[Senate Report 113-109]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 113-109
_______________________________________________________________________
Calendar No. 196
CONGRESSIONAL AWARD PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
to accompany
S. 1348
TO REAUTHORIZE THE CONGRESSIONAL AWARD ACT
September 23, 2013.--Ordered to be printed
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware Chairman
CARL LEVIN, Michigan TOM COBURN, Oklahoma
MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
JON TESTER, Montana RAND PAUL, Kentucky
MARK BEGICH, Alaska MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire
HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota JEFF CHIESA, New Jersey
Richard J. Kessler, Staff Director
John P. Kilvington, Deputy Staff Director
Beth M. Grossman, Chief Counsel
Lawrence B. Novey, Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs
Keith B. Ashdown, Minority Staff Director
Christopher J. Barkley, Minority Deputy Staff Director
Andrew C. Dockham, Minority Chief Counsel
Catharine A. Bailey, Minority Director of Governmental Affairs
Patrick J. Bailey, Minority Counsel
Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
C O N T E N T S
Page
I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
II. Background.......................................................1
III. Legislative History..............................................3
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis......................................3
V. Estimated Cost of Legislation....................................3
VI. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
VII. Changes in Existing Law..........................................4
Calendar No. 196
113th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 113-109
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CONGRESSIONAL AWARD PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013
_______
September 23, 2013.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Carper, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1348]
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 1348) to
reauthorize the Congressional Award Act, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
I. Purpose and Summary
S. 1348 reauthorizes the Congressional Award Program
through October 1, 2018. Designed to promote initiative,
achievement, and excellence among the youth of America, the
Program arranges for medals to be awarded to young people who
have satisfied specified standards of achievement. Members of
Congress sit on the Board that administers the program and
participate in the presentation of awards.
II. Background
Congress enacted the Congressional Award Act in 1979,
establishing the Congressional Award Program, under which young
people between the ages of 14 and 23 earn awards by completing
hours of effort in each of four areas of achievement--volunteer
public service, personal development, physical fitness, and
expedition/exploration. The Congressional Award is non-
competitive, and participants, with the guidance of adult
advisors, establish their own goals and work to achieve them.
Depending on the number of hours they complete, participants
earn Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates or Bronze, Silver,
and Gold medals. Individual Members of the House and Senate
recognize their constituents who earn Bronze and Silver medals
at in-state ceremonies, and the Congress recognizes Gold-medal
winners at an annual ceremony in the Capitol presided over by
House and Senate leadership. In fiscal year 2012, 1166
participants were recognized with certificates, and 1247
received medals, including 276 who earned Gold medals.
The Act establishes a 25-member Congressional Award Board,
which is responsible for administering the Congressional Award
Program. Twenty-four of the Board members are appointed by
Congressional leadership--six members by each of the Majority
Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives. The National Director,
appointed by a majority vote of the Board, is the principal
executive of the Program and sits as a non-voting member of the
Board. By statute, four of the Board members must be Members of
Congress. At present, the four Members of Congress appointed to
the Board are Senator Max Baucus, Senator Johnny Isakson,
Representative Gus Bilirakis, and Representative Sheila Jackson
Lee.
Under the Act, the Board incorporated a private, nonprofit,
tax-exempt organization (qualified under section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Code) called the Congressional Award
Foundation. Financial sponsors of the Program include business
corporations, charitable foundations, and individuals. The
Foundation also receives a small amount of in-kind services
from the federal government. As the patron of the Congressional
Award program, the U.S. Congress provides office space in a
House Office Building, and, under the terms of the Act, the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides an annual audit
of the program, and the U.S. Mint designs and strikes the award
medals.\1\
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\1\In evaluating the cost of S. 1248, the Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) estimated that the Board's continued use of House Office
Building space and an annual audit by GAO would cost less than $500,000
a year in appropriated funds, and that the U.S. Mint's production of
Congressional Award medals would increase spending by less than
$500,000 a year. These costs are beneath the threshold under which CBO
does not report more precise estimates. Also, estimates provided by the
U.S. Mint to CBO indicate that the Mint's costs for production of the
medals are less than $100,000 annually.
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The legislation first establishing the Congressional Award
Program was introduced in the 96th Congress by Senator Malcolm
Wallop (R-WY) as S. 221 and by Representative James J. Howard
(D-NJ) as H.R. 2196 and was enacted into law as Public Law 96-
114, the Congressional Award Act, on November 16, 1979. The
authorization under that statute extended for six years and has
been extended eight times: by Public Law 99-161, enacted on
November 25, 1985; by Public Law 100-674, enacted on November
17, 1988; by Public Law 101-525, enacted on November 6, 1990;
by Public Law 102-457, enacted on October 23, 1992; by Public
Law 104-208, enacted on September 30, 1996; Public Law 106-63,
enacted on October 1, 1999; by Public Law 109-143, enacted on
December 22, 2005; and by Public Law 111-200, enacted on July
7, 2010.
The Congressional Award Program has grown substantially in
recent years, with the number of participants increasing from
approximately 20,000 in 2005 to over 27,000 in 2009 and over
35,000 in 2013. More than 2,000 adult mentors are also involved
in the program. By statute, GAO audits the Foundation's
financial statements and compliance with the Act annually and
has issued generally favorable reports. The Committee believes
that the Congressional Award Program performs a valuable
service at minimal cost to the taxpayer, encouraging
initiative, achievement, public service, and personal
development in the Nation's youth, as well as providing an
opportunity for service for the adult volunteers. The Committee
therefore supports and recommends reauthorization of the
Program.
III. Legislative History
On July 23, 2013, Senator Carper introduced S. 1348, which
was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs. The Committee considered the bill on July
31, 2013, and ordered the bill reported by voice vote without
amendment. Members present for the vote on the bill were
Senators Carper, Levin, McCaskill, Tester, Begich, Baldwin,
Coburn, Johnson, Ayotte, and Chiesa.
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1--Short title
This section states that the Act may be cited as the
``Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013''.
Section 2--Termination
This section amends section 108 the Congressional Award Act
(2 U.S.C. Sec. 808) to reauthorize the program until October 1,
2018.
V. Estimated Cost of Legislation
August 9, 2013.
Hon. Thomas R. Carper,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1348, the
Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew
Pickford.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf.
Enclosure.
S. 1348--Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013
S. 1348 would extend authorization for the Congressional
Award Act through fiscal year 2018. The Congressional Award
Program recognizes excellence in public service and personal
development among young people. The program is overseen by the
Congressional Award Board, a nonprofit organization that does
not receive any appropriated federal funds.
Under S. 1348, the Congressional Award Board would continue
to receive free office space in a Congressional office
building. In addition, young people recognized by the
Congressional Award Program are awarded medals produced by the
U.S. Mint. Based on information from the board, CBO estimates
that extending authorization for the program would increase
direct spending from the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund by
less than $500,000 annually. Because the bill would affect
direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply.
S. 1348 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Maggie
Morrissey and Matthew Pickford. The estimate was approved by
Peter H. Fontaine, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
VI. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact
Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has
considered the regulatory impact of this bill. CBO states that
there are no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and no costs on
State, local, or tribal governments. The enactment of this
legislation will not have any other significant regulatory
impact.
VII. Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic and existing law, in which no
change is proposed, is shown in roman):
UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 2, THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 19--CONGRESSIONAL AWARD PROGRAM
Subchapter I--Congressional Award Program
* * * * * * *
SEC. 808. TERMINATION.
The Board shall terminate [October 1, 2013] October 1,
2018.
* * * * * * *