Report - House Appropriations Financial Services And General Government Appropriations Report With Cares Act Oversight Language
Summary
This is a committee print of the House of Representatives report, submitted by Quigley of Illinois from the Committee on Appropriations, explaining the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, 2021. The Committee recommends a total of $24,636,300,000 in new discretionary budget authority for fiscal year 2021, which is $808,000,000 above the comparable fiscal year 2020 enacted level. The highlights include $67,040,000,000 in emergency infrastructure investments to respond to the economic collapse related to the coronavirus, and $500,000,000 for Election Security Grants. They also include $273,500,000 for the Community Development Financial Institutions program, $341,000,000 for the Federal Trade Commission, and $1,920,000,000 for salaries and expenses at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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- House Appropriations Financial Services And General Government Appropriations Report With Cares Act Oversight Language
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“Report - House Appropriations Financial Services And General Government Appropriations Report With Cares Act Oversight Language.”
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[FULL COMMITTEE PRINT]
116TH CONGRESS REPORT
" HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES !
2d Session 116–xxx
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2021
XXX, 2020.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the
Union and ordered to be printed
Mr. QUIGLEY of Illinois, from the Committee on Appropriations,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. XXX]
The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in
explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for Fi-
nancial Services and General Government for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2021.
INDEX TO BILL AND REPORT
Page Number
Bill Report
Title I—Department of the Treasury ....................................................... 2 11
Title II—Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to
the President ........................................................................................... 29 31
Title III—The Judiciary ............................................................................. 45 43
Title IV—District of Columbia .................................................................. 54 49
Title V—Independent Agencies ................................................................. 64 54
Administrative Conference of the United States .............................. 64 54
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ............................................ ........ 54
Consumer Product Safety Commission ............................................. 65 55
Election Assistance Commission ........................................................ 67 56
Federal Communications Commission .............................................. 70 58
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ............................................ 72 62
Federal Election Commission ............................................................. 72 62
Federal Labor Relations Authority .................................................... 73 63
Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council ......................... 74 63
Federal Trade Commission ................................................................ 74 64
General Services Administration ....................................................... 76 67
Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation ........................................ 89 82
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Merit Systems Protection Board ........................................................ 89 82
38–853
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Page Number
Bill Report
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation .......................... 90 82
National Archives and Records Administration ............................... 91 83
National Credit Union Administration ............................................. 93 85
Office of Government Ethics .............................................................. 93 86
Office of Personnel Management ....................................................... 93 87
Office of Special Counsel .................................................................... 96 92
Postal Regulatory Commission .......................................................... 97 92
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board .................................... 97 92
Public Buildings Reform Board ......................................................... 97 93
Securities and Exchange Commission ............................................... 97 93
Selective Service System .................................................................... 101 97
Small Business Administration ......................................................... 102 97
United States Postal Service .............................................................. 108 102
United States Tax Court .................................................................... 110 105
Title VI—General Provisions—This Act ................................................... 110 105
Title VII—General Provisions—Government-wide: Departments,
Agencies, and Corporations ................................................................... 127 108
Title VIII—General Provisions, District of Columbia ............................. 177 112
Title IX—Infrastructure House of Representatives Report Require-
ments ....................................................................................................... 185 113
SUMMARY OF ESTIMATES AND APPROPRIATIONS
The following table compares on a summary basis the appropria-
tions, including trust funds, for fiscal year 2021, the budget request
for fiscal year 2021, and the Committee recommendation for fiscal
year 2021 in the accompanying bill.
SUMMARY TABLE—AMOUNTS IN NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY
[Net Discretionary Funding in Thousands of Dollars]
Fiscal Year Committee Recommendation
compared to
Title 2021
2020 2021 Committee 2020 2021
Enacted Budget Recommendation Enacted Budget
Title I—Department of the Treas-
ury 1 ........................................... $13,058,431 $15,719,950 $13,659,833 +601,402 ¥2,060,117
Title II—Executive Office of the
President and Funds Appro-
priated to the President ........... 726,936 353,404 741,167 +14,231 +387,763
Title III—The Judiciary .................. 7,486,508 7,815,744 7,773,341 +286,833 ¥42,403
Title IV—District of Columbia ...... 714,291 753,362 762,120 +47,829 +8,758
Title V—Other Independent Agen-
cies 2 ......................................... 1,858,503 2,927,809 1,949,339 +90,836 ¥978,470
Title VI—General Provisions—
This Act ..................................... ¥14,369 ¥8,000 ¥250,000 ¥235,631 ¥242,000
Title VII—General Provisions—
Government-wide ...................... ¥2,000 ¥1,000 500 +2,500 +1,500
Title IX—Infrastructure ................. ––– ––– 67,040,000 +67,040,000 +67,040,000
1 Total does not include Program Integrity Cap Adjustment requested in the 2021 Budget.
2 Total does not include $142,864,000 in Disaster Cap Adjustment funding in 2020 Enacted and 2021 Com-
mittee Recommendation.
INTRODUCTION
The Committee recommends a total of $24,636,300,000 in new
discretionary budget authority for fiscal year 2021. The rec-
ommendation is $808,000,000 above the comparable fiscal year
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2020 enacted level.
The Committee report refers to certain organizations, offices, and
institutions as follows: the Government Accountability Office as
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GAO; the Office of Management and Budget as OMB; the Office of
Personnel Management as OPM; the Internal Revenue Service as
IRS; the General Services Administration as GSA; the Small Busi-
ness Administration as SBA; and full-time equivalent as FTE. Ref-
erences to ‘‘the Committee’’ means the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives, unless otherwise noted. In
addition, any reference to the ‘‘budget request’’ or ‘‘the request’’
should be interpreted to mean the Budget of the U.S. Government,
Fiscal Year 2021, that was submitted to Congress on February 10,
2020.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL
The Financial Services and General Government bill has jurisdic-
tion over a broad and varied range of government functions and
services encompassing both the Executive and Judicial branches.
These appropriations support the Department of the Treasury, the
Executive Office of the President, Federal Payments to the District
of Columbia, and the Federal Judiciary. The bill also provides re-
sources for a long list of independent agencies and commissions,
each of which serves the public with a distinct mission.
Several of these diverse institutions of government, such as the
General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service,
and the National Archives and Records Administration, bear re-
sponsibility for basic, but critical, operations of the United States
Government. Others serve public-facing functions such as pro-
tecting consumers from defective and dangerous products, ensuring
that government officials are complying with ethics laws, assisting
small businesses, and investing in distressed communities.
Some of the most significant investments in the fiscal year 2021
Committee recommendation include:
Infrastructure.—The bill includes $67,040,000,000 in emergency
infrastructure investments to respond to the economic collapse re-
lated to the coronavirus, including $61,040,000,000 in funding to
support expansion of broadband to unserved areas, the Secure and
Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, and
broadband mapping. Additionally, the bill includes $6,000,000,000
in funding for acquisition, construction, repairs and alterations,
oversight, and other associated costs of Federal buildings.
Election Security.—The U.S. democratic process is under attack—
and the country’s patchwork of voting systems is woefully under-
prepared to withstand efforts by sophisticated nation-states to hack
the election process and influence election outcomes. State and
local election officials lack the necessary tools and funding to re-
place antiquated voting machines, secure voter registration data-
bases and electronic pollbooks that are vulnerable to hackers, con-
duct cybersecurity training for election officials and poll workers,
perform post-election audits to validate election results, and imple-
ment other necessary efforts to ensure the integrity of the election
process. The Committee recommends $500,000,000 for Election Se-
curity Grants to augment efforts by State and local election officials
to improve the security of elections for Federal office. The rec-
ommendation also includes $19,063,000 for the Election Assistance
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Commission, an increase of $3,892,000 above fiscal year 2020, to
ensure the agency is appropriately resourced to execute its vital
mission to assist states in the administration of Federal elections.
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Combating Financial Crime and Countering the Financing of
Terrorism.—The Committee strongly supports the critical work per-
formed by the Department of the Treasury in combating terrorist
financing and money laundering and recommends robust funding
increases to improve and expand the Department’s capabilities to
detect and deter financial crimes. The recommendation includes
$172,751,000 for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence,
an increase of $3,039,000 above fiscal year 2020. It also provides
$126,963,000 for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, an
increase of $963,000 above fiscal year 2020. These resources will
enhance the Department’s collection and analysis of intelligence
and financial information that can be used by law enforcement to
investigate financial crimes and money laundering.
Community Development Financial Institutions.—Low-income
communities and distressed communities are particularly disadvan-
taged when it comes to accessing credit. The Committee strongly
supports the Community Development Financial Institutions
(CDFI) program as an effective mechanism for expanding the ca-
pacity of community development organizations to finance busi-
nesses, develop affordable housing, and underwrite locally-driven
revitalization initiatives. The Committee recommends $273,500,000
to fund CDFI, representing an increase of $11,500,000 over fiscal
year 2020. The majority of this funding will support CDFI’s core
program, Financial and Technical Assistance Grants, and the re-
mainder will support Native Initiatives, the Bank Enterprise
Award Program, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and indi-
viduals with disabilities. In addition, the recommendation includes
$10,000,000 to continue an initiative to increase the availability
and affordability of small dollar loans.
Protecting Consumers.—The Committee is concerned about ongo-
ing consumer protection issues, including hidden and emerging
product safety incidents, data security episodes, and instances of fi-
nancial fraud. Consequently, the Committee recommendation pro-
vides significant additional resources to agencies responsible for
overseeing product safety, fair competition, unfair and deceptive
trade practices, and financial markets. The recommendation pro-
vides $137,000,000—an increase of $4,500,000 over fiscal year
2020—for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address
chronic underfunding in recent years and to expand operational ca-
pabilities to match the safety challenges in an evolving market-
place. The Committee expects that these additional resources will
also allow improved consumer education on hidden and emerging
hazards, especially in relation to toys and other products that pose
a disproportionate risk for children.
In addition, the Committee recommends $341,000,000—a
$10,000,000 increase over fiscal year 2020—for the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). This additional funding will increase the FTC’s
capabilities both to monitor mergers and acquisitions that could re-
duce competition or lead to higher prices, and to take enforcement
action against companies that fail to take reasonable steps to se-
cure their customer data or that engage in other problematic trade
practices. The Committee also increases protections for investors
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against predatory and unfair practices by financial companies and
advisors. To that end, the recommendation includes
$1,920,000,000—an increase of $105,000,000 over fiscal year
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2020—for salaries and expenses at the Securities and Exchange
Commission to increase enforcement actions related to securities
and financial fraud, monitoring of major market participants, com-
pliance examinations, and investor education activities.
OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT
The Committee believes strongly in the need for careful oversight
of government expenditure of taxpayer dollars and is committed to
providing the necessary oversight to reduce waste, fraud, and inef-
ficiency in the operations and programs funded by the Financial
Services and General Government bill.
To this end, the Committee recommendation takes care to ensure
adequate resources for the Offices of Inspectors General (OIG)
funded by this Act, each of which plays a critical role in monitoring
the agencies under the jurisdiction of this bill.
Additionally, language is included, where needed, directing agen-
cies to provide spending plans, performance measurements, and
workforce and project implementation plans to the Committee for
review. The Committee intends to continue coordination with the
Comptroller General of the United States, which offers expertise in
reducing waste, fraud, and misuse of Federal funds.
The Committee recommendation again includes a provision re-
quiring OMB to remind all Federal agencies of the compliance obli-
gations detailed in the government-wide general provisions within
title VII of this Act. It also includes new requirements to make ap-
portionments of appropriations publicly available in a timely fash-
ion and to ensure agencies’ responsiveness to GAO.
REPROGRAMMING AND OPERATING PLAN PROCEDURES
Section 608 and Section 738 of this Act detail department and
agency responsibilities and procedures relating to reprogramming
of funds among programs, projects, and activities. Each department
and agency funded in this Act shall follow the directions set forth
in this Act and its accompanying report and shall not reallocate re-
sources or reorganize activities except as provided herein. The
Committee expects that agencies or entities that fulfill the require-
ments of Section 608 will also be in compliance with the require-
ments of Section 738.
Section 608 requires agencies and entities funded by this Act to
receive prior approval from the Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Senate for any reprogram-
ming of funds that (1) creates a new program; (2) eliminates a pro-
gram, project, or activity; (3) increases funds or personnel for any
program, project, or activity for which funds have been denied or
restricted by Congress; (4) proposes to use funds directed for a spe-
cific activity by the Committee on Appropriations of either the
House of Representatives or the Senate for a different purpose; (5)
augments existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of
$5,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; (6) reduces existing
programs, projects, or activities by $5,000,000 or 10 percent, which-
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ever is less; or (7) creates or reorganizes offices, programs, or ac-
tivities. In addition, prior to any significant reorganization, restruc-
turing, relocation, or closing of offices, programs, or activities, each
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agency or entity funded in this Act shall consult with the Commit-
tees on Appropriations.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
each agency shall submit a report to establish the baseline for ap-
plication of reprogramming and transfer authorities for fiscal year
2021. The amount appropriated for agencies shall be reduced by
$100,000 per day for each day after the required date that the re-
port has not been submitted to the Committees.
Reprogramming procedures shall apply to funds provided in this
bill, unobligated balances from previous appropriations Acts that
are available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2021, and
non-appropriated resources such as fee collections that are used to
meet program requirements in fiscal year 2021.
To assess a reprogramming request, the Committee expects it
would require the following information, at minimum: a thorough
justification for the reprogramming, the impact of the reprogram-
ming on budget requirements for future fiscal years, and the im-
pact of the reprogramming on carryover funding. These require-
ments also apply to significant reorganizations or restructurings of
programs, projects, or activities, even if such a reorganization or re-
structuring does not involve reprogramming of funding. The Com-
mittee also expects prompt notification of any reprogramming that
does not meet the above criteria but might have significant impacts
on budgetary requirements for future fiscal years.
The Committee directs that, for purposes of this report and the
Act, the term ‘‘consult’’ means a pre-decisional engagement be-
tween a relevant Federal agency and the Committee during which
the Committee is provided a meaningful opportunity to provide
facts and opinions to inform: (1) the use of funds; (2) the develop-
ment, content, or conduct of a program or activity; or (3) a decision
to be taken.
Except in emergency situations, reprogramming requests should
be submitted no later than June 28, 2021. Moreover, the Com-
mittee notes that when an agency or entity submits a reprogram-
ming or transfer request to the Committees on Appropriations and
does not receive identical responses from the House and Senate, it
is the responsibility of the Department or agency to reconcile the
House and Senate differences before proceeding and, if reconcili-
ation is not possible, to consider the request to reprogram funds
unapproved.
The Committee further expects any agency or entity funded in
this bill that plans a reduction-in-force to notify the Committee in
writing at least 30 days in advance of the date of such planned per-
sonnel action.
OTHER MATTERS AND DIRECTIVES
Federal Law Enforcement.—The Committee notes that the Com-
merce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
2021 directs the Attorney General to establish a training program
to cover the use of force and de-escalation, racial profiling, implicit
bias, and procedural justice, to include training on the duty of Fed-
eral law enforcement officers to intervene in cases where another
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law enforcement officer is using excessive force, and make such
training a requirement for Federal law enforcement officers. The
Committee further notes that several Departments and agencies
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funded by this Act employ Federal law enforcement officers and are
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers partner organizations.
The Committee directs such Departments and agencies to adopt
and follow the training program established by the Attorney Gen-
eral, and to make such training a requirement for its Federal law
enforcement officers. The Committee further directs such Depart-
ments and agencies to brief the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations on their efforts relating to training no later than 90
days after the Attorney General has established such a training
program.
In addition, the Committee directs such Departments and agen-
cies, to the extent that such Departments and agencies have not al-
ready done so, to submit their use of force data to the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation (FBI)’s National Use of Force Data Collection
database. The Committee further directs such Departments and
agencies to brief the House and Senate Committees on Appropria-
tions no later than 90 days after enactment of this Act on their cur-
rent efforts to tabulate and submit its use of force data to the FBI.
Reports.—The Committee stresses that all reports are required to
be completed in compliance with the timeframe outlined for each
respective directive. Furthermore, the Committee expects that the
specifications and conditions associated with funding appropriated
by this Act shall be accomplished in the manner as directed in the
report.
Budget Justifications.—Budget justifications are the primary tool
used by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations to
evaluate the resource requirements and fiscal needs of agencies.
The Committee is aware that the format and presentation of budg-
et materials is largely left to the agency within presentation objec-
tives set forth OMB. In fact, OMB Circular A–11, part 1 specifically
instructs agencies to consult with Congressional committees before-
hand. The Committee expects that all agencies funded under this
Act will heed this directive.
The Committee continues the direction that justifications sub-
mitted with the fiscal year 2021 budget request by agencies funded
under this Act contain the customary level of detailed data and ex-
planatory statements to support the appropriations requests at the
level of detail contained in the funding table included at the end
of this report. Among other items, agencies shall provide a detailed
discussion of proposed new initiatives, proposed changes in the
agency’s financial plan from prior year enactment, detailed data on
all programs, and comprehensive information on any office or agen-
cy restructurings. At a minimum, each agency must also provide
adequate justification for funding and staffing changes for each in-
dividual office and materials that compare programs, projects, and
activities that are proposed for fiscal year 2021 to the fiscal year
2020 enacted levels.
Customer Service Measures.—The Committee supports efforts to
improve customer service in accordance with Executive Order
13571, ‘‘Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer
Service,’’ and directs all agencies funded by this Act to develop
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standards to improve customer service and incorporate the stand-
ards into the performance plans required under title 31 of the
United States Code.
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Federal Advertising.—The Committee understands that, as the
largest advertiser in the United States, the Federal government
should work to ensure fair access to its advertising contracts for
small disadvantaged businesses and businesses owned by minori-
ties and women. As such, the Committee directs each of the agen-
cies funded by this Act to include the following information in its
fiscal year 2022 budget justification: expenditures for fiscal year
2020 and 2021, respectively, for all contracts for advertising serv-
ices of SBA-recognized socioeconomic subcategory-certified small
businesses, as defined in the Small Business Act, and all minority-
owned businesses.
Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.—The Com-
mittee notes the importance of ensuring access to Federal services
and programs for all persons with limited English proficiency.
Therefore, the Committee directs agencies and programs funded in
this Act to comply fully with the requirements of Executive Order
13166, ‘‘Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited
English Proficiency,’’ and on an ongoing basis, review and improve
their efforts to provide meaningful access to the programs, services,
and information they provide.
Grants Training Practices.—In its 2018 report, Actions Needed to
Ensure Staff Have Skills to Administer and Oversee Federal
Grants, GAO found that many agencies vary in following best prac-
tices in training approaches for their grants training programs. The
Committee directs each department and agency with grants spe-
cialists to establish a process to monitor and evaluate grants train-
ing at a centralized level and expects that such agencies will work
toward implementation of the recommendations contained in GAO–
18–491. The Committee looks forward to GAO’s briefing on these
efforts, as requested in House Report 116–122.
Drinking Water.—The Committee notes that not every Federal
agency provides complimentary filtered drinking water for employ-
ees and urges Federal agencies to explore options for ensuring ac-
cess to filtered drinking water.
American Flag Purchases.—The Committee urges all Federal
agencies to purchase flags that contain 100 percent American-made
materials. Although current law requires the Federal government
to purchase flags made of only 50 percent American-made mate-
rials, providing more support for American manufacturers is rec-
ommended.
Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act.—OMB and GSA are di-
rected to provide a written report to the Committee within 90 days
of enactment of this Act detailing the steps that have been taken
to implement the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (P.L.
116–30).
Nondiscrimination Report.—The Committee directs OMB and
OPM to submit a report within 90 days of enactment of this Act
on their efforts to ensure that Federal agency resources for grants,
cooperative agreements, and other assistance do not discriminate
on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, color, national origin, reli-
gion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Cyberspace Solarium Commission Recommendations.—The Com-
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mittee recognizes and supports the priorities and recommendations
laid out in the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s report and urges
Federal departments and agencies to align cybersecurity budgetary
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priorities with those laid out by the Commission. In particular, the
Committee calls attention to recommendation 3.2, Develop and
Maintain Continuity of the Economy Planning; recommendation
4.6.3, Strengthen the Capacity of the Committee on Foreign Invest-
ment in the United States, particularly with respect to the need to
train Federal bankruptcy judges; recommendation 3.4, Improve and
Enhance the Funding of the Election Assistance Commission; and
recommendation 3.1, Strengthen Sector-specific Agencies’ Ability to
Manage Critical Infrastructure Risk, particularly with respect to
the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Cybersecurity and Crit-
ical Infrastructure Protection.
Zero Trust Model.—The Committee is aware that the most effec-
tive cybersecurity systems are based on the zero trust model, which
is designed not only to prevent cyber intrusions but to prevent
cyberthieves from accessing or removing protected information. To
ensure that Federal agencies achieve the highest level of security
against cyberattacks in the shortest amount of time, the Committee
encourages all agencies to acquire and deploy zero trust cybersecu-
rity software that is compatible with all existing operating systems
and hardware platforms used by Federal agencies. The Committee
also encourages Federal agencies to acquire and utilize software
compatible with all existing operating systems and hardware plat-
forms that will enable agencies to measure or quantify their risk
of a cybersecurity attack in the months ahead and the types of
cyberattack the agency is most likely to experience. Upon learning
the risk and type of cyberattack the agency is most likely to face,
the agency shall immediately take remedial action to minimize
such risk. Agencies shall include information in their fiscal year
2022 Congressional Justification to Congress on their progress in
complying with this directive.
Impoundment of Resources.—The Committee notes and agrees
with GAO decision B–330330, issued on December 10, 2018, re-
garding the withholding of budgetary authority from obligation
pending congressional consideration of a special message under the
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). In that decision, GAO
concluded that ‘‘the ICA does not permit the withholding of funds
through their date of expiration’’ and that ‘‘under the Constitution,
the President must take care to execute the appropriations that
Congress has enacted.’’ The Committee further notes GAO’s obser-
vation in that decision that an ‘‘appropriation is a law like any
other; therefore, unless Congress has enacted a law providing oth-
erwise, the President must take care to ensure that appropriations
are prudently obligated during their period of availability.’’
The Committee recommendation expands upon the existing re-
quirements under the ICA to make budget authority prudently
available for obligation with new language in section 748. This new
provision requires that budget authority proposed for rescission or
deferral pursuant to sections 1012 or 1013 of the ICA be made
available, not just in time to be prudently obligated (as is required
under the ICA), but, in any case, no later than 90 calendar days
before such budget authority would expire. This requirement ap-
plies to the current period of availability of budget authority pro-
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posed for rescission or deferral under the ICA procedures, as well
as the initial period of availability of such budget authority. With-
holding budget authority with a fixed period of availability through
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10
its expiration would not just violate the ICA but would violate the
requirements of this new provision as well. The Committee rec-
ommendation includes a corresponding requirement that appropria-
tions be released to agencies through administrative apportionment
processes in time for the agencies to prudently obligate their appro-
priations (as is already required under current law), but in any
case, to release funds to agencies no later than 90 calendar days
before such appropriation would expire.
In furtherance of those requirements, the Committee rec-
ommendation requires that GAO report on the Administration’s
compliance with section 748, and that the President provide to
GAO such information, documentation, views, and access to per-
sonnel as the Comptroller General determines is necessary to com-
plete any such report.
In addition, the Committee notes that apportionments are only
legally binding under the Antideficiency Act to the extent that they
are consistent with the law, and the Committee expects that any
department or agency will promptly notify Congress in the event
that an apportionment contains contrary direction. To that end, the
recommendation includes a provision that requires each depart-
ment and agency of the executive branch to notify Congress if an
apportionment is not provided in the required timeframe, condi-
tions (or purports to condition) availability on some further action,
could hinder the department or agency’s obligation of budgetary re-
sources, or otherwise improperly restricts budgetary resources.
Executive Branch Responsiveness to GAO.—The Committee is
troubled by the Administration’s inconsistent application of fiscal
law and unresponsiveness to constitutionally appropriate oversight.
The Committee recommendation expands upon GAO’s current law
access to information by including a requirement for executive
agencies to respond to GAO’s written requests for information, doc-
umentation, and views relating to a decision or opinion on budget
or appropriations law not later than 20 days after the agency re-
ceives the request, unless such request provides a later deadline.
The bill requires the Administration to notify Congress and GAO
of any failure to provide GAO with the information it requests, and
it authorizes the Comptroller General to bring suit to compel pro-
duction of information, documentation, or views withheld in viola-
tion of this section. Further, in light of SBA’s failure to comply
with GAO’s independent and nonpartisan oversight of the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the
bill includes added requirements for SBA with respect to GAO rela-
tions, and withholds funds from SBA until such requirements are
met.
The recommendation also expands the reporting requirements in
the Antideficiency Act. Section 145 of OMB Circular A–11 sets out
reporting requirements for Antideficiency Act violation reports,
which includes a summary of the cause of the violation, identifica-
tion of the position of the officials responsible for the violation, and
descriptions of the actions the agency will take to prevent the re-
currence of such violation. The recommendation amends the report-
ing requirements in the Antideficiency Act to codify and mandate
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compliance with this existing practice and restores the long-
standing requirement that Antideficiency Act violation reports are
required when GAO finds that a violation occurred.
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TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
DEPARTMENTAL OFFICES
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $228,373,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 241,473,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 231,861,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +3,488,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥9,612,000
The Departmental Offices support the Secretary of the Treasury
as the chief operating executive of the Department and in his role
in determining the tax, economic, and financial management poli-
cies of the Federal government. The Secretary’s responsibilities
funded by the Salaries and Expenses appropriation include: recom-
mending and implementing domestic and international economic
and tax policy; providing recommendations regarding fiscal policy;
governing the fiscal operations of the government; managing the
public debt; managing development of financial policy; representing
the U.S. on international monetary, trade, and investment issues;
overseeing Treasury Department international operations; directing
the administrative operations of the Treasury Department; and
providing executive oversight of the bureaus within the Treasury
Department.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $231,861,000 for Departmental Of-
fices, Salaries and Expenses.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $25,000,000 for the De-
partment to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, do-
mestically or internationally.
Treasury Forfeiture Fund.—The Department is directed to con-
tinue to submit a detailed table every month reporting the interest
earned, forfeiture revenue collected, unobligated balances, recov-
eries, expenses to date, and expenses estimated for the remainder
of the fiscal year.
Financial Literacy.—The Committee is concerned about the low
level of financial literacy and numeracy skills among the adult pop-
ulation of the U.S. As the Department develops and implements
initiatives to educate and empower consumers to make better in-
formed financial decisions, the Committee directs the Department
to work with the Financial Literacy and Education Commission
(FLEC) to develop materials that effectively serve at-risk groups,
such as communities of color and historically disadvantaged indi-
viduals. Further, the Committee encourages the Department to ex-
plore the degree to which existing Federal financial literacy pro-
grams benefit those individuals with low literacy skills and to de-
velop measurable goals and objectives for the FLEC that address
the needs of this population. Finally, the Committee urges the De-
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partment to explore opportunities to work with rural community-
based adult and family literacy organizations to promote and im-
plement future financial literacy initiatives.
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Puerto Rico Technical Assistance.—Within 90 days of enactment
of this Act, the Department is directed to provide a report to the
Committee describing how the Department has used its authority
to provide technical assistance to Puerto Rico in fiscal year 2020
and how it plans to use it in fiscal year 2021.
Cybersecurity in the Financial Services Sector.—The Committee
recognizes the need to protect the financial services sector and its
customers from the devastating effects of cyberattacks and sup-
ports efforts by both industry and government to mitigate this
threat. The Committee encourages continued coordination to de-
velop consistent and workable cybersecurity safeguards across the
financial services sector, including within the payment processing
and financial technology industries. Within funding provided, the
Committee expects the Department to make the activities of the
Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection
(OCCIP) a priority. OCCIP is directed to brief the Committee, with-
in 90 days of enactment of this Act, on its collaborative efforts with
the financial services sector to enhance cybersecurity controls and
safeguards, and proposed methods and tools to improve these ef-
forts, such as nanoscale physically unclonable function devices.
Treatment of U.S. Territories.—The Committee is concerned with
the continued inclusion of U.S. territories on the European Union’s
(EU) list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, and with
the EU’s decision to analyze U.S. territories separately from the
U.S. as a whole. This blacklisting is damaging to investment and
economic development in the territories, particularly as the terri-
tories are striving to recover from recent emergencies and natural
disasters. The Committee finds the blacklisting to be unsubstan-
tiated and rejects the inclusion of U.S. territories on the list. The
Committee urges the Department to continue its efforts to have all
U.S. territories removed from the list.
Consumer Payment Choice.—The Committee is aware of a grow-
ing trend by retailers to refuse to accept cash as a form of payment.
Studies have shown this practice has a negative impact on under-
banked, unbanked, and other populations, including the elderly
and rural populations, and disproportionate effects on wages, fees,
and privacy. The Committee looks forward to the timely submission
of the consumer payment choice report required in House Report
116–122.
Automobile Insurance Rates.—The Committee is aware of con-
cerns regarding the lack of reliable data regarding disparate pric-
ing practices in the automobile insurance market. The Committee
believes that the availability of such data on people of color and
those in lower-income communities would be useful to policymakers
and researchers. Therefore, the Committee directs the Federal In-
surance Office to examine the impact of non-driving related factors,
such as a consumer’s credit history, homeownership status, census
tract, marital status, professional occupation, and educational at-
tainment, on the affordability of auto insurance premiums for tra-
ditionally underserved communities.
