H.R. 8772 Text - Reported in House - 118th Congress (2023-2024)

Making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other purposes, namely:

For payment to Beatrice Y. Payne, widow of Donald M. Payne, Jr., late a Representative from the State of New Jersey, $174,000.

For salaries and expenses of the House of Representatives, $1,932,655,000, as follows:

For salaries and expenses, as authorized by law, $36,560,000, including: Office of the Speaker, $10,499,000, including $35,000 for official expenses of the Speaker; Office of the Majority Floor Leader, $3,730,000, including $15,000 for official expenses of the Majority Leader; Office of the Minority Floor Leader, $10,499,000, including $17,500 for official expenses of the Minority Leader; Office of the Majority Whip, including the Chief Deputy Majority Whip, $3,099,000, including $5,000 for official expenses of the Majority Whip; Office of the Minority Whip, including the Chief Deputy Minority Whip, $2,809,000, including $5,000 for official expenses of the Minority Whip; Republican Conference, $2,962,000; Democratic Caucus, $2,962,000: Provided, That such amount for salaries and expenses shall remain available from January 3, 2025 until January 2, 2026.

including members’ clerk hire, official expenses of members, and official mail

For Members' representational allowances, including Members' clerk hire, official expenses, and official mail, $843,605,000.

For the allowance established under section 120 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2019 (2 U.S.C. 5322a) for the compensation of interns who serve in the offices of Members of the House of Representatives, $20,638,800, to remain available from January 3, 2025 until January 2, 2026: Provided, That notwithstanding section 120(b) of such Act, an office of a Member of the House of Representatives may use not more than $46,800 of the allowance available under this heading during legislative year 2025.

For the allowance established under section 113 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2020 (2 U.S.C. 5106) for the compensation of interns who serve in House leadership offices, $586,000, to remain available from January 3, 2025 until January 2, 2026: Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading, $322,300 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in House leadership offices of the majority, to be allocated among such offices by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and $263,700 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in House leadership offices of the minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Minority Floor Leader.

Allowance For Compensation Of Interns In House Standing, Special And Select Committee Offices

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(1) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117–103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of standing, special, and select committees (other than the Committee on Appropriations), $2,600,000, to remain available from January 3, 2025 until January 2, 2026: Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading, $1,300,000 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the majority, and $1,300,000 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in consultation with the ranking minority member, of the Committee on House Administration.

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(2) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117–103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the Committee on Appropriations, $463,000: Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading, $231,500 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the majority, and $231,500 shall be available for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in consultation with the ranking minority member, of the Committee on Appropriations.

For salaries and expenses of standing committees, special and select, authorized by House resolutions, $180,862,000: Provided, That such amount shall remain available for such salaries and expenses until December 31, 2026, except that $6,075,000 of such amount shall remain available until expended for committee room upgrading.

For salaries and expenses of the Committee on Appropriations, $31,294,000, including studies and examinations of executive agencies and temporary personal services for such committee, to be expended in accordance with section 202(b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and to be available for reimbursement to agencies for services performed: Provided, That such amount shall remain available for such salaries and expenses until December 31, 2026.

For compensation and expenses of officers and employees, as authorized by law, $325,961,000, including: for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Clerk, including the positions of the Chaplain and the Historian, and including not more than $25,000 for official representation and reception expenses, of which not more than $20,000 is for the Family Room and not more than $2,000 is for the Office of the Chaplain, $44,984,000, of which $9,555,000 shall remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms, including the position of Superintendent of Garages and the Office of Emergency Management, and including not more than $3,000 for official representation and reception expenses, $34,141,000, of which $12,625,000 shall remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer including not more than $5,000 for official representation and reception expenses, $213,072,000, of which $26,477,000 shall remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds, $1,250,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Inspector General, $5,772,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of General Counsel, $2,048,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Parliamentarian, including the Parliamentarian, $2,000 for preparing the Digest of Rules, and not more than $1,000 for official representation and reception expenses, $2,287,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House, $5,048,000, of which $1,000,000 shall remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House, $15,300,000, of which $2,000,000 shall remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, $994,000; for other authorized employees, $1,065,000.

