over year spending dropped in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 by 47 percent and 49 percent respectively.

The Committee recognizes the importance of comprehensive health insurance for House employees, including the coverage of comprehensive reproductive medical care. The Committee encourages Congress to make available health plans that cover reproductive medical care that include infertility treatments and assisted reproduction procedures. It is the Committee’s goal to provide equal treatment for all House employees who wish to make use of assisted reproduction, without regard to gender, sexual orientation, ability status, and marital status.

Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program (formerly the Wounded Warrior Program):

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 renamed the Wounded Warrior program as the Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program. The program continues to be one of the House’s most popular initiatives. The purpose of the program is to facilitate long-term employment with the House. The Committee recommendation provides $9,674,000 an increase of $380,000 above fiscal year 2022.

The ability to streamline the workflow and better collaborate on proposed legislative text between member, committee, and leadership offices is of great importance to members and staff. Within 120 days after the posting of this report, the Clerk, the House Office of Legislative Counsel (HOLC) and the CAO are directed to provide a report to the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on House Administration on ways to leverage existing enterprise-wide applications, as well as other tools and solutions to better facilitate legislative drafting between member, committee and leadership offices and the HOLC.

The Committee is concerned with the unavailability or insufficiency of currently-provided congressional staff contact information. The absence of a congressional staff directory that covers the House, Senate, support offices, and support agencies makes it difficult for congressional staff to identify relevant staff and connect with them. The Committee endorses the creation of a shared staff directory for Congress and congressional support agencies to enhance the exchange of information and improve collaboration. Within 180 days of enactment, of this Act the Office of the Clerk and the CAO, in consultation with other relevant support offices and agencies, are requested to provide to the Committee a plan to create a centralized congressional staff directory including associated costs. The directory should contain the name, title, office, office phone number, email address, and issue set for each employee. That information should be filterable by data element, e.g., office, title, party, and issue set. It should be continuously updated. The directory should be available inside the congressional firewall and provide a public-facing version with appropriate omissions for certain fields.

From the funds available within this account, the CAO is encouraged to develop and deploy new technology tools, to the extent possible, to better enable Members and staff to identify policy areas of common interest on which to collaborate.

From the funds available within this account, the CAO is encouraged to develop and provide tools, to the extent possible, for committee leadership to receive Member feedback on committee operations

The Committee believes that fragmented and duplicative contracts cause inefficiencies and unnecessary costs for Member, Committee, and Leadership offices. The Committee supports the use of government wide contracts and General Services Administration (GSA) when practicable.

The Committee notes that the OAP currently offers optional life-saving training for House staff on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The Committee further notes that overdose deaths from opioids continue to rise, and the Capitol community is not immune to the epidemic. According to the CDC, more than 80,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2021. The Committee further recognizes that opioid overdose reversal medications have been highly effective at preventing overdose deaths. The Committee recommends the OAP offer optional naloxone training for House staff on the usage and administration of opioid overdose reversal medications.

Improve Access to Information for Visitors and Staff with Disabilities

The Office of Congressional Accessibility Services in conjunction with the AOC should provide for visitors and staff with disabilities access to information on the standard security screening techniques they will encounter upon entering the Capitol complex.

Office of Congressional Accessibility Services and AOC

Persons with disabilities should have full digital access to government digital properties, especially those made available by Member offices, including websites, applications, and electronic document retrieval programs. Currently, not all digital properties associated with the House of Representatives are accessible to the disability community. OCAS, in conjunction with the appropriate offices, is directed to provide the Committee with a report on how digital access barriers may be removed within 60 days after the official posting of this report.

The USCP, working with the AOC and the Sergeant at Arms, is strongly encouraged to explore enhanced weapons detection screening technologies to streamline the screening process for entry into the Capitol Complex. The Committee is aware of new technology that is able to easily identify concealed threats. Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the USCP shall report back to the Committee on the potential use of such technology around the Capitol Complex.

The Committee directs the USCP to explore reimbursing local law enforcement departments for the costs associated with Member protection while in their districts and issue a report to the Committee within 180 days of enactment of this Act examining reimbursement costs compared to providing personal security details for Members and options for enhancing security for Members and staff working in their districts.

The Committee recognizes that new and expanding micro mobility options in the District of Columbia can offer alternatives to car travel. Dockless commercial scooters, or escooters, and other motorized devices for rent have grown as a commuting option for Congressional staffers, tourists, and other visitors to the District and Capitol Grounds. However, pursuant to the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds, commercial dockless scooters are prohibited on Capitol Grounds. The Committee notes that an agreement was reached to modify the 2021 Terms and Conditions established by the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) for commercial dockless scooter vendors and these Terms and Conditions now require commercial dockless scooter vendors to install geofencing on their vehicles to ensure that commercial dockless scooters do not enter onto Capitol Grounds consistent with Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds prohibitions. The Committee expects the USCP to continue to expand its outreach efforts to dockless scooter and bicycle companies and the District, and to work to better educate users, including congressional staff, District residents, and visitors on the appropriate operation of commercial dockless escooters and bicycles on Capitol Grounds.