Automatic Stabilizers.—The Committee urges Treasury to study
the advantages of automatic stabilizers such as unemployment in-
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surance in blunting economic downturns. The Department should
assess potential approaches to strengthening existing stabilizers,
such as automatic payments to individuals, in the event of severe
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13
recessions, and consider the usefulness of alternative indicators of
the onset of a recession, such as the ‘‘Sahm rule.’’
Student Loans.—The Committee directs Treasury, in coordina-
tion with Federal banking regulators, to encourage financial insti-
tutions to work constructively with private student loan borrowers
experiencing financial difficulties.
Soil Carbon Capture Tax Credit.—The Committee encourages the
Office of Tax Policy, in consultation with the Secretary of Agri-
culture, to assess the feasibility of developing a tax credit to
incentivize carbon capture on farms and ranches.
Transparency of U.S. Treasury Markets.—The Committee encour-
ages the Department to continue efforts to enhance transparency
in the U.S. Treasuries market. In a report issued in 2015, the De-
partment made specific recommendations for refining and enhanc-
ing the regulatory framework for Treasuries and noted that that
post-trade transparency in the U.S. Treasury market is far more
limited than in other markets. Within 90 days of enactment of this
Act, the Department is directed to provide an update on efforts to
increase post-trade public transparency for U.S. Treasury securi-
ties, including the real-time dissemination of information regarding
trading activity, including price and volume data, consistent with
post-trade data of similarly situated asset classes.
Banking Regulatory and Supervisory Treatment.—The Com-
mittee recognizes the role that international banks play in pro-
viding credit to U.S. businesses, enhancing liquidity to financial
markets, and employing people in the U.S. The Committee encour-
ages the Secretary, as chair of the Financial Stability Oversight
Council (FSOC), to work in close coordination with other FSOC
member agencies to ensure that the current prudential regulatory
and supervisory regimes are aligned and promote a level playing
field between international banks and their U.S. peers based on
their risk profile and footprint within the U.S.
FSOC Guidance.—The Committee recognizes the guidance final-
ized by FSOC on December 4, 2019, regarding the designation of
nonbank financial companies as systemically important financial
institutions, which outlines an activities-based approach and is in-
tended to make FSOC’s process more transparent, accountable, and
rigorous. While FSOC’s guidance is important, the Committee rec-
ognizes Congress may also codify these changes to require FSOC
to focus on activities-based risk assessments for nonbank financial
companies, which would target areas of potential systemic risk, in-
stead of on designations of individual companies.
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES FUND
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $20,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 20,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 20,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
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(CFIUS) was established in 1975 to monitor the impact of foreign
investment in the U.S. and to coordinate and implement Federal
policy on such investment. The Foreign Investment Risk Review
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14
Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA) expanded the jurisdiction of
CFIUS to address growing national security concerns over foreign
exploitation of certain national security structures which tradition-
ally have fallen outside of the Committee’s jurisdiction, and mod-
ernized CFIUS processes to better enable timely and effective re-
views of covered transactions. FIRRMA also established the CFIUS
Fund to support these expanded functions and responsibilities, and
to collect filing fees.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $20,000,000 for the CFIUS Fund. In
addition, $24,146,000 is included under ‘‘Departmental Offices—
Salaries and Expenses’’ to enable the Department to hire an addi-
tional 39 FTE by the end of fiscal year 2021 to support the antici-
pated growth in the CFIUS caseload. The Committee supports the
Department’s efforts to hire and fully staff operations for CFIUS
activities, including its critical role in reviewing transactions that
may pose a national security threat.
The Committee notes the importance of closely monitoring anti-
competitive consolidations that hurt small business and often re-
sult in artificial price inflation.
OFFICE OF TERRORISM AND FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $169,712,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 172,751,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 172,751,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +3,039,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
Economic and trade sanctions issued and enforced by the Office
of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence’s (TFI) Office of Foreign As-
sets Control (OFAC) protect the financial system from being pol-
luted with criminal and illicit activities and counteract national se-
curity threats from drug lords, terrorists, human rights abusers,
weapons of mass destruction proliferators, and rogue nations,
among others. In addition to the enforcement of sanctions, TFI also
produces vital analysis of foreign intelligence and counterintel-
ligence across all elements of the national security community.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $172,751,000 for the Office of Ter-
rorism and Financial Intelligence.
The Committee strongly supports OFAC’s critical role in pun-
ishing malign actors’ behavior, particularly Russia’s escalating ag-
gression in Ukraine and insidious influence operations in Europe
and the U.S. TFI is directed to brief the Committee within 90 days
of enactment of this Act on the allocation of staffing and resources
among OFAC’s active sanctions programs.
Russian Sanctions.—The Committee is concerned that high-rank-
ing Russian officials and oligarchs are evading sanctions by trans-
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ferring assets to family members, thereby weakening the sanctions
regime on those responsible for Russia’s continued aggression in
Ukraine and human rights abuses. The Committee urges OFAC to
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15
conduct a review of the transfer of Russian assets and apply sanc-
tions to personal relatives where appropriate. Such sanctions
should be tied to gross human rights abuses such as illegal detain-
ment of prisoners of war and other freedom-fighters.
Human Rights Abuse and Corruption Sanctions.—The Com-
mittee supports robust enforcement of human rights abuse and cor-
ruption-related sanctions, and includes not less than $3,000,000 for
the enforcement of such sanctions, including activities authorized
by the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The
Committee directs OFAC to brief within 90 days of enactment of
this Act on its efforts to investigate and impose sanctions pursuant
to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, includ-
ing an explanation of why such sanctions have rarely been under-
taken with respect to senior government officials in Honduras,
Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Sanctions Enforcement in Africa.—The Committee is concerned
that corruption continues to be an impediment to social, economic,
and political development in nations such as Sudan, South Sudan,
the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of
Congo. The Committee supports the use of funds to enhance re-
gional expertise and capacity to promote the effectiveness of sanc-
tions regimes designed to curtail money flows that are fueling wars
and contributing to regional destabilization.
CYBERSECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACCOUNT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $18,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 18,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 18,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Cybersecurity Enhancement Account (CEA) is a dedicated
account designed to identify and support Department-wide invest-
ments for critical IT improvements, including the systems identi-
fied as High Value Assets.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $18,000,000 for the CEA.
The Treasury Chief Information Officer (CIO) is directed to con-
tinue to review and approve each investment under the CEA and
submit quarterly reports on the progress of each investment. To en-
sure the Treasury CIO retains control over the execution of these
funds, the recommendation does not permit the transfers of funds
from the CEA.
DEPARTMENT-WIDE SYSTEMS AND CAPITAL INVESTMENTS PROGRAMS
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $6,118,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 13,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 6,000,000
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Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥118,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥7,500,000
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16
The Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments Pro-
grams account funds capital investments that support the missions
of all Treasury bureaus and programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $6,000,000 for Department-wide
Systems and Capital Investments Programs.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $41,044,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 39,335,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 41,044,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,709,000
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides agency-wide audit
and investigative functions to identify and correct operational and
administrative deficiencies that create conditions for fraud, waste,
and mismanagement. The audit function provides contract, pro-
gram, and financial statement audit services. Contract audits pro-
vide professional advice to agency contracting officials on account-
ing and financial matters relative to negotiation, award, adminis-
tration, repricing, and settlement of contracts. Program audits re-
view and evaluate all facets of agency operations. Financial state-
ment audits assess whether financial statements fairly present the
agency’s financial condition and results of operations, the adequacy
of accounting controls, and compliance with laws and regulations.
The investigative function provides for the detection and investiga-
tion of improper and illegal activities involving programs, per-
sonnel, and operations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $41,044,000 for the OIG to conduct
audits of the Department’s highest risk programs and continue its
investigative work to prevent, detect, and investigate complaints of
fraud, waste, and abuse impacting Treasury programs and oper-
ations.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $35,000,000 for the OIG
to conduct oversight of the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
TREASURY INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR TAX ADMINISTRATION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $170,250,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 171,350,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 171,350,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,100,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Office of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
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(TIGTA) conducts audits, investigations, and evaluations to assess
the operations and programs of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
and its related entities, the IRS Oversight Board, and the Office of
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17
Chief Counsel. The purpose of those audits and investigations is as
follows: (1) to promote the economic, efficient, and effective admin-
istration of the Nation’s tax laws and to detect and deter fraud and
abuse in IRS programs and operations; and (2) to recommend ac-
tions to resolve fraud and other serious problems, abuses, and defi-
ciencies in these programs and operations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $171,350,000 for TIGTA.
Healthy and Safety of IRS Employees.—The Committee believes
that protecting the health and safety of all Federal workers is a top
priority. The Committee directs TIGTA to submit a report to the
Committee within 90 days of enactment of this Act that includes
the following information related to the COVID–19 pandemic: IRS’s
policies and guidance to protect the health and safety of all IRS
employees and how these compare to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Office of Personnel Management guidance, all safety and
health incidents, and the employee telework and return-to-work no-
tification process. Additionally, the report should include TIGTA’s
recommendations for improvement.
Tax-Exempt Status Compliance.—The Committee is concerned
with 501(c) and 501(c)(5) organizations abusing their tax-exempt
status. The Committee urges the IRS to ensure that these organi-
zations meet all conditions in order to maintain their tax-exempt
status. Within 180 days of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mittee requests TIGTA to provide an update on Noncompliant Ac-
tivity by Exempt Organizations (audit number: 201910021) and
Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division’s Examinations of
Unrelated Business Income Tax (audit number: 201930025), from
TIGTA’s fiscal year 2020 Annual Audit Plan for the IRS.
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.—
The Committee emphasizes the importance of prevention and de-
tection of fraud and abuse and requests updates from TIGTA on its
audits and investigations in this area.The Committee is interested
in TIGTA’s reviews of the implementation of the CARES Act to de-
termine whether taxpayers received the law’s intended benefits as
well as whether the IRS has sufficient processes in place to identify
fraud, abuse, and noncompliance with the law’s provisions.
SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR THE TROUBLED ASSET RELIEF
PROGRAM
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $22,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 17,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 19,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥3,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,500,000
The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled
Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) was established in the Emer-
gency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–343).
SIGTARP’s mission is to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits
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and investigations of the purchase, management, and sale of assets
by the Secretary of the Treasury under programs established pur-
suant to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
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18
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $19,000,000 for SIGTARP, to enable
the office to continue to execute its vital mission to target crime at
financial institutions and protect taxpayer dollars.
FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $126,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 126,963,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 126,963,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +963,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The mission of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
(FinCEN) is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use; com-
bat money laundering; and promote national security through the
collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and
strategic use of financial authorities. FinCEN supports Federal,
State, local, and international law enforcement agency investiga-
tions of money laundering and other financial crimes, and fosters
interagency and global cooperation against domestic and inter-
national financial crimes.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $126,963,000 for FinCEN.
Business Email Compromise.—Email compromise fraud schemes
generally entail criminal attempts to compromise the email ac-
counts of victims to send fraudulent payment instructions to finan-
cial institutions or business associates in order to misappropriate
funds or to assist in financial fraud. The Committee is concerned
with the prevalence of such schemes in the real estate sector.
FinCEN is directed to brief the Committee within 90 days of enact-
ment on its ongoing efforts to combat and raise awareness of busi-
ness email compromise scams, including joint activities conducted
with the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Federal Trade Commission, and other relevant agencies.
Geographic Targeting Orders.—FinCEN is expected to keep the
Committee apprised of the Department’s efforts to detect money
laundering and other illicit activity involving real estate trans-
actions through the use of Geographic Targeting Orders.
Innovative Efforts to Combat Money Laundering.—The Com-
mittee recognizes the importance of public-private partnerships in
strengthening Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compli-
ance programs, while at the same time reducing compliance costs
and facilitating the movement of legitimate financial transactions.
The Committee urges FinCEN to continue to work with Federal
regulators and financial institutions to encourage innovative ap-
proaches to detect and combat money laundering and terrorist fi-
nancing, including artificial intelligence and machine learning tech-
nology. FinCEN shall brief the Committee within 60 days of enact-
ment of this Act on its efforts in this regard.
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Trade-Based Money Laundering.—The Committee looks forward
to the report required in the explanatory statement accompanying
the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
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19
Act, 2020, regarding the risk that trade-based money laundering
and other forms of illicit finance pose to national security.
Asia-Pacific Region.—The Committee recognizes the importance
of FinCEN’s support to law enforcement cases in Hawaii and the
U.S. Pacific territories as part of the Bureau’s broader mission to
combat money laundering and promote national security. FinCEN
shall brief the Committee within 60 days of enactment of this Act
on current trends and methods of money laundering in the Asia-
Pacific Region and ongoing efforts to counter this activity.
Human Trafficking.—The Committee appreciates FinCEN’s his-
tory of supporting law enforcement cases that combat human traf-
ficking, including its 2014 Guidance on Recognizing Activity that
May be Associated with Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking
to financial institutions, and emphasizes the importance of con-
tinuing this effort as part of the Bureau’s broader mission to detect
and disrupt all forms of financial crime. Wherever possible,
FinCEN shall marshal its unique expertise in analyzing financial
flows for this important effort in the course of ongoing strategic op-
erations and provide the appropriate assistance to law enforcement
agencies in their human trafficking investigations.
BUREAU OF THE FISCAL SERVICE
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $340,280,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 360,200,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 341,069,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +789,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥19,131,000
The mission of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service)
is to promote the financial integrity and operational efficiency of
the U.S. Government through accounting, borrowing, collections,
payments, and shared services. The Fiscal Service is the Federal
government’s central financial agent. The Fiscal Service also devel-
ops and implements reliable and efficient financial methods and
systems to operate the government’s cash management, credit
management, and debt collection programs in order to maintain
government accounts and report on the status of the government’s
finances. In addition, the Fiscal Service is the primary agency for
collecting Federal non-tax debt owed to the government and is re-
sponsible for all public debt operations and the promotion of the
sale of U.S. securities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $341,069,000 for the Fiscal Service.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $78,650,000 for the Fiscal
Service to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domes-
tically or internationally.
Transparency in Federal Spending.—Transparency and account-
ability are critical to a democratic and fiscally responsible govern-
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ment, and USASpending.gov is the primary portal through which
the public can review and understand Federal spending. While the
Committee is pleased by ongoing improvements to the website, the
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20
Committee is concerned about recent Inspector General audits that
revelated limitations in functionality and ongoing data quality
problems that often prevents users from getting complete and cor-
rect answers to their inquiries about Federal spending. Therefore,
the Committee directs the Fiscal Service to work with OMB and
other Federal agencies to improve USASpending. In addition, the
Committee directs the Fiscal Service to continue to make basic in-
formation about the use of financial agents publicly available in a
central location, including compensation paid to each financial
agent and a description of the services provided. The Committee
further directs the Fiscal Service to coordinate with OMB to pub-
lish all unclassified vendor contracts and grant awards for all Fed-
eral agencies online at USAspending.gov. The Committee looks for-
ward to receiving the report on transparency in Federal spending
required in House Report 116–122.
ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $119,600,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 125,837,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 121,804,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +2,204,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥4,033,000
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is respon-
sible for the enforcement of laws designed to eliminate certain il-
licit activities and the regulation of lawful activities relating to dis-
tilled spirits, beer, wine, and nonbeverage alcohol products, and to-
bacco. TTB focuses on collecting revenue; reducing taxpayer burden
and improving service while preventing diversion; and protecting
the public and preventing consumer deception in certain regulated
commodities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $121,804,000 for the TTB.
Trade Practice Enforcement and Education.—The recommenda-
tion includes $5,000,000 for TTB to continue its education and en-
forcement efforts for industry trade practice violations. Enforce-
ment of basic trade practice functions, required under the Federal
Alcohol Administration Act, is critical to ensuring a competitive,
fair, and safe marketplace. The Committee urges the TTB to in-
crease its outreach to educate and inform the industry on trade
practice laws and regulations. Within 60 days of enactment of this
Act, the Committee directs the TTB to report on how the funding
will be used to bolster enforcement, forensic audits, and investiga-
tions, particularly in known points in the supply chain that are
susceptible to illegal activity, as well as increase education activi-
ties and accessibility to permit holders in all 50 States.
Negotiated Settlements.—The Committee is aware of continued
concerns regarding the inconsistent and opaque standards for nego-
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tiated settlements in lieu of permit actions for alleged trade prac-
tice violations. The Committee looks forward to receiving the report
required in House Report 116–122.
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UNITED STATES MINT
UNITED STATES MINT PUBLIC ENTERPRISE FUND
The United States Mint (the Mint) manufactures coins, receives
deposits of gold and silver bullion, and safeguards the Federal gov-
ernment’s holdings of monetary metals. In 1997, Congress estab-
lished the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (Public Law
104–52), which authorized the Mint to use proceeds from the sale
of coins to finance the costs of its operations and consolidated all
existing Mint accounts into a single fund. Public Law 104–52 also
provided that, in certain situations, the levels of capital invest-
ments for circulating coins and protective services shall factor into
the decisions of Congress.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a spending level for capital invest-
ments by the Mint for circulating coinage and protective services
of $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND
PROGRAM ACCOUNT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $262,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 14,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 273,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +11,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +259,500,000
The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI)
Fund provides grants, loans, equity investments, and technical as-
sistance, on a competitive basis, to new and existing CDFIs such
as community development banks, community development credit
unions, and housing and microenterprise loan funds. Recipients use
the funds to support mortgages, small business, and economic de-
velopment lending in underserved and distressed neighborhoods
and to support the availability of financial services in these neigh-
borhoods. The CDFI Fund is also responsible for implementation of
the New Markets Tax Credits.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $273,500,000 for the CDFI Fund
program. Of the amounts recommended, $171,000,000 is for finan-
cial and technical assistance grants, $16,000,000 is for Native Ini-
tiatives, $25,000,000 is for the Bank Enterprise Award Program,
$22,000,000 is for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative,
$10,000,000 is for the Small Dollar Loan Program, and $29,500,000
is for administrative expenses. In addition, the Committee rec-
ommends a loan limit of $500,000,000 for the Bond Guarantee Pro-
gram.
CDFIs in U.S. Insular Areas.—The Committee notes the absence
of CDFIs serving American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and
other U.S. insular areas and recommends that the CDFI Fund use
its Capacity Building Initiative to expand service to these areas to
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the extent practical.
CDFI Program Integration for Individuals with Disabilities.—
The Committee is pleased to include $6,000,000 in dedicated funds
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22
for financial and technical assistance grants to position more
CDFIs to respond to the housing, transportation, education, and
employment needs of underserved, low-income individuals with dis-
abilities. By increasing the visibility of the disability community,
the Committee expects CDFIs to incorporate the needs of the dis-
abled into their business plans and practices.
Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the CDFI Fund is re-
quired to submit a report to the Committee summarizing the num-
ber of awards, amount of each award, types of programs, impact of
the funding on the number of CDFIs serving the disability commu-
nity, and recommendations to improve the award process to CDFIs
seeking funds for this program.
Persistent-Poverty Areas.—Building upon the existing investment
requirement in persistent poverty counties that has been included
in previous appropriations Acts, the Committee supports increasing
targeted investments in high-poverty areas, defined as any census
tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as measured by the
2011–2015 5-year data series available from the American Commu-
nity Survey of the Census Bureau.
High Poverty Areas.—The Committee appreciates the CDFI
Fund’s efforts to increase the overall dollar amount invested by
awardees in high-poverty areas. Within 180 days of enactment of
this Act, the CDFI Fund is directed to submit a report on the
amount and percentage increase of financial assistance awardee in-
vestments made in high-poverty areas over the most recent three
fiscal years. The report should also detail the impact these invest-
ments have had on populations living in high-poverty areas. If the
percentage of financial assistance awardee investments made in
high-poverty areas in fiscal year 2020 was less than the average
percentage of financial assistance awardee investments made in
high-poverty areas in fiscal years 2017, 2018, and 2019, the report
shall explain why the benchmark was unable to be met and what
steps are being taken to meet it in fiscal year 2021.
The Committee directs the CDFI Fund to place a priority on
making additional funds available to CDFIs that have provided no
less than 15 percent of their total lending to recipients in per-
sistent poverty counties, as measured by a three-year average of
their activity. Within one year of enactment of this Act, the CDFI
Fund is directed to submit a report to the Committee on the imple-
mentation of this request.
Small Dollar Loan Program.—The Committee is pleased to dedi-
cate $10,000,000 for the Small Dollar Loan Program. The Com-
mittee directs the CDFI Fund to brief the Committee within 90
days of enactment of this Act on the implementation of the pro-
gram.
CDFI Outreach.—Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the
CDFI Fund is required to submit a report to the Committee on Ap-
propriations of the House and Senate summarizing its outreach ef-
forts over the past ten years including the (1) type, number, and
location of outreach activities, and (2) recommendations to improve
its outreach process to rural, non-foreign areas, and underserved
communities.
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Bond Guarantee Program.—The Committee observes that exist-
ing taxpayer safeguards in place during fiscal year 2019 and prior
years resulted in no losses over the life of the Bond Guarantee Pro-
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23
gram (BGP) and that the Administration proposal to add further
restrictions in the form of collateral and cash requirements, liquid-
ity premiums, escrow procedures, and designated bonding authority
risks shutting out credit-worthy CDFIs from accessing this valu-
able source of long-term debt to the detriment of communities
across the nation. The Committee directs the CDFI Fund to follow
BGP requirements consistent with fiscal year 2019 and prior years.
Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the Department of the
Treasury shall report to the Committee on measures it is taking to
expand the delivery of BGP resources to high poverty communities.
To encourage greater utilization of the BGP, the Department shall
include in the report an assessment of the potential benefits of re-
ducing the minimum bond size from $100,000,000 to $50,000,000.
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
The Committee recommends $12,116,491,000 for the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS), which constitutes an increase of
$606,437,000, or 5 percent, above the fiscal year 2020 enacted level.
The fiscal year 2021 recommendation increases funding above the
fiscal year 2020 enacted level in all four IRS accounts.
In addition, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L.
116–127) included $15,000,000 and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included
$750,700,000 for the IRS to prevent, prepare for, and respond to
coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
Once again, the fiscal year 2021 request for the IRS includes
$400,000,000 under a discretionary program integrity cap adjust-
ment. This funding was requested in the Enforcement and Oper-
ations Support accounts to fund new personnel and investments as
well as expand and improve IRS’s overall operations. Although the
Committee recognizes IRS’s needs for additional funding, the fiscal
year 2021 budget agreement does not include a program integrity
cap adjustment. The Committee realizes that not receiving the
$400,000,000 under the program cap adjustment will further strain
IRS resources. This looms on an agency that has outdated legacy
systems and is struggling to train, maintain, and hire needed ex-
pertise to advance the mission of the IRS.
Within the IRS allocation, the Committee is pleased that the IRS
will continue implementation of the Taxpayer First Act of 2019,
which will revamp customer service, introduce new taxpayer pro-
tections, and deliver new online service platforms to facilitate filing
and payment for individuals and businesses. The Committee looks
forward to future briefings on the status and outputs of the Tax-
payer First Act implementation, especially the IRS’s reorganization
plan.
Additionally, the recommendation includes $250,000,000 for
Business Systems Modernization. These resources are dedicated for
the IRS Integrated Modernization Business Plan, which aims to
improve the taxpayer experience by modernizing core tax adminis-
tration systems, improving IRS operations, and strengthening cy-
bersecurity. The Committee supports efforts by the IRS to mod-
ernize the agency’s legacy systems and has included report direc-
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tives to the IRS to provide the Committee with detailed plans for
completing the Customer Account Data Engine 2 (CADE 2) and re-
tiring the Individual Master File (IMF).
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24
The Committee continues to be discouraged with the level of
service taxpayers are receiving. Additionally, the Committee is con-
cerned over the level and quality of taxpayer customer service that
will be offered post COVID–19. Not only will the IRS have to pre-
pare for the upcoming tax season, but the agency will also have to
handle taxpayer issues associated with COVID–19 Economic In-
come Payments, which will increase the demand and need for qual-
ity customer service.
Cost of War.—The Committee encourages continued compliance
with section 1090 of Public Law 114–328, the National Defense Au-
thorization Act for fiscal year 2017, which requires the Department
of Defense, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic
Analysis, and the IRS to calculate the cost to every taxpayer of the
wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The Committee believes it is
important that the IRS continue to comply with the law by updat-
ing and archiving this information on an annual basis in a central-
ized, publicly accessible, online location.
Child Care Credit.—The Committee is aware of an urgent need
to support access to quality, affordable child care. Therefore, the
Committee directs GAO to conduct an evaluation of the employer-
provided child care credit and report to the Committee within one
year of enactment of this Act with information that may include
the following: the common characteristics of employers that are
using the child care credit, challenges identified by employers that
are not using the credit, and the extent to which employees benefit
from available child care when employers use the child care credit.
GAO should include any recommendations based on their findings
regarding the use of the tax credit to ensure employees have access
to child care. The Committee directs the IRS to provide any data
that GAO may request for this report.
Controlled Foreign Corporations.—The Committee directs the
IRS to submit a report to the Committee, within 90 days of enact-
ment of this Act, that quantifies Federal, State, and territorial tax
avoidance by companies that operate controlled foreign corpora-
tions in Puerto Rico and by individuals and other businesses that
have moved from a State; describes the measures that would need
to be taken to eliminate any possible tax avoidance; and includes
a plan enumerating the legislative changes needed to make Puerto
Rico a domestic jurisdiction for tax purposes. Additionally, the
Committee instructs the Department to submit a report within 30
days of enactment of this Act on Puerto Rico’s efforts to replace Act
154 with a territorial corporate income tax system, and to keep the
Committee informed of any developments thereafter.
User Fee and Spending Reports.—The Committee directs the IRS
to submit a user fee spending plan within 60 days of enactment of
this act detailing planned spending on its four appropriations ac-
counts. Additionally, the Committee directs the IRS to submit on
a quarterly basis, FTE usage and obligations by account and antici-
pated FTE usage and spending through fiscal year 2021.
The Internal Revenue Service shall comply with section 6103 of
the Internal Revenue Code in all reports.
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A description of the Committee’s recommendation by appropria-
tion is provided below.
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25
TAXPAYER SERVICES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $2,511,554,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 2,562,554,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 2,602,554,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +91,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +40,000,000
The Taxpayer Services appropriation provides for taxpayer serv-
ices, including forms and publications; processing of tax returns
and related documents; filing and account services; taxpayer advo-
cacy services; and assistance to taxpayers to understand their tax
obligations, correctly file their returns, and pay taxes due in a
timely manner.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $2,602,554,000 for Taxpayer Serv-
ices.
Taxpayer First Impact on Secondary Mortgage Market.—The
Committee directs the IRS to conduct a study detailing the imple-
mentation of the Taxpayer First Act (P.L. 116–25) as it relates to
any impact on the secondary mortgage market, including instances
of a single borrower with jointly filed tax returns. The IRS shall
submit the report to the Committee within 90 days of enactment
of this Act.
Taxpayer ID Theft.—The Committee reminds the IRS of the di-
rective in House Report 116–122 that requires the IRS to report on
the number of taxpayers who have had their tax return rejected be-
cause their Social Security or taxpayer identification number was
improperly used by another individual to commit tax fraud; the av-
erage time to resolve the situation and provide innocent taxpayers
with their refund, when a refund is due; and the number of cases
involving taxpayer identification numbers of residents of the terri-
tories. This report was also directed to include a discussion on
IRS’s progress and plans to expedite resolution for these taxpayers;
to prevent non-victims from becoming victims; to educate the public
on the threat of identity theft; and to detect, prevent, and combat
identity-based tax fraud and actions. The Committee directs the
IRS to continue their work related to identity theft tax refund
fraud in fiscal year 2021.
Free File Program.—The Committee is concerned about confusing
guidance and low participation of the Free File program. The Com-
mittee urges the IRS to increase promotion of the Free File pro-
gram via press releases, press outreach, social media, and other
communications with taxpayers. Additionally, Congress directs the
IRS, in consultation with the National Taxpayer Advocate, to sub-
mit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and
Senate within 90 days of enactment of this Act summarizing the
actions it has taken to address recommendations made by the
MITRE Corporation 2019 Free File Report. Furthermore, the Com-
mittee urges the IRS to include Military Tax and other free tax
preparation and filing services provided by the Department of De-
fense in all promotional material targeted at military
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servicemembers.
Telephone Service.—The Committee remains concerned that tax-
payers are not receiving the level of telephone service they require
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26
and that the IRS’s ‘‘Level of Service’’ (LOS) measure of telephone
performance understates the severity of the problem.The National
Taxpayer Advocate has pointed out that although the LOS measure
is widely understood to reflect the percentage of all calls that IRS
employees answer, the LOS measure does not take into account the
significant majority of calls the IRS receives, which either are di-
rected for automated responses or result in taxpayer hang-ups. In
addition, the LOS measure the IRS publishes includes only calls to
the Accounts Management lines and excludes calls to the compli-
ance lines. In fiscal year 2019, the National Taxpayer Advocate re-
ports the IRS claimed an LOS of 65 percent, yet telephone assistors
answered only about 29 million of nearly 100 million calls overall
(29 percent). The Committee directs the IRS to include in its fiscal
year 2022 Congressional budget submission data on the number of
calls received, the number of calls answered by telephone assistors,
and the percentage of all calls answered by telephone assistors, and
to report this data separately for its Accounts Management tele-
phone lines, its compliance telephone lines, and all telephone lines
combined.