For allowances and expenses as authorized by House resolution or law, $480,085,200, including: supplies, materials, administrative costs and Federal tort claims, $1,555,000; official mail for committees, leadership offices, and administrative offices of the House, $190,000; Government contributions for health, retirement, Social Security, contractor support for actuarial projections, and other applicable employee benefits, $428,960,200, to remain available until March 31, 2026, except that $37,000,000 of such amount shall remain available until expended; salaries and expenses for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, $27,428,000, of which $6,000,000 shall remain available until expended; transition activities for new members and staff, $15,786,000, to remain available until expended; Green and Gold Congressional Aide Program, $3,356,000, to remain available until expended; Office of Congressional Ethics, $1,810,000; and miscellaneous items including purchase, exchange, maintenance, repair and operation of House motor vehicles, interparliamentary receptions, and gratuities to heirs of deceased employees of the House, $1,000,000.

For the House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account established under section 115 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2021 (2 U.S.C. 5513), $10,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That disbursement from this account is subject to approval of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives: Provided further, That funds provided in this account shall only be used for initiatives approved by the Committee on House Administration.

requiring amounts remaining in members’ representational allowances to be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt

Sec. 110. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any amounts appropriated under this Act for “HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES—Salaries and Expenses—MEMBERS’ REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCES” shall be available only for fiscal year 2025. Any amount remaining after all payments are made under such allowances for fiscal year 2025 shall be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction (or, if there is no Federal budget deficit after all such payments have been made, for reducing the Federal debt, in such manner as the Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate).

(b) The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives shall have authority to prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

(c) As used in this section, the term “Member of the House of Representatives” means a Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

Sec. 111. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to make any payments from any Members' Representational Allowance for the leasing of a vehicle, excluding mobile district offices, in an aggregate amount that exceeds $1,000 for the vehicle in any month.

Sec. 112. The head of any Federal entity that provides assistance to the House of Representatives in the House's efforts to deter, prevent, mitigate, or remediate cybersecurity risks to, and incidents involving, the information systems of the House shall take all necessary steps to ensure the constitutional integrity of the separate branches of the government at all stages of providing the assistance, including applying minimization procedures to limit the spread or sharing of privileged House and Member information.

Sec. 113. (a) Section 303(f) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13212(f)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph (C);

(2) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking “branch, except that it does include the House of Representatives with respect to an acquisition described in paragraph (2)(C).” and inserting “branch.”; and

(3) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (C).

(b) The amendments made by this section apply to fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year.

Sec. 114. (a) In General.—Section 312(d)(3) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1992 (2 U.S.C. 2062 (d)(3)) is amended

(1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and

(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new subparagraph:

“(C) In order to ensure that the Center can receive and transmit critical and emergency communications in connection with the provision of child care services, the payment of telecom expenses for the Center, to include voicemail boxes, land lines, and official cellular devices of the Center issued to Center employees.”.

(b) Effective Date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year.

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Economic Committee, $4,283,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Committee on Taxation, $14,450,000, to be disbursed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives.

For medical supplies, equipment, and contingent expenses of the emergency rooms, and for the Attending Physician and their assistants, including:

(3) an allowance of $900 per month each to three medical officers while on duty in the Office of the Attending Physician;

(4) an allowance of $900 per month to 2 assistants and $900 per month each not to exceed 11 assistants on the basis heretofore provided for such assistants; and

(5) $3,145,000 for reimbursement to the Department of the Navy for expenses incurred for staff and equipment assigned to the Office of the Attending Physician, which shall be advanced and credited to the applicable appropriation or appropriations from which such salaries, allowances, and other expenses are payable and shall be available for all the purposes thereof, $4,416,000, to be disbursed by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives.

For salaries and expenses of the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, $1,814,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.

For salaries of employees of the Capitol Police, including overtime, hazardous duty pay, and Government contributions for health, retirement, social security, professional liability insurance, and other applicable employee benefits, $619,257,000, of which overtime shall not exceed $74,976,000 unless the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate are notified, to be disbursed by the Chief of the Capitol Police or a duly authorized designee: Provided, That of the amount appropriated, $15,000,000 shall be available for tuition reimbursement, recruitment and retention bonuses and other retention focused salary related items.

