Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2023 Legislative Branch Funding Bill

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2023 Legislative Branch funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation provides annual funding for the Legislative Branch of the United States government, including the United States House of Representatives, the Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Library of Congress. 

For fiscal year 2023, the draft bill appropriates a total of $5.702 billion, an increase of $954.4 million or 20.1 percent, over 2022. The legislation:

• Increases funding to hire additional officers, improve training, and bolster wellness support for the Capitol Police.
• Makes a substantial investment in securing our Capitol Complex for the safety of its Members, staff, and visitors.
• Expands internship opportunities by providing a livable wage for House interns, growing opportunities for working and middle-class families.
• Provides the necessary increases to support the staffing and other resources needed by Congress to do its job well and best serve constituents.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that the men and women who serve in our nation’s Capitol have the resources needed to serve our constituents efficiently and effectively. This legislation builds off the important progress we’ve made in hiring and retaining staff and continues to remove barriers to public service for working-class Americans by providing more funding for paid internships,” said Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan (D-OH-13). “I am proud that this legislation also makes strong investments in United States Capitol Police to ensure they have the resources to keep the Capitol safe for all those who work and visit the Capitol.”

“A strong and well-functioning Legislative Branch is essential to our democracy,” Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “More than a year after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, this bill bolsters investments to further secure the Capitol Complex and support the Capitol Police, including increasing funds to hire more police officers and improve resources to retain and bolster the wellness of the existing force. It helps change the complex and culture to protect the United States Capitol and the people who work there.”

A summary of the draft fiscal year 2023 Legislative Branch funding bill is below. The full text of the bill is here. (In keeping with longstanding practice whereby each chamber of Congress determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without intervention, the bill does not include funds for the Senate or for Senate office buildings.) The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked from the House Committee on Appropriations website.

Bill Summary:

House of Representatives – The bill provides a total of $1.869 billion in discretionary appropriations for the House of Representatives, an increase of $153.8 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, including:

• $810 million for the Members Representational Allowance (MRA), the basic office budgets of House Members, an increase of $35.6 million above the FY 2022 level.
• $36.6 million for the offices of the Majority and Minority Leadership, an increase of $1.6 million above the FY 2022 level.
• $24.3 million in funding for paid interns for Member, Leadership, and Committee offices, an increase of $4.1 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This funding helps expand internship opportunities to people who may not be financially able to take an unpaid position. Funding at this level will provide $46,800 per Member office, an increase of $11,800 to support paying interns a livable wage. The bill also provides resources to establish a House Intern Resource Office.
• $220.3 million for the operations of House committees, an increase of $23.2 million above the FY 2022 level.
• $323.6 million for the salaries and expenses of House officers and employees, including the offices of the Clerk of the House, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Parliamentarian, and Legislative Counsel, among others. This is an increase of $35 million above the FY 2022 level. Within this funding:
  • $38.8 million is provided for the Sergeant at Arms, $11 million above the FY 2022 level, which includes funding towards initiatives to enhance the personal security for Members.
  • $13.5 million for the Office of Legislative Counsel, $832,000 above the FY 2022 level.
• $9.7 million for the Green and Gold Congressional Aide program, formerly known as the Wounded Warrior and Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Programs.
• $10 million for the House Modernization Initiatives Account, an increase of $8 million above the FY 2022 level, to make Congress more effective, efficient, and transparent on behalf of the American people.

Other Agencies

The bill also provides:

• $708 million for the Capitol Police, an increase of $105.6 million above the FY 2022 level and fully funding the request. This funding:
  • Will allow for the hiring of up to 2,126 sworn officers and 567 civilian members of the Capitol Police.
  • Provides resources to fulfill security recommendations as suggested by the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Inspector General after the January 6th attacks on the Capitol.
  • Includes continued work on de-escalation and racial bias training.
  • Will help bring more transparency, diversity, and leadership training and standardize vetting and the routine review of staff for employment suitability with the Capitol Police.
• $64.6 million for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), an increase of $3.7 million above the FY 2022 level. This funding level will allow CBO to be responsive to Committees, Leadership, and Members to the greatest extent practicable and to increase its efforts to improve modeling and analytical capability in key areas and to make its work as transparent and accessible as possible.
• $8 million for the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, an increase of $500,000 above the FY 2022 level to fulfill the Office’s responsibilities to implement the Congressional Accountability Reform Act and to assist with recent staff unionization efforts.
• $1.3 billion for the Architect of the Capitol, an increase of $576 million above the FY 2022 level. This funding includes $532.2 million, an increase of $469.8 million, for the Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds, and Security supporting significant enhancements to the physical security of the Capitol Complex as a result of the security recommendations made after January 6, 2021. The bill also includes funding for the Library’s Module 7 storage project.
• $831.4 million, an increase of $37.4 million above the FY 2022 level, for the Library of Congress, including the Copyright Office, Congressional Research Service, and National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. This funding level will allow continued progress on urgent information technology needs and on modernization of systems for copyright registration and recordation and support ongoing Library initiatives such as the Veterans’ History Project.
• $130.9 million for the Government Publishing Office, an increase of $6.7 million above the FY 2022 level. This funding allows for the publishing of Congressional information in both digital and print formats.
• $790.3 million for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an increase of $71 million above the FY 2022 level. This level of funding would support 3,500 full-time equivalents (FTEs) which continues the focus on building science, technology, and cybersecurity expertise while filling critical gaps.

Important Policy Changes:

• Employment of DACA Recipients – The bill includes language permitting the Legislative Branch agencies it funds to employ Dreamers—residents of the United States brought to this country as children without proper immigration status—who hold employment authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
   
• United States Capitol Police – The bill also includes language to allow overtime earned by the sworn officers of the Capitol Police to count towards retirement calculations.
   
• Offensive Statues - The bill recognizes the need to confront the crisis of systemic racism. The bill includes language directing the Architect of the Capitol to remove statues or busts in the United States Capitol that represent figures who participated in the Confederate Army or government, as well as the statues of white supremacists Charles Aycock, John C. Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke and the bust of Roger B. Taney.

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