Multilingual IRS Notices.—Taxpayers with limited English pro-
ficiency make up 5.3 million households and frequently do not re-
ceive notices in their preferred languages. The Committee directs
the IRS to develop a plan to place a checkbox on Form 1040 to
allow taxpayers to choose to receive their notices in Spanish and
other languages, including but not limited to Chinese, Vietnamese,
Somali, Hmoob, French/French Creole, and Tagalog. Additionally,
the Committee directs the IRS develop a plan to identify and trans-
late additional notices that provide information on statutory rights
and webpages that pertain to those notices.
Modernization of Forms.—The Committee supports the IRS’s ef-
forts to modernize its forms and internal and external digital serv-
ices consistent with the requirements of the 21st Century Inte-
grated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) (Public Law 115–336). The
Committee believes the 21st Century IDEA will enable the IRS
Media and Publication division to improve internal workflows,
which in turn will enhance the digital service delivery for tax-
payers and reduce costs. The Committee directs that of the amount
provided, not less than $8,000,000 be used to ensure that the IRS’s
most critical paper-based forms are mobile responsive and fully
compliant with Public Law 115–336. The IRS is directed to brief
the Committee on the status of their modernization efforts within
180 days of enactment of this Act. However, in vulnerable popu-
lations, especially in rural communities where internet usage rates
are below the national average, the Committee encourages the IRS
to continue to provide printed forms and instructions.
Backlog of Taxpayer Correspondence.—As of July 2020, the IRS
had a correspondence backlog of 12 million pieces of mail. As a re-
sult of COVID–19, the IRS was unable to open mail for an ex-
tended period of time, which has added to this backlog. The IRS
is directed to brief the Committee quarterly on the status of the
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correspondence backlog, focusing on timeframe for addressing and
strategies to reduce the backlog.
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ENFORCEMENT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $5,010,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 5,351,243,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 5,206,246,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +196,246,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥144,997,000
The Enforcement appropriation provides for the examination of
tax returns, both domestic and international; the administrative
and judicial settlement of taxpayer appeals of examination find-
ings; technical rulings; monitoring of employee pension plans; de-
terminations of qualifications of organizations seeking tax-exempt
status; examinations of tax returns of exempt organizations; en-
forcement of statutes relating to detection and investigation of
criminal violations of the internal revenue laws; identification of
underreporting of tax obligations; securing of unfiled tax returns;
and collecting of unpaid accounts.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $5,206,246,000 for Enforcement.
The Committee recommends not less than $60,257,000 to support
IRS activities for the Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement
program.
Digital Protection Initiative.—The Committee is cognizant of the
rising threats to citizens as they engage with the government on-
line. It is critical that the IRS tap into commercially available, af-
fordable, proven, automated technology to protect taxpayers from
criminals who would impersonate legitimate IRS resources or take
other measures to defraud U.S. citizens of their personal informa-
tion and funds.
Private Debt Collection Agencies.—The Committee continues to
pay close attention to the performance of the IRS private debt col-
lection program. To assist in that oversight, the IRS is directed to
provide quarterly updates to the Committee on the ranked per-
formance of each private collection agency (PCA) along with a com-
parison to the performance of firms working with the Bureau of
Fiscal Service. Additionally, the Committee directs the IRS to con-
duct an immediate review of the PCAs currently working with the
program to determine if additional competition by eligible vendors
would be beneficial to both taxpayers and the IRS.
Virtual Currencies Guidance.—The Committee directs the IRS to
continue to update its guidance on the tax consequences and basic
reporting requirements for taxpayers that use virtual currencies,
including acceptable methods for calculating the fair market value
of virtual currencies, acceptable methods of determining the cost
basis of virtual currency dispositions, and the tax treatment of to-
kens resulting from virtual currency network forks.
Non-Filers.—TIGTA has identified serious lapses in the IRS non-
filer program, particularly with respect to high-income non-filers.
For tax years 2014–2016, TIGTA identified approximately 879,000
high-income taxpayers that did not have a satisfied filing require-
ment, with estimated total taxes due of $45.7 billion. The Com-
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mittee encourages the IRS to focus its enforcement efforts on the
taxpayers who have the highest risk of noncompliance, specifically
high-income taxpayers.
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28
White Collar Criminals.—The Committee is concerned about
white-collar criminals’ use of tax havens, low-tax countries, and
other techniques to defraud the Federal government of important
revenue. The Committee is deeply concerned that recent reports
show that, according to IRS data, millionaires in 2018 were close
to 80 percent less likely like to be audited than in 2011. The Com-
mittee recognizes that the Treasury Department estimates that
every $1 in enforcement can produce $5 in additional revenue. Re-
capturing these funds is a responsible first step in reducing the
Federal deficit and ensuring the U.S. government can carry out its
vital services.
Reducing the Tax Gap.—The Committee appreciated GAO report
19–491, which identified that the IRS could improve its use of ex-
isting data to identify abusive schemes involving tax-exempt enti-
ties. Abusive tax schemes contribute to the tax gap and threaten
the tax system’s integrity. Improving the integrity of the tax sys-
tem in this area could help reduce the tax gap. GAO found that
while IRS has established programs to help identify new abusive
schemes, opportunities exist to better ensure that IRS accomplishes
its objectives of identifying existing and emerging schemes. The
Committee encourages the IRS to follow through on GAO’s rec-
ommendations.
IRS Workforce.—The Committee directs the IRS to engage in
strategic workforce planning and hire staff to fill mission critical
occupations such as tax examiners and revenue officers.
OPERATIONS SUPPORT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $3,808,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 4,224,706,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 4,057,691,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +249,191,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥167,015,000
The Operations Support appropriation provides for overall plan-
ning and direction of the IRS, including shared service support re-
lated to facilities services, rent payments, printing, postage, and se-
curity. Specific activities include headquarters management activi-
ties such as strategic planning, communications and liaison, fi-
nance, human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity and di-
versity, research, information technology, and telecommunications.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $4,057,691,000 for Operations Sup-
port. The recommendation is $249,191,000 above fiscal year 2020.
Obligations and Employment.—Within 45 days of the end of each
quarter for calendar year 2021, the IRS is directed to submit to the
Committee an obligation and personnel report. The report shall in-
clude information about the obligations made during the previous
quarter by appropriation, object class, office, and activity; the esti-
mated obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year by appropria-
tion, object class, office, and activity; the number of FTE within
each office during the previous quarter; and the estimated number
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of FTE within each office for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Information Technology Reports.—Within 30 days of the end of
each quarter for calendar year 2021, the IRS is required to submit
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29
a report on major information technology project activities to the
Committee and to GAO. The Committee expects the reports to in-
clude detailed, plain English explanations of the cumulative ex-
penditures and schedule performance to date, specified by fiscal
year; the costs and schedules for the previous three months; the
anticipated costs and schedules for the upcoming three months;
and the total expected costs to complete IRS’s top five major infor-
mation technology project activities. In addition, the quarterly re-
port should include the date the project was started; the expected
date of completion; the percentage of work completed as compared
to planned work; the current and expected state of functionality;
any changes in schedule; and current risks unrelated to funding
amounts and mitigation strategies. The Committee directs the De-
partment of the Treasury to conduct a semi-annual review of IRS’s
IT investments to ensure the cost, schedule, and scope of the
projects’ goals are transparent.
In addition, the Committee directs GAO to review and provide an
annual report to the Committee evaluating the cost and schedule
of activities for all major IRS information technology projects for
the year, with a particular focus on the projects included in IRS’s
quarterly reports.
Threshold Update.—The Committee encourages the Treasury De-
partment to examine using its regulatory authority to update the
dollar threshold for tax information reporting for slot machine jack-
pots. The Department is directed to report to Congress within 90
days of enactment of this Act on the feasibility of updating the
threshold within such authority.
BUSINESS SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $180,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 300,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 250,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +70,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥50,000,000
The Business Systems Modernization (BSM) appropriation pro-
vides funding to modernize key business systems of the IRS.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $250,000,000 for BSM. The Com-
mittee continues to support the IRS in its efforts to modernize its
business systems, such as CADE 2, the Enterprise Case Manage-
ment System, and the Return Review Program.
Quarterly Reports.—The IRS is directed to continue to submit
quarterly reports to the Committees on Appropriations of the
House and Senate and GAO, no later than 30 days following the
end of each calendar quarter, on the status of BSM-funded items
in this bill. In addition, GAO is directed to conduct an annual re-
view of BSM-funded initiatives.
The Committee expects the reports to include detailed, plain
English summaries on the status of plans, costs, and results for the
IRS Integrated Modernization Business Plan (Plan) including
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CADE 2, the Individual Master File, the Enterprise Case Manage-
ment System, and the Return Review Program. The reports should
include prior quarter results and expenditures; upcoming quarter
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30
deliverables and costs; risks and mitigation strategies associated
with ongoing work; reasons for any cost and schedule variances;
total expenditures to date by fiscal year; and estimated costs for
completing each IT investment or phase of the Plan.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Section 101. The Committee continues a provision that allows for
the transfer of up to four percent of the Enforcement appropriation
and up to five percent of other appropriations made available to the
IRS to any other IRS appropriation, upon the advance approval of
the Committees on Appropriations of the House and the Senate.
Section 102. The Committee continues a provision that requires
the IRS to maintain a training program to include taxpayer rights,
dealing courteously with taxpayers, cross-cultural relations, and
the impartial application of tax law.
Section 103. The Committee continues a provision that requires
the IRS to institute and enforce policies and procedures that will
safeguard the confidentiality of taxpayer information and protect
taxpayers against identity theft.
Section 104. The Committee continues a provision that makes
funds available for improved facilities and increased staffing to pro-
vide efficient and effective 1–800 number help line service for tax-
payers.
Section 105. The Committee continues a provision that requires
the IRS to notify employers of any address change request and to
give special consideration to offers-in-compromise for taxpayers
who have been victims of payroll tax preparer fraud.
Section 106. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
the IRS from targeting U.S. citizens for exercising their First
Amendment rights.
Section 107. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
the IRS from targeting groups based on their ideological beliefs.
Section 108. The Committee continues a provision that requires
the IRS to comply with procedures and policies on conference
spending as recommended by the Treasury Inspector General for
Tax Administration.
Section 109. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
funds for giving bonuses to employees or hiring former employees
without considering conduct and compliance with Federal tax law.
Section 110. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
funds to violate the confidentiality of tax returns.
Section 111. The Committee includes a new provision that cre-
ates a Nonrecurring Expenses Fund for the IRS.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Section 112. The Committee continues a provision that author-
izes the Department to purchase uniforms, insurance for motor ve-
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hicles that are overseas, and motor vehicles that are overseas with-
out regard to the general purchase price limitations; to enter into
contracts with the State Department for health and medical serv-
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31
ices for Treasury employees who are overseas; and to hire experts
or consultants.
Section 113. The Committee continues and modifies a provision
that authorizes transfers, up to two percent, between ‘‘Depart-
mental Offices—Salaries and Expenses’’, ‘‘Office of Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence’’, ‘‘Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’’,
‘‘Bureau of the Fiscal Service’’, and ‘‘Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau’’ appropriations under certain circumstances.
Section 114. The Committee continues a provision that author-
izes transfers, up to two percent, between the Internal Revenue
Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
under certain circumstances.
Section 115. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
the Department of the Treasury from undertaking a redesign of the
one dollar Federal Reserve note.
Section 116. The Committee continues a provision that provides
for transfers from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service to the Debt Col-
lection Fund as necessary for the purposes of debt collection.
Section 117. The Committee continues a provision requiring Con-
gressional approval for the construction and operation of a museum
by the United States Mint.
Section 118. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
funds in this or any other Act from being used to merge the United
States Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing without the
approval of the House and the Senate committees of jurisdiction.
Section 119. The Committee continues a provision deeming that
funds for the Department of the Treasury’s intelligence-related ac-
tivities are specifically authorized in fiscal year 2021 until enact-
ment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021.
Section 120. The Committee continues a provision permitting the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing to use $5,000 from the Indus-
trial Revolving Fund for reception and representation expenses.
Section 121. The Committee continues a provision requiring the
Department to submit a Capital Investment Plan.
Section 122. The Committee continues a provision requiring a re-
port on the Department’s Franchise Fund.
Section 123. The Committee continues a provision requiring
quarterly reports of the Office of Financial Stability and the Office
of Financial Research.
Section 124. The Committee includes a new provision that pro-
hibits the use of funds from the Treasury Forfeiture Fund to plan,
design, construct, or carry out a project to construct a wall, barrier,
fence, or road along the southern border of the United States, or
a road to provide access to a wall, barrier, or fence constructed
along the southern border of the United States.
TITLE II—EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND
FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT
Funds appropriated in this title provide for the staff and oper-
ations of the White House, along with other organizations within
the Executive Office of the President (EOP) that formulate and co-
ordinate policy on behalf of the President, such as the National Se-
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curity Council and the Office of Management and Budget. The title
also includes funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy
and certain expenses of the Vice President.
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32
THE WHITE HOUSE
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $55,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 57,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 55,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,000,000
The White House Salaries and Expenses account supports staff
and administrative services necessary for the direct support of the
President.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $55,000,000 for the White House.
No funding is provided for new FTE positions related to the White
House Photo Office or the Visitor’s Office.
American-Grown Flowers.—The Committee encourages the White
House to use American-grown cut flowers for all floral arrange-
ments and displays purchased using Federal funds.
Acting Officials and Vacancies.—The Committee is concerned
about the number and duration of acting officials and vacancies in
presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed positions throughout
Federal departments and agencies. This undermines accountability
and weakens the capacity for Federal leadership to develop exper-
tise and effectively address new and pressing issues, including
emergencies such as the coronavirus. The Committee recommends
that the White House work in collaboration with relevant offices
and agencies to design an online dashboard that tracks the status
of all positions that require Senate confirmation, including, but not
limited to, (1) whether that position is currently vacant or filled,
(2) if the position is filled, the name of that official and whether
that official is serving on a permanent or acting basis, (3) if a nomi-
nee or prospective nominee has been named for that position, (4)
if there is a nominee or prospective nominee, their name and the
latest action by the President or Congress relating to the process
required for Senate confirmation, and (5) a means to enable each
nominee or prospective nominee, and each agency involved in that
individual’s nomination, to see all steps required in the appoint-
ments process, including background investigation and financial
disclosure, and track progress. The Committee further recommends
that the White House conduct a thorough review of all positions
that are filled in an acting capacity or vacant and develop a plan
to expeditiously nominate a qualified individual to hold each such
position.
Presidential Personnel Office.—The Committee encourages that
no less than $750,000 be expended for additional staff support for
the Office of Presidential Personnel to expedite the recruitment, se-
lection, vetting, processing, and nomination of highly qualified indi-
viduals that the President may appoint to senior positions in the
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Federal government.
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EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
OPERATING EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $13,081,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 13,641,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 13,641,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +560,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Executive Residence at the White House Operating Ex-
penses account provides for the care, maintenance, staffing, and op-
erations of the Executive Residence, including official and ceremo-
nial functions of the President.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $13,641,000 for the Operating Ex-
penses of the Executive Residence. The bill continues the same re-
strictions on reimbursable expenses for use of the Executive Resi-
dence as have been included in past years.
WHITE HOUSE REPAIR AND RESTORATION
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $750,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 2,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,625,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +875,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥875,000
The White House Repair and Restoration account provides for
the repair, alteration, and improvement of the Executive Residence
at the White House.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,625,000 for White House Repair
and Restoration. Additional funds are provided over fiscal year
2020 to begin proposed renovations to the White House kitchens
and improvements to heating, cooling, ventilation, and electrical
systems.
COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $4,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 4,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 4,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Council of Economic Advisers analyzes the national economy
and its various segments, advises the President on economic devel-
opments, recommends policies for economic growth and stability,
appraises economic programs and policies of the Federal govern-
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ment, and assists in preparation of the annual Economic Report of
the President.
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34
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $4,000,000 for the Council of Eco-
nomic Advisers.
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND HOMELAND SECURITY COUNCIL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $11,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 13,200,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 12,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥700,000
The National Security Council and the Homeland Security Coun-
cil have been combined to form the National Security Staff, which
advises and assists the President on the integration of domestic,
foreign, military, intelligence, and economic aspects of national se-
curity policy and serves as the principal means of coordinating ex-
ecutive departments and agencies in the development and imple-
mentation of national security and homeland security policies.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $12,500,000 for the National Secu-
rity Council and Homeland Security Council. The increased fund-
ing is provided, in part, to increase global health security activities.
Global Health Security and Biodefense.—The Committee is deep-
ly concerned about the elimination of the Directorate for Global
Health Security and Biodefense and a reduction in pandemic spe-
cialist positions on the National Security Staff. These vacancies
have severely undermined the U.S.’s ability to coordinate the gov-
ernment’s response to coronavirus, to reassure the American people
during a time of significant duress, to prevent the global spread of
disease, and to prepare for future pandemics. The Committee pro-
vides funding to reconstitute the Directorate and directs the Na-
tional Security Staff to provide the Committee, within 100 days of
enactment of this Act, with a report on the status of pandemic-re-
lating staffing. The report shall list all authorized positions on the
National Security Staff that are predominately or wholly dedicated
to global health security, biodefense, or pandemic preparation. For
each such position, the report shall detail if the position was recon-
stituted, newly filled, or newly created after enactment of this Act;
shall describe whether that position was filled or vacant at the
time of the report’s submission to the Committee; and shall de-
scribe whether that position is staffed by an employee paid via the
National Security Council and Homeland Security Council appro-
priation account or by a detailee (and if so, the report shall provide
the name of the detailee’s home agency).
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OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $94,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 100,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 96,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +2,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥4,000,000
The Office of Administration is responsible for providing adminis-
trative services to the Executive Office of the President. These
services include financial, personnel, procurement, information
technology, records management, and general office services.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $96,000,000 for the Office of Admin-
istration. Additional funding is provided over fiscal year 2020 for
inflationary costs. Of the recommended amount, not to exceed
$12,800,000 is available until expended for modernization of infor-
mation technology infrastructure within the Executive Office of the
President.
White House Visitor Logs.—The Committee encourages the Office
of the Administration to establish and update, every 90 days, a
publicly available database that contains the visitor logs for the
White House, the residence of the Vice President, and any other lo-
cation at which the President or the Vice President regularly con-
duct official business.
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $101,600,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 115,740,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 107,245,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +5,645,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥8,495,000
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) assists the Presi-
dent in the discharge of budgetary, economic, management, and
other executive responsibilities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $107,245,000 for OMB. The rec-
ommendation also continues several long-standing provisions, not
requested by the President, limiting certain OMB activities. Addi-
tional funds over fiscal year 2020 are provided for inflationary costs
and to support the transfer of 21 FTEs from the Information Tech-
nology Oversight and Reform account to OMB.
Budget Submission.—The recommendation provides sufficient
funds for OMB to consult with Congressional committees and pro-
vide an appropriate number of printed copies of the President’s fis-
cal year 2022 budget request, including documents such as the Ap-
pendix, Historical Tables, and Analytical Perspectives.
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Personnel and Obligations Report.—The Committee continues di-
rection to OMB to provide the Committee with quarterly reports on
personnel and obligations consisting of on-board staffing levels, es-
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36
timated staffing levels by office for the remainder of the fiscal year,
total obligations incurred to date, estimated total obligations for
the remainder of the fiscal year, and a narrative description of cur-
rent hiring initiatives.
Unobligated Balances Report.—OMB is directed to report to the
Committee within 45 days of the end of each fiscal quarter on
available balances at the start of the fiscal year, current year obli-
gations, and resulting unobligated balances for each discretionary
account within the jurisdiction of this Act.
Improper Payments.—The Committee encourages OMB to con-
tinue working with agencies across the Federal government to en-
sure processes are in place to eliminate payments to deceased per-
sons. OMB is again directed to report to the Committee within 60
days of enactment of this Act on how it is reducing improper pay-
ments to deceased individuals, and what initiatives have proven to
be most effective.
Performance Measures.—The Committee continues to urge OMB
to ensure that agencies comply with title 31 of the United States
Code, including the development of organizational priority goals
and outcomes such as performance outcome measures, output
measures, efficiency measures, and customer service measures.
OMB should also ensure that agency funding requests in fiscal
year 2022 are directly linked to agency performance plans. The
Committee requests OMB to highlight specific examples where pri-
ority goals and performance outcomes influenced fiscal year 2022
budget justifications.
Online Budget Repository.—The Committee directs OMB to issue
guidance requiring all Federal departments, agencies, and corpora-
tions to post their Federal agency budgets and respective Congres-
sional budget justifications on a publicly available website in a
searchable, sortable, and machine-readable format. The Committee
furthermore directs OMB to ensure that, within seven days after
submission of the President’s budget request to Congress for a par-
ticular fiscal year, there exists a single webpage linking to all such
budgets and budget justifications. OMB is directed to report to the
Committee within 30 days of submission of the President’s budget
request to Congress with a list of all agencies that are not in com-
pliance with these requirements.
Inspector General Inquiries.—The Committee is concerned by
OMB’s refusal to provide agency Inspector Generals with informa-
tion they have requested that is essential to their oversight and
audit activities, including investigations conducted in response to
Congressional requests. The Committee directs OMB to fully com-
ply with the Inspector General Act of 1978, which requires the
head of any Federal agency to furnish an Inspector General with
requested information or assistance, insofar as is practicable and
not in contravention of any existing statutory restriction or regula-
tion of the Federal agency from which the information is requested.
Food Safety Modernization Act.—The Committee directs OMB to
work closely with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to meet
the timelines for promulgation of rules and regulations outlined in
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the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (Public Law 111–353). The
Committee requests a report every 180 days after the enactment of
this Act describing any rule or regulation that is more than 60
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37
days overdue and the reasons why each rule or regulation is over-
due.
Public Safety Telecommunicators.—The Committee recognizes
that the Standard Occupational Classification System’s (SOC) cat-
egorization of a ‘‘public safety telecommunicator’’ as an ‘‘office and
administrative support occupation’’ is outdated and does not reflect
the nature of this life-saving work. The Committee directs OMB to
re-examine the classification of public safety telecommunicators
under the SOC and urges OMB to correctly classify them as a ‘‘pro-
tective service occupation.’’
Apportionment Transparency.—The Committee is disappointed
that OMB has made little progress towards providing greater ap-
portionment transparency, as was directed in the joint explanatory
statement accompanying the fiscal year 2020 appropriations act.
The Committee reiterates the importance of greater transparency
into OMB’s apportionment process, and directs OMB to promptly
comply with the requirements of section 204 of this Act.
Retail Redlining.—Redlining detrimentally impacts employment
opportunities, the local tax base, redevelopment, and economic
growth. OMB is directed to submit a report to the Committee,
within 180 days of enactment of this Act, that examines redlining’s
effects on the placement of Class A commercial investment and
other business lending in the U.S. The report shall examine com-
munities that fail to attract Class A investment despite meeting
relevant median income levels, public transportation access, or
other requirements for such investment, as well as disincentives for
such investment such as higher down payments, higher interest
rates, shorter maturities, extra fees, and outside collateral require-
ments. The report shall identify current Federal programs that
may be helpful to communities impacted by retail redlining and
recommendations that might help reduce retail redlining practices.
Federal and Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.—The Com-
mittee is aware that Federal agencies and the nation’s critical in-
frastructure face unique cybersecurity threats. Executive Order
13800, issued on May 11, 2017, directs agency heads to implement
several risk management and cybersecurity measures, including
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Framework for
Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. OMB is directed
to report, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, on the status
of compliance with Executive Order 13800 by each applicable agen-
cy. The report shall identify risk management and cybersecurity
compliance gaps and outline the steps each agency needs to take
to manage such risks. OMB shall prioritize working with the appli-
cable agency heads to address remaining gaps and inconsistencies.
Federal Information Technology Workforce.—OMB is directed to
consult with the Office of Personnel Management and the General
Services Administration and report to the Committee, no later than
September 30, 2021, on gaps in Federal information technology
workforce skills, disciplines, and experience required to enable the
Federal government to modernize its ability to use technology and
develop effective citizen-facing digital services to carry out its mis-
sion.
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Free Association Compacts.—The Committee is encouraged that
the Administration is seeking to extend the free association com-
pacts with the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau, retaining
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38
U.S. strategic control of an expanse of the Pacific Ocean larger
than the 48 contiguous states. The Committee is concerned, how-
ever, that OMB has not yet identified a source of funding for the
assistance, programs, services, and trust funds. Not identifying a
funding source acceptable to Congress for the last extension with
Palau forced the Committee to take the needed funds from other
purposes for years after that agreement was signed. The Com-
mittee directs OMB to propose a Congressionally acceptable fund-
ing source within 60 days of enactment of this Act. Recognizing
that the compacts guarantee the citizens of these nations access to
the United States, the Committee further instructs OMB to esti-
mate any net costs to State and territorial governments and report
any program eligibility such as eligibility for Medicaid that would
mitigate the costs to state and territorial governments that serve
the citizens of these freely associated states.
Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia.—The Harmful Algal Bloom
and Hypoxia Research and Control Act created a task force to co-
ordinate and assess relevant Federal activities. However, despite a
2016 GAO report that quantified Federal agency spending in this
area (GAO–17–119), there is little clarity in the budget resources
currently being allocated to this important task. OMB is directed
to include with the fiscal year 2022 budget a report that details
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia research and control spending
activities by agency, including but not limited to monitoring, pre-
vention, mitigation, remediation, and ecological or human health
purposes.
Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.—Within 120 days of enact-
ment of this Act, OMB is directed to report to the Committee, and
to release to the public, a final report on the activities conducted
and conclusions reached by the Interagency Working Group for Re-
vision of the Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting
Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, consistent with the commit-
ments made in the Notice published on March 1, 2017 at 82 Fed.
Reg. 12242.
Access to Death Data.—Accurate, timely, and complete death
data are important for the integrity of public programs. One source
of significant amounts of death data is individual States, which
incur costs to collect, record, and share this data. State law also
governs the terms under which this data can be shared. Within 180
days of enactment of this Act, OMB, in consultation with the
Treasury Department, the Social Security Administration, and the
appropriate State vital records agencies, is directed to report to the
Committee, the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the
House Committee on Oversight and Reform on how State-reported
death data is currently managed and distributed among Federal
agencies and provide recommendations on how to improve that
management and distribution.
Research Grant Flexibility.—The Committee is aware that many
university-based laboratories are closed or severely limiting oper-
ations due to the pandemic. Researchers working in these labora-
tories—including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows—com-
prise the backbone of the U.S. research enterprise. To mitigate im-
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pacts from the pandemic, the Committee encourages OMB to pro-
vide maximum flexibilities for Federal research grant funds to help
maintain the research workforce and activities.
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT COORDINATOR
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,300,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,300,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +300,000
The Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
(IPEC) was created in 2008 to develop and coordinate overall U.S.
intellectual property policy and strategy.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,300,000 for IPEC.
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $18,400,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 16,400,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 18,400,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +2,000,000
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) was estab-
lished by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. As the President’s pri-
mary source of support for counter-drug policy development and
program oversight, ONDCP is responsible for developing and up-
dating a National Drug Control Strategy, developing a National
Drug Control Budget, and coordinating and evaluating the imple-
mentation of Federal drug control activities. In addition, ONDCP
manages several counter-drug programs, including the High Inten-
sity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and Drug-Free Communities
(DFC) grant programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $18,400,000 for ONDCP Salaries
and Expenses.
The Committee notes the importance of the HIDTA and DFC
grant programs in combating the nation’s opioid epidemic. The
Committee further notes that ONDCP ensures the HIDTA and
DFC programs are equitably managed across Federal, State, and
local agencies and with the necessary interagency flexibility to ad-
dress emerging threats. The Committee rejects the proposal in the
President’s budget to transfer the HIDTA and DFC programs out
of ONDCP, and instead directs ONDCP to retain operational con-
trol over these programs to maintain the interagency benefits need-
ed to address the opioid crisis.
Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy.—The Committee
continues to be concerned about narcotics trafficking and related
violence in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, home to ap-
proximately 3.3 million American citizens, and their effect on U.S.
States, especially communities along the Eastern seaboard. The
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Committee appreciates ONDCP’s submission of the Caribbean Bor-
der Counternarcotics Strategy required by House Report 116–122
and expects that ONDCP will include a Caribbean Border Counter-
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40
narcotics Strategy in forthcoming versions of the National Drug
Control Strategy.
National Drug Control Strategy and U.S. Territories.—The Com-
mittee is concerned that the National Drug Control Strategy does
not adequately address the problem of substance abuse, drug traf-
ficking, and associated violence in the U.S. territories. The Com-
mittee notes that the Data Supplement accompanying the 2020 Na-
tional Drug Control Strategy excluded statistics from these juris-
dictions. The Committee directs ONDCP to take all reasonable
steps to collect and publish relevant information from the five U.S.
territories, in the same manner that such data is collected and pub-
lished for the States and the District of Columbia. ONDCP is fur-
ther directed to consider the territories in preparing future reports.
Alternative Livelihood Opportunities.—The Committee recognizes
the importance of creating alternative livelihood opportunities for
farmers in opium poppy crop-producing regions of Mexico in order
to reduce the supply of opioids flowing into the U.S. The Com-
mittee urges ONDCP to lead interagency efforts with the Govern-
ment of Mexico to develop an alternative livelihood program in
Mexico to increase economic opportunities for farmers, reduce their
dependence on opium poppy as a cash crop, and complement other
existing drug supply reduction strategies.
FEDERAL DRUG CONTROL PROGRAMS
HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING AREAS PROGRAM
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $285,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 290,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +5,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +290,000,000
The HIDTA Program provides resources to Federal, State, local,
and Tribal agencies in designated HIDTAs to combat the produc-
tion, transportation, and distribution of illegal drugs; to seize as-
sets derived from drug trafficking; to address violence in drug-
plagued communities; and to disrupt the drug marketplace.
There are 29 HIDTAs operating in all 50 States plus the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each
HIDTA is managed by an Executive Board comprised of equal
numbers of Federal, State, local, and Tribal officials. Each HIDTA
Executive Board is responsible for designing and implementing ini-
tiatives for the specific drug trafficking threats in its region. Intel-
ligence and information sharing are key elements of all HIDTA
programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $290,000,000 for the HIDTA Pro-
gram, an increase of $5,000,000 above fiscal year 2020.
The Committee believes the collaborative structure of the HIDTA
Program provides Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement
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leaders a balanced and equal voice in determining program prior-
ities and is an effective tool in combating problems of drug traf-
ficking and drug-related violence.
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Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP).—
The Committee recognizes the effectiveness of ODMAP in facili-
tating information sharing and supporting efforts by public health
and public safety officials to mobilize rapid response to a suspected
overdose event. The Committee encourages ONDCP, in consulta-
tion with the HIDTA Directors, to prioritize discretionary funds to-
wards programs that promote public health and public safety col-
laboration, including ODMAP, in states with increased opioid death
rates in recent years.
OTHER FEDERAL DRUG CONTROL PROGRAMS
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $121,715,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 12,432,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 123,965,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +2,250,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +111,533,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $123,965,000 for Other Federal
Drug Control Programs. The recommended level for fiscal year
2021 is distributed among specific programs and activities as fol-
lows:
Drug-Free Communities .................................................................... $102,000,000
Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance ............................... 3,000,000
Anti-Doping Activities ........................................................................ 10,000,000
World Anti-Doping Agency ................................................................ 2,715,000
Model Acts Program ........................................................................... 1,250,000
Community-Based Coalition Enhancement Grants (CARA
Grants) ............................................................................................. 5,000,000
World Anti-Doping Agency Governance.—Given the increased
prevalence of doping fraud among international sports federations
and governments, the Committee continues to have serious con-
cerns about the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) credibility,
independence, and accountability to athletes. The Committee sup-
ports ONDCP’s efforts to improve WADA’s effectiveness and urges
it to continue working with domestic and international partners to
protect clean athletes. The Committee directs ONDCP to closely
monitor WADA’s reform efforts to determine whether WADA is
making sufficient progress in increasing the independence and
transparency of its operations, enhancing the role of athletes in
WADA decision-making, and restoring confidence in clean competi-
tion. In an effort to encourage necessary reforms within WADA, the
bill includes language to allow ONDCP to exercise discretion in
paying annual WADA membership dues. The Committee directs
ONDCP to report within 120 days of enactment of this Act on
WADA’s progress in reducing undue influence by sports organiza-
tions with a direct financial interest in WADA decisions, and in-
creasing independent athlete and independent anti-doping stake-
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holder representatives on WADA’s committees and decision-making
bodies.
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UNANTICIPATED NEEDS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Unanticipated Needs account enables the President to meet
unanticipated exigencies in support of the national interest, secu-
rity, or defense.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,000,000 for Unanticipated Needs.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $15,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 11,491,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 11,491,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥3,509,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Information Technology Oversight and Reform (ITOR) ac-
count supports efforts to make the Federal government’s invest-
ments in information technology more efficient, secure, and effec-
tive.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $11,491,000 for information tech-
nology oversight activities. This total reflects the proposed transfer
of 21 FTEs from ITOR to OMB.
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE PRESIDENT
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $4,288,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 4,698,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 4,698,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +410,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
These funds support the executive functions of the Office of the
Vice President.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $4,698,000 for the Office of the Vice
President.
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OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
OPERATING EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $302,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 302,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 302,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Official Residence of the Vice President Operating Expenses
account supports the care and operation of the Vice President’s res-
idence and specifically supports equipment, furnishings, dining fa-
cilities, and services required to perform and discharge the Vice
President’s official duties, functions, and obligations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $302,000 for the Operating Ex-
penses of the Vice President’s residence.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Section 201. The Committee includes language permitting the
transfer of not to exceed ten percent of funds among various ac-
counts within the Executive Office of the President, with advance
approval of the Committee. The amount of an appropriation shall
not be increased by more than 50 percent.
Section 202. The Committee includes language requiring the
OMB Director to include a statement of budgetary impact with any
Executive Order or Presidential Memorandum issued or rescinded
during fiscal year 2021 where the regulatory cost exceeds
$100,000,000.
Section 203. The Committee includes language requiring the
OMB Director to issue a memorandum to all Federal departments,
agencies, and corporations directing compliance with title VII of
this Act.
Section 204. The Committee includes a new provision requiring
OMB to implement a system to make publicly available, in an auto-
mated fashion, all documents apportioning an appropriation and all
relevant delegations of apportionment authority, and to provide the
Committee with such information until the automated system is
implemented. This requirement would apply to any appropriation
apportioned under the President’s apportionment authority, includ-
ing appropriations provided in prior years and those included in
Acts other than appropriations Acts.
TITLE III—THE JUDICIARY
The funds in title III are for the operation and maintenance of
United States Courts and include the salaries of judges, probation
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and pretrial services officers, public defenders, court clerks, law
clerks, and other supporting personnel, as well as security costs, in-
formation technology, and other expenses of the Federal Judiciary.
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The Committee recommends a total of $7,773,341,000 in discre-
tionary funding for the Judiciary in fiscal year 2021.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $7,500,000 for the Judici-
ary to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domesti-
cally or internationally.
In addition to direct appropriations, the Judiciary collects various
fees and has certain multiyear funding authorities. The Judiciary
uses these non-appropriated funds to offset its direct appropriation
requirements. Consistent with prior year practices and section 608
of this Act, the Committee expects the Judiciary to submit a finan-
cial plan, within 60 days of enactment of this Act, allocating all
sources of available funds including appropriations, fee collections,
and carryover balances. This financial plan will be the baseline for
purposes of reprogramming notification.
The Committee realizes new laws and challenges constantly im-
pact the Judiciary’s workload. As such, the recommendation
prioritizes resources based on the President’s request and Judi-
ciary’s re-estimate. The Committee is pleased to provide an in-
crease of $87,969,000 for the Defender Services Program to con-
tinue hiring efforts to fully implement the Federal Defender Orga-
nization staffing formula and ensure the right of individuals to re-
tain counsel. The formula reflects needed staffing increases based
on the weighted case averages over the previous five years. Addi-
tionally, the Committee provides a $1 above-inflation increase for
the non-capital panel attorney hourly rate, which supports the stat-
utory maximum. The Committee is aware of the projected increases
in caseload and panel attorney payments and is committed to en-
suring the Defender Services Program has sufficient resources to
staff the program.
The Committee recognizes the Judiciary’s efforts to remain oper-
ational during the COVID–19 pandemic. The ability to telework,
adjust Probation’s and Pretrial and court room procedures, and
conduct Supreme Court oral arguments remotely to keep the third
branch operational is commended.
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $87,699,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 93,630,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 95,025,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +7,326,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,395,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $95,025,000 for fiscal year 2021 for
the salaries and expenses of personnel and for the cost of operating
the Supreme Court, excluding the care of the building and grounds.
The Committee includes language making $1,500,000 available
until expended for information technology investments. The Com-
mittee directs the Court to include with its budget justification ma-
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terials a report showing information technology carryover balances
and describing expenditures made in the previous fiscal year and
planned expenditures in the budget year.
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Supreme Court Live and Video Access.—The Committee notes
that providing the American people with the opportunity to access
Supreme Court arguments in real time via video and/or live audio
would greatly expand the Court’s accessibility to average Ameri-
cans and provide historic and educational value. As such, the Com-
mittee encourages the Supreme Court to take steps to permit video
and live audio coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless the
Court decides that allowing such coverage in any case would vio-
late the due process of one or more of the parties before the Court.
Supreme Court Code of Conduct.—The Committee urges the Su-
preme Court to adopt a Code of Conduct applicable for the Justices.
The Committee looks forward to being briefed on proposals for the
adoption of a Code of Conduct within 60 days of enactment of this
Act.
CARE OF THE BUILDING AND GROUNDS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $15,590,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 11,678,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 10,618,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥4,972,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥1,060,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $10,618,000 for Care of Buildings
and Grounds, to remain available until expended. The Architect of
the Capitol has responsibility for these functions and supervises
the use of this appropriation.
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $32,700,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 34,023,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 33,802,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,102,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥221,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has exclusive na-
tional jurisdiction over a large number of diverse subject areas, in-
cluding government contracts, patents, trademarks, Federal per-
sonnel, and veterans’ benefits. The Committee recommends
$33,802,000 for United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Cir-
cuit.
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $19,564,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 20,097,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 20,027,000
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Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +463,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥70,000
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Court of International Trade has exclusive nationwide juris-
diction over civil actions against the United States and certain civil
actions brought by the United States arising out of import trans-
actions and administration and enforcement of the U.S. customs
and international trade laws. The Committee recommends
$20,027,000 United States Court of International Trade.
COURTS OF APPEALS, DISTRICT COURTS, AND OTHER JUDICIAL
SERVICES
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $5,250,234,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 5,459,475,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 5,412,919,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +162,685,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥46,556,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $5,412,919,000 for the operations of
the regional Courts of Appeals, District Courts, Bankruptcy Courts,
the Court of Federal Claims, and probation and pretrial services of-
fices.
In addition, the Committee recommends a reimbursement of
$9,700,000 from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund to
cover expenses of the United States Court of Federal Claims associ-
ated with processing cases under the National Childhood Vaccine
Injury Act of 1986.
Bankruptcy Education and Training.—The Committee encour-
ages increased education for bankruptcy judges on how bankruptcy
court decisions impact national security.
DEFENDER SERVICES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,234,574,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,316,240,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,322,543,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +87,969,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +6,303,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
This account provides funding for the operation of the Federal
Public Defender and Community Defender organizations and for
compensation and reimbursement of expenses of panel attorneys
appointed pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act for representation
in criminal cases. The Committee recommends $1,322,543,000 for
Defender Services.
FEES OF JURORS AND COMMISSIONERS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $53,545,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 55,478,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 55,478,000
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Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,933,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $55,478,000 for payments to jurors
and commissioners.
COURT SECURITY
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $639,165,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 664,011,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 664,011,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +24,846,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $664,011,000 for Court Security to
provide for necessary expenses of security and protective services
in courtrooms and adjacent areas. The recommendation will pro-
vide for the highest priority security needs identified by the courts
and the U.S. Marshals Service.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $94,261,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 99,812,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 97,970,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +3,709,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥1,842,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) pro-
vides administrative and management support to the United States
Courts, including the probation and bankruptcy systems. It also
supports the Judicial Conference of the United States in deter-
mining Federal Judiciary policies, in developing methods to assist
the courts to conduct business efficiently and economically, and in
enhancing the use of information technology in the courts. The
Committee recommends $97,970,000 for the AO.
Workplace Misconduct.—The Committee is disappointed with the
recent findings of workplace misconduct in the Judiciary.The Com-
mittee directs the Judiciary to submit a report within 90 days of
enactment of this Act to the Committee on the number of work-
place misconduct complaints received; types of assistance available
for employees; Judiciary-wide feedback on the workplace mis-
conduct services provided; and the number and types of investiga-
tions of reported incidents. Additionally, the Committee directs the
Judiciary to include in their annual justification to Congress a re-
port on the steps the Office of Integrity is taking to ensure it has
enough resources and staff to provide an exemplary workplace for
every judge and every court employee. Further, the Committee di-
rects the Judiciary to expand its comprehensive training program
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on workplace behavior and bystander intervention and encourages
the Judiciary to expand and report on its confidential nationwide
reporting system to document employee misconduct complaints.
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Law Enforcement Availability Pay.—The Committee recognizes
that U.S. Probation Officers are ineligible for Law Enforcement
Availability Pay (LEAP). The Committee directs the AO to provide
a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and
Senate, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, on implementing
LEAP pay for U.S. Probation Officers.
Pilot Program.—The Committee is interested in increasing access
to counsel for a wider range of litigants and circumstances by ex-
panding the pool of funding available for legal assistance for low-
income people. Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the Judi-
ciary shall brief the Committee on the potential feasibility of cre-
ating a pilot program to broaden access to appointed representation
for Federal cases under section 1915(e)(1) of title 28, United States
Code. The briefing shall address possible benefits of such a pilot
program as well as the legal, policy and procedural challenges and
concerns that would be presented by establishment of a pilot.
FEDERAL JUDICIAL CENTER
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $30,436,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 31,344,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 31,115,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +679,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥229,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Federal Judicial Center (FJC) improves the management of
Federal Judicial dockets and court administration through edu-
cation for judges and staff and through research, evaluation, and
planning assistance for the courts and the Judicial Conference. The
Committee recommends $31,115,000 for the FJC.
UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $19,670,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 20,256,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 20,133,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +463,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥123,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The purpose of the U.S. Sentencing Commission is to establish,
review, and revise sentencing guidelines, policies, and practices for
the Federal criminal justice system. The Commission is also re-
quired to monitor the operation of the guidelines and to identify
and report necessary changes to Congress. The Committee rec-
ommends $20,133,000 for the Commission.
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ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—THE JUDICIARY
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Section 301. The Committee continues language to permit funds
for salaries and expenses to be available for employment of experts
and consultant services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109.
Section 302. The Committee continues language that permits up
to five percent of any appropriation made available for fiscal year
2021 to be transferred between Judiciary appropriations provided
that no appropriation shall be decreased by more than five percent
or increased by more than ten percent by any such transfer except
in certain circumstances. In addition, the language provides that
any such transfer shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds
under sections 604 and 608 of the accompanying bill and shall not
be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with
the procedures set forth in those sections.
Section 303. The Committee continues language authorizing not
to exceed $11,000 to be used for official reception and representa-
tion expenses incurred by the Judicial Conference of the United
States.
Section 304. The Committee continues language through fiscal
year 2021 regarding the delegation of authority to the Judiciary for
contracts for repairs of less than $100,000.
Section 305. The Committee continues language to authorize a
court security pilot program.
Section 306. The Committee continues language to extend tem-
porary judgeships in the districts of Arizona, California Central,
Florida Southern, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri Eastern, New Mexico,
North Carolina Western, and Texas Eastern.
TITLE IV—DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FEDERAL FUNDS
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR RESIDENT TUITION SUPPORT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $40,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 40,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +40,000,000
The Resident Tuition Support program, also known as the D.C.
Tuition Assistance Grant program, provides up to $10,000 annually
for undergraduate District students to address the difference be-
tween in-state and out-of-state tuition rates and makes it possible
for them to attend eligible four-year public universities and colleges
nationwide. Grants of up to $2,500 per year are available for stu-
dents to attend private universities and colleges in the D.C. metro-
politan area, private Historically Black Colleges and Universities
nationwide, and public two-year community colleges nationwide.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $40,000,000
for the Resident Tuition Support program. The District of Columbia
can contribute local funds to this program and is authorized to
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prioritize applications based on income and need if there is demand
for the program beyond the available level of Federal funds.
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR EMERGENCY PLANNING AND SECURITY COSTS
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $18,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 51,400,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 52,900,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +34,900,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,500,000
As the seat of the national government, the District of Columbia
has a unique and significant responsibility for protecting the prop-
erty and personnel of the Federal government. The Federal Pay-
ment for Emergency Planning and Security Costs helps address the
impact of the Federal presence on public safety in the District of
Columbia.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $52,900,000
for emergency planning and security costs and additional costs in-
curred by the District of Columbia related to the Presidential Inau-
guration on January 20, 2021.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $5,000,000 for the Dis-
trict of Columbia to prevent, prepare for, and respond to
coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $250,088,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 267,838,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 265,618,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +15,530,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,220,000
Under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government
Improvement Act of 1997, the Federal government is required to fi-
nance the District of Columbia Courts. This Federal payment to
the District of Columbia Courts funds the operations of the District
of Columbia Court of Appeals, Superior Court, Court System, and
Capital Improvement Program.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $265,618,000
for operation of the District of Columbia Courts.
The amount recommended by the Committee includes
$14,977,000 for the Court of Appeals, $127,514,000 for the Superior
Court, $80,974,000 for the Court System, and $42,153,000 for cap-
ital improvements to courthouse facilities. Funds for capital im-
provements are provided to improve life safety compliance, conduct
general repair projects and upgrades, and move the various court
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offices into owned space and out of leased space.
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FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR DEFENDER SERVICES IN DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA COURTS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $46,005,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 46,005,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 46,005,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The District of Columbia Courts appoint and compensate attor-
neys to represent persons who are financially unable to obtain such
representation.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $46,005,000
for Defender Services in the District of Columbia Courts.
FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE COURT SERVICES AND OFFENDER
SUPERVISION AGENCY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $248,524,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 248,175,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 245,923,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥2,601,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,252,000
The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA)
for the District of Columbia is an independent Federal agency cre-
ated by the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government
Improvement Act of 1997. CSOSA acquired operational responsibil-
ities for the former District agencies in charge of probation and pa-
role and houses the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Co-
lumbia within its framework.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $245,923,000
for CSOSA. Of the amounts provided, $179,180,000 is for Commu-
nity Supervision and Sex Offender Registration and $66,743,000 is
for pretrial services. The recommendation includes $459,000, to re-
main available until September 30, 2023, for the costs associated
with a replacement lease and relocation of the Pretrial Services
Agency.
FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC DEFENDER
SERVICE
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $44,011,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 44,194,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 44,011,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥183,000
The Public Defender Service (PDS) for the District of Columbia
is an independent organization authorized by the National Capital
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Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997.
PDS’s purpose is to provide legal representation services within the
District of Columbia justice system.
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52
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $44,011,000
for PDS for the District of Columbia.
FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING
COUNCIL
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $2,150,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,805,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 2,150,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +345,000
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) provides a
forum for District of Columbia and Federal law enforcement to
identify criminal justice issues and solutions and improve the co-
ordination of their efforts. In addition, the CJCC developed and
maintains the Justice Integrated Information System, which pro-
vides for the seamless sharing of information with Federal and
local law enforcement.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $2,150,000 to
the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR JUDICIAL COMMISSIONS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $600,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 532,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 600,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +68,000
This appropriation provides funding for two judicial commissions.
The first is the Judicial Nomination Commission (JNC), which rec-
ommends a panel of three candidates to the President for each judi-
cial vacancy in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and Supe-
rior Court. From the panel selected by the JNC, the President
nominates a person for each vacancy and submits his or her name
for confirmation to the Senate. The second commission is the Com-
mission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure (CJDT), which has ju-
risdiction over all judges of the Court of Appeals and Superior
Court to determine whether a judge’s conduct warrants disciplinary
action and whether involuntary retirement of a judge for health
reasons is warranted. In addition, the CJDT conducts evaluations
of judges seeking reappointment and judges who retire and wish to
continue service as a senior judge.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $325,000 for
the CJDT and $275,000 for the JNC.
The Committee notes that the reduction proposed in the Presi-
dent’s request would significantly impair the Commissions’ ability
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to conduct thorough and comprehensive investigations of judicial
misconduct complaints and conduct examinations of candidates for
the Judiciary in the District of Columbia.
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FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $52,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 90,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 52,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥37,500,000
The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act, as re-
authorized in P.L. 116–94, authorizes funds to be evenly divided
between District of Columbia Public Schools, Public Charter
Schools, and Opportunity Scholarships.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $52,500,000
for school improvement. Based on the statutory funding formula,
$17,500,000 is provided for District of Columbia Public Schools,
$17,500,000 is provided for Public Charter Schools, and
$17,500,000 is provided for Opportunity Scholarships. The Com-
mittee also adds new bill language requiring schools participating
in the SOAR program to certify compliance with Federal civil
rights and special education laws.
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NATIONAL GUARD
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $413,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 413,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 413,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia
National Guard Retention and College Access Program pays for a
tuition assistance program for guard members.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $413,000. The
Committee acknowledges the unique role of the D.C. National
Guard in addressing emergencies that may occur as a result of the
presence of the Federal government.
FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR TESTING AND TREATMENT OF HIV/AIDS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $4,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 3,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 4,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,000,000
Currently, two percent of the population of the District of Colum-
bia has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This percentage surpasses
the generally accepted definition of an epidemic, which is one per-
cent of the population.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $4,000,000 for
testing, education, and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
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54
FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WATER AND
SEWER AUTHORITY
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $8,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 8,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +8,000,000
The Federal Payment to the District of Columbia Water and
Sewer Authority supports the D.C. Clean Rivers Project, which is
designed to reduce combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia and
Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a Federal payment of $8,000,000 for
implementation of the D.C. Clean Rivers project.
TITLE V—INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $3,250,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 3,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 3,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +250,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is
an independent agency that studies Federal administrative proce-
dures and processes to recommend improvements to the President,
Congress, and other agencies.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $3,500,000 for ACUS.
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was estab-
lished under title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111–203) as a bureau under the
Federal Reserve System. The Act consolidated authorities pre-
viously shared by seven Federal agencies under Federal consumer
protection laws in the CFPB and provided CFPB with additional
authorities to conduct rulemaking, supervision, and enforcement
with respect to Federal consumer financial laws. Funding required
to support the CFPB’s operations are obtained from transfers from
the Federal Reserve System.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee rejects the President’s budget proposal to restruc-
ture the CFPB and place it under the appropriations process. The
Committee strongly supports the CFPB’s work to empower and pro-
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tect consumers by regulating offerings of consumer financial prod-
ucts and enforcing violations of consumer financial laws and regu-
lations. The Committee directs CFPB to take aggressive action to
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55
protect consumers, including those negatively affected by the
coronavirus, and to thoroughly assess any potential changes in
CFPB rules and regulations to ensure that consumers are not un-
duly harmed.
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $132,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 135,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 137,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +4,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +2,000,000
The Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972 established the Con-
sumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent Federal
regulatory agency, to reduce the risk of injury associated with con-
sumer products.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $137,000,000 for the CPSC. CPSC
has been chronically underfunded in recent years. The increase is
provided to address unfunded priorities identified by the Commis-
sion, including increased import surveillance, applied research on
exposure to potential chronic hazards related to nanotechnology in
consumer products and crumb rubber, and a quantitative risk as-
sessment of crumb rubber.
The recommendation includes $1,300,000 for the Virginia
Graeme Baker (VGB) Grant Program and the associated adminis-
trative costs to reduce the number of injuries and deaths associated
with pools and spas.
The Committee commends the CPSC for continuing to provide re-
sources for the national and grassroots ‘‘Pool Safely’’ campaign, a
safety information and education program designed to reduce child
drownings and near drowning injuries and maintain a zero-fatality
rate for drain entrapments. This multifaceted initiative includes
consumer and industry education efforts, press events, partner-
ships, outreach, and advertising. The Committee expects the CPSC
to maintain the fiscal year 2020 levels for the ‘‘Pool Safely’’ cam-
paign.
The Committee expresses concern over low participation rates for
products recalled by the CPSC. The Committee directs the Chair-
man of the CPSC to include with its annual report to the President
and Congress the following statistics for the top 20 recalled prod-
ucts by the number of injuries or deaths associated with the prod-
uct, initiated or ongoing during the previous fiscal year, that are
pursuant to order under section 15(d), a settlement agreement, or
a voluntary corrective action taken in consultation with the Com-
mission: (1) number of products subject to the recall sold; (2) num-
ber of such products for which a consumer has received a remedy;
(3) number of consumers to whom a direct notification has been
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made; and (4) number of incidences of injuries resulting from a
product subject to the recall occurring after the initiation of the re-
call that are reported to the Commission.
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The CPSC is also directed to include in its VGB Grant Program
solicitation explicit language indicating that some aspects of the
grant proposal may be achieved by contracting with other entities,
including civic organizations.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION—CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY
COMMISSION
Section 501. The Committee continues language prohibiting
funds to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed rule on rec-
reational off-highway vehicles until a study is completed by the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences.
ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $15,171,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 13,063,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 19,063,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +3,892,000
IBudget request, fiscal year 2021 .............................................. +6,000,000
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is a bipartisan Fed-
eral commission that helps election officials administer and voters
participate in elections. Established by the Help America Vote Act
of 2002 (HAVA), EAC distributes, administers, and audits HAVA
funds, serves as the Nation’s clearinghouse for information on elec-
tion administration, conducts the Election Administration and Vot-
ing Survey and other studies, develops the Voluntary Voting Sys-
tem Guidelines, accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting
systems, and administers the National Mail Voter Registration
Form in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act of
1993.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $19,063,000 for the Salaries and Ex-
penses of the EAC, of which $1,500,000 shall be transferred to the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for election
reform activities authorized under HAVA.
The Committee is pleased with the steps EAC has taken to begin
to rebuild its workforce and strengthen the agency’s capacity to
support State and local election officials on all aspects of election
administration, including enhancing election security. The Com-
mittee is committed to providing robust funding to enable EAC to
perform the vital mission of protecting Federal elections.
Support to Local Election Jurisdictions.—The Committee urges
EAC to increase outreach and trainings to local election jurisdic-
tions, with particular attention to those jurisdictions which are con-
sistently last to report polling data for Federal elections.
Election Cybersecurity.—The Committee is concerned with the
threat of election meddling from state and non-state actors through
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cyberattacks on election and voter registration systems. The Com-
mittee encourages EAC to work with NIST and the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) to strengthen coordination with and out-
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reach to State and local election officials on cybersecurity best prac-
tices.
Ranked Choice Voting.—The Committee encourages EAC to gath-
er data in the 2020 Election Administration and Voting Survey re-
lated to state readiness to implement ranked choice voting, includ-
ing whether existing State voting technology supports ranked
choice voting.
ELECTION SECURITY GRANTS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $425,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 500,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +75,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +500,000,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $500,000,000 for Election Security
Grants.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $400,000,000 for grants
to States to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
The Committee is gravely concerned by persistent threats from
Russia and other foreign actors attempting to influence the U.S.
democratic process, and vulnerabilities that continue to exist
throughout the Nation’s election system. Since fiscal year 2018,
Congress has provided $805,000,000 in grants to States to improve
the security of elections for Federal office. However, that funding
has been inconsistent, unpredictable, and insufficient to meet the
vast need across all the States and territories. Congress must pro-
vide a consistent, steady source of Federal funds to support State
and local election officials on the frontlines of protecting U.S. elec-
tions.
The bill requires States to use payments to replace direct-record-
ing electronic (DRE) voting machines with voting systems that re-
quire the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot,
marked by the voter by hand or through the use of a non-tab-
ulating ballot marking device or system, and made available for in-
spection and verification by the voter before the vote is cast and
counted. Funds shall only be available to a State or local election
jurisdiction for further election security improvements after a State
has submitted a certification to the EAC that all DRE voting ma-
chines have been or are in the process of being replaced.
Funds shall be available to States for the following activities to
improve the security of elections for Federal office: implementing a
post-election, risk-limiting audit system that provides a high level
of confidence in the accuracy of the final vote tally; maintaining or
upgrading election-related computer systems, including voter reg-
istration systems, to address cyber vulnerabilities identified
through DHS scans or similar assessments of existing election sys-
tems; facilitating cyber and risk mitigation training for State and
local election officials; implementing established cybersecurity best
practices for election systems; and other priority activities and in-
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vestments identified by the EAC, in consultation with DHS, to im-
prove election security. The EAC shall define in the Notice of Grant
Award the eligible investments and activities for which grant funds
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58
may be used by the States. The EAC shall review all proposed in-
vestments to ensure funds are used for the purposes set forth in
the Notice of Grant Award.
The bill also requires that not less than 50 percent of the pay-
ment made to a State be allocated in cash or in kind to local gov-
ernment entities responsible for the administration of elections for
Federal office.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $339,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 343,070,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 376,070,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +37,070,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +33,000,000
The mission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
is to implement and enforce the Communications Act of 1934 and
assure the availability of high-quality communications services for
all Americans.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $376,070,000 for
the Salaries and Expenses of the FCC, to be derived from offsetting
collections. Of this amount, no less than $33,000,000 is for imple-
menting the Broadband DATA Act (Public Law 116–130). The
Committee also includes a cap of $134,495,000 for the administra-
tion of spectrum auctions.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $200,000,000 for the FCC
to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally, including to support efforts of health care providers
to address coronavirus by providing telecommunications services,
information services, and devices necessary to enable the provision
of telehealth services.