For necessary expenses of the Capitol Police, including motor vehicles, communications and other equipment, security equipment and installation, uniforms, weapons, supplies, materials, training, medical services, forensic services, Member protection-related activities and equipment, stenographic services, personal and professional services, the employee assistance program, the awards program, postage, communication services, travel advances, relocation of instructor and liaison personnel for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and not more than $5,000 to be expended on the certification of the Chief of the Capitol Police in connection with official representation and reception expenses, $213,158,000, of which $5,848,000 shall remain available until expended to fund the Congressional Continuity of Operations (C-COOP), to be disbursed by the Chief of the Capitol Police or a duly authorized designee: Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the cost of basic training for the Capitol Police at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers for fiscal year 2025 shall be paid by the Secretary of Homeland Security from funds available to the Department of Homeland Security: Provided further, That none of the amounts made available under this heading may be used to purchase a drone manufactured in the People's Republic of China or by a business affiliated with the People's Republic of China except for national security purposes.

Sec. 115. (a) Section 4120 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(c) An employee of the Capitol Police may receive training under this section outside of the United States only with the prior approval of the Capitol Police Board. In this subsection, the term ‘United States’ means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the territories and possessions of the United States.”.

(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year.

For salaries and expenses necessary for the operation of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, $8,150,000, of which $500,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2026, and of which not more than $1,000 may be expended on the certification of the Executive Director in connection with official representation and reception expenses.

For salaries and expenses necessary for operation of the Congressional Budget Office, including not more than $6,000 to be expended on the certification of the Director of the Congressional Budget Office in connection with official representation and reception expenses, $73,259,000: Provided, That the Director shall use not less than $500,000 of the amount made available under this heading for (1) improving technical systems, processes, and models for the purpose of improving the transparency of estimates of budgetary effects to Members of Congress, employees of Members of Congress, and the public, and (2) to increase the availability of models, economic assumptions, and data for Members of Congress, employees of Members of Congress, and the public.

For salaries for the Architect of the Capitol, and other personal services, at rates of pay provided by law; for all necessary expenses for surveys and studies, construction, operation, and general and administrative support in connection with facilities and activities under the care of the Architect of the Capitol, including the Botanic Garden, Senate and House office buildings, and other facilities under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol; for furnishings and office equipment; for official reception and representation expenses of not more than $5,000, to be expended as the Architect of the Capitol may approve; for purchase or exchange, maintenance, and operation of a passenger motor vehicle, $165,000,000, of which $1,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029.

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and operation of the Capitol, $41,002,000, of which $6,599,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029.

For all necessary expenses for care and improvement of grounds surrounding the Capitol, the Senate and House office buildings, and the Capitol Power Plant, $33,922,000, of which $18,300,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029.

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care, and operation of the House office buildings, $148,000,000, of which $64,050,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029, and of which $5,000,000 shall remain available until expended for the restoration and renovation of the Cannon House Office Building: In addition, for a payment to the House Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund, $5,500,000 to remain available until expended.

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and operation of the Capitol Power Plant; and all electrical substations of the Capitol; lighting, heating, power (including the purchase of electrical energy) and water and sewer services for the Capitol, Senate and House office buildings, Library of Congress buildings, and the grounds about the same, Botanic Garden, Senate garage, and air conditioning refrigeration not supplied from plants in any of such buildings; heating the Government Publishing Office and Washington City Post Office, and heating and chilled water for air conditioning for the Supreme Court Building, the Union Station complex, the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library, expenses for which shall be advanced or reimbursed upon request of the Architect of the Capitol and amounts so received shall be deposited into the Treasury to the credit of this appropriation, $127,414,000, of which $21,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029: Provided, That not more than $10,000,000 of the funds credited or to be reimbursed to this appropriation as herein provided shall be available for obligation during fiscal year 2025.

For all necessary expenses for the mechanical and structural maintenance, care and operation of the Library buildings and grounds, $86,043,000, of which $45,500,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029.

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and operation of buildings, grounds and security enhancements of the United States Capitol Police, wherever located, the Alternate Computing Facility, and Architect of the Capitol security operations, $97,016,000, of which $28,200,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029: Provided, That none of the amounts made available under this heading may be used to purchase a drone manufactured in the People's Republic of China or by a business affiliated with the People's Republic of China except for national security purposes.

