Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2015

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2015 - Title I: Legislative Branch - Makes appropriations to the Senate for FY2015 for: (1) expense allowances; (2) representation allowances for the Majority and Minority Leaders; (3) salaries of specified officers, employees, and committees (including the Committee on Appropriations); (4) agency contributions for employee benefits; (5) inquiries and investigations; (6) the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control; (7) the Offices of the Secretary and of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate; (8) miscellaneous items; (9) the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account; and (10) official mail costs.

(Sec. 1) Amends the Revised Statutes to repeal the requirement that stationery for the Senate be purchased according to a bidding process.

(Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require that all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed by a candidate for the Senate, by the candidate's principal campaign committee, and by the Republican and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committees be filed directly with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). (Currently, they must be filed with the Secretary of the Senate, who receives them as custodian for the FEC.)

Makes appropriations to the House of Representatives for FY2015 for: (1) salaries and/or expenses of the House leadership offices, committees (including the Committee on Appropriations), and officers and employees; and (2) Members' representational allowances.

(Sec. 101) Requires deposit in the Treasury of any amounts of a Member's representational allowance remaining after all payments are made, to be used for federal deficit reduction, or, if there is no deficit, federal debt reduction.

(Sec. 102) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act to deliver a printed copy of a bill, joint resolution, or resolution to the office of a Member of the House of Representatives unless the Member requests a copy.

(Sec. 103) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act to deliver a printed copy of any version of the Congressional Record to the office of a Member.

(Sec. 104) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House to make any payments from any Members' Representational Allowance for the leasing of a vehicle (except mobile district offices) in an aggregate amount that exceeds $1,000 for the vehicle in any month.

(Sec. 105) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act to provide an aggregate number of more than 50 printed copies of any edition of the U.S. Code to all House offices.

Makes appropriations for salaries and/or expenses of: (1) the Joint Economic Committee; (2) the Joint Committee on Taxation; (3) the Office of the Attending Physician; (4) the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services; (5) the Capitol Police; (6) the Office of Compliance; (7) the Congressional Budget Office (CBO); and (8) the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), including for the care and operation of Capitol buildings and grounds, Senate office buildings, House office buildings, the Capitol power plant, the Library of Congress buildings and grounds, the Capitol Police buildings, grounds, and security, the Botanic Garden, and the Capitol Visitor Center.

(Sec. 1001) Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to revise requirements for the Office of Compliance program of education for Members of Congress and other employing authorities of the legislative branch respecting the laws applying to them as well as a program to inform individuals of their rights under such laws.

Modifies the requirement that the Office distribute its telephone number, address, and the procedures for consideration of alleged violations of rights and protections under specified laws to the residences of covered employees. Requires instead that the information and procedures be distributed to the covered employees by the end of each fiscal year.

(Sec. 1101) Authorizes the AOC, subject to the direction of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, to enter into: (1) cooperative agreements with entities to support the Botanic Garden; and (2) a no-cost agreement with a qualified entity to conduct, or provide support for, an educational exhibit, program, class, or outreach that benefits the Botanic Garden's educational mission.

Appropriates funds for: (1) the Library of Congress for salaries and expenses, the Copyright Office, Congressional Research Service (CRS), and Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; (2) the Government Publishing Office (GPO) for congressional publishing; (3) GPO for public information programs of the Office of Superintendent of Documents; (4) the Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund; (5) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for salaries and expenses; (6) a payment to the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund; and (7) a payment to the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund.

(Sec. 1201) Establishes an upper limit of $203.057 million for the FY2015 obligational authority of the Library of Congress with regard to certain reimbursable and revolving fund activities.

(Sec. 1202) Authorizes the transfer of FY2015 Library of Congress appropriations between any subheading under the heading "Library of Congress," up to 10% per category, upon the approval of congressional appropriations committees.

(Sec. 1301) Redesignates the Government Printing Office as the Government Publishing Office.

Renames: (1) the Public Printer as the Director of the Government Publishing Office, and (2) the Deputy Public Printer as the Deputy Director.

Revises requirements with respect to the qualifications and duties of the Director and the Deputy Director.

(Sec. 1401) Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to establish the Center for Audit Excellence within GAO to:

• build institutional auditing capacity; and
• promote good governance by providing affordable, relevant, and high-quality training, technical assistance, and products and services to qualified personnel and entities of governments (including federal, state, and local governments, tribal governments, and governments of foreign nations), international organizations, and other private organizations.

Authorizes GAO to:

• establish, charge, and collect fees (on a reimbursable or advance basis) for the training, technical assistance, and products or services; and
• accept and use conditional or non-conditional gifts of real and personal property and services (including services of guest lecturers) to support the Center's operation.

Prohibits GAO from accepting or using such a gift if its acceptance or use would compromise or appear to compromise GAO's integrity.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Center should be staffed primarily by GAO personnel not otherwise engaged in carrying out other GAO duties, so as to ensure that the Center's operation will not have a negative impact on GAO's ability to maintain a consistently high level of service to Congress.

Establishes in the Treasury (as a separate GAO account) the Center for Audit Excellence Account consisting of fees deposited by GAO and such other amounts as may be appropriated under law.

Makes amounts in the Account available to GAO in amounts specified in appropriations Acts and without fiscal year limitation to carry out this Act.

Authorizes appropriations.

Prohibits GAO from operating the Center until:

• it submits a business plan for the Center to congressional appropriations committees, and
• each such committee approves the plan.

Title II: General Provisions - Specifies authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated by this Act identical or similar to corresponding provisions of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2014.

(Sec. 206) Authorizes the AOC to maintain and improve the landscape features, excluding streets, in specified grassy areas of Washington, DC, SW.

(Sec. 208) Prohibits the use of funds made available to the AOC in this Act to eliminate or restrict guided tours of the U.S. Capitol led by congressional employees and interns.

Allows temporary suspension or restriction of such tours for security or related reasons to the same extent as guided tours of the U.S. Capitol led by the AOC.

(Sec. 209) Prohibits a Member of Congress from receiving a cost of living adjustment to the Member's salary under the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 during FY2015.

(Sec. 210) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act to make bonus awards to contractors for work on projects for which the contractor is behind schedule or over budget, unless the head of the agency determines that any such deviations are due to unforeseeable events or are not significant within the context of the project.

(Sec. 211) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act to pay for the painting of portraits of a federal officer or employee, including the President, the Vice President, a Member of Congress (including a Delegate or a Resident Commissioner to Congress), the head of an executive branch agency, or the head of an office of the legislative branch.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov