Madam Chair, Ranking Member Latham, members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before you as the Executive Director of the Office of Compliance in support of the Office’s fiscal year 2009 request for appropriations. Joining me today is Board Member Roberta Holzwarth. Along with us are General Counsel Peter Ames Eveleth, Deputy Executive Directors Barbara Sapin and Sana Shtasel, and Director of Finance and Administration Beth Hughes Brown.
The Subcommittee will note that the Office of Compliance submits, once again, a zerobased budget to support the agency’s mission of furthering a safe, healthy, and fair workplace on Capitol Hill. This year’s budget request is a minimal increase over our request for appropriations in fiscal year 2008. In fiscal year 2009, the Office is requesting a total of $4,307,500 for its operations, which is only a 4.9% increase over the agency’s 2008 budget request. Because of the across the board recissions and other cuts made to the agency’s 2008 appropriations, this year’s request contains items that had been requested but not funded in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. It includes approximately $345,000 to fully fund the authorized level of FTE positions and concommitant salaries; approximately $134,000 for mandatory cost-of-living adjustments and employee salary increases; and $156,000 for initiatives that were originally requested in FY 2007 or FY 2008. Setting aside these repeat requests, mandatory COLAs, and the cost of fully funding the agency’s current staff complement of 21, the agency’s request for new discretionary projects (less than $300,000) is extremely minimal but necessary to fulfill our mission.
In FY 2009, the Office of Compliance is expanding its effort to communicate and collaborate with its stakeholders. During the past fiscal years, we have achieved much success in our safety and health program through increased communication with the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in remediating hazards in the utility tunnels. We are realizing success in our education and outreach program through our publications and much utilized web site, as well as the implementation of a comprehensive baseline survey that will inform the Office’s focus, to ensure that its programs are of maximum benefit to employing offices and employees on Capitol Hill and in the District and State Offices. In fiscal year 2009, the agency hopes to launch another significant initiative to improve its effectiveness and productivity on Capitol Hill– prevention and reduction.