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and operation of the Botanic Garden and the nurseries, buildings, grounds, and collections; and purchase and exchange, maintenance, repair, and operation of a passenger motor vehicle; all under the direction of the Joint Committee on the Library, $21,214,000, of which $5,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029: Provided, That, of the amount made available under this heading, the Architect of the Capitol may obligate and expend such sums as may be necessary for the maintenance, care and operation of the National Garden established under section 307E of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 (2 U.S.C. 2146), upon vouchers approved by the Architect of the Capitol or a duly authorized designee.

For all necessary expenses for the operation of the Capitol Visitor Center, $29,127,000.

Sec. 116. None of the funds made available in this Act for the Architect of the Capitol may be used to make incentive or award payments to contractors for work on contracts or programs for which the contractor is behind schedule or over budget, unless the Architect of the Capitol, or agency-employed designee, determines that any such deviations are due to unforeseeable events, government-driven scope changes, or are not significant within the overall scope of the project and/or program.

administration of public outreach and services for capitol grounds and arboretum

Sec. 117. (a) Cooperative Agreements.—The Architect of the Capitol, subject to the approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives, may enter into cooperative agreements with entities under such terms as the Architect determines advisable, in order to support the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum in carrying out its duties, authorities and mission.

(b) Plant Material Exchanges.—The Architect of the Capitol may engage in plant material exchanges between the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum and other entities including Federal, State, or local government agencies, botanic gardens, arboretums, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, municipal parks, and gardens.

For all necessary expenses of the Library of Congress not otherwise provided for, including development and maintenance of the Library's catalogs; custody and custodial care of the Library buildings; information technology services provided centrally; special clothing; cleaning, laundering and repair of uniforms; preservation of motion pictures in the custody of the Library; operation and maintenance of the American Folklife Center in the Library; preparation and distribution of catalog records and other publications of the Library; hire or purchase of one passenger motor vehicle; and expenses of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board not properly chargeable to the income of any trust fund held by the Board, $617,000,000, and, in addition, amounts credited to this appropriation during fiscal year 2025 under the Act of June 28, 1902 (chapter 1301; 32 Stat. 480; 2 U.S.C. 150), shall remain available until expended: Provided, That the Library of Congress may not obligate or expend any funds derived from collections under the Act of June 28, 1902, in excess of the amount authorized for obligation or expenditure in appropriations Acts: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, not more than $18,000 may be expended, on the certification of the Librarian of Congress, in connection with official representation and reception expenses, including for the Overseas Field Offices: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, no less than $10,698,000 shall remain available until expended for the Teaching with Primary Sources program, of which: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, $1,547,000 shall remain available until expended for upgrade of the Legislative Branch Financial Management System: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, $150,000 shall remain available until expended for the Surplus Books Program to promote the program and facilitate a greater number of donations to eligible entities across the United States: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, $4,409,000 shall remain available until expended for the Veterans History Project to continue digitization efforts of already collected materials, reach a greater number of veterans to record their stories, and promote public access to the Project.

For all necessary expenses of the Copyright Office, $105,642,000, of which not more than $38,025,000, to remain available until expended, shall be derived from collections credited to this appropriation during fiscal year 2025 under sections 708(d) and 1316 of title 17, United States Code: Provided, That the Copyright Office may not obligate or expend any funds derived from collections under such section in excess of the amount authorized for obligation or expenditure in appropriations Acts: Provided further, That not more than $7,870,000 shall be derived from collections during fiscal year 2025 under sections 111(d)(2), 119(b)(3), 803(e), and 1005 of such title: Provided further, That the total amount available for obligation shall be reduced by the amount by which collections are less than $45,895,000: Provided further, That of the funds provided under this heading, not less than $10,300,000 is for modernization initiatives, of which $9,300,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2026: Provided further, That not more than $100,000 of the amount appropriated is available for the maintenance of an “International Copyright Institute” in the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress for the purpose of training nationals of developing countries in intellectual property laws and policies: Provided further, That not more than $6,500 may be expended, on the certification of the Librarian of Congress, in connection with official representation and reception expenses for activities of the International Copyright Institute and for copyright delegations, visitors, and seminars: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any provision of chapter 8 of title 17, United States Code, any amounts made available under this heading which are attributable to royalty fees and payments received by the Copyright Office pursuant to sections 111, 119, and chapter 10 of such title may be used for the costs incurred in the administration of the Copyright Royalty Judges program, with the exception of the costs of salaries and benefits for the Copyright Royalty Judges and staff under section 802(e).

