Payraise bill

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1992 - Title I: Congressional Operations - Congressional Operations Appropriations Act, 1992 - Appropriates funds for FY 1992 for the operations of the Senate for the following: (1) payment to the widow of John Heinz, late a Senator from Pennsylvania; (2) mileage of the Vice President and Senators; (3) expense allowances of Senate leadership; (4) representation allowances of the Majority and Minority Leaders; (5) compensation of officers and employees; (6) expense allowances of Senate officers; (7) contingent expenses of the Senate, including expenses of the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control; and (8) official mail costs.

Amends the Congressional Operations Appropriations Act, 1991 to increase the amount the Chairman of the Majority or Minority Conference Committee of the Senate may transfer to the contingent fund of the Senate for salaries for the Conference of the Majority and the Conference of the Minority of the Senate.

Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1990 to require the Secretary of the Senate to withdraw excess funds from the Senate Health Promotion Revolving Fund and deposit such excess in the Treasury.

Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1977 to authorize the Legislative Counsel of the Senate to appoint and fix the compensation of not more than two consultants on a temporary or intermittent basis, subject to the approval of the President pro tempore.

Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1987 to increase the allowance for representational expenses for the Office of the Secretary of the Senate with respect to foreign parliamentary groups or other foreign officials.

Limits to a specified amount the aggregate of gross compensation paid employees in the office of a Senator, if the State population is less than 5,000,000.

Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to provide that a Senator's pay be equal to that of a Member of the House of Representatives.

Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1983 and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to repeal provisions concerning honoraria (thus banning them).

Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1973 to authorize direct payment to vendors under the contingent fund of the Senate.

Transfers control of the Senate chamber public address system from the Architect of the Capitol to the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate. Transfers control of the elevator operators in U.S. Senate parts of the Capitol from the Architect to the Sergeant at Arms and the Doorkeeper of the Senate.

Appropriates funds for FY 1992 for the operations of the House of Representatives for the following: (1) mileage of Members; (2) House leadership offices; (3) Members' clerk hire; (4) committee employees; (5) studies by the Committee on the Budget; (6) contingent expenses of the House, including salaries and expenses of standing committees, special and select; (7) salaries and expenses and temporary personal services of House Information Systems, under the direction of the Committee on House Administration; (8) allowances and expenses; (9) studies and investigations by the Committee on Appropriations; (10) official mail costs; and (11) salaries of officers and employees.

Allows the transfer of amounts among specified House accounts upon the approval of the Committee on Appropriations.

Increases authorized salary ceilings for certain positions established for the Democratic caucus and the Republican conference.

Authorizes the Clerk of the House to receive payments of assessments for monthly equipment charges incurred by organizations authorized by the Committee on House Administration.

Makes appropriations for the following joint items: (1) contingent expenses of the Senate for the Joint Economic Committee and the Joint Committee on Printing; (2) contingent expenses of the House for the Joint Committee on Taxation; (3) the Office of the Attending Physician; (4) the Capitol Police Board; (5) the Capitol Guide Service; (6) the Special Services Office; and (7) the preparation of required statements of appropriations.

Appropriates funds for the following congressional offices: (1) the Office of Technology Assessment; (2) the Congressional Budget Office; (3) the Architect of the Capitol; (4) the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress; and (5) the Government Printing Office (GPO).

Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991, to allow an increase in the pay ceiling of certain senior employees of the Architect of Capitol.

Authorizes performance awards for the Superintendent of Garages.

Title II: Other Agencies - Appropriates funds for the following congressional agencies: (1) the Botanic Garden; (2) the Library of Congress; (3) the Architect of the Capitol for Library buildings and grounds; (4) the Copyright Royalty Tribunal; (5) GPO for the Office of Superintendent of Documents; and (6) the General Accounting Office.

Makes funds available to the Library of Congress for expenses of attendance at certain meetings, of which a specified amount is set aside for the Congressional Research Service. Prohibits the Library from using appropriated funds to administer a flexible or compressed work schedule for certain managers or supervisors.

Limits the number of employees which the Library may employ with appropriated funds to cover general and administrative overhead costs generated by performing reimbursable work for other agencies.

Limits the expenditures by the Library on official representation and reception expenses for the incentive awards program and the Overseas Field Offices.

Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth various specified requirements for and prohibitions or limitations on the use of appropriations.

Directs the Architect of the Capitol to develop an overall telecommunications plan for the other agencies of the legislative branch.

Authorizes the transfer of funds from the Library of Congress for salaries and expenses to the Architect of the Capitol for the purpose of rental, lease, or other agreement respecting temporary storage and warehouse space for use by the Library during FY 1992.

Requires FY 1992 pay raises to be absorbed within the levels appropriated in this Act.

Amends the Dire Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Assistance, Food Stamps, Unemployment Compensation Administration, and Other Urgent Needs, and Transfers, and Reducing Funds Budgeted for Military Spending Act of 1990 to extend the authority for art conservation projects in the Senate.

Allows employees of the Senate Employee Child Care Center to elect Federal health insurance coverage.

Provides for the Clerk of the House of Representatives to maintain and operate the House of Representatives Child Care Center. Creates an advisory board for such Center, and establishes an account in the contingent fund of the House as the exclusive source of all salaries and expenses. Repeals current law governing such Center.

Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to: (1) combine the reporting of tangible gifts and gifts of food, lodging, transportation, and entertainment into one category and replaces the $100 and $250 thresholds with "minimal value" as established under the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, or $250, whichever is greater; (2) replaces the $250 disclosure threshold for travel reimbursements with the greater of $250, or minimal value; and (3) sets the minimum exemption for disclosing gifts at $100, adjusted as minimal value is adjusted.

Revises the definition of "honorarium" to include a series of appearances, speeches, or articles if the subject matter is directly related to the individual's official duties or the payment is made because of the individual's status with the Government.

Amends the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 to amend regulations relating to the Senate to conform them to the comparable House gifts rule. Repeals the $100 limit on gifts from persons with a direct interest in legislation and replaces the $300 limit on other gifts with the "minimal value" limit or $250, whichever is greater (applying this new limit to all gifts). Repeals the deduction from the limit on a gift the value of gifts an individual has given to the donor.

Amends rule XLIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, concerning the Code of Official Conduct, by adjusting the gift exemption to $100 and setting $250, or minimal value, as the limit on total gifts from an individual.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include the Senate under the provision that no tax consequence or benefit may be derived from direct contributions of honoraria payments to a charitable organization.

Rescinds an amount equal to the official mail costs of the junior Senator from Pennsylvania for mass mail.