Victor Fazio: “I rise to congratulate the chairman of the Subcommittee on Accounts on the fine work that he has done. Mr. Speaker, the…”

“I rise to congratulate the chairman of the Subcommittee on Accounts on the fine work that he has done. Mr. Speaker, the funding resolution we are considering today provides authorizations to expend funds appropriated by the House for the investigative activities of 21 standing committees of the House. The resolution provides $50.1 million for the investigations and studies during 1994 of those 21 committees, excluding Appropriations and the Budget Committees. The Appropriations Committee also has an investigative budget. For our surveys and investigations staff we have appropriated $6.4 million for the salaries and expenses in fiscal year 1994 for the investigations and studies conducted by the Appropriations Committee. In calendar 1993, 67 staff years of activity produced 38 reports and 76 supplemental memorandums. Those funds were provided as authorized by law, in the fiscal year 1994 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. The funds were contained in a single line item in the appropriations bill and were subject to the will of the House when we considered that bill last June. The bill also contained $389,000 for similar activities of the Budget Committee. So there is a comparable procedure to what we are doing today for the other committees. The difference is that the Appropriations and Budget Committees investigative funds are separated out--and are therefore more vulnerable to amendments. I think any criticism of this procedure is unfounded.”