Broadband Maps.—The Committee provides significant funding
for upfront costs associated with implementation of the Broadband
DATA Act. The Committee anticipates funding related to the
Broadband DATA Act will decline considerably in future years and
expects the FCC to repurpose a significant amount of staff cur-
rently working on economic, wireline, and wireless issues to focus
on broadband mapping.
Broadband Access.—The Committee believes that deployment of
broadband in rural and economically disadvantaged areas is a driv-
er of economic development, jobs, and new educational opportuni-
ties. The Committee supports FCC efforts to judiciously allocate
Universal Service Fund (USF) funds for these areas.
Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.—The Committee appreciates
the significant investment the FCC is planning to make to deploy
broadband services to unserved areas. The Committee recognizes
the need for government programs to minimize instances in which
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two different providers receive support from two different programs
to serve the same location. However, the Committee is concerned
that current program rules may have the unintended consequence
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of discouraging other funding sources from participating in
broadband deployment, particularly State-based programs. The
Committee directs the FCC to adjust program rules to ensure ap-
plicants, and the States in which those applicants would deploy
broadband, are not put at a disadvantage when applying for the
Rural Digital Opportunity Fund based on the State’s proactive,
independent investment in broadband.
Elevation Data Coordination for Broadband Deployment.—The
U.S. Geological Survey is leading the 3D Elevation Program
(3DEP), a collaborative initiative to systematically collect accurate
enhanced elevation data nationwide primarily through Light Detec-
tion and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. Such data can facilitate line-
of-sight analyses for signal propagation studies, identification of
the optimum locations for cell tower networks and other broadband
deployments, models of potential impacts to wireless signals from
future development and vegetation growth, mapping of existing
towers, and design and permitting of new infrastructure. The Com-
mittee encourages the FCC to participate in this program to help
support the deployment of 5G and other next-generation wireless
services. The Committee understands that FCC participation in
3DEP will strengthen the Commission’s support for building, main-
taining, and expanding U.S. wireless networks.
Territorial Access to Broadband.—The Committee is concerned
about disparities in access to communications services on Tribal
lands and in territories. The Committee encourages the FCC to im-
plement policies that increase broadband access and adoption in
these areas. The Committee commends the FCC’s work in estab-
lishing the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect U.S. Vir-
gin Islands (USVI) Fund to make additional USF funding available
to rebuild fixed and mobile voice and broadband networks damaged
in the 2017 hurricane season. In September 2019, the FCC ap-
proved $950,000,000 in Stage 2 funding to improve, expand, and
harden communications networks in Puerto Rico and the USVI.
The Committee supports these efforts and urges the FCC to expedi-
tiously move forward with its funding commitments under these
programs.
Tribal Access to Broadband.—The Committee urges the FCC to
responsibly and efficiently take action to increase access to
broadband on Tribal lands and supports consultation with Feder-
ally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages and corpora-
tions, and entities related to Hawaiian home lands to help close the
digital divide. The FCC is encouraged to use all available resources
to increase funding for consultation with Federally recognized In-
dian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and entities related to Hawai-
ian home lands; other work by the Office of Native Affairs and Pol-
icy (ONAP); and associated work from other bureaus and offices in
support of ONAP.
Lifeline Service.—The Committee is concerned that changes to
the Lifeline minimum service standards and support levels will ad-
versely impact low-income Americans, including many suffering
from economic hardships due to the coronavirus. The Committee
directs the FCC to pause implementation of any changes to the cur-
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rently applicable minimum service standards for Lifeline-supported
mobile broadband service and any changes in the current levels of
Lifeline support for voice services until the FCC has completed the
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State of the Lifeline Marketplace Report required by the 2016 Life-
line Order (Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al.,
Third Report and Order, Further Report and Order, and Order on
Reconsideration, 31 FCC Rcd 3962 (2016)).
Broadcaster Relocation.—The Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2018 (P.L. 115–141) provided an additional $1,000,000,000 over two
years to the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund to reimburse channel
relocation service and equipment costs incurred by the broadcast
industry, as well as providing financial assistance to FM stations,
TV translators, and low-power stations. The Committee is aware of
concerns about the length of time and funds available to broad-
casters to repack stations and is monitoring this issue closely. Both
broadcasters and entities who purchased spectrum rights partici-
pated in good faith to make the incentive auction successful. The
Committee supported FCC’s administration of the incentive auction
and expects the FCC to take into careful consideration any partici-
pating entity’s concerns.
Transmissions of Local Television Programming.—The Com-
mittee encourages consumer access to local television program-
ming, especially in rural areas, for its economic, safety, and cul-
tural importance. The Committee notes that many broadcast sta-
tions do not neatly conform to Nielsen-measured designated market
area boundaries, preventing many satellite television viewers from
accessing local news, politics, sports, and emergency programming.
The Committee notes that despite the reforms made to the Satellite
Television Extension and Localism Reauthorization (STELAR) Act
of 2014, many communities continue to struggle with market modi-
fication petitions to the FCC. The Committee is particularly con-
cerned with the lack of clarity regarding the technical and eco-
nomic feasibility requirement. In reviewing this requirement, the
FCC should provide a full analysis to ensure decisions on market
modification are comprehensively reviewed and STELAR’s intent to
promote localism is retained. The Committee therefore directs the
FCC to adhere to statutory requirements and Congressional intent
when taking administrative action related to satellite television
carriage issues.
Report on Cross-Border Signal Interference.—The FCC is directed
to report to the Committee, within 180 days of enactment of this
Act, on cross-border signal interference to U.S mobile providers op-
erating in the 700 MHz band and occurring along the U.S.-Mexico
border as a result of the commencement of network operations by
Mexican providers, and recommendations on how to remedy any
such interference. As part of the report, the Commission shall col-
lect information from licensed operators in the U.S. regarding in-
terference to their 700 MHz service.
Hurricane Recovery and Resilience.—The Committee remains
troubled that the FCC has not taken more aggressive steps to pro-
mote network resiliency to mitigate the impact of future severe
weather events on communications networks. The Committee urges
the FCC to take additional actions to mitigate the impact of future
storms on communications networks.
Robocalls.—The Committee is gravely concerned about the rap-
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idly growing problem of robocalls and understands that the Com-
mission receives more consumer complaints about robocalls than
any other single issue. The Commission is directed to provide a re-
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61
port to the Committee within 90 days of enactment of this Act de-
tailing the status of implementation of the TRACED Act, P.L. 116–
105.
Robocall Penalty Collection.—The Committee is aware of signifi-
cant delays in collecting and enforcing financial penalties levied
under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and is con-
cerned that these fines serve as an insufficient deterrent to poten-
tial TCPA violators. The Committee urges the FCC to regularly
discuss collections of these fees with the Department of Justice to
ensure timely collection and to report to the Committee every three
months after enactment of this Act on the status of collected and
uncollected penalties.
Vertical Location Data.—The Committee commends the FCC for
taking initial steps to improve vertical location data provided to
emergency dispatchers. However, the Committee believes meaning-
ful change will not occur without additional action. The Committee
directs the FCC to make additional improvements to vertical loca-
tion data requirements, including requiring wireless carriers to
provide the floor number of an emergency call or creating a system
for useful and actionable information to be relayed to emergency
dispatch centers. The Committee recommends that vertical location
directives should not be limited to the most populous areas; vertical
location data should be available to emergency response centers na-
tionwide. Within 180 days of the enactment of Act, the FCC is di-
rected to report to the Committee on actions it is taking or plans
to take to improve vertical location data available to dispatch cen-
ters.
911 Access.—The Committee urges the FCC to take steps to en-
sure that all cellular phones, including phones operating under a
pre-paid plan with an empty balance, provide ongoing access to 911
and provide automatic location information for 911 calls.
Mid-Band Spectrum.—The Committee believes that Fifth-Gen-
eration (5G) mobile technology is critical to U.S. national and eco-
nomic security. A key component of the U.S. strategy for 5G is en-
suring that U.S. wireless providers have enough mid-band spec-
trum (frequencies between 3 GHz and 24 GHz), which provides fast
data connections while also traveling longer distances. The Com-
mittee is concerned that the U.S. is falling behind other countries
in the allocation of such spectrum. The Committee urges the Ad-
ministration and the FCC to work expeditiously to identify and
make available more mid-band spectrum for 5G so that the U.S.
does not fall further in the race to deploy 5G networks and serv-
ices.
5G Supply Chain.—The Committee understands the importance
of a secure 5G technology supply chain. The Committee encourages
the FCC to investigate options for increasing supply chain diver-
sity, competition, and network security via interoperable tech-
nologies and open standard-based interfaces.
USF Contribution Reform.—In recognition of the ongoing rapidly
changing communications industry landscape, the Committee be-
lieves it is imperative that the FCC work with the Federal-State
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Joint Board on Universal Service on recommendations for USF
modernization, including contribution reform to ensure the long-
term sustainability and viability of the USF programs.
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ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
Section 510. The Committee extends an exemption from the
Antideficiency Act for the USF.
Section 511. The Committee continues language prohibiting the
FCC from changing rules governing the USF regarding single con-
nection or primary line restrictions.
Section 512. The Committee includes new language prohibiting
the FCC from finalizing, implementing, administering, or enforcing
the proposed rule entitled ‘‘Universal Service Contribution Method-
ology.’’
Section 513. The Committee includes new language prohibiting
the FCC from establishing or implementing a 5G Fund for Rural
America, or any similar Federal universal service support mecha-
nism, until the FCC completes the creation of an improved map
that depicts the availability of mobile broadband internet access
service.
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $42,982,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 42,982,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 42,982,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
Funding for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Fed-
eral Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is provided pursuant to
31 U.S.C. 1105(a)(25), which requires a separate appropriation for
each OIG established under section 11(2) of the Inspector General
Act of 1978.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $42,982,000 from the Deposit Insur-
ance Fund and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corpora-
tion Resolution Fund to finance the OIG.
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $71,497,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 73,329,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 73,329,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,832,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) administers the disclo-
sure of campaign finance information, enforces limitations on con-
tributions and expenditures, and performs other tasks related to
Federal elections.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends $73,329,000 for the Salaries and Ex-
penses of the FEC.
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Online Campaign Advertisements.—Engagement in the political
process is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. Americans are in-
creasingly turning to social media platforms, such as Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter, to engage in the political process. Indeed,
spending on digital political advertising reached a record
$1,400,000,000 in the 2016 election cycle. Yet our campaign finance
laws do not require meaningful transparency about who is behind
campaign advertisements run on digital platforms. Therefore, the
Committee directs the FEC to submit a report, within 90 days of
enactment of this Act, on how the FEC plans to address the dis-
parity in disclosure requirements for broadcast and online cam-
paign advertisements.
FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $24,890,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 28,395,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 26,100,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,210,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,295,000
Established by title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978,
the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) serves as a neutral
arbiter in the labor activities of non-postal Federal employees, De-
partments and agencies, and Federal unions on matters outlined in
the Act, including collective bargaining and the settlement of dis-
putes. Establishment of the FLRA gives full recognition to the role
of the Federal government as an employer. Under the Foreign
Service Act of 1980, the FLRA also addresses similar issues affect-
ing Foreign Service personnel by providing staff support for the
Foreign Service Impasse Disputes Panel and the Foreign Service
Labor Relations Board.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $26,100,000 for the FLRA.
FEDERAL PERMITTING IMPROVEMENT STEERING COUNCIL
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW IMPROVEMENT FUND
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $8,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 10,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 6,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥2,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥4,000,000
This account funds the authorized activities of the Environ-
mental Review Improvement Fund and the Federal Permitting
Steering Council (FPISC). The FPISC leads ongoing government-
wide efforts to modernize the Federal permitting and review proc-
ess for major infrastructure projects and works with Federal agen-
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cy partners to implement and oversee adherence to the statutory
requirements set forth in the Fixing America’s Surface Transpor-
tation Act.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $6,000,000 for the FPISC.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $331,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 330,199,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 341,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +10,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +10,801,000
The mission of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is to enforce
various Federal antitrust and consumer protection laws. Appropria-
tions for both the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice
and the FTC are partially financed by Hart-Scott-Rodino Act pre-
merger filing fees. The FTC’s appropriation is also partially offset
by Do-Not-Call registry fees.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $341,000,000 for the Salaries and
Expenses of the FTC. The Congressional Budget Office estimates
$150,000,000 of collections from Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing
fees and $19,000,000 of collections from Do-Not-Call list fees, which
partially offset the appropriation requirement for this account.
The Committee is highly concerned by increasing instances of
fraudulent or deceptive data collection practices and other viola-
tions of consumer protection laws, as well as by increasing con-
centration in technology and other markets. The Committee pro-
vides the FTC with additional resources to increase both its en-
forcement of antitrust statutes and its capacity to investigate un-
fair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices.
Fraudulent Calls to Seniors.—The Committee notes that there
has been a significant uptick in fraudulent telephone calls to sen-
iors from people claiming to represent the Social Security Adminis-
tration. In many cases, these callers are spoofing the actual Social
Security hotline number, making it appear as if they are calling
from the Social Security hotline. The Committee urges the FTC to
prioritize investigations into robocalls that attempt to defraud sen-
ior citizens.
Fraudulent Health Care Calls.—The Committee is aware of the
growing practice of robocallers attempting to commit financial
fraud by targeting health care providers and patients. In some
cases, callers use a spoofed number, making it appear as if they are
calling from a hospital or physician’s office, and seek to obtain sen-
sitive health-related or finance-related information about patients.
In other cases, callers posing as agents of the Department of Jus-
tice or relevant credentialing authorities contact hospitals, ques-
tioning the licensing of physicians working at the hospital. These
practices pose a direct threat to patients and providers, and they
undermine the integrity and trust that are vital components of the
patient-physician and patient-hospital relationship. The Committee
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directs the FTC to prioritize investigations into robocalls that at-
tempt to defraud patients, physicians, hospitals, and other health
care stakeholders.
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65
Non-Foreign Areas.—The Committee remains concerned that
some companies and corporations engaged in interstate commerce
are unwilling to ship products to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and
the other territories, as is offered for the continental United States.
The Committee believes that these non-foreign areas must be af-
forded equal treatment to the other 48 states. The Committee re-
quests the FTC to continue monitoring these inequalities in inter-
state commerce and to continue issuing relevant outreach and edu-
cational materials.
Unproven Stem Cell Products.—The Committee commends the
FTC for its recent enforcement actions against companies making
deceptive health claims about the safety and efficacy of unapproved
and unproven stem cell products. Unproven stem cell products have
put many patients at risk and resulted in patients being blinded,
paralyzed, and infected with dangerous pathogens. The Committee
encourages the FTC to continue to prioritize enforcement actions
against companies making deceptive and unproven health claims
regarding the safety and efficacy of unapproved stem cell-based
products. Further, the Committee encourages the FTC to continue
to coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration to optimize
its enforcement and consumer education activities.
Cryptocurrency.—Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that use
cryptography to secure or verify transactions. They are not created
by a government or central bank, but they can be exchanged for
U.S. dollars or other government-backed currencies. As consumer
interest in cryptocurrencies has grown, so have scams such as de-
ceptive investment and business opportunities, bait-and-switch
schemes, and deceptively marketed mining machines. The Com-
mittee encourages the FTC to work with the Securities and Ex-
change Commission, other financial regulators, consumer groups,
law enforcement, and other public and private stakeholders to iden-
tify and investigate fraud related to cryptocurrencies market and
discuss methods to empower and protect consumers.
Contact Lenses.—The Committee is disappointed that the FTC’s
final amendments to the Contact Lens Rule do not sufficiently ad-
dress the patient safety concerns the Committee has repeatedly
outlined in report language for the past four years. The rule fails
to sufficiently modernize the prescription verification process by
eliminating the use of robocalls and imposes new burdensome pa-
perwork requirements on providers and patients. To allow pro-
viders sufficient time to implement the necessary changes and to
prevent additional interruptions in service due to the coronavirus,
the Committee directs the FTC to delay the effective date for the
amendments, and to suspend any implementation or enforcement
of those amendments, until March 31, 2021.
Consumer Repair Rights.—The Committee is aware of the FTC’s
ongoing review of how manufacturers—in particular mobile phone
and car manufacturers—may limit repairs by consumers and repair
shops, and how those limitations may increase costs, limit choice,
and impact consumers’ rights under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty
Act. Not later than 120 days after the enactment of this Act, the
FTC is directed to provide to the Committee, and to publish online,
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a report on anticompetitive practices related to repair markets. The
report shall provide recommendations on how to best address these
problems.
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Rebate Walls.—The Committee is concerned with an increasingly
common anticompetitive behavior potentially distorting the U.S.
biopharmaceutical market known as a rebate wall, which occurs
when a pharmaceutical manufacturer couples volume-based dis-
counts with retaliatory measures such as the clawback of rebates
when a competitor product is granted formulary access. The Com-
mittee urges the FTC to prioritize investigations into manufactur-
ers that erect rebate walls to block competition from new branded
therapies, biosimilars, generics, and other innovative products.
Within 60 days of enactment of this Act, the FTC is directed to
submit a report to the Committee regarding its efforts to address
rebate walls during the preceding 18 months. The Committee en-
courages the FTC to coordinate with the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration to opti-
mize enforcement and consumer education activities regarding re-
bate walls.
Product Hopping.—The Committee recognizes that product hop-
ping conduct that pharmaceutical manufacturers use to avoid ge-
neric competition can drive up drug prices due to reduced competi-
tion and may restrict consumer access to critical medications. Prod-
uct hopping consists of reformulating a drug so the generic version
cannot be substituted and encouraging doctors to write prescrip-
tions for the reformulated product. The Committee recognizes that
consumers can be harmed from two versions of product hopping:
‘‘hard switches’’ (withdrawing the original drug) and ‘‘soft switches’’
(keeping the original drug on the market after introducing a refor-
mulated version). The Committee directs FTC to publish a report
outlining the actions it has taken in the past 15 years to address
these issues and other issues related to generic competition, and
the principles it uses to assess whether a pharmaceutical industry
practice is unlawful under the antitrust statutes.
Food and Agribusiness Mergers.—The Committee is concerned by
the growing concentration in the food and agribusiness industries,
which has far-reaching implications for family farmers, food chain
workers, the food we eat, the communities we live in, and the nat-
ural environment. Within one year of enactment of this Act, the
FTC, in coordination with the Department of Justice, shall report
to the Committee on antitrust actions in this sector taken over the
past five years and the ability of existing antitrust laws to provide
adequate safeguards against and remedies related to such con-
centration.
Aluminum Benchmarking.—The Committee encourages the FTC
to work with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice
on competition issues in aluminum benchmarking in the U.S. The
Committee directs the FTC to provide a briefing on this issue no
later than 120 days after enactment of this Act.
Antitrust Actions.—The Committee directs the GAO to study
FTC and DOJ antitrust actions over the past 25 years. The study
shall examine the following questions: How many instances have
FTC and DOJ been on opposing sides of the same matter? In how
many of these instances was the split created by (a) the FTC inter-
vening in DOJ’s case; and (b) the DOJ intervening in FTC’s case?
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In these instances, how (if at all) did the split affect the final out-
come (e.g., did the judicial opinion cite the split or explain how it
affected the court’s decision)? In how many instances has an FTC
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action appeared before the Supreme Court? Of these instances, in
how many cases did the FTC represent itself (rather than be rep-
resented by the Solicitor General)? In how many instances has the
DOJ or FTC reneged on a clearance agreement with the other
agency? In how many of these instances was the disruption created
by (a) the FTC’s decision to renege on the agreement; and (b) the
DOJ’s decision to renege on the agreement? How many amicus
briefs did each agency file in each year? How many of the total
amicus briefs filed by DOJ were done so at the invitation of the
court? How many of the total amicus briefs filed by FTC were done
so at the invitation of the court?
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
The Committee continues several reporting requirements for the
General Services Administration (GSA) for fiscal year 2021.
Takings and Exchanges.—Using existing statutory authorities,
GSA has been working to dispose of properties that no longer meet
the needs of Federal agencies in exchange for assets of like value.
Some of these exchanges are very complex in nature and involve
multi-year, multi-party, and multi-billion-dollar contracts. GSA
also has the statutory authority to take properties. The Committee
believes that in some instances, employing such authorities can re-
sult in savings to the taxpayer when appropriately executed. As
such, the Committee expects to be kept informed of these activities.
In order to provide increased transparency, the Administrator is di-
rected to report to the Committee not later than 30 days after the
end of each quarter on the use of these authorities. The report
shall include a description of all takings and exchange actions that
occurred or were considered during the most recently completed
quarter of the fiscal year, including the costs, benefits, and risks
for each action. The report shall also include the planned or consid-
ered use of takings and exchange authorities during the remainder
of the fiscal year, including the costs, benefits, and risks of each ac-
tion.
Spending Report.—Within 50 days of the end of each quarter,
GSA is directed to submit a spending report to the Committee. The
reports shall include actual obligations incurred and estimated obli-
gations for the remainder of the fiscal year for each appropriation
in the Federal Buildings Fund and regular discretionary appropria-
tions. The reports must also include obligations by object class, pro-
gram, project, and activity.
State of the Portfolio.—Within 45 days of enactment of this Act,
the Administrator shall submit to the Committee a report on the
state of the Public Buildings Service real estate portfolio for fiscal
year 2020. The content included in the report shall be comparable
to the tabular information provided in past State of the Portfolio
reports, including, but not limited to, the number of leases; the
number of buildings; amount of square feet, revenue, expenses by
type, and vacant space; top customers by square feet and annual
rent; completed new construction, completed major repairs and al-
terations, and disposals, in total and by region where appropriate.
Vacant Buildings.—Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the
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Administrator shall submit to the Committee a report on all the
vacant or underutilized buildings in the Public Buildings Service
portfolio in fiscal year 2020 and the potential for any of these facili-
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ties to be used as a security barrier for adjacent fully occupied Fed-
eral buildings.
Land Ports of Entry State of the Portfolio.—Within 90 days of en-
actment of this Act, GSA is directed to provide the Committee a re-
port on the state of the land ports of entry portfolio. The content
of this report shall include, but shall not be limited to, a prioritized
list of new construction and major repairs and alterations projects.
Rental Rates.—The Committee expects GSA to provide workspace
for its customers at commercially-comparable rental rates and at a
superior value to the taxpayer. The Committee directs GSA to pro-
vide a report describing GSA’s methodology for calculating rental
rates for Congressional offices located in Federal Courthouses with-
in 90 days of enactment of this Act.
REAL PROPERTY ACTIVITIES
FEDERAL BUILDINGS FUND
LIMITATIONS ON AVAILABILITY OF REVENUE
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Limitations on Availability of Revenue:
Limitation on availability, fiscal year 2020 ..................................... $8,856,530,000
Limitation on availability, budget request, fiscal year 2021 .......... 10,388,375,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 9,052,711,000
Bill compared with:
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2020 .................................... +196,181,000
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2021 request ...................... ¥1,335,644,000
The Federal Buildings Fund (FBF) finances the activities of the
Public Buildings Service (PBS), which provides space and services
for Federal agencies in a relationship similar to that of landlord
and tenant. The FBF, established in 1975, replaces direct appro-
priations with income derived from rent assessments, which ap-
proximate commercial rates for comparable space and services. The
Committee makes funds available through a process of placing lim-
itations on obligations from the FBF as a way of allocating funds
for various FBF activities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a limitation on the availability of
funds of $9,052,711,000 for the FBF. Within this total,
$209,700,000 is for construction, $585,965,000 is for repairs and al-
terations, $5,723,900,000 is for rental of space, and $2,533,146,000
is for building operations.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $295,150,000 for GSA to
prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally.
Historically, prior to obligating funds for prospectus-level con-
struction, alterations, or leases, GSA has waited for the project to
be authorized through a resolution approved by the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure in the House and the Committee
on Environment and Public Works in the Senate as required by
title 40 of the United States Code and in accordance with the pro-
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viso included in the FBF appropriations limiting the obligation of
funds to prospectus-level projects approved by the authorizing com-
mittees. The Committee supports this process and believes that
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prospectus-level projects warrant a thorough review from both the
Appropriations Committee and the authorizing committees. The
Committee expects GSA to continue to follow this process.
Mitigating Bird Deaths.—The Committee recognizes the impor-
tance of mitigating bird deaths due to collisions with buildings. The
Committee encourages GSA, to the maximum extent practicable, to
incorporate methods and strategies to reduce bird mortality from
collisions with public buildings constructed, acquired, altered, or
operated by GSA. GSA is encouraged to follow current best prac-
tices for building facade materials, design features, lighting prac-
tices, and operations, including those practices referenced in green
building system credits, and to obtain certification for such credits
when green building systems are applied.
Native Plant Materials.—GSA has maintained a steadfast com-
mitment to promoting sustainability in the more than 9,000 assets
that fall under its purview. A valuable element in advancing this
overall sustainability strategy would involve the integration of re-
gionally-adapted native plant materials into the grounds and, as
appropriate, structures of Federal properties. Accordingly, the
Committee instructs GSA to develop and implement a program
whereby the sponsors of any development project involving a Fed-
eral facility with a footprint that exceeds 5,000 square feet are di-
rected to use site planning, design, construction, and maintenance
strategies for the property that integrate, to the maximum extent
technically feasible, the use of locally-adapted native plant mate-
rials in all natural spaces, including roofs and other appropriate
portions of the structure where feasible.
High Performance Leasing.—The Administration has committed
time and resources to develop lease procedures to reduce utility
consumption, optimize building performance, and save taxpayer
funds on leasing inefficient facilities, in light of its statutory obliga-
tion to provide for implementation of cost-effective energy and
water efficiency measures throughout Federally leased properties.
The Committee expects the Administration to follow statutory re-
quirements and implement its policies for leases, including compli-
ance with the ENERGY STAR and building rating certification
lease policies and procedures in applicable projects. The Committee
further encourages the Administration to develop and implement
mechanisms to improve landlord compliance with energy provisions
of leases for Federal space.
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Court Space.—
The Committee is concerned with the lack of necessary facilities for
Immigration Judges on the U.S.-Mexico border. For fiscal year
2019, Congress authorized 534 Immigration Judges. However, the
Committee notes that EOIR only has 426 courtrooms. Therefore,
the Committee directs GSA to take direction from EOIR on its new
space requirements. The Committee further directs GSA to conduct
market research and market surveys, with EOIR’s program of re-
quirements, that are geographically adjacent to the southwest bor-
der with the purpose of identifying potential facilities that can be
used as immigration courtrooms from Federal, State, local, and pri-
vate sources, including courtrooms where the cases of detained
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aliens or aliens subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols may be
heard. The Committee expects GSA to use a turn-key leasing ap-
proach, when possible, for court space acquisition. Furthermore, in
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Federal locations along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Committee en-
courages GSA to identify and prioritize the acquisition of available
space for use by EOIR as courtrooms, including courtrooms where
the cases of detained aliens or aliens subject to the Migrant Protec-
tion Protocols may be heard. Finally, the Committee directs GSA
to submit a report on its efforts within 90 days of enactment of this
Act that includes the resources necessary to carry out this request.
Plumbing Requirements.—During the next revision of GSA’s
building construction requirements (GSA P100), the Committee en-
courages GSA to evaluate additional codes and standards, includ-
ing those that have achieved American National Standard Institute
(ANSI) designation, or were developed by an ANSI Audited Desig-
nator, to better align with the intent of Federal policy on the use
of codes, standards, and directives that Congress has given Federal
departments and agencies through more than 100 Committee Re-
ports since the 108th Congress.
High Cost Leasing.—Within 90 days of enactment of this Act,
GSA is directed to provide the Committee a report on projects
where a lease which requires new building construction cannot be
awarded because the offered rates exceed the local market rate and
are in in high-cost areas where the land and construction costs are
above the national average. The report should cover the previous
five fiscal years. The content of this report shall include, but not
be limited to, a list of pending Federal construction projects that
are a result of unsuccessful lease procurements.
Buy American Act.—The Committee notes that in certain recent
significant design-build contracts, the retained contractor has used
foreign rather than domestic sourcing for major elements of the
project, despite the submission of responsive domestic bids. In light
of the importance of securing and protecting domestic supply
chains for the future, the Committee directs GSA to provide a re-
port not later than 180 days after the end of fiscal years 2020 and
2021, consistent with the requirements of 41 USC 8302(b)(2) as it
pertains to both manufactured and unmanufactured articles, mate-
rials, and supplies.
Old Post Office Lease Agreement.—The Committee remains con-
cerned about GSA’s management of the lease agreement between
GSA and the Trump Old Post Office LLC. Given GSA’s past fail-
ures to address constitutional and contractual issues raised by
President Trump’s ownership interest in the Trump International
Hotel, and the possibility that GSA may now be receiving rent
earned from constitutional violations and/or a breached lease, the
Committee directs GSA, within 90 days of enactment of this Act,
to produce unredacted and complete copies of the Trump Old Post
Office LLC’s annual and monthly statements; conduct an audit
pursuant to Section 5.4 of the lease between GSA and the Trump
Old Post Office LLC to determine the amount of rent GSA is re-
ceiving pursuant to its lease of the Old Post Office Building, includ-
ing what portion of that rent consists of GSA’s share of the hotel’s
gross revenue, and identify what steps GSA is taking to ensure
that it is receiving all gross revenue-related rent it is owed; and the
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legal analysis of Section 37.19 of the lease agreement that led to
GSA’s conclusion that the Trump Old Post Office LLC satisfied the
terms and conditions of the lease agreement.