The Committee reaffirms a previous requirement that directs the USCP to notify the Committee when new posts are created. This includes any temporary posts that will be in place 30 days or longer after establishment (excluding construction projects that require security) and permanent posts that are being proposed before establishment. The notification should include a justification of need by the respective Assistant Chief(s) of Police, the annualized cost of maintaining the new post and how the cost will be offset by the Chief Administrative Officer, and the overall recommendation approval of the new post by the Chief of Police.

The Committee appreciates the report provided by USCP detailing the Department’s plan to reduce single-use plastic water bottles as requested in House Report 117–80. The Committee continues to encourage USCP to reduce the usage of single-use plastic bottles, where possible and promote environmentally sound practices Department-wide.

In light of this year’s 107 percent increase in threats against Congress, the Committee continues to find that ensuring the continuity of government must include protecting the physical security of Members of Congress. The recommendation provides $2,000,000 for the Department to enhance Member security outside of the Capitol campus in the National Capital Region (NCR), as warranted by risk-based analyses. As laid out in the December 2018 report detailing the Department’s plans to enhance off-campus Member security in the NCR, the Committee expects the USCP to continue working closely with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms and local law enforcement partners in the NCR and educating Member offices on the USCP strategy for Members’ protection within the NCR while outside the Capitol Grounds. The Committee instructs USCP to coordinate with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms to direct patrols to buildings or locations where the Members tend to congregate in order to fulfill its mission under 2 U.S.C. 1966.

The Committee understands the need to maintain safety and order on the Capitol grounds and commends the USCP for their efforts. Given the family-style neighborhood that the Capitol shares with the surrounding community, the Committee continues to direct the USCP to forebear enforcement of 2 U.S.C. 1963 and the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds when encountering snow sledders on the grounds.

The Committee appreciates the efforts undertaken by the USCP to develop and implement a holistic wellness and resiliency program for its workforce, to include its partnership with the House Wellness Center. The Committee recognizes the importance that mindfulness plays in having a first responder workforce that is holistically balanced and resilient.

The Committee commends the USCP for their progress toward compliance with a directive to post arrest summary information in a user-friendly format that is searchable, sortable, downloadable, and is available on a cumulative basis. The Committee reminds the Department of the importance of this directive and directs the Department to provide a briefing on their ongoing efforts to publish this information within 30 days of the official posting of this report. Furthermore, the Department is directed to submit a report of arrests made both on the Capitol complex and the surrounding Capitol Hill community on a quarterly basis to the Committee.

The Committee commends the Department’s ongoing efforts for greater transparency while balancing the protection of life and safety on the Capitol Complex. The Committee believes that the Department’s request for funding to implement a pilot body worn camera program is an important step in this effort. The Committee understands that the Department’s pilot program will be limited to patrol and exterior sworn activities where services are being provided directly to the public. In order to ensure that the Congress can undertake its constitutional responsibilities regarding speech or debate, the Committee understands that this pilot will not be implemented for interior locations on the Capitol Complex, during protection detail activities, or other activities involving direct interactions with Members of Congress. Further, the Committee understands the importance of protecting critical law enforcement-sensitive Member protection information that may be adversely impacted by the release of camera footage captured by a body worn camera. The Committee expects the Department to continue to carefully balance the restriction of access to this information with the transparency expected by the public, while ensuring that the Congress can carry out its constitutional responsibilities in a safe and open environment. The Department shall provide the Committee with an interim report on the pilot program within 180 days following full implementation of the body worn camera pilot program. This report shall include the status of the implementation process, challenges and recommended solutions experienced during the pilot implementation, and lessons learned to date that may inform additional applications for the body worn camera program.

Within 180 days following full implementation of body worn pilot program

The Committee commends the Department for their detailed response on current efforts to combat bias within the USCP workforce. The Committee continues to restate the importance of combatting bias and remains interested in ongoing programming, hiring, and education to prevent bias within the Department.

The Committee commends the USCP for including diversity training as a part of the current Capitol Police training sessions and encourages the Capitol Police to continue strengthening its curriculum to ensure service is provided to all visitors in a culturally competent manner. The Committee supports continued vigorous action to improve training for the USCP sworn officers on racial profiling, implicit bias, procedural justice, the use of force, and the duty for officers to intervene when witnessing the use of excessive force against civilians.