For all necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 203 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 166) and to revise and extend the Annotated Constitution of the United States of America, $141,487,000: Provided, That no part of such amount may be used to pay any salary or expense in connection with any publication, or preparation of material therefor (except the Digest of Public General Bills), to be issued by the Library of Congress unless such publication has obtained prior approval of either the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives or the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate: Provided further, That this prohibition does not apply to publication of non-confidential Congressional Research Service (CRS) products: Provided further, That a non-confidential CRS product includes any written product containing research or analysis that is currently available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet, or that would be made available on the CRS Congressional Intranet in the normal course of business and does not include material prepared in response to Congressional requests for confidential analysis or research.

For all necessary expenses to carry out the Act of March 3, 1931 (chapter 400; 46 Stat. 1487; 2 U.S.C. 135a), $65,205,000: Provided, That of the total amount appropriated, $650,000 shall be available to contract to provide newspapers to blind and print disabled residents at no cost to the individual.

Sec. 118. (a) In General.—For fiscal year 2025, the obligational authority of the Library of Congress for the activities described in subsection (b) may not exceed $328,789,000.

(b) Activities.—The activities referred to in subsection (a) are reimbursable and revolving fund activities that are funded from sources other than appropriations to the Library in appropriations Acts for the legislative branch.

For authorized publishing of congressional information and the distribution of congressional information in any format; publishing of Government publications authorized by law to be distributed to Members of Congress; and publishing, and distribution of Government publications authorized by law to be distributed without charge to the recipient, $83,000,000: Provided, That this appropriation shall not be available for paper copies of the permanent edition of the Congressional Record for individual Representatives, Resident Commissioners or Delegates authorized under section 906 of title 44, United States Code: Provided further, That this appropriation shall be available for the payment of obligations incurred under the appropriations for similar purposes for preceding fiscal years: Provided further, That notwithstanding the 2-year limitation under section 718 of title 44, United States Code, none of the funds appropriated or made available under this Act or any other Act for printing and binding and related services provided to Congress under chapter 7 of title 44, United States Code, may be expended to print a document, report, or publication after the 27-month period beginning on the date that such document, report, or publication is authorized by Congress to be printed, unless Congress reauthorizes such printing in accordance with section 718 of title 44, United States Code: Provided further, That unobligated or unexpended balances of expired discretionary funds made available under this heading in this Act for this fiscal year may be transferred to, and merged with, funds under the heading “Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund” no later than the end of the fifth fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such funds are available for the purposes for which appropriated, to be available for carrying out the purposes of this heading, subject to the approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate: Provided further, That this appropriation shall be available for publishing congressionally mandated reports under the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Pub. L. 117–263, div. G, title LXXII, subtitle D: Provided further, That notwithstanding sections 901, 902, and 906 of title 44, United States Code, this appropriation may be used to prepare indexes to the Congressional Record on only a monthly and session basis.

For expenses of the public information programs of the Office of Superintendent of Documents necessary to provide for the cataloging and indexing of Government publications in any format, and their distribution to the public, Members of Congress, other Government agencies, and designated depository and international exchange libraries as authorized by law, $41,664,000: Provided, That amounts of not more than $2,000,000 from current year appropriations are authorized for producing and disseminating Congressional serial sets and other related publications for the preceding two fiscal years to depository and other designated libraries: Provided further, That unobligated or unexpended balances of expired discretionary funds made available under this heading in this Act for this fiscal year may be transferred to, and merged with, funds under the heading “Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund” no later than the end of the fifth fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such funds are available for the purposes for which appropriated, to be available for carrying out the purposes of this heading, subject to the approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

For payment to the Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund, $11,425,000, to remain available until expended, for information technology development and facilities repair: Provided, That the Government Publishing Office is hereby authorized to make such expenditures, within the limits of funds available and in accordance with law, and to make such contracts and commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations as provided by section 9104 of title 31, United States Code, as may be necessary in carrying out the programs and purposes set forth in the budget for the current fiscal year for the Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund: Provided further, That not more than $7,500 may be expended on the certification of the Director of the Government Publishing Office in connection with official representation and reception expenses: Provided further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund shall be available for the hire or purchase of not more than 12 passenger motor vehicles: Provided further, That expenditures in connection with travel expenses of the advisory councils to the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall be deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of title 44, United States Code: Provided further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund shall be available for temporary or intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title: Provided further, That activities financed through the Business Operations Revolving Fund may provide information in any format: Provided further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund and the funds provided under the heading “Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents” may not be used for contracted security services at Government Publishing Office's passport facility in the District of Columbia.