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Outlease Rent Concessions.—The Committee is concerned about
the management of GSA outleases in Federal buildings due to the
effects of coronavirus on the commercial real estate market. Within
90 days of enactment of this Act, GSA is directed to submit a re-
port on all concessions made to outlease tenants in Federal build-
ings related to the response to coronavirus, including rental pay-
ments, lease term length, and any other changes to the lease agree-
ment. If GSA determines that any outlease tenant’s request for
concessions is not in the interests of the government, then GSA
shall provide a detailed response to the tenant and include the re-
sponse in its report to the Committee.
Building Occupancy Data.—The Committee supports the GSA
Public Buildings Service’s efforts to develop new tools, reports, and
system enhancements to identify assets that can be more effec-
tively utilized. In particular, the use of commercially available
technology that provides accurate building occupancy data in real
time while not violating security and privacy could deliver insights
into the agency’s work on footprint optimization and space utiliza-
tion as well as identify significant cost savings. The Committee en-
courages the agency to evaluate the deployment of this technology
across the leased and owned Federal real estate portfolio.
Courthouses.—The Committee is supportive of the Judiciary’s
courthouse construction program and encourages the Administra-
tion to fund this program in future budget requests.
Federal Building Discharging Sewage into North Carolina Water-
ways.—The Committee is aware that the GSA Inspector General
has found it is likely that GSA is committing a serious environ-
mental violation at the Terry Sanford Federal Building a U.S.
Courthouse in Raleigh, North Carolina. The building is owned and
operated by GSA. The Committee has concerns with the allegation
of a lack of response to the initial know violations, leading to the
continuation of discharge of raw sewage into local and state water-
ways. Therefore, the Committee urges GSA to respond and
prioritize the needs of the District Court and other tenants of the
Terry Sanford Federal Building in regards to repairs associated
with this specific violation as well as any other repairs and renova-
tions needed for general operations. GSA is directed to brief the
Committee within 30 days of the date of enactment of this Act on
the status of efforts to address the deficiencies specific to the Terry
Sanford Building identified by the GSA Inspector General.
CONSTRUCTION AND ACQUISITION
Limitations on Availability of Revenue:
Limitation on availability, fiscal year 2020 ..................................... $152,400,000
Limitation on availability, budget request, fiscal year 2021 .......... 762,377,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 209,700,000
Bill compared with:
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2020 .................................... +57,300,000
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2021 request ...................... ¥552,677,000
The construction and acquisition fund finances the project cost of
design, construction, and management and inspection costs of new
Federal facilities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends a limitation of $209,700,000 for the
following projects:
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State Description Amount
DC ..................................... Department of Homeland Security Consolidation at St. Elizabeths .................... $200,700,000
DC ..................................... Southeast Federal Center Remediation ................................................................ $9,000,000
Mexico-American Border Coordinators.—Mexico is the second
largest importer of all goods into the U.S., in addition to being the
second largest recipient of all goods exported by the U.S. The Com-
mittee is concerned that a lack of coordination between Customs
and Border Protection (CBP), GSA, the Department of Transpor-
tation, and other relevant Federal agencies is hampering freight in-
frastructure development at the southwest border, critical to main-
taining this bilateral trade relationship. In fiscal year 2020, the
Committee directed GSA to designate a border infrastructure coor-
dinator in each region along the southwest border and report to the
Committee on its efforts and any additional resources necessary to
establish these positions. The Committee looks forward to receiving
the required report and directs GSA to continue funding these coor-
dinators in fiscal year 2021. The Committee further directs GSA to
submit a report within 120 days of the enactment of this Act on
any additional resources necessary to establish these positions.
Land Ports of Entry—Centers of Excellence.—The Committee is
concerned that many U.S. land ports of entry on the southwest bor-
der were either not designed to accommodate asylum seekers or do
not have adequate space to process the large numbers of asylum
seekers who legally present themselves for primary inspection by
CBP officers. The lack of processing space at land ports of entry
strands vulnerable asylum seekers in Mexico and leads some to at-
tempt to cross illegally in more remote locations between the ports
of entry, further overwhelming U.S. Border Patrol resources.
Therefore, the Committee directs GSA, in conjunction with CBP, to
explore establishing a Center of Excellence to prioritize Construc-
tion and Acquisition program funding for major repairs and alter-
ations at southwest border land ports of entry that have the high-
est number of asylum seekers, including the costs associated with
establishing such a Center of Excellence. The Administrator is fur-
ther directed to report to the Committee within 120 days of enact-
ment of this Act on the prioritization of and investments for all
Capital Program—Construction and Acquisition projects.
REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS
Limitations on Availability of Revenue:
Limitation on availability, fiscal year 2020 ..................................... $833,752,000
Limitation on availability, budget request, fiscal year 2021 .......... 1,363,223,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 585,965,000
Bill compared with:
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2020 .................................... ¥247,787,000
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2021 request ...................... ¥777,258,000
The repairs and alterations activity funds the project cost of de-
sign, construction, management and inspection for the repair, alter-
ation, and modernization of existing real estate assets in addition
to various special programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends a limitation of $585,965,000 to re-
main available until expended for repairs and alterations.
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Major Repairs and Alterations.—The Committee recommends
$203,908,000 for repairs and alterations projects that exceed the
prospectus threshold. The funds are provided to address GSA’s
highest priority facility needs. The Committee directs GSA to sub-
mit a detailed plan, by project, regarding the use of Major Repairs
and Alterations funds, not later than 45 days after enactment of
this Act. GSA is further directed to provide notification to the Com-
mittee not less than 15 days prior to any changes in the use of
these funds.
Basic Repairs and Alterations.—The Committee recommends
$382,057,000 for non-recurring repairs and alterations projects be-
tween $10,000 and the current prospectus threshold of $3,095,000.
Energy Performance Savings Contracts.—Within available funds,
the Committee recommends at least $15,000,000 to leverage energy
savings performance contracts so that the capital improvement
projects involving energy systems, energy controls, and building en-
velopes awarded in fiscal year 2021 ensure maximum return on in-
vestment to the taxpayer. The Committee remains concerned with
the findings in the GSA Inspector General (GSA IG) report re-
leased on March 17, 2020, entitled ‘‘PBS’s $1.7 Billion Energy Sav-
ings Performance Contracts Are Not Achieving Energy and Cost
Savings Due to Inadequate Oversight’’ and recommends that GSA
implement the GSA IG’s recommendations in the report.
Child Care Centers in GSA Buildings.—The Committee is ex-
tremely concerned about the GSA IG report entitled ‘‘Child Care
Centers in GSA Controlled Buildings Have Significant Security
Vulnerabilities’’ released on January 30, 2020. The GSA IG identi-
fied significant security vulnerabilities at several child care centers.
They found child care centers in GSA-controlled buildings that do
not meet the minimum security standards. The GSA IG also found
child care centers in buildings that have other significant risks and
that many of the recommended security countermeasures have not
been implemented.
The Committee believes GSA has the authority and discretion to
upgrade GSA-controlled buildings containing child care centers to
meet minimum security standards. The Committee directs GSA to
pursue implementation of these countermeasures by either gaining
tenant agency approvals and amortizing the costs into their occu-
pancy agreements or incorporating the upgrades necessary into ex-
isting building repairs and alterations projects. Within 90 days of
enactment of this Act, GSA should provide a report on a com-
prehensive plan to address security vulnerabilities at GSA con-
trolled child care centers.
RENTAL OF SPACE
Limitations on Availability of Revenue:
Limitation on availability, fiscal year 2020 ..................................... $5,497,561,000
Limitation on availability, budget request, fiscal year 2021 .......... 5,725,464,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 5,723,900,000
Bill compared with:
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2020 .................................... +226,339,000
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2021 request ...................... ¥1,564,000
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The rental of space program funds lease payments made to pri-
vately-owned buildings, temporary space for Federal employees
during major repair and alteration projects, and relocations from
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Federal buildings due to forced moves and relocations as a result
of health and safety conditions.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a limitation of $5,723,900,000 for
rental of space. The Committee expects GSA to continue its efforts
to reduce its leased inventory.
Health Care Clinics.—The Committee notes that several health
care clinics lease projects were in the fiscal year 2014 budget re-
quest and were part of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Account-
ability Act of 2014 but have been significantly delayed and have
still not opened. Therefore, the Committee directs GSA, in coopera-
tion with OMB, to provide a report to the Committee within 90
days of enactment of this Act detailing: (1) the timeline and expla-
nation of events that have delayed delivery of these health care
clinic lease projects and (2) actions that need to occur for those
projects to proceed, including an estimated timeline for completing
each action.
Sensitive Leased Locations.—The Committee directs GSA to
produce a report to the Committee within 90 days of enactment of
this Act on any GSA leases for occupancy by Immigration and Cus-
toms Enforcement (ICE) or CBP of a building that is within 2,500
feet of a facility operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs or
that meets the definition of a sensitive location as defined by ICE
or CBP guidelines within the last two fiscal years.
Congressionally Designated Organizations.—The Committee is
aware that the some Congressionally Designated Museums are ex-
pected to pay rent in Federal buildings. The Committee strongly
encourages the GSA, where practicable, to enter into cooperative
agreements with such entities in perpetuity and without charge.
BUILDING OPERATIONS
Limitations on Availability of Revenue:
Limitation on availability, fiscal year 2020 ..................................... $2,372,817,000
Limitation on availability, budget request, fiscal year 2021 .......... 2,537,311,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 2,533,146,000
Bill compared with:
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2020 .................................... +160,329,000
Availability limitation, fiscal year 2021 request ...................... ¥4,165,000
The building operations account funds services that Federal
agencies in GSA-owned buildings and occasionally in GSA-leased
buildings, when not provided by the lessor, directly benefit from,
such as building security; cleaning; utilities; window washing; snow
removal; pest control; and maintenance of heating, air conditioning,
ventilating, plumbing, sewage, electrical, elevator, escalator, and
fire protection systems. In addition, this account funds all the per-
sonnel and administrative expenses for carrying out construction
and acquisition, repair and alteration, and leasing activities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a limitation of $2,533,146,000 for
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building operations and maintenance. Not later than 60 days after
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Com-
mittee a spend plan, by region, regarding the use of these funds.
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GENERAL ACTIVITIES
GOVERNMENT-WIDE POLICY
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $64,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 65,843,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 64,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥1,843,000
The Office of Government-Wide Policy provides Federal agencies
with guidelines, best practices, and performance measures for com-
plying with all the laws, regulations, and executive orders related
to acquisition and procurement, personal and real property man-
agement, travel and transportation management, electronic cus-
tomer service delivery, and use of Federal advisory committees.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $64,000,000 for Government-wide
Policy.
Interagency Task Force on Health and Human Services Informa-
tion Technology (IT).—The Committee recognizes a growing need
for the integration and modernization of Federal IT systems and
notes that increased investment in IT would greatly improve em-
ployee and recipient interactions with Federal health and human
service programs while enhancing program efficiency, integrity,
analytic capability, and network security. The Committee urges the
Chief Information Office and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of
HHS, in collaboration with the White House CTO and U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture (USDA), as well as the Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) within HHS,
18F within the GSA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure se-
curity Agency (CISA) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Se-
curity, to establish an interagency task force that will examine ex-
isting IT infrastructure in Federal health human service programs
nationwide and identify the limitations to successfully integrating
and modernizing health and human services IT, and the network
security necessary for health and human services IT interoper-
ability. The task force shall submit to the Committee within 180
days of enactment on this Act a report on its progress and on rec-
ommendations for further Congressional action, which should in-
clude estimated costs for agencies to make progress on interoper-
ability initiatives.
Category Management.—The Committee is interested in under-
standing the effects of GSA’s category management policy on con-
tracts with small businesses. Category management refers to the
business practice of buying common goods and services as an enter-
prise to eliminate redundancies, increase efficiency, and deliver
more value and savings from the Federal government’s acquisition
programs. Within 180 days of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
mittee directs GSA, in cooperation with SBA, to submit a report to
the Committee on the number of contracts that could have been
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awarded under sections 8(a), 8(m), 15(a), 15(j), 31, or 36 of the
Small Business Act, but were exempted by category management
since its implementation.
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Building Design.—The Committee recognizes the importance of
mitigating bird deaths due to collisions, and encourages the incor-
poration of materials and design features for each public building
constructed, acquired, or altered by GSA to have at least 90 per-
cent of the façade material from ground level to 40 feet not be com-
posed of glass or employ one or more of the following: (a) elements
mounted outside the glass that eliminate reflectivity; (b) UV pat-
terned glass; (c) patterned glass which restricts horizontal spaces
to less than 2′′ high or vertical spaces less than 4′′ wide; and (d)
opaque, etched, stained, or frosted glass. The Committee recognizes
that with the increase in local and state bird-friendly building ordi-
nances and guidelines in states such as California and Minnesota
that there is an increasing need for a uniform minimum Federal
standard.
Green Building Certification.—The Committee recognizes the im-
portance of incorporating energy and water efficiency in con-
structing, modernizing, and operating Federal facilities to save tax-
payer money and meet Federal goals. To the extent that GSA uti-
lizes certification systems in achieving this objective, the systems
should comply with the Department of Energy (DOE) final rule on
Green Building Certification Systems for Federal Buildings (79
Fed. Reg. 61.563, 10 C.F.R. § § 433.300, 435.300).
First Aid Kit Enhancements.—The Committee is aware that first
aid products endorsed by the Department of Defense’s Committee
on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCC) help to reduce death
or trauma as a result of bleeding. To improve outcomes in crisis sit-
uations, the Committee encourages GSA to consult with CoTCC
and determine whether it is appropriate to incorporate CoTCC-ap-
proved items in first aid kits in Federal buildings, Federal court-
houses, and Federal law enforcement vehicles. The Committee di-
rects GSA to produce a report within 90 days of enactment of this
Act on whether the use of CoTCC-approved items is appropriate in
Federal buildings.
Hotel Per Diem Rates.—The Committee is concerned about the
lasting impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on the travel and tour-
ism industry, particularly on hoteliers and other lodging providers.
The travel and tourism industry is critical to the economy. Unfortu-
nately, due to stay-at home orders, mandatory shutdowns, and so-
cial distancing measures, hotel rates and occupancies have dropped
to historic lows. The average daily rate (ADR) for hotels fell 44 per-
cent nationwide in April compared to last year, with declines as
large as 60 percent in certain locales. Because GSA utilizes ADR
to set per diem rates for Federal travel, the Committee is con-
cerned that COVID–19 will produce significantly depressed per
diem rates, negatively impacting the hotel and lodging industry’s
long-term recovery. To allow the travel industry to recover from
this economic catastrophe, the Committee directs GSA to consider
the extraordinary impact of COVID–19 in determining the per
diem rates for Federal travel for fiscal year 2021 and adjust their
rates accordingly.
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OPERATING EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $49,440,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 49,440,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 49,440,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
This account provides appropriations for activities that are not
feasible for a user fee arrangement. Included under this heading
are personal property utilization and donation activities of the Fed-
eral Acquisition Service; real property utilization and disposal ac-
tivities of the PBS; select management and administration activi-
ties including support of government-wide emergency management
activities; and top-level, agency-wide management communication
activities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $49,440,000 for operating expenses.
Within the amount provided, $26,890,000 is for Real and Personal
Property Management and Disposal and $22,550,000 is for the Of-
fice of the Administrator.
Federal Real Property Profile.—The Committee understands that
the GSA Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) has been making
progress on the use of geospatial technology and on data trans-
parency. However, the Committee is aware of the problem in gath-
ering Federal real property data created by the exemption lan-
guage for Federal lands found in Executive Order 13327. This ex-
emption denies GSA the ability of collecting meaningful data from
large landholding agencies within the Department of the Interior
and the Department of Agriculture. The Committee is also aware
that Section 7 of the Executive Order provides flexibility for the In-
terior and Agriculture Departments to still contribute their data
into the FRPP. The Committee expects GSA to increase the trans-
parency, accuracy, and accountability with both Departments given
the expansive amount of data which could be added to the FRPP.
CIVILIAN BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $9,301,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 9,625,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 9,625,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +324,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
This account provides appropriations for the Civilian Board of
Contract Appeals (CBCA). The CBCA is charged with facilitating
the prompt, efficient, and inexpensive resolution of disputes
through the use of alternate dispute resolution.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $9,625,000 for the Civilian Board of
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Contract Appeals.
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OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $67,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 69,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 67,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,000,000
The GSA Office of Inspector General (GSA IG) provides agency-
wide audit and investigative functions to identify and correct GSA
management and administrative deficiencies that create conditions
for existing or potential instances of fraud, waste, and mismanage-
ment. The audit function provides internal and contract audits. In-
ternal audits review and evaluate all facets of GSA operations and
programs, test internal control systems, and develop information to
improve operating efficiencies and enhance customer services. Con-
tract audits provide professional advice to GSA contracting officials
on accounting and financial matters relative to the negotiation,
award, administration, repricing, and settlement of contracts. The
investigative function provides for the detection and investigation
of improper and illegal activities involving GSA programs, per-
sonnel, and operations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $67,000,000 for the OIG.
ALLOWANCES AND OFFICE STAFF FOR FORMER PRESIDENTS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $3,851,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 3,915,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 3,915,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +64,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
This appropriation provides pensions, office staff, and related ex-
penses for former Presidents Jimmy Carter, William Clinton,
George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $3,915,000 for allowances and office
staff for former Presidents.
FEDERAL CITIZEN SERVICES FUND
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $55,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 58,400,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 55,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥3,400,000
The Federal Citizen Services Fund provides for the salaries and
expenses of GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Tech-
nologies. The Fund enables citizen access and engagement with
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government through an array of operational programs and direct
citizen-facing services. The Fund also provides electronic or other
methods of access to and understanding of Federal information,
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79
benefits, and services to citizens, businesses, local governments,
and the media.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $55,000,000 for the Federal Citizen
Services Fund. The Committee expects that the funds provided for
these activities, combined with efficiency gains and resource
prioritization, will result in increased delivery of information to the
public and the ease of transaction with the government.
Open Government.—The recommendation includes $5,000,000 for
implementation of the OPEN Government Data Act’s (title II of the
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, Public Law
115–435) § 3511 requirements. Specifically, these funds are to be
used to support the establishment and maintenance of a Federal
Data Catalogue; assistance to Federal agencies for implementation
of the requirement of Comprehensive Data Inventories; and the es-
tablishment of an open data best practices online repository, in-
cluding additional personnel dedicated to operational and stand-
ards setting support functions.
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... $9,900,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 9,900,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +9,900,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
This appropriation provides for an orderly transfer of executive
leadership in accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of
1963, as amended.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $9,900,000 for the activities related
to the Presidential Transition, including $1,000,000 for briefing and
training personnel associated with the incoming Administration.
TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $25,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 150,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 25,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥125,000,000
This account provides appropriations for the Technology Mod-
ernization Fund (TMF) which is a full cost recovery fund that fi-
nances the transition of IT systems for Federal agencies to modern
IT platforms.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $25,000,000 for the TMF. The Com-
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mittee encourages GSA and the TMF Board to prioritize and fund
those projects that have the most significant impact on mission en-
hancement and that most effectively modernize citizen-facing serv-
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80
ices, including updating public facing websites, modernizing forms,
and digitizing government processes.
ASSET PROCEEDS AND SPACE MANAGEMENT FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... $31,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 16,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +16,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥15,000,000
This account provides appropriations for the purposes of carrying
out actions pursuant to the recommendations of the Public Build-
ings Reform Board consistent with Public Law 114–287.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $16,000,000 for the Asset Proceeds
and Space Management Fund.
WORKING CAPITAL FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... $90,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... –––
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥90,000,000
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends no appropriation for the Working
Capital Fund.
Shared Services.—The Committee remains concerned about
GSA’s implementation and program management of its Payroll
Shared Services Initiative NewPay, including the continued lack of
transparency and details on implementation costs and return on in-
vestment for current Federal agency personnel and customers. The
Committee is also concerned about the migration and other costs
per Federal employee that Federal agencies and departments
might incur to transition very limited payroll services of the cur-
rent payroll and related systems applications to NewPay. The Com-
mittee has previously denied GSA’s appropriations request for mi-
gration and other costs associated with NewPay. GSA’s fiscal year
2021 budget justification materials do not provide a sufficient basis
for providing $20,000,000 in additional funding. GSA has also yet
to provide detailed justifications, spend plans, and obligations by
category, activities, or services already funded with the $20,600,000
provided in fiscal year 2019 for NewPay implementation by the
TMF. The Committee understands that GSA has established a
NewPay Project Management Office within its own organization.
However, the Committee wants to avoid establishing duplicative
agency offices and expertise, and to ensure that millions of Federal
employees’ payroll and human resources services are not inter-
rupted or adversely impacted during transition to NewPay’s limited
services. The Committee directs GSA to consult with the existing
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Federal civilian payroll and human resource management shared
services providers for the program management and implementa-
tion efforts associated with NewPay and related shared services
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81
initiatives, and to produce a report on those consultations with 180
days of enactment of this Act.
Office of Customer Experience.—The Committee is aware that in-
stitutionalizing data-driven decision-making may facilitate cost effi-
ciencies, service innovations, and improved customer satisfaction
among those who interact with the Federal government. It is crit-
ical that GSA tap into commercially-available, affordable, and prov-
en technology to listen, understand, and act on critical experience
data. Such technology should enable GSA to leverage a unified,
agile, and open platform that spans data collection, advanced data
analysis, and response tracking and management while integrating
other tools already in use at GSA.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Section 520. The Committee continues a provision providing au-
thority for the use of funds for the hire of motor vehicles.
Section 521. The Committee continues a provision providing that
funds made available for activities of the Federal Buildings Fund
may be transferred between appropriations with advance approval
of the Committees on Appropriations of the House and the Senate.
Section 522. The Committee continues a provision requiring
funds proposed for developing courthouse construction requests to
meet appropriate standards and the priorities of the Judicial Con-
ference.
Section 523. The Committee continues a provision providing that
no funds may be used to increase the amount of occupiable square
feet, provide cleaning services, security enhancements, or any other
service usually provided, to any agency which does not pay the as-
sessed rent.
Section 524. The Committee continues a provision that permits
GSA to pay small claims (up to $250,000) made against the Federal
government.
Section 525. The Committee continues a provision requiring the
Administrator to ensure that the delineated area of procurement
for all lease agreements is identical to the delineated area included
in the prospectus unless prior notice is given to the committees of
jurisdiction.
Section 526. The Committee continues a provision requiring a
spend plan for certain accounts and programs.
Section 527. The Committee includes a new provision to expand
the definition of items that can be acquired to implement the Chief
Financial Officer’s Act of 1990. This new authority is not provided
to fund the expansion of NewPay.
Section 528. The Committee includes a new provision requiring
GSA to transmit a new prospectus for consolidation of a new Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation headquarters.
Section 529. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
the use of funds for any contracts inconsistent with the Brooks Act
and part 36.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Section 530. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
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the use of funds for any Executive Order that would establish a
preferred architectural style for Federal buildings and courthouses
or would conflict with existing GSA architectural guidelines.
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HARRY S TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,670,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,670,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,670,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation is an independent
agency established by Congress in 1975 (Public Law 93–642) to en-
courage exceptional college students to pursue careers in public
service through the Truman Scholarship program. The Truman
Scholarship is a merit-based award available to college juniors who
plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public serv-
ice.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,670,000 for the Harry S Truman
Scholarship Foundation.
MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $46,835,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 44,499,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 46,835,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +2,336,000
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is an independent,
quasi-judicial agency established to protect the civil service merit
system. The MSPB adjudicates appeals primarily involving per-
sonnel actions, certain Federal employee complaints, and retire-
ment benefits issues. The MSPB reports to the President whether
merit systems are sufficiently free of prohibited employment prac-
tices.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $46,835,000 for the MSPB. The rec-
ommendation includes a transfer of $2,345,000 from the Civil Serv-
ice Retirement and Disability Fund.
MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION
MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL TRUST FUND
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,800,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,800,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,800,000
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Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
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The General Fund payment to the Morris K. Udall and Stewart
L. Udall Trust Fund is invested in Treasury securities with matu-
rities suitable to the needs of the Fund. Interest earnings from the
investments are used to carry out the activities of the Morris K.
Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. The Foundation awards
scholarships, fellowships, and grants, and funds activities of the
Udall Center. The Foundation also supports training programs for
professionals in healthcare policy and public policy, such as the Na-
tive Nations Institute (NNI). NNI, based at the University of Ari-
zona, provides Native Americans with leadership and management
training and analyzes policies relevant to tribes.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,800,0000 for the Morris K. Udall
and Stewart L. Udall Trust Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $3,200,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 3,227,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 3,200,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥27,000
The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution is a
Federal program established by Public Law 105–156 to assist par-
ties in resolving environmental, natural resource, and public lands
conflicts. The Institute is part of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart
L. Udall Foundation and serves as an impartial, nonpartisan insti-
tution providing professional expertise, services, and resources to
all parties involved in such disputes. The Institute helps parties de-
termine whether collaborative problem solving is appropriate for
specific environmental conflicts, how and when to bring all the par-
ties together for discussion, and whether a third-party facilitator or
mediator might be helpful in assisting the parties in their efforts
to reach consensus or to resolve the conflict. In addition, the Insti-
tute maintains a roster of qualified facilitators and mediators with
substantial experience in environmental conflict resolution and can
help parties in selecting an appropriate neutral professional.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $3,200,000 for the Environmental
Dispute Resolution Fund.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
OPERATING EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $359,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 356,954,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 361,449,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +2,449,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +4,495,000
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an
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independent agency established in 1934 to identify, access, protect,
preserve, and make available for use the important documents and
records of all three branches of the Federal government. Today,
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84
NARA’s responsibilities also include publishing the Federal Reg-
ister, mediating Freedom of Information Act disputes, and coordi-
nating controlled unclassified information.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $361,449,000 for NARA to support
basic operations, services to the public, operation of Public Librar-
ies, and declassification review. Of the amount appropriated, up to
$2,000,000 is available until expended to implement the Civil
Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $8,100,000 for NARA to
prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally.
The Committee directs NARA to continue its work related to the
Electronic Records Initiative, mass digitization, preservation of ar-
chival electronic records, and cybersecurity. In lieu of initiating a
new program related to veterans’ records, NARA is directed to pro-
vide to the Committee, within 90 days of enactment of this Act,
with comprehensive financial projections for the Federal Records
Centers Program for the next five years and legislative rec-
ommendations for improving the program’s long-term financial sta-
bility.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $4,823,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 5,300,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 5,195,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +372,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥105,000
The NARA Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides audits and
investigations and serves as an independent, internal advocate to
promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within NARA.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $5,195,000 for the NARA OIG.
REPAIRS AND RESTORATION
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $7,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 5,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 7,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +2,500,000
The NARA Repairs and Restoration account provides for the re-
pair, alteration, and improvement of Archives facilities and Presi-
dential libraries nationwide. It enables NARA to maintain its facili-
ties in proper condition for visitors, researchers, and employees, as
well as to ensure the structural integrity of its buildings.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
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The Committee recommends $7,500,000 for Repairs and Restora-
tion.
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NATIONAL HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS COMMISSION
GRANTS PROGRAM
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $6,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 7,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +7,000,000
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC) program provides for grants to preserve and publish
records that document American history. Administered within
NARA, the NHPRC helps State, local, and private institutions pre-
serve non-Federal records; helps historical organizations publish
the papers of major figures in American history; and helps archi-
vists and records managers improve their techniques, training, and
ability to serve a range of information users.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $7,000,000 for NHPRC grants.
Nixon Recordings.—The Committee encourages NARA to con-
tinue its effort to make available online to researchers, tran-
scribers, and other interested parties the audio recordings of
former President Richard Nixon.
NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING LOAN FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 2,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +2,000,000
The Community Development Revolving Loan Fund Program
(CDRLF) was established in 1979 to assist officially designated
low-income credit unions in providing basic financial services to
low-income communities. Low-interest loans and deposits are made
available to assist these credit unions. Loans or deposits are nor-
mally repaid in five years, although shorter repayment periods may
be considered. Technical assistance grants are also available to
low-income credit unions. Earnings generated from the CDRLF are
available to fund technical assistance grants in addition to funds
provided for in appropriations acts. Grants are available for im-
proving operations as well as addressing safety and soundness
issues.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $2,000,000 for the National Credit
Union Administration’s (NCUA) CDRLF for technical assistance
grants.
Supporting Community Development Credit Unions.—Within 180
days of enactment of this Act, NCUA is directed to issue a report
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to the Committee on its current efforts to support and advance
Community Development Credit Unions in low-income commu-
nities. The report shall include, to the extent feasible, a national
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86
list of credit unions with a low-income designation and the assets
under control of each such credit union, as well as best practices
for lending to low-income and economically distressed communities.
OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $17,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 18,576,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 18,600,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,100,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +24,000
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE), established by the Eth-
ics in Government Act of 1978, partners with other executive
branch Departments and agencies to foster high ethical standards.
OGE issues and monitors rules, regulations, and memoranda per-
taining to the prevention and resolution of conflicts of interest,
post-employment restrictions, standards of conduct, and financial
disclosure for executive branch employees. OGE is also responsible
for creating and running an electronic financial disclosure system
under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.
Acting Officials and Vacancies.—The Committee is concerned
about the number and duration of acting officials and vacancies in
presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed positions throughout
Federal departments and agencies. This undermines accountability
and weakens the capacity for Federal leadership to develop exper-
tise and effectively address new and pressing issues, including
emergencies such as the coronavirus. The Committee recommends
that the White House work in collaboration with relevant offices
and agencies to design an online dashboard that tracks the status
of all positions that require Senate confirmation, including, but not
limited to, (1) whether that position is currently vacant or filled,
(2) if the position is filled, the name of that official and whether
that official is serving on a permanent or acting basis, (3) if a nomi-
nee or prospective nominee has been named for that position, (4)
if there is a nominee or prospective nominee, the latest action by
the President or Congress relating to the process required for Sen-
ate confirmation, and (5) a means to enable each nominee or pro-
spective nominee, and each agency involved in that individual’s
nomination, to see all steps required in the appointments process,
including background investigation and financial disclosure, and
track progress. The Committee further recommends that the White
House conduct a thorough review of all positions that are filled in
an acting capacity or vacant and develop a plan to expeditiously
nominate a qualified individual to hold each such position.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $18,600,000 for the OGE.
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF TRUST FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $299,755,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 307,255,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +7,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +307,255,000
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the Federal agen-
cy responsible for management of Federal human resources policy
and oversight of the merit civil service system. OPM provides a
government-wide policy framework for personnel matters, advises
and assists agencies (often on a reimbursable basis), and ensures
that agency operations are consistent with requirements of law.
OPM oversees the examination of applicants for employment;
issues regulations and policies on hiring, classification and pay,
and training; and manages many other aspects of personnel man-
agement. The agency also operates a reimbursable training pro-
gram for the Federal government’s managers and executives. In ad-
dition, OPM is responsible for administering the retirement, health
benefits, and life insurance programs covering most Federal em-
ployees, retired Federal employees, and their survivors.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $152,630,000 for OPM’s General
Fund. The Committee also recommends $154,625,000 for adminis-
trative expenses to be transferred from the appropriate trust funds.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $12,100,000 for OPM to
prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally.
OPM Re-Organization.—Section 1112 of the fiscal year 2020 Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act prohibits the transfer of OPM
functions to GSA or the Executive Office of the President until at
least 180 days after a report on the findings and recommendations
of an independent report is submitted to the appropriate Congres-
sional Committees and any required legislation is enacted.
In addition, the Committee reminds OPM of its obligation to en-
gage in prior consultation with and notify the Committee of any re-
organizations, restructurings, new programs, or elimination of pro-
grams as described in title VI of this Act.
Federal Viewpoint Survey.—The Federal Employee Viewpoint
Survey administered by OPM is the primary means of measuring
employee satisfaction and engagement in Federal agencies. It is im-
portant for agency leaders to receive timely survey results so they
may take appropriate action to enhance agency performance. Cur-
rently, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is administered to
employees each spring; however, since agencies do not receive their
survey data from OPM until the fall, leaders are not able to re-
spond or react quickly to employee feedback. This can contribute to
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further dissatisfaction amongst employees who feel that little is
being done by leaders to respond to the results of the survey. The
Committee directs OPM to report to the Committee within 90 days
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88
of enactment of this Act on the feasibility of providing survey re-
sults to agency leaders within four to six weeks of the survey clos-
ing date.
In addition, the Committee is concerned that the Federal Em-
ployee Viewpoint Survey is not readily accessible on mobile devices
for the thousands of Federal employees who do not work on desk-
top computers in an office environment. The Committee directs
OPM to report to the Committee within 90 days of enactment of
this Act on the feasibility of making the Federal Employee View-
point Survey available in a mobile-friendly format for Federal em-
ployees to complete on their mobile devices.
USA Learning Knowledge Portal Services Program.—The USA
Learning Knowledge Portal Services Program supports online edu-
cation and training via a cloud-based database of tools to help Fed-
eral agencies understand the importance of sharing knowledge of
agency missions, goals, and values across all organizational lines.
Since there has been a rapid and significant increase in program
spending, OPM is directed to provide a report within 90 days of en-
actment of this Act to the Committee on the program’s expendi-
tures by fiscal year for the past five years, performance metrics,
and procurement procedures to ensure contracts for this program
have been awarded fairly and openly.
Backlog of Pension Benefits and Retirement Services.—The Com-
mittee is concerned with the growing backlog of processing and dis-
bursement of pension benefits and the undue financial burden
these delays may cause for retiring Federal employees. Tens of
thousands of new retirees wait months to receive their complete
annuities, with some waiting more than a year, and in the mean-
time they may be constrained by reduced interim pensions. The
Committee expects OPM to continue to prioritize retirement and
disability processing and to move to a fully automated electronic
filing system. Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, OPM is di-
rected to issue a report to the Committee outlining the progress
made during fiscal year 2020 to address the processing backlog and
to ensure retiring employees throughout the Federal government
are receiving their hard-earned benefits in a timely manner. The
Committee believes that the backlog and delays in retirement proc-
essing are unacceptable and directs OPM to continue to provide the
Committee with monthly reports on its progress in addressing the
backlog in claims.
The Committee is concerned with the underrepresentation of
minority- and women-owned investment banking and asset man-
agement firms that provide financial advisory services to all par-
ticipants in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To reflect
the diversity of the nation, the Committee encourages OPM to pro-
mote to all participants in the Federal Employees Retirement Sys-
tem the utilization to the greatest extent possible of both women-
and minority-owned investment banking and asset management
firms, defined as having women or minority ownership of at least
51 percent.
Federal Government Hiring Process.—The Committee is con-
cerned with the length of time it often takes the Federal govern-
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ment to hire qualified employees and directs OPM to continue to
find ways to reduce barriers to Federal employment and reduce
delays in the hiring process. Rigid rules along with long delays in
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89
the hiring and interview process discourage top candidates from
applying for or accepting Federal positions. Specifically, the Com-
mittee encourages OPM to seek input from hiring managers on the
type of challenges they face and improvements that could be made
to make the Federal hiring process more efficient and effective.
Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, OPM is required to report
to the Committee on a plan to reduce barriers to Federal employ-
ment, reduce delays in the hiring process, and improve the overall
Federal recruitment and hiring process.
As part of OPM’s mission to recruit and hire the most talented
and diverse Federal workforce, the Committee encourages Federal
agencies to increase recruitment efforts within the United States
and its territories and at Hispanic Serving Institutions and Histori-
cally Black Colleges and Universities.
Direct Hire Authority.—The Committee is aware of the Bureau of
Prisons (BOP) request to OPM to provide direct hire authority to
BOP facilities. To ensure the safety of staff and inmates, the Com-
mittee encourages OPM to expedite and grant direct hire authority
for BOP facilities in which ten percent or more of the total avail-
able positions are vacant, prioritizing facilities with the largest
number of vacancies. In addition, the Committee encourages OPM
to review the GAO open recommendation included in OPM Needs
to Improve Management and Oversight of Hiring Authorities (GAO–
16–521) to determine whether opportunities exist to refine, consoli-
date, eliminate, or expand agency-specific authorities to other agen-
cies.
Cybersecurity Recruitment in the Federal Government.—The
Committee recognizes the importance of cybersecurity education
and recruitment of cybersecurity students into the Federal work-
force. The Committee directs OPM to use all its available tools to
increase the recruitment of cybersecurity students and that all hir-
ing agencies using the Pathways Internship Program make their
programs available to students studying information sciences and
technology and related degrees. The Committee strongly encour-
ages OPM to update the definition of Science, Technology, Engi-
neering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to include cybersecu-
rity education. OPM is directed to report to the Committee within
120 days of enactment of this Act on its efforts to increase recruit-
ment of cybersecurity students into the Federal workforce using its
various recruitment tools including the Pathways Internship Pro-
gram.
Hiring Guidelines.—The Committee encourages OPM to review
its policies and guidelines regarding hiring and firing of individuals
who use marijuana in States where that individual’s private use of
marijuana is not prohibited under the law of the State.These poli-
cies should reflect changes to the law on marijuana usage and
clearly state the impact of marijuana usage on Federal employ-
ment.
Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans (FEHBP).—The Com-
mittee recognizes the importance of medical foods, as defined in the
Orphan Drug Act (21 U.S.C. 360ee(b)(3)), which often serve as first-
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line therapies to treat a number of conditions. The Committee is
concerned about the lack of coverage of medical foods in FEHBP in-
surance plans. The Committee encourages OPM to encourage
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FEHBP plans to explore options for including coverage of medical
foods within their plans.
Federal Telework Programs.—The Telework Enhancement Act
mandated that OPM provide an annual report to Congress address-
ing the telework programs of each Executive Branch agency (5
U.S.C. 6506). The Committee directs OPM to include a new section
in their annual report focusing on Federal agency telework pre-
paredness during COVID–19, challenges, and recommendations to
better prepare Federal agencies for government- or agency-wide
telework situations. Additionally, the Committee urges OPM to di-
rect Federal agencies to continue to track telework successes, com-
pile best practices, and expand telework programs. The Committee
supports cost savings and productivity improvements from well-
managed telework programs in the Federal workplace.
Constituent Services.—The Committee is aware of the ongoing
backlog in processing constituent service cases and requests that
OPM conduct a monthly review of this backlog. Further, OPM
should develop a strategy for reducing the caseload and handling
cases more expeditiously, including adjusting the number of case-
workers needed to reduce the backlog and meet service demands.
Contractor Backpay.—The Committee recognizes the hardships
experienced by contract workers and their families during Federal
government office closures. Many Federal contract workers perform
jobs that are critical to the daily operations of the Federal govern-
ment, such as food service, security, and custodial work. The Com-
mittee encourages Federal agencies to examine the fairness and eq-
uity of Federal government closure policies and guidelines and
their impact on contract employees.
Federal Wage System.—The Committee is concerned that some
General Schedule (GS) localities include several Federal Wage Sys-
tem areas, which creates pay increase disparities for hourly work-
ers within a GS locality, and encourages OPM to explore limiting
the number of local wage areas defined within a General Schedule
Pay Locality to a single wage area.
Enhancing the Utility of the Fedscope Database.—The Committee
notes that Fedscope, a publicly-accessible database maintained by
OPM, is a valuable source of information about Federal employees
and agencies. Fedscope provides national-level and state-level data
about the number of Federal employees, the agencies that employ
them, and selected characteristics of those employees. To enhance
its utility to Congress and the public, the Committee urges OPM
to provide information about the number of Federal employees em-
ployed in each county in the United States, or the functional equiv-
alent in the case of U.S. states and territories that do not use the
county system. Additionally, the Committee urges OPM to provide
information about the number of Federal employees employed in
each Congressional district. Within 120 days of enactment of this
Act, OPM is directed to provide a report to the Committee on the
feasibility and expected timeline of publishing this information.
IT Infrastructure.—The Committee remains concerned over
OPM’s overall progress in improving its IT security and infrastruc-
ture, and its continuing efforts to implement the recommendations
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of the GAO and OPM Inspector General reports to improve infor-
mation security. The Committee directs OPM to undertake a study
and produce a report on how blockchain technology can help im-
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prove its IT security and infrastructure. The study should include,
but is not limited to, an examination of the feasibility of employing
distributed ledger technologies, such as blockchain, to do the fol-
lowing: tamper-seal and verify actual users and authenticate data,
without the need for third-party authentication; employ Digital Se-
curity Certificates that never expire; ensure an unbroken chain-of-
custody of all Federal employee personal information; provide a
clear audit trail of any transactions that include a Federal employ-
ee’s personal information and/or documents; secure digital signa-
tures; and eventually replace password-based security verification
with proof of identity via uniquely identifiable methods. OPM is di-
rected to provide this report to the Committee within 180 days of
enactment of this Act.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF TRUST FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $30,265,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... –––
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 31,265,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +31,265,000
This appropriation provides for the Office of Inspector General’s
(OIG) agency-wide audit, investigative, evaluation, and inspection
functions, which identify management and administrative defi-
ciencies, fraud, waste, and mismanagement. The OIG performs in-
ternal agency audits and insurance audits and offers contract audit
services. Internal audits review and evaluate all facets of agency
operations, including financial statements. Evaluation and inspec-
tion services provide detailed technical evaluations of agency oper-
ations. Insurance audits review the operations of health and life in-
surance carriers, health care providers, and insurance subscribers.
Contract auditors provide professional advice to agency contracting
officials on accounting and financial matters regarding the negotia-
tion, award, administration, repricing, and settlement of contracts.
The investigative function provides for the detection and investiga-
tion of improper and illegal activities involving programs, per-
sonnel, and operations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a general fund appropriation of
$5,000,000 for the OIG. In addition, the recommendation includes
$26,265,000 from the appropriate trust funds.
OPM Reorganization.—The Committee is concerned with the Ad-
ministration’s proposal to eliminate OPM as a standalone agency
and transfer its functions to GSA and OMB. The Committee directs
the OIG to monitor these efforts and to provide updates to the
Committee. Updates should include timelines of any planned
moves, impact on OPM funding requirements, changes in staff lev-
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els in each functional unit, gained efficiencies, and improved serv-
ices.
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OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $27,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 27,435,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 28,900,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,400,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,465,000
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC): (1) investigates Federal em-
ployee allegations of prohibited personnel practices (including re-
prisal for whistleblowing) and, when appropriate, prosecutes before
the Merit Systems Protection Board; (2) provides a channel for
whistleblowing by Federal employees; and (3) enforces the Hatch
Act. The OSC may transmit whistleblower allegations to the agen-
cy head concerned and require an agency investigation and a report
to Congress and the President when appropriate. Additionally,
OSC is responsible for the enforcement of the civilian employment
and reemployment rights of military service members under the
Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $28,900,000 for the OSC.
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $16,615,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 19,200,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 18,614,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +1,999,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥586,000
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) establishes and main-
tains the U.S. Postal Service’s ratemaking systems, measures serv-
ice and performance, ensures accountability, and has enforcement
mechanisms, including the authority to issue subpoenas.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $18,614,000 out of the Postal Fund
for the PRC.
PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OVERSIGHT BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $8,200,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 8,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 8,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +300,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (the Board) is
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an independent agency within the Executive Branch whose purpose
is to (1) analyze and review actions the Executive Branch takes to
protect the nation from terrorism, ensuring that the need for such
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actions is balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil lib-
erties; and (2) ensure that liberty concerns are appropriately con-
sidered in the development and implementation of laws, regula-
tions, and policies related to efforts to protect the nation against
terrorism. The Board consists of four part-time members and a full-
time chairman.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $8,500,000 for the Board.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS REFORM BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... $3,500,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 3,500,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +3,500,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Public Buildings Reform Board (Board) was created under
the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to identify oppor-
tunities for the Government to significantly reduce its inventory of
civilian real property and reduce cost to the Government.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $3,500,000 funds for the Board.
NARA Seattle Archives and Records Center.—The Committee is
concerned about the process the Board used to develop its recent
recommendations on disposals, including the recommendation to
dispose of property currently being used by the NARA Federal Ar-
chives and Records Center in Seattle. The facility’s closure will
have a negative impact on state agencies, universities, researchers,
scientists, tribal members, and students in Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and Alaska. The Committee recommends the Board leverage
clearer requirements to identify the properties that would benefit
from expedited sale and redevelopment, increase transparency of
the process for stakeholders, and invite wider input before rec-
ommendations become final. The Committee further recommends
that the Board continue to work with stakeholders associated with
the NARA Seattle facility to establish the actions necessary to
maintain ongoing access to the records currently accessible by the
public at the facility. Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the
Board, in consultation with NARA, shall submit a report on efforts
to maintain access.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $1,825,525,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 1,926,162,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 1,951,327,000
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Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +125,802,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +25,165,000
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The primary mission of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) is to protect investors, maintain the integrity of the securi-
ties markets, and assure adequate information on the capital mar-
kets is made available to market participants and policymakers. To
facilitate this, the SEC monitors the capital markets, ensures full
disclosure of all appropriate financial information, regulates the
Nation’s securities markets, and takes action to prevent fraud and
malpractice in the securities and financial markets.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $1,920,000,000 for the salaries and
expenses of the SEC, to be fully derived from offsetting fee collec-
tions. In addition, the Committee recommends $18,650,000 and
$12,677,000 for move, replication, and related costs associated with
replacement leases for the Commission’s Washington, D.C. head-
quarters and its San Francisco Regional Office facilities, respec-
tively, also to be fully derived from offsetting fee collections. The
Committee expects the Commission to work closely with GSA on
those replacement leases and to keep the Committee informed of
any notable developments.
The Committee remains concerned about the enforcement and
examination capabilities of the SEC and expects the Commission to
prioritize staffing for the Division of Enforcement, the Office of
Compliance Inspections and Examinations, and the Division of
Trading and Markets. The Committee’s recommendation also in-
cludes sufficient resources to ensure that the Office of Investor
Education and Advocacy and the Office of the Investor Advocate
are fully staffed.
The Committee is concerned that too many small-dollar investors
lack access to high-quality legal advice and representation, either
because they cannot afford representation, or because their claims
are too small to obtain private counsel. There are currently 11 law
school clinics around the country focused on investor advocacy that
have played a vital role in helping to fill this gap, but the lack of
external funding makes it difficult for law schools to keep existing
clinics operating or open new clinics in underserved locations. The
Committee will closely review the report to the Committee required
by House Report 116–122, which provides recommendations for a
grant program that could assist in the creation, development, ex-
pansion, or continuation of investor advocacy clinics. The Com-
mittee looks forward to working with the SEC to implement those
recommendations and to empower the SEC with grant authority to
expand the availability of high-quality, low-cost legal assistance for
small claims investors.
Searchable Data.—The Committee encourages the SEC to con-
tinue its efforts to implement consistent and searchable open data
standards for information filed and submitted by publicly-traded
companies and financial firms. The Committee continues to rec-
ommend that financial regulatory agencies across the U.S. Govern-
ment take similar steps to update reporting standards commensu-
rate with currently available technology.
Data Security.—It is critically important to both investors and
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the U.S. capital markets that the SEC fortify its cybersecurity
threat detection, response, and mitigation process. The SEC is col-
lecting an increasing amount of market-sensitive data and person-
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ally identifiable information, including through Form N–PORT and
the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT). As a repository for sensitive
market data and a likely target for those who wish to manipulate
U.S. markets, the security of the CAT system and data is para-
mount. The Committee strongly supports the SEC’s efforts to
strengthen and protect its information technology systems, includ-
ing the CAT system and EDGAR (the Electronic Data Gathering,
Analysis, and Retrieval system). The Committee also strongly
urges the Commission, in their oversight of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, to ensure the CAT has adequate breach noti-
fication policies in place so affected participants are promptly noti-
fied of critical security events.
Prosecuting White Collar Criminals.—The Committee continues
to have concerns over the threats to economic growth, financial sta-
bility, and national security posed by white-collar crimes and di-
rects the SEC to work with the Department of Justice to prioritize
Federal prosecution of white-collar criminals, particularly in cases
of high-dollar crimes. The Committee looks forward to reviewing
the report required by House Report 116–122 on the SEC’s recent
prosecution efforts of white-collar crimes.
SEC Mandatory Arbitration Disclosure.—The Committee is con-
cerned about proposals that would remove shareholder rights,
thereby immunizing companies from accountability. The Committee
believes such clauses are harmful to investors and unlawful. The
Committee therefore supports the SEC staff’s decision to provide
no-action relief to companies that seek to exclude these types of un-
lawful proposals from their proxy ballots.
Automatic Disqualification Provisions Waiver Reform.—The Com-
mittee is concerned by the SEC’s pattern of providing waivers to
automatic disqualification provisions for firms (particularly large fi-
nancial firms) and individuals who are convicted, settle for fraud,
or meet other triggering criteria. The Committee urges the SEC to
conduct the waiver approval process at the Commission level, not
the staff level; to create and regularly update a public database of
all waiver requests (formal and informal) and their dispositions;
and to explain in each waiver approval how the waiver applicant
will be appropriately disincentivized from continuing the behavior
in question.
Civil versus Criminal Enforcement of Securities Laws.—Despite
the Court’s clear authorization of a private right of action for in-
sider trading in Shapiro v. Merrill Lynch and subsequent cases, the
SEC continues to appear to be approaching distribution plans with
a very strict interpretation of privity. The Committee looks forward
to reviewing the report required by House Report 116–122 on Com-
mission recoveries for injured parties as compared to private plain-
tiffs.
Reg A+ and Reg D Effectiveness.—The Committee remains con-
cerned about the implications of private and quasi-public market
growth on public markets and investors. The Committee believes
public markets offer certain valuable benefits to investors that pri-
vate and quasi-public markets do not provide, including more ro-
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bust transparency, better pricing efficiency, more accurate valu-
ations, deeper levels of liquidity, lower trading costs, and stronger
accountability mechanisms. The Committee looks forward to re-
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96
viewing the report required by House Report 116–122 on perform-
ance of Reg A+ and Reg D offerings versus other offerings.
Federal Reserve Board Coordination.—As a result of the Dodd-
Frank Act, the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) has become one of the
primary regulators of capital markets participants and activities.
Given the vital role that robust, efficient, and safe capital markets
serve in the global economy, the Committee believes that the FRB
should continue to develop its understanding of the impact its regu-
lations and guidance can have on capital markets activities by con-
sulting with other primary regulators with deep experience and ex-
pertise in relevant areas. Therefore, the Committee encourages the
SEC to work closely with the FRB to prevent inconsistencies in
capital markets regulations and enforcement as the role of the FRB
continues to evolve.
Rental Income Securitizations.—The Committee urges the SEC to
examine transparency and ratings requirements and procedures in
the rental income securitizations market for issues that might con-
tribute to financial or housing price instability.
Climate Change Risks to Municipal Bond Markets.—The Com-
mittee directs the SEC to provide to the Committee, within 180
days of enactment of this Act, with a report on the long- and short-
term risks that climate change may pose to the state and local mu-
nicipal bond market.
International Accounting Standards.—The Committee encour-
ages the SEC to explore whether it is appropriate to pay fees or
otherwise contribute to the budget of international organizations
that develop or oversee accounting or financial reporting standards.
Investor Advisory Committee.—The Committee expects that the
SEC shall not take any action related to the structure and composi-
tion of the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) without seeking the
advice of and addressing any concerns raised by the Investor Advo-
cate. The Committee also expects that the IAC shall have robust
representation from persons with the requisite background, experi-
ence, and independence to represent the interests of retail inves-
tors. The Committee presumes that representatives of retail inves-
tors will have demonstrated requisite experience to understand the
interests of retail investors and regulatory issues related to retail
investors such as experience as an academic, regulator, employee
of public pension plan, investor advocate, or other similar experi-
ence.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Section 540. The Committee includes a new provision restricting
the use of funds to finalize, issue, or implement certain rules, regu-
lations, and orders regarding the exempt offering framework.
Section 541. The Committee includes a new provision restricting
the use of funds to finalize, issue, or implement any rule, regula-
tion, or order changing the procedural requirements or raising re-
submission thresholds for shareholder proposals.
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SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $27,100,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 26,000,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 27,800,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +700,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +1,800,000
The Selective Service System was established by the Selective
Service Act of 1948. The mission of the System is to be prepared
to supply manpower to the Armed Forces adequate to ensure the
security of the United States during a time of national emergency.
Since 1973, the Armed Forces have relied on volunteers to fill mili-
tary manpower requirements, but selective service registration was
reinstituted in July 1980.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $27,800,000 for the Selective Serv-
ice System.
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The Small Business Administration assists and protects the in-
terests of small businesses through programs including loans, loan
guarantees, counseling, and contracting preferences.
The recommendation provides a total of $939,373,000 for SBA.
In addition, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple-
mental Appropriations Act (P.L. 116–123) included $20,000,000;
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $28,527,000,000; and the Paycheck
Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act (P.L. 116–
139) included $732,435,000,000 for SBA to prevent, prepare for,
and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $270,157,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 287,947,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 287,947,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +17,790,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $287,947,000 for SBA Salaries and
Expenses.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $675,000,000 and the
Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act
(P.L. 116–139) included $2,100,000,000 for SBA to prevent, prepare
for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
Office of Rural Affairs.—The SBA Office of Rural Affairs was au-
thorized in 1990 to help SBA serve farmers and rural small busi-
nesses, but the office has never been fully established. The Com-
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mittee is pleased that SBA has at last taken steps to implement
this long-overdue Congressional mandate, but the mission, oper-
ations, organization, and funding requirements for the Office have
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98
not been clearly defined or explained. Within 60 days of enactment
of this Act, SBA is directed to submit a report to the Committee
on the Office of Rural Affairs, detailing the Office’s mission, stra-
tegic plan, and staffing and resource requirements, including the
costs and potential benefits of establishing an Associate Adminis-
trator position for the Office.
Small Business Compliance Guides.—The Committee encourages
the SBA Office of the National Ombudsman to create a centralized
website that provides links to small business compliance guides de-
signed to help small businesses comply with Federal regulations.
The website should include contact information for the appropriate
agency staff who could provide regulatory assistance to small busi-
nesses.
Women Entrepreneurs and Women-Owned Businesses.—The Com-
mittee recognizes that women entrepreneurs are vital for the social
and economic growth of our nation. SBA is directed to submit a re-
port within 90 days of enactment of this Act on how Federal agen-
cies are providing targeted assistance to support, expand, and
strengthen resources and programs for women entrepreneurs and
for women-owned businesses.
Opportunity Zones.—The Committee notes that Qualified Oppor-
tunity Zones were created to incentivize greater private-sector in-
vestments in rural and economically distressed communities. SBA
is directed to brief the Committee within 90 days of enactment of
this Act on how Opportunity Zone designations are being leveraged
to increase economic development and job creation, and to drive
capital to small businesses in economically distressed communities.
ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $261,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 167,600,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 277,000,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +16,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +109,400,000
SBA’s Entrepreneurial Development Programs (EDP) support
non-credit business assistance to entrepreneurs. The appropriation
includes funding for a network of resource partners located
throughout the United States that provide training, counseling,
and technical assistance to small business entrepreneurs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $277,000,000 for EDP. The Com-
mittee recommendations, by program, are displayed in the fol-
lowing table:
7(j) Technical Assistance Program (Contracting Assistance) ......... $2,800,000
Entrepreneurship Education ............................................................. 2,500,000
Growth Accelerators ........................................................................... 2,000,000
HUBZone Program ............................................................................. 3,000,000
Microloan Technical Assistance ........................................................ 35,000,000
National Women’s Business Council ................................................ 1,500,000
Native American Outreach ................................................................ 2,000,000
PRIME Technical Assistance ............................................................ 7,000,000
Regional Innovation Clusters ............................................................ 6,000,000
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SCORE ................................................................................................ 11,700,000
Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) ................................ 140,000,000
State Trade & Export Promotion (STEP) ......................................... 20,500,000
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Veterans Outreach * ........................................................................... 14,500,000
Women’s Business Centers (WBC) ................................................... 24,500,000
Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program ........ 4,000,000
Total, Entrepreneurial Development Programs ....................... $277,000,000
* Veterans Outreach includes funding for: Boots to Business, Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC),
Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-Wise), Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans
with Disabilities (EBV), and Boots to Business reboot.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $265,000,000 for SBA re-
source partners to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus,
domestically or internationally.
SBA shall not reduce these non-credit programs from the
amounts specified above and SBA shall not merge any of the non-
credit programs without advance written approval from the Com-
mittee. The Committee strongly supports the development pro-
grams listed in the table above and will carefully monitor SBA sup-
port of these programs.
The Committee encourages SBA and its resource partners to con-
tinue efforts to increase outreach and direct support to women en-
trepreneurs and small businesses in underserved communities, in-
cluding Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and to
increase engagement with minority serving institutions in their
programming and grant making.
Native American Outreach.—The Committee directs that Native
American Outreach activities continue to be managed by the As-
sistant Administrator of the Office of Native American Affairs, who
is responsible for organizing multi-agency workshops and Native
supplier initiative events around the country, and facilitating Na-
tive contractors’ participation in SBA’s 8(a) Business Development
Program, HUB Zone, Women’s Business Centers, Veteran and
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business programs, and
other small business contracting programs.
Small Business Guides.—The Committee encourages SBA to
work with its resource partners to develop guidance, training, best
practices, and other resources for small business owners and entre-
preneurs regarding business succession planning; the development
and implementation of high-quality paid family and medical leave
policies; starting a childcare business; and employee-ownership, in-
cluding different business structures such as cooperatives and em-
ployee stock ownership plans.
Resources for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs.—The Com-
mittee is concerned that many entrepreneurs and small business
owners may not be aware of the free counseling, training, and
other services provided by SBA district offices and its resource
partners. The Committee encourages SBA and its resource partners
to improve awareness of the programs, products, and services they
provide, including those activities to support small businesses im-
pacted by the COVID–19 pandemic, among small business owners
within the communities they serve.
Women’s Business Centers (WBC) in Insular Areas.—The Com-
mittee notes the absence of WBCs serving many of the U.S. terri-
tories and other U.S. insular areas, and recommends that SBA con-
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sider including these areas in WBC services.
Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program.—
The Committee supports the FAST program’s efforts to reach inno-
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100
vative, technology-driven small businesses and to leverage the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to stimulate economic devel-
opment. The Committee recognizes that Small Business and Tech-
nology Development Centers (SBTDCs) are accredited to provide
intellectual property and technology commercialization assistance
to businesses in high technology industries. Of the amount pro-
vided, $1,000,000 shall be for FAST awards to SBTDCs fully ac-
credited for technology designation as of December 31, 2020.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $21,900,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 22,011,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 22,011,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. –––
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +111,000
The mission of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to provide
independent, objective oversight to improve the integrity, account-
ability, and performance of SBA and its programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $22,011,000 for the SBA OIG.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $25,000,000 for SBA OIG
to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally.
OFFICE OF ADVOCACY
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $9,120,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 9,190,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 9,190,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +70,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The Office of Advocacy was established by Congress in 1976 to
serve as the independent voice for small business within the Fed-
eral government.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $9,190,000 for the Office of Advo-
cacy.
BUSINESS LOANS PROGRAM ACCOUNT
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $259,150,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 164,300,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 175,150,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥84,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ +10,850,000
The SBA Business Loans Program serves as an important source
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of capital for America’s small businesses. The recommendation sup-
ports the 7(a) Business Loan Program at a level of $30,000,000,000,
the 504 certified development company program at a level of
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101
$7,500,000,000, SBIC debentures, and the Secondary Market Guar-
antee Program.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a total of $175,150,000 for the Busi-
ness Loans Program Account. The recommendation includes
$15,000,000 for guaranteed loans subsidy for the 7(a) program. The
recommendation also includes $5,000,000 for loans subsidy for the
Microloan Program, an increase of $1,000,000 above the request, to
support a Microloan Program level of more than $55,000,000.
In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $17,000,000,000 and the
Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act
(P.L. 116–139) included $670,335,000,000 to prevent, prepare for,
and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
Microloan Program.—The Microloan Program is designed to as-
sist women, veterans, minorities, and low-income entrepreneurs
and other small businesses by providing them with small-scale
loans for working capital or the acquisition of materials, supplies,
or equipment. While the Committee understands that SBA tracks
the number of women, low-income, veteran, and minority entre-
preneurs served by the Microloan Program, the Agency does not re-
port performance indicators for providing microloans to these popu-
lations. The Committee, therefore, encourages the SBA to follow
recommendations provided in the GAO Report (GAO–20–49) in
order to strengthen performance measurement, collaboration, and
reporting within the Microloan Program.
Employee-Owned Businesses.—The Committee recognizes that
employee ownership provides wide-ranging benefits for businesses,
workers, and the local economy, and encourages SBA to work with
lenders to ensure employee-owned businesses have access to financ-
ing through SBA loan programs.
DISASTER LOANS PROGRAM ACCOUNT
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $177,136,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 168,075,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 168,075,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥9,061,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends a total of $168,075,000 for the ad-
ministrative expenses of the Disaster Loans Program, of which
$142,864,000 is designated as being for disaster relief for major dis-
asters pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
In addition, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple-
mental Appropriations Act (P.L. 116–123) included $20,000,000;
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act) (P.L. 116–136) included $10,562,000,000; and the Paycheck
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Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act (P.L. 116–
139) included $60,000,000,000 for SBA to prevent, prepare for, and
respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.
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ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS—SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
Section 550. The Committee continues a provision authorizing
transfers of up to five percent among SBA appropriations, provided
that transfers do not increase an appropriation by more than 10
percent. The provision also requires that transfers be treated as a
reprogramming of funds.
Section 551. The Committee continues a provision authorizing
the transfer of not to exceed 3 percent of funding available under
the SBA ‘‘Salaries and Expenses’’ and ‘‘Business Loans Program
Account’’ appropriations to the SBA ‘‘Information Technology Sys-
tem Modernization and Working Capital Fund’’.
Section 552. The Committee includes a new provision with-
holding $20,000,000 from obligation until the Administrator cer-
tifies and reports to the Committees that the Small Business Ad-
ministration, in coordination with the Comptroller General, has es-
tablished and issued agency-wide guidance with the respect to rela-
tions with GAO.
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
PAYMENT TO THE POSTAL SERVICE FUND
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $56,711,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 55,333,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 55,333,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. ¥1,378,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ –––
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is funded almost en-
tirely by Postal ratepayers, rather than taxpayers. Funds provided
to USPS in the Payment to the Postal Service Fund include appro-
priations for revenue forgone, including for providing free mail for
the blind and for overseas absentee voting.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $55,333,000 for Payment to the
Postal Service Fund. The recommendation funds free mail for the
blind and overseas voting and includes a reconciliation adjustment.
Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp.—
The bill includes a provision requiring USPS not to destroy, and to
continue to offer for sale, existing copies of the Multinational Spe-
cies Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp.
Alzheimer’s Semipostal Fundraising Stamp.—The Committee
notes its strong support for the Alzheimer’s Semipostal Fund-
raising Stamp, of which millions of copies of the original printing
remain. USPS is directed to continue to offer the stamp for sale to
the public, in addition to any other semipostal stamps the Postal
Service may issue under its rules and regulations. USPS is further
directed not to destroy any copies of the stamp.
Rural Post Offices.—The Committee believes that the United
States postal facility network is an asset of significant value. The
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closure of post offices in rural communities creates an economic
burden for people in the United States that depend on USPS for
communication and package services. In addition to typical postal
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103
services, post offices are part of the identity of rural communities
and provide a significant social value. The Committee recommends
that no funds be used to consolidate or close small rural and other
small post offices. The Postal Service shall take into consideration
the importance of providing consistent and on-time delivery to all
Americans, including those in rural and mountainous areas.
Notification to Congress.—Title 39 of the U.S. Code requires
USPS to provide the public with notice prior to closing or consoli-
dating a post office. The Committee understands that it is USPS’s
policy to inform Member of Congress’ district and Washington, D.C.
offices when the public receives notice. The Committee directs
USPS to keep Members of Congress informed of USPS activities
impacting their constituents and expects USPS to ensure that
Members of Congress are appropriately informed simultaneously or
prior to all public notices.
Accessibility for Disabled Individuals.—The Committee notes
that under the Architectural Barriers Act, USPS is required to
meet accessibility requirements for disabled individuals.
Mail Theft.—The Committee recognizes that mail theft from
aging USPS cluster box units continues to be a problem throughout
the country. Accordingly, the Committee directs the USPS to con-
tinue to follow the directive on this issue included House Report
116–122.
Delivery Vehicle Climate Control.—The Committee recognizes
that heat stress is a persistent issue for USPS vehicle operators.
As USPS replaces or upgrades its fleet of delivery vehicles, the
Committee strongly encourages USPS to take all reasonable steps
to ensure that its vehicles are equipped with climate control units
to protect the health and safety of its mail carriers, especially those
working in areas of the country that are subject to extreme tem-
peratures.
Mail Interdiction of Heroin & Opioids.—The Committee remains
concerned that international drug traffickers are harnessing
vulnerabilities in our mail system to import significant quantities
of deadly narcotics. The Committee is encouraged that USPS is
pursuing innovative tools and technologies to detect opioids in par-
cels and that it has increased the capture of Customs and Border
Protection hold requests at International Service Centers to 93 per-
cent. The Committee expects USPS to reach 100 percent capture
rates and to continue seeking and implementing new tools to in-
crease accurate detection of opioids and related substances.
Postal Banking Pilot Programs.—The Committee recognizes that
USPS is well-suited to provide affordable non-bank financial serv-
ices, which could provide critical benefits to tens of millions of
unbanked and underbanked Americans living in both rural and
urban areas. The Committee notes, for instance, that USPS is the
largest single provider of paper money orders in the United States,
in addition to offering electronic funds transfers and U.S. Treasury
check cashing. The Committee encourages USPS to carry out pilot
programs (in at least one urban zip code and at least one rural zip
code) to expand its current postal banking services to surcharge-
free automated teller machines, wire transfers, check cashing, and
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bill payment to the fullest extent permitted under current statutory
authority, as described in the 2015 USPS Office of the Inspector
General (OIG) Report ‘‘The Road Ahead for Postal Financial Serv-
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104
ices’’ (RARC–WP–15–011). The Committee directs USPS, in col-
laboration with the USPS OIG, to report to the Committee within
one year of the enactment of this Act regarding its findings.
Postal Security.—The Committee is aware that during October
and November 2018 an individual mailed a series of packages con-
taining improvised explosive devices to elected officials and others.
Those packages were processed in USPS facilities; five of the six-
teen packages were either delivered or returned to sender, putting
numerous individuals in harm’s way, including package recipients,
mail carriers, and workers at post offices and mail processing cen-
ters. This incident exposed serious holes in postal system security.
USPS is directed to provide the Committee with a report within 60
days of enactment of this Act that provides a comprehensive over-
view of Dangerous Mail Investigation procedures. The report shall
detail any new technology or procedures implemented since the
2018 attacks, progress made on implementing such technology or
procedures in USPS facilities, and other proactive measures being
taken to ensure the safety of USPS workers and mail recipients
from dangerous packages.
Accurate Address Listing.—The Committee directs USPS to con-
duct an internal review of instances in which assigned zip codes
overlap multiple municipal jurisdictions, resulting in end user
mailing/address information with incorrect city listings. Recog-
nizing the importance of last-line city designations to reliable mail
delivery, the Committee directs USPS to provide a detailed report
of its findings within 120 days of enactment of this Act, including
options to ensure proper city designation in the future.
Mail Fishing.—The Committee recognizes that ‘‘mail fishing,’’ in
which thieves ‘‘fish’’ mail out of blue collection boxes, is increasing
and has led to financial crimes such as bank fraud and identity
theft. The Committee commends USPS for taking action to miti-
gate mail fishing by retrofitting mail collection boxes. The Com-
mittee directs USPS to report to the Committee, no later than 180
days after the enactment of this Act, on the status of its retrofitting
efforts. The report shall detail where, how, and why such retrofits
have been made. In addition, the report shall include a strategic
plan for retrofitting additional mail collection boxes with narrow
mail slots and an estimate of the resources necessary if such a plan
was carried out in the entire U.S.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $250,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 261,594,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 258,180,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +8,180,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥3,414,000
The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts audits, re-
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views, and investigations and keeps Congress informed on the effi-
ciency and economy of USPS programs and operations.
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105
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $258,180,000 for the OIG, which in-
cludes sufficient funds for the OIG to continue its aggressive drug
interdiction efforts.
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 ......................................................... $53,000,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ....................................................... 59,250,000
Recommended in the bill ................................................................... 57,026,000
Bill compared with:
Appropriation, fiscal year 2020 .................................................. +4,026,000
Budget request, fiscal year 2021 ................................................ ¥2,224,000
The U.S. Tax Court adjudicates controversies involving defi-
ciencies in income, estate, and gift taxes. The Court also has juris-
diction to determine deficiencies in certain excise taxes, to issue de-
claratory judgments in the areas of qualifications of retirement
plans and exemptions of charitable organizations, and to decide
certain cases involving disclosure of tax information by the Com-
missioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $57,026,000 for the U.S. Tax Court.
TITLE VI—GENERAL PROVISIONS—THIS ACT
(INCLUDING RESCISSION OF FUNDS)
Section 601. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
pay and other expenses for non-Federal parties in regulatory or ad-
judicatory proceedings funded in this Act.
Section 602. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting ob-
ligations beyond the current fiscal year and prohibits transfers of
funds unless expressly so provided herein.
Section 603. The Committee continues a provision limiting pro-
curement contracts for consulting service expenditures to contracts
that are matters of public record and available for public inspec-
tion.
Section 604. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
transfer of funds in this Act without express authority.
Section 605. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds to engage in activities that would prohibit the enforce-
ment of section 307 of the 1930 Tariff Act.
Section 606. The Committee continues a provision concerning
compliance with the Buy American Act.
Section 607. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds by any person or entity convicted of violating the Buy
American Act.
Section 608. The Committee continues a provision specifying re-
programming procedures. The provision requires that agencies or
entities funded by this Act obtain prior approval from the Com-
mittee for any reprogramming of funds that: (1) creates a new pro-
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gram; (2) eliminates a program, project, or activity; (3) increases
funds or personnel for any program, project, or activity for which
funds have been denied or restricted by the Congress; (4) proposes
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106
to use funds directed for a specific activity by the Committee on
Appropriations of either the House of Representatives or the Sen-
ate for a different purpose; (5) augments existing programs,
projects, or activities in excess of $5,000,000 or 10 percent, which-
ever is less; (6) reduces existing programs, projects, or activities by
$5,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less; or (7) creates or reorga-
nizes offices, programs, or activities different from the budget jus-
tifications submitted to the Committees on Appropriations or the
tables in the report accompanying this Act, whichever is more de-
tailed. The provision also direct agencies to consult with the Com-
mittees prior to any significant reorganization, restructuring, relo-
cation, or closing of offices, programs, or activities and directs the
agencies funded by this Act to submit operating plans for the Com-
mittee’s review within 60 days of the bill’s enactment.
Section 609. The Committee continues a provision providing that
fifty percent of unobligated balances may remain available through
September 30, 2022, for certain purposes.
Section 610. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funding for the Executive Office of the President to request either
a Federal Bureau of Investigation background investigation or In-
ternal Revenue Service determination with respect to section
501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, except with the ex-
press consent of the individual involved in an investigation or in
extraordinary circumstances involving national security.
Section 611. The Committee continues a provision regarding cost
accounting standards for contracts under the Federal Employee
Health Benefits Program.
Section 612. The Committee continues a provision regarding non-
foreign area cost-of-living allowances.
Section 613. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
expenditure of funds for abortion under the Federal Employees
Health Benefits Program.
Section 614. The Committee continues a provision making excep-
tions to the preceding provision where the life of the mother is in
danger or the pregnancy is a result of an act of rape or incest.
Section 615. The Committee continues a provision waiving re-
strictions on the purchase of non-domestic articles, materials, and
supplies in the case of acquisition of information technology by the
Federal government.
Section 616. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting of-
ficers or employees of any regulatory agency or commission funded
by this Act from accepting travel payments or reimbursements
from a person or entity regulated by such agency or commission.
Section 617. The Committee continues a provision permitting the
SEC and Commodities Futures Trading Commission to fund a joint
advisory committee to advise on emerging regulatory issues, not-
withstanding section 708 of this Act.
Section 618. The Committee continues a provision requiring cer-
tain agencies in this Act to consult with GSA before seeking new
office space or making alterations to existing office space.
Section 619. The Committee continues language providing for
several appropriated mandatory accounts. These are accounts
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where authorizing language requires the payment of funds. The
Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost for the following
programs addressed in this provision: $450,000 for Compensation
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107
of the President including $50,000 for expenses; $262,000,000 for
the Judicial Retirement Funds (Judicial Officers’ Retirement Fund,
Judicial Survivors’ Annuities Fund, and the United States Court of
Federal Claims Judges’ Retirement Fund); $14,325,000,000 for the
Government Payment for Annuitants, Employee Health Benefits;
$44,000,000 for the Government Payment for Annuitants, Em-
ployee Life Insurance; and $7,758,000,000 for the Payment to the
Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.
Section 620. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds for the Federal Trade Commission to complete or publish the
study, recommendations, or report prepared by the Interagency
Working Group on Food Marketed to Children.
Section 621. The Committee includes language requiring that the
head of any executive branch agency ensure that the Chief Infor-
mation Officer has authority to participate in the budget planning
process and approval of the information technology budget.
Section 622. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds in contravention of the Federal Records Act.
Section 623. The Committee includes language prohibiting agen-
cies from requiring Internet Service Providers to disclose electronic
communications information in a manner that violates the Fourth
Amendment.
Section 624. The Committee continues language relating to Uni-
versal Service Fund payments for wireless providers.
Section 625. The Committee includes language prohibiting funds
to be used to deny Inspectors General access to records.
Section 626. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
any funds made available in this Act from being used to establish
a computer network unless such network blocks the viewing,
downloading, and exchanging of pornography.
Section 627. The Committee continues language prohibiting any
funds made available in this Act from being used to pay for award
or incentive fees for contractors with below satisfactory perform-
ance.
Section 628. The Committee continues language prohibiting
funds made available under this Act from being used for certain
travel and conference activities unless an agency or entity deter-
mines that the travel is in the national interest and advance notice
is provided to the Appropriations Committees.
Section 629. The Committee continues language prohibiting
funds made available under this Act from being used to fund first-
class or business-class travel in contravention of Federal regula-
tions.
Section 630. The Committee continues a provision relating to
contracts for public relations services.
Section 631. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
funds made available in this Act from being used to penalize a fi-
nancial institution for providing financial services to an entity that
participates in a business or organized activity involving cannabis
that is conducted pursuant to a law established by a state or a unit
of local government.
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Section 632. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
use of funds in this or any other Act to propose, promulgate, or im-
plement any rule, principle, policy, standard, or guidance changing
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108
the 2017 methodology for determining the Official Poverty Meas-
ure.
Section 633. The Committee includes language rescinding
$250,000,000 in unobligated balances from the Department of the
Treasury, Treasury Forfeiture Fund.
Section 634. The Committee includes a new provision preventing
use of funds to enter into any contract, grant, or cooperative agree-
ment with any entity in which the President or Vice President, or
their family members, owns, controls, or holds a significant equity
interest.
Section 635. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
the funds made available in this Act from being used to reorganize
or transfer any Office of Personnel Management function or author-
ity to the General Services Administration or to the Office of Man-
agement and Budget.
Section 636. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
the Office of Personnel Management from entering into interagency
or service-level agreements with the General Services Administra-
tion or the Office of Management and Budget exceeding $100,000
unless notification is provided.
Section 637. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
the Federal Trade Commission or Federal Communications Com-
mission from taking certain actions related to Executive Order
13925 of May 28, 2020 (85 Fed. Reg. 34079).
TITLE VII—GENERAL PROVISIONS—GOVERNMENT-WIDE
DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, AND CORPORATIONS
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)
Section 701. The Committee continues a provision requiring
agencies to administer a policy designed to ensure that all of its
workplaces are free from the illegal use of controlled substances.
Section 702. The Committee continues a provision establishing
price limitations on vehicles to be purchased by the Federal govern-
ment with an exemption for the purchase of electric, plug-in hybrid
electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Section 703. The Committee continues a provision allowing funds
made available to agencies for travel to also be used for quarters
allowances and cost-of-living allowances.
Section 704. The Committee continues and modifies a provision
prohibiting the employment of noncitizens with certain exceptions,
including an exemption for recipients of Deferred Action for Child-
hood Arrivals.
Section 705. The Committee continues a provision giving agen-
cies the authority to pay GSA bills for space renovation and other
services.
Section 706. The Committee continues a provision allowing agen-
cies to finance the costs of recycling and waste prevention pro-
grams with proceeds from the sale of materials recovered through
such programs.
Section 707. The Committee continues a provision providing that
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funds made available to corporations and agencies subject to 31
U.S.C. 91 may pay rent and other service costs in the District of
Columbia.
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109
Section 708. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
interagency financing of groups absent prior statutory approval.
Section 709. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds for enforcing regulations disapproved in accordance
with the applicable law of the U.S.
Section 710. The Committee continues a provision limiting the
amount of funds that can be used for redecoration of offices under
certain circumstances.
Section 711. The Committee continues a provision to allow for
interagency funding of national security and emergency tele-
communications initiatives.
Section 712. The Committee continues a provision requiring
agencies to certify that a Schedule C appointment was not created
solely or primarily to detail the employee to the White House.
Section 713. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
payment of any employee who prohibits, threatens, or prevents an-
other employee from communicating with Congress.
Section 714. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
Federal training not directly related to the performance of official
duties.
Section 715. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting,
other than for normal and recognized executive-legislative relation-
ships, propaganda, publicity, and lobbying by executive agency per-
sonnel in support or defeat of legislative initiatives.
Section 716. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
any Federal agency from disclosing an employee’s home address to
any labor organization, absent employee authorization or court
order.
Section 717. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds to be used to provide non-public information such as mailing,
telephone, or electronic mailing lists to any person or organization
outside the government without the approval of the Committees on
Appropriations.
Section 718. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds for propaganda and publicity purposes not authorized
by Congress.
Section 719. The Committee continues a provision directing agen-
cy employees to use official time in an honest effort to perform offi-
cial duties.
Section 720. The Committee continues a provision authorizing
the use of funds to finance an appropriate share of the Federal Ac-
counting Standards Advisory Board.
Section 721. The Committee continues a provision authorizing
the transfer of funds to GSA to finance an appropriate share of var-
ious government-wide boards and councils and for Federal govern-
ment Priority Goals under certain conditions.
Section 722. The Committee continues a provision that permits
breastfeeding in a Federal building or on Federal property if the
woman and child are authorized to be there.
Section 723. The Committee continues a provision that permits
interagency funding of the National Science and Technology Coun-
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cil and provides for a report on the budget and resources of the Na-
tional Science and Technology Council.
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110
Section 724. The Committee continues a provision requiring doc-
uments involving the distribution of Federal funds to indicate the
agency providing the funds and the amount provided.
Section 725. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds to monitor personal access or use of Internet sites or
to collect, review, or obtain any personally identifiable information
relating to access to or use of an Internet site.
Section 726. The Committee continues a provision requiring
health plans participating in the Federal Employees Health Bene-
fits Program to provide contraceptive coverage and provides exemp-
tions to certain religious plans.
Section 727. The Committee continues language supporting strict
adherence to anti-doping activities.
Section 728. The Committee continues a provision allowing funds
for official travel to be used by departments and agencies, if con-
sistent with OMB Circular A–126, to participate in the fractional
aircraft ownership pilot program.
Section 729. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds for the implementation of OPM regulations limiting detailees
to the legislative branch and placing certain limitations on the
Coast Guard Congressional Fellowship program.
Section 730. The Committee continues a provision that restricts
the use of funds for Federal law enforcement training facilities.
Section 731. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
Executive Branch agencies from creating prepackaged news stories
that are broadcast or distributed in the United States unless the
story includes a clear notification within the text or audio of such
news story that the prepackaged news story was prepared or fund-
ed by that executive branch agency. This provision confirms GAO
opinion dated February 17, 2005 (B–304272).
Section 732. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
use of funds in contravention of section 552a of title 5, United
States Code (the Privacy Act) and regulations implementing that
section.
Section 733. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds from being used for any Federal government contract with
any foreign incorporated entity which is treated as an inverted do-
mestic corporation.
Section 734. The Committee continues a provision requiring
agencies to pay a fee to OPM for processing retirement of employ-
ees who separate under Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or
who receive Voluntary Separation Incentive payments.
Section 735. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds for the painting of a portrait of an employee of the Federal
government, including the President, the Vice President, a Member
of Congress, the head of an executive branch agency, or the head
of an office of the legislative branch.
Section 736. The Committee continues a provision limiting the
pay increases of certain prevailing rate employees.
Section 737. The Committee continues a provision requiring
agencies to submit reports to Inspectors General concerning ex-
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penditures for agency conferences.
Section 738. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
funds to be used to increase, eliminate, or reduce funding for a pro-
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111
gram or project unless such change is made pursuant to re-
programming or transfer provisions.
Section 739. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting
agencies from using funds to implement regulations changing the
competitive areas under reductions-in-force for Federal employees.
Section 740. The Committee continues a provision that prohibits
the use of funds to begin or announce a study or a public-private
competition regarding the conversion to contractor performance of
any function performed by civilian Federal employees pursuant to
OMB Circular A–76 or any other administrative regulation, direc-
tive, or policy.
Section 741. The Committee continues a provision ensuring con-
tractors are not prevented from reporting waste, fraud, or abuse by
signing confidentiality agreements that would prohibit such disclo-
sure.
Section 742. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
expenditure of funds for the implementation of certain nondisclo-
sure agreements unless certain provisions are included in the
agreements.
Section 743. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds to enter into any agreement with any corporation with
certain unpaid Federal tax liabilities unless an agency has consid-
ered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a deter-
mination that further action is not necessary to protect the inter-
ests of the government.
Section 744. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
use of funds to enter into any agreement with any corporation that
was convicted of a felony criminal violation within the preceding 24
months unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment
of the corporation and made a determination that further action is
not necessary to protect the interests of the government.
Section 745. The Committee continues a provision requiring the
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to notify the Committees
on Appropriations of the House and the Senate, the Committee on
Financial Services of the House, and the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate of requests for a transfer
of funds from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Sys-
tem as well as post any such notifications on the Bureau’s website.
Section 746. The Committee continues a provision addressing
possible technical scorekeeping differences for fiscal year 2021 be-
tween OMB and the Congressional Budget Office.
Section 747. The Committee continues a provision eliminating
the automatic statutory pay increase for the Vice President and
certain senior political appointees.
Section 748. The Committee includes a new provision related to
impoundment of resources.
Section 749. The Committee includes a new provision requiring
executive branch agencies to respond to GAO’s written requests for
information relating to a decision or opinion on budget or appro-
priations law not later than 20 days after the agency receives the
request.
Section 750. The Committee includes a new provision requiring
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that any executive branch agency notify the Committee if OMB
does not apportion an appropriation to such agency in a timely and
appropriate manner.
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112
Section 751. The Committee includes a new provision addressing
collective bargaining agreements.
Section 752. The Committee includes a new provision that pro-
hibits the use of funds to exclude, or to implement the exclusion
of, any department, agency, or activity or subdivision, from cov-
erage under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations
Statute.
Section 753. The Committee includes a new provision restricting
funds from being used to prevent union activities, limit tele-
working, or deny unions space in Federal buildings.
Section 754. The Committee includes a new provision that pro-
vides $1,500,000 to establish a Commission to review the assigning,
modifying, or removing of names, monuments, statues, public art,
historical markers, or other symbols owned or located on property
owned by the Federal Government which are inconsistent with the
values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Section 755. The Committee continues a provision concerning the
non-application of these general provisions to title IV and to title
VIII.
TITLE VIII—GENERAL PROVISIONS—DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA
Section 801. The Committee continues and modifies a provision
establishing reprogramming procedures for Federal funds.
Section 802. The Committee continues and modifies a provision
that prohibits the use of Federal funds for any abortion except in
the cases of rape or incest or if necessary to save the life of the
mother.
Section 803. The Committee continues a provision prohibiting the
obligation of Federal funds beyond the current fiscal year and
transfers of funds unless expressly provided herein.
Section 804. The Committee continues a provision providing that
not to exceed 50 percent of unobligated balances from Federal ap-
propriations for salaries and expenses may remain available for
certain purposes.
Section 805. The Committee continues a provision appropriating
local funds during fiscal year 2022 if there is an absence of a con-
tinuing resolution or regular appropriation for the District of Co-
lumbia. Funds are provided under the same authorities and condi-
tions and in the same manner and extent as provided for in fiscal
year 2021.
Section 806. The Committee modifies a provision limiting access
to the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program to families with a
taxable annual income of less than $750,000 subject to inflation as
measured by the Consumer Price Index.
Section 807. The Committee continues a provision that concerns
a ‘‘conscience clause’’ on legislation that pertains to contraceptive
coverage by health insurance plans.
Section 808. The Committee provides the District of Columbia
authority to transfer, receive, and acquire lands and funding it
deems necessary for the construction and operation of interstate
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bridges over navigable waters, including related infrastructure, for
a project to expand commuter and regional passenger rail service
and provide bike and pedestrian access crossings.
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113
Section 809. The Committee includes a new provision prohibiting
the federalization of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police
Department by the President of the United States.
Section 810. The Committee continues a provision limiting ref-
erences to ‘‘this Act’’ as referring to only this title and title IV.
TITLE IX—INFRASTRUCTURE
The Committee recommends $60,000,000,000 in emergency fund-
ing for the FCC to support expansion of broadband to unserved
areas.
The Committee recommends $40,000,000 in emergency funding
for the FCC to implement the Broadband DATA Act (P.L. 116–
130). The Committee expects that this funding, in combination
with funding provided in title V, will cover the full five-year costs
for the Broadband DATA Act.
The Committee recommends $1,000,000,000 in emergency fund-
ing for the FCC for the Secure and Trusted Communications Net-
works Reimbursement Program, as authorized by section 4 of the
Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (P.L.
116–124).
The Committee recommends $6,000,000,000 in emergency fund-
ing for the GSA. Within this total, $2,800,000,000 is for land ports
of entry, $1,000,000,000 is for acquisition and construction of Fed-
eral buildings, $1,940,000,000 for repairs and alterations,
$110,000,000 for rental of space, $130,000,000 is for building oper-
ations, $10,000,000 for apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships,
and $10,000,000 for the GSA Inspector General.
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File and source
- File
- house-appropriations-financial-services-and-general-government-appropriations-report-with-cares-act-oversight-language.pdf
- Size
- 402,604 bytes
- SHA-256
- e142006a99788b368194bb76c95d5ace4ffc34fcaa9a006c68eccc266a062d0a
- Original
- appropriations.house.gov