The Committee directs USCP to enforce the prohibition in the Capitol Traffic Regulations (CTR) for the Capitol Grounds against engines idling for more than three minutes, with the exception of security-related vehicles. The Capitol Police Board is directed to review and consider amending CTR Section 8.22.30 to include ‘‘private passenger vehicles’’ with the noted exception.

The Committee believes the USCP must be better positioned to identify threats to the Capitol Complex, the Congress, individual Members of Congress and their families, and the legislative process, at the earliest point in the threat process, and the furthest possible point away from the intended target. This requires relying heavily on developing a robust threat identification and assessment process that is fully connected to local, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies. It also involves direct access to the national intelligence community with full transparency and two-way sharing of critical information with which to inform mission-related decisions. The Committee directs the Department not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, to undertake an evaluation and provide an implementation plan.

Not later than 90 days after enactment of this act

The Committee appreciates the diligent work that the Office of Inspector General has done in recommending reforms and security improvements in the aftermath of the January 6th attack. The recommendation includes $474,000 to support the statutory responsibilities for auditing Department programs and operations to ensure efficacy and investigation of complaints for potential fraud, waste or abuse.

The Committee is aware that the public does not have access to reports issued by the Capitol Police Office of Inspector General. While the Committee understands that these reports can be sensitive to law enforcement actions and Congressional security, the Committee is interested in what reports can be shared with the general public. The Committee believes that the Inspector General should try to make appropriate reports public if they do not compromise law enforcement activities, national security, or Congressional security and processes without redaction. The Committee instructs the Inspector General to institute procedures to make reports publicly available whenever practicable and to begin publishing reports on its website.

The Committee appreciates the detailed report as requested in House Report 117–80 regarding a community notification system that may be utilized by visitors and community members. The Committee remains concerned that the public is not often alerted to significant events such as security incidents impacting the Capitol Complex. The Committee encourages the Department to continue exploring ways to keep the Capitol Hill community and visitors informed.

The Committee understands the critical importance of immersive, real-life, scenario-based police training in ensuring the safety of both police officers and the communities they serve. The Committee is aware that USCP is in the process of exploring their capabilities for Virtual Reality training to equip Capitol Police Officers to safety and appropriately respond to a full range of situations they may encounter in the line of duty, including de-escalation techniques. The Committee directs USCP to provide a report no later than 90 days after the official posting of this report on their current efforts to implement Virtual Reality technologies into the training capabilities of the Department.

No later than 90 days after posting of this report

The Committee directs CBO to take steps to ensure that their products, services, and outreach are designed to adapt and meet the customer needs of an evolving Congress. In addition, CBO should report to committees of jurisdiction on any challenges in accessing Federal data and to identify whether Congress can take any actions to ensure continuous and real-time access.

The CBO bears the mission of providing objective, insightful, clearly presented, and timely budgetary and economic information to the Congress. In addition to cost estimates, the CBO also provides analytic reports, working papers, and testimony. Those reports contain valuable analysis on complex policy and inform the work that members of Congress and their staff conduct. The Committees support CBO’s efforts to increase its capacity to analyze how Federal policies or economic conditions or developments may affect various income and demographic groups (including groups based on race and ethnicity) differently. CBO should provide an update to the Committees on those efforts.

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. However, the Committee emphasizes the importance of CBO fulfilling its statutory duties and functions as prioritized under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, in particular section 202.

The Committee thanks the Architect 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 size 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 continues to request 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 appreciates the AOC’s interest in exploring opportunities to make significant progress towards lowering energy costs, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, and reducing carbon emission in the Capitol Complex and commends the Architect’s review of potential costs and savings associated with these activities. As the report provided in fiscal year 2022 details significant investVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Jun 16, 2022 Jkt 046977 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A977.XXX A977 ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with HEARING 28 ments, the Committee remains interested in the Architect’s work to leverage new energy technologies and maximize the integration of clean renewable and alternative energy sources through the Legislative Branch facilities. The Committee is prepared to support AOC’s recommendations to further such initiatives.

Within the total, the Committee provides no less than $6,110,000 for the AOC Inspector General office. The recommendation includes the request of $495,000 for three additional FTEs.

The recommendation includes $411,000 to continue the program, administered by the OAP, for medical exams and tests designed to detect and monitor employee health effects resulting from hazardous chemical or physical exposures in the workplace.