For necessary expenses of the Government Accountability Office, including not more than $12,500 to be expended on the certification of the Comptroller General of the United States in connection with official representation and reception expenses; temporary or intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of such title; hire of one passenger motor vehicle; advance payments in foreign countries in accordance with section 3324 of title 31, United States Code; benefits comparable to those payable under sections 901(5), (6), and (8) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081(5), (6), and (8)); and under regulations prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States, rental of living quarters in foreign countries, $896,700,000, of which $5,000,000 shall remain available until expended: Provided, That, in addition, $33,424,000 of payments received under sections 782, 791, 3521, and 9105 of title 31, United States Code, shall be available without fiscal year limitation: Provided further, That this appropriation and appropriations for administrative expenses of any other department or agency which is a member of the National Intergovernmental Audit Forum or a Regional Intergovernmental Audit Forum shall be available to finance an appropriate share of either Forum's costs as determined by the respective Forum, including necessary travel expenses of non-Federal participants: Provided further, That payments hereunder to the Forum may be credited as reimbursements to any appropriation from which costs involved are initially financed.

For a payment to the Congressional Office for International Leadership Fund for financing activities of the Congressional Office for International Leadership under section 313 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 1151), $6,600,000: Provided, That funds made available to support Russian participants shall only be used for those engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement, and shall not be used for officials of the central government of Russia.

For payment to the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund established under section 116 of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development Act (2 U.S.C. 1105), $430,000.

Sec. 201. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act shall be used for the maintenance or care of private vehicles, except for emergency assistance and cleaning as may be provided under regulations relating to parking facilities for the House of Representatives issued by the Committee on House Administration and for the Senate issued by the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Sec. 202. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act shall remain available for obligation beyond fiscal year 2025 unless expressly so provided in this Act.

Sec. 203. Whenever in this Act any office or position not specifically established by the Legislative Pay Act of 1929 (46 Stat. 32 et seq.) is appropriated for or the rate of compensation or designation of any office or position appropriated for is different from that specifically established by such Act, the rate of compensation and the designation in this Act shall be the permanent law with respect thereto: Provided, That the provisions in this Act for the various items of official expenses of Members, officers, and committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, and clerk hire for Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall be the permanent law with respect thereto.

Sec. 204. The expenditure of any appropriation under this Act for any consulting service through procurement contract, under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, shall be limited to those contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public inspection, except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under existing Executive order issued under existing law.

Sec. 205. Amounts available for administrative expenses of any legislative branch entity which participates in the Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council (LBFMC) established by charter on March 26, 1996, shall be available to finance an appropriate share of LBFMC costs as determined by the LBFMC, except that the total LBFMC costs to be shared among all participating legislative branch entities (in such allocations among the entities as the entities may determine) may not exceed $2,000.

Sec. 206. None of the funds made available in this Act may be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act or any other appropriation Act.

Sec. 207. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), none of the funds made available to the Architect of the Capitol in this Act may be used to eliminate or restrict guided tours of the United States Capitol which are led by employees and interns of offices of Members of Congress and other offices of the House of Representatives and Senate, unless through regulations as authorized by section 402(b)(8) of the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008 (2 U.S.C. 2242(b)(8)).

(b) At the direction of the Capitol Police Board, or at the direction of the Architect of the Capitol with the approval of the Capitol Police Board, guided tours of the United States Capitol which are led by employees and interns described in subsection (a) may be suspended temporarily or otherwise subject to restriction for security or related reasons to the same extent as guided tours of the United States Capitol which are led by the Architect of the Capitol.

Sec. 208. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to maintain or establish a computer network unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography.

(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities or other official government activities.

Sec. 209. (a) Prohibition on Use or Procurement.—

(1) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be used by the head of an agency, office, or other entity to—

(A) procure or obtain or extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system; or

(B) enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed to—

(A) prohibit the head of an agency, office, or other entity from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(B) cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(b) Prohibition of Loan and Grant Funds.—

(1) The head of an agency, office, or other entity may not obligate or expend loan or grant funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act to procure or obtain, extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain, or enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure or obtain the equipment, services, or systems described in subsection (a).

