2 USC 6313 – Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account
(1) Effective January 1, 1988, there shall be, within the contingent fund of the Senate, a separate appropriation account to be known as the “Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account” (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Senators’ Account”).
Terms Used In 2 USC 6313
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
(2) The Senators’ Account shall be used for the funding of all items, activities, and expenses which, immediately prior to January 1, 1988, were funded under either (A) the Senate appropriation account for “Administrative, Clerical, and Legislative Assistance Allowance to Senators” (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Senators’ Clerk Hire Allowance Account”) under the headings “SENATE” and “Salaries, Officers and Employees”, or (B) that part of the account, within the contingent fund of the Senate, for “Miscellaneous Items” (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Senators’ Official Office Expense Account”) which is available for allocation to Senatorial Official Office Expense Accounts. In addition, the Senators’ Account shall be used for the funding of agency contributions payable with respect to compensation payable by such account, but moneys appropriated to such account for this purpose shall not be available for any other purpose. The account, which in clause (A) of the first sentence of this paragraph is identified as the “Senators’ Clerk Hire Allowance Account” and the account, which in clause (B) of such sentence is identified as the “Senators’ Official Office Expense Account” shall, when referred to in other law, rule, regulation, or order (whether referred to by such name or any other) shall on and after January 1, 1988, be deemed to refer to the “Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account”.
(3)(A) Effective on January 1, 1988, there shall be transferred to the Senators’ Account from the Senators’ Clerk Hire Allowance Account all funds therein which were available for expenditure or obligation during the fiscal year ending September 30, 1988, and from the Senators’ Official Office Expense Account so much of the funds therein as was available for expenditure or obligation for the period commencing January 1, 1988, and ending September 30, 1988; except that the Senators’ Official Office Expense Account shall remain in being solely for the purpose of being available to pay for any authorized item, activity, or expense, for which funds therein had been obligated, but not paid, prior to such transfer.
(B) Any of the funds transferred to the Senators’ Account from the Senators’ Clerk Hire Allowance Account pursuant to subparagraph (A) which, prior to such transfer, had been obligated, but not expended, for any authorized item, activity, or expense, shall be available to pay for such item, activity, or expense in like manner as if such transfer had not been made.
(4) On January 1, 1988, there shall be transferred to the Senators’ Account, from the appropriation account for “Agency Contributions”, under the headings “SENATE” and “Salaries, Officers and Employees”, so much of the moneys in such account as was appropriated for the purpose of making agency contributions for administrative, clerical, and legislative assistance to Senators with respect to compensation payable for the period commencing January 1, 1988, and ending September 30, 1988; and the moneys so transferred shall be available only for the payment of such agency contributions with respect to such compensation.
(5) Vouchers shall not be required for the disbursement, from the Senators’ Account, of salaries of employees in the office of a Senator.
(6) Effective on and after October 1, 1997, the Senators’ Account shall be available for the payment of franked mail expenses of Senators.