In 2026, the United States will be celebrating it’s Semiquincentennial; marking 250 years since the nation was founded in 1776. Over the course of that time, our nation has grown from the original 13 colonies to the patchwork of 50 states and over 330 million individuals it is today. As we approach this historic milestone, it is an opportunity to commemorate our past, honor our present, and look toward the future. In preparation for this historic event, the Committee directs the AOC to submit a report 120 days after the enactment of this legislation on how they plan to commemorate the Semiquincentennial on the Capitol Complex. The report should include suggested plans for events and installations that can be made available to the public who visit. Along with that, the report should include a section on the possibility of a Congressional Time Capsule being buried somewhere on the Capitol Complex that will remain sealed until July 4th, 2276. This report shall be delivered to the Committee on Appropriation as well as the Committee on House Administration. This report should also be made available on the Architect of the Capitol’s website.

The Committee included language in House Report 116–447 regarding depictions of Native Americans in the Capitol Complex and is pleased that the Architect is working with interested Members and is making progress on implementing those recommendations. The Committee encourages the Architect to continue these efforts.

The Committee directs the AOC to make bulk purchases of, store, and distribute, in coordination with partnering agencies, menstrual hygiene products at no cost to all those who use restroom facilities throughout the Capitol Complex Buildings and Grounds.

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

The Committee recognizes the increasing numbers of female Members of Congress and, in honor of women’s historic progress over recent years, the Committee continues to support and commends the work of the House Curator, the AOC, and the Capitol Historical Society to increase images of women in public spaces in Congress. The Committee appreciates the House Curator’s work in providing the Committee a report identifying public spaces in the Capitol Complex, as well as, a list of 10 notable female historic figures not already displayed as a Capitol statue, who have made remarkable contributions to society, and 10 female members of Congress—former and/or current—who have set trailblazing records whether in the body at large or their committees of jurisdiction. To further increase female representation, the Committee directs the AOC, House Curator and the Capitol Historical Society use these reports as a blueprint to create a report detailing where and which the incorporation of more females’ images in congressional public spaces may be implemented expeditiously to reflect the positive contributions these female Members and public leaders have made.

AOC, House Curator, and the Capitol Historical Society

The committee directs the Architect to prioritize removal of accessibility barriers on the Capitol Complex. In addition, the AOC should designate a drop off and pick up zone near an accessible entrance for members of the public with mobility impairments and develop a well-understood process for accessing and utilizing the new location. Lastly, the AOC should prioritize the installation of additional automatic or power-assisted doors and replace door hardware that cannot be grasped easily with one hand or that requires tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist to operate.

The Committee commends the Architect for efforts to develop a safe and accessible street system to better connect all road users to the United States Capitol, Union Station and the National Mall by making cost-effective improvements to Louisiana Avenue, Constitution Avenue and 3rd Street Northwest. The AOC should coordinate with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT), after the necessary approvals have been received, to pursue completion of this project in a timely manner. The AOC is also reminded to ensure close coordination among AOC jurisdictions to minimize impact on other campus projects and priorities.

Whether they are serving alongside the United States Capitol Police or supporting Congressional staff and visitors, working/service dogs have been an underrecognized yet important part of the fabric of the Capitol Complex. The Committee directs the AOC to provide a report, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, on what facilities currently exist around the Capitol Complex for K–9s and service dogs and provide recommendations to address any shortcomings that need to be addressed to ensure these animals of service have proper accommodations.

In making security decisions about public access to the Capitol Grounds, the Committee reminds the Capitol Police Board that the Capitol Grounds are intended to be open to the public and are located in a residential neighborhood in the District of Columbia, and used by D.C. residents and visitors for recreation, leisure and transportation.

The Committee encourages the AOC to work with DDOT to evaluate and improve road conditions in and immediately around the Capitol Complex.

The Committee is committed to reducing the use of single-use plastic products on the Capitol Grounds. Section 210 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 and House Report 117–80 directed all agencies and offices funded by the Legislative Branch division that contract with a food service provider or providers to confer and coordinate with such food service provider or providers, in consultation with disability advocacy groups, to eliminate or reduce plastic waste, including waste from plastic straws, explore the use of biodegradable items, and increase recycling and composting opportunities. The Committee directs the AOC to provide a report on the status of implementing the section 210 plastic waste reduction directive not later than 30 days after enactment of this Act.

Not later than 30 days after enactment of this act

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 continues to increase from an initial project estimate of $752,700,000 to the current project estimate of $934,866,000. The Committee continues to receive periodic reports from the Architect, the AOC IG, and the GAO on the Cannon project schedule, actual costs incurred and expected future costs, and design and construction modifications. A recent report from the AOC indicated that cost and schedule impacts may continue due to supply chain issues, workforce availability, site access, and enhanced protection measures related to the COVID–19 virus. Therefore, the Committee expects to receive fast turnaround notice in the periodic reports that are provided if any further cost increases are anticipated and how the AOC expects to absorb them. 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.