(2) In implementing the prohibition in paragraph (1), heads of agencies, offices, and entities administering loan, grant, or subsidy programs shall prioritize available funding and technical support to assist affected businesses, institutions, and organizations as is reasonably necessary for those affected agencies, offices, and entities to transition from covered communications equipment and services, to procure replacement equipment and services, and to ensure that communications service to users and customers is sustained.

(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to—

(A) prohibit the head of an agency, office, or entity from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(B) cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Effective Dates.—The prohibition under subsection (a)(1)(A) shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year, and the prohibitions under subsections (a)(1)(B) and (b)(1) shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year.

(d) Waiver Authority.—The head of an agency, office, or other entity may, on a one-time basis, waive the requirements under subsection (a) with respect to an agency, office, or entity that requests such a waiver. The waiver may be provided, for a period of not more than two years after the effective dates described in subsection (c), if the agency, office, or entity seeking the waiver—

(1) provides a compelling justification for the additional time to implement the requirements under such subsection, as determined by the head of the agency, office, or entity; and

(2) submits to the head of the agency, office, or entity, who shall not later than 30 days thereafter submit to the appropriate congressional committees, a full and complete laydown of the presences of covered telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services in the agency’s, office’s, or entity’s supply chain and a phase-out plan to eliminate such covered telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services from the agency’s, office’s, or entity’s systems.

(e) Definitions.—In this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) The term “appropriate congressional committees” means the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate.

(2) The term “covered telecommunications equipment or services” means any of the following:

(A) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).

(B) For the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).

(D) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of the National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a foreign adversary country.

(3) The term “foreign adversary country” means a country specified in section 4872(d) of title 10, United States Code.

Sec. 210. (a) Any provision of law which prohibits an increase in the annual rate of pay which would otherwise apply during a calendar year for an employee serving in a position for which the rate of pay is fixed by statute at an Executive Schedule rate, or which prohibits the employee from receiving a rate increase during such calendar year, including section 747 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2024 (division B of Public Law 118–47), shall not apply to the Director of the Government Publishing Office or the Librarian of Congress.

(b) This section applies with respect to calendar year 2025 and each succeeding calendar year.

Sec. 211. (a) Section 13144 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(c) Limitation On Treatment As Fiduciary Relationship.—For purposes of this section, the relationship between a Member who is providing care directly to a patient in the form of medical services or dental services and the patient to whom such care is provided shall not be considered a fiduciary relationship.”.

(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to compensation received in fiscal year 2025 or any succeeding fiscal year.

Sec. 212. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for any office, program, or activity for the purposes of diversity, equity, and inclusion training or implementation that promotes or perpetuates divisive concepts related to race or sex, such as the concepts that one race or sex is inherently superior to another, or that an individual’s moral character or worth is determined by their race or sex.

Sec. 213. (a) In General.—Notwithstanding section 7 of title 1, United States Code, section 1738C of title 28, United States Code, or any other provision of law, none of the funds provided by this Act, or previous appropriations Acts, shall be used in whole or in part to take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially, on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction, that marriage is, or should be recognized as, a union of one man and one woman.

(b) Discriminatory Action Defined.—As used in subsection (a), a discriminatory action means any action taken by the Federal Government to—

(1) alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke an exemption from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of, any person referred to in subsection (a)

(2) disallow a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any charitable contribution made to or by such person;

(3) withhold, reduce the amount or funding for, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any Federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, guarantee, loan, scholarship, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or other similar position or status from or to such person;

(4) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any entitlement or benefit under a Federal benefit program, including admission to, equal treatment in, or eligibility for a degree from an educational program, from or to such person; or

(5) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny access or an entitlement to Federal property, facilities, educational institutions, speech fora (including traditional, limited, and nonpublic fora), or charitable fundraising campaigns from or to such person.

(c) Accreditation; Licensure; Certification.—The Federal Government shall consider accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of Federal law any person that would be accredited, licensed, or certified, respectively, for such purposes but for a determination against such person wholly or partially on the basis that the person speaks, or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction described in subsection (a).