Appropriations for FY2005: Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Page: 60 of 94
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CRS-53
million from Division H, Section 106 of the Consolidated Act, and an FY2004
rescission of $206,000.)
The FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act, after adjusting for the two
rescissions, provides $9.8 million for Care of the Building and Grounds account,
$734,000 below the Court's request. The act specifically appropriated $10.0 million
for the account - with total discretionary spending, however, reduced by 1.34% as
a result of the two across-the-board cuts noted above. Earlier, the House, following
the recommendation of its Appropriations Committee, approved $10.0 million, while
the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended the full $10.6 million requested
by the Court.
The funding requested by the Court for FY2005 for Building and Grounds was
divided into budget adjustments to maintain current services and program increases.
To maintain current services in FY2005, the Court said $3.9 million was required -
$22.5 million less than required in FY2004. Nearly all of this downward adjustment
was due to a decrease of $21.8 million requested for the Court's building
modernization project. In its budget submission, the Court stated that funding
appropriated in prior years was sufficient to meet planned obligations for the
modernization project through FY2005 and that additional funding to complete the
project would be requested in FY2006.
Requested program increases for Building and Grounds totaled $6.7 million.
This funding, the Court said, would cover various projects, including modernization
of elevators, a seismic safety study, restoration of the original exterior bronze on the
Court building, restoration of stonework, additional roof fall protection (for worker
safety), kitchen renovations, design for exterior property renovation, and building
security upgrades. The largest portion of funding for program increases would be
$3.6 million to upgrade building security. This amount, the Court explained in its
budget submission, "would provide for the initial costs of the complex and
comprehensive installation of security intrusion alarms, surveillance, monitoring and
communications systems in the new operations center for the Supreme Court police
force. This upgrade to the building security will effectively accomplish the police
force mission and enhance the protection of the Justices, visitors, personnel and
building assets."
A hearing on the Court's budget request was held by the House CJSappropriations subcommittee on March 17, 2004. Testifying on behalf of the
Court's budget request were Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence
Thomas. In addition to querying the Justices about particulars of their budget
request, Representatives on the subcommittee sought the Justices' views concerning
the idea of constructing a tunnel between the Court and the Capitol Visitors Center.
Justice Kennedy expressed reservations about the feasibility of such a tunnel, but told
the subcommittee that the Justices would "get back" to the subcommittee on the
question of whether, in their view, the Court could be linked in some way to the
Visitors Center. Some members of the subcommittee also expressed concerns that
the Court might not be publishing or otherwise making publicly available sufficient
information about the Court's operations.
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Fergusson, Ian F. & Epstein, Susan B. Appropriations for FY2005: Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies, report, January 12, 2005; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7885/m1/60/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.