Hearing Of The Subcommittee On Legislative Branch Of The House Committee On Appropriations - FY2011 Budget Of The Architect Of The Capitol & Infrastructure Needs
Statement
Good afternoon. Today the subcommittee will examine the 2011 budget request for the
Architect of the Capitol. We are pleased to welcome back to the Subcommittee Steven Ayers,
Acting Architect of the Capitol. I'd also like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Ayers on his
recent nomination by the President. Mr. Ayers, I think we would all agree that the management
of the AOC has made great advances under your leadership and we are glad you will be around
to steer the organization through the great challenges ahead.
For 2011, the AOC is requesting a total of $755 million, which is a 25.5 percent increase above
2010 enacted. The request includes a 6.7 percent increase to the operating budget and a total of
$262 million in projects, compared to $136 million in the last year's bill. In addition to
addressing an increasing backlog of demands for life safety, compliance and security issues, the
request incorporates real property items that are central to the legislative branch agencies'
missions, including the House of Representatives, Library of Congress, and Capitol Police.
This Subcommittee's challenge -- to serve as steward of this branch of Government while
operating under tight budgetary constraints--is most salient with the AOC. We must take care
to ensure that near-term pressure for fiscal restraint does not ultimately impose significantly
higher lifecycle costs in the long-term. This will require advance planning for large projects in
the pipeline, and I am pleased that this Subcommittee was able to begin that process last year
with the Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund.
This hearing will give us a better idea of what your project priorities are, and the principles that
drove those investment decisions in your 2011 budget. We will also be interested in hearing
about your mid- to long-term plans for achieving ambitious targets for reducing energy
consumption in the Capitol complex.
Mr. Ayers, your full written statement will be entered into the record, and I ask that you limit
your opening statement to five minutes. First, let me yield to the Ranking Member, Mr.
Aderholt for any comments he would like to make.
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