§ 4131 — House Recording Studio; Senate Recording Studio And Senate Photographic Studio

(a) There is established the House Recording Studio, the Senate Recording Studio, and the Senate Photographic Studio. (b) The House Recording Studio shall assist Members of the House of Representatives in making disk, film, and tape recordings, and in performing such other functions and duties in connection with the making of such recordings as may be necessary. The Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio shall assist Members of the Senate and committees of the Senate in making disk, film, and tape recordings, and in performing such other functions and duties in connection with the making of such recordings as may be necessary. The House Recording Studio shall be for the exclusive use of Members of the House of Representatives (including the Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico); the Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio shall be for the exclusive use of Members of the Senate, the Vice President, committees of the Senate, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. (c) The House Recording Studio shall be operated by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives under the direction and control of a committee which is created (hereinafter referred to as the committee) composed of three Members of the House. Two members of the committee shall be from the majority party and one member shall be from the minority party, to be appointed by the Speaker. The committee is authorized to issue such rules and regulations relating to operation of the House Recording Studio as it may deem necessary.The Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio shall be operated by the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate under the direction and control of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate. The Committee on Rules and Administration is authorized to issue such rules and regulations relating to operation of the Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio as it may deem necessary. (d) The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall, subject to the approval of the committee, set the price of making disk, film, and tape recordings, and collect all moneys owed the House Recording Studio. The Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate shall set the price of making disk, film, and tape recordings and all moneys owed the Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio shall be collected by the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. (e) No moneys shall be expended or obligated for the House Recording Studio except as shall be pursuant to such regulations as the committee may approve. No moneys shall be expended or obligated by the Director of the Senate Recording Studio or the Director of the Senate Photographic Studio until approval therefor has been obtained from the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. (f) The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives is authorized, subject to the approval of the committee, to appoint a Director of the House Recording Studio and such other employees as are deemed necessary to the operation of the House Recording Studio. (g) There is established in the Treasury of the United States, a revolving fund for the House Recording Studio for the purposes of administering the duties of that studio. There is also established in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund, within the contingent fund of the Senate, which shall be known as the “Senate Photographic Studio Revolving Fund”, for the purpose of administering the duties of the Senate Photographic Studio; and there is established in the Treasury of the United States, a revolving fund, within the contingent fund of the Senate, which shall be known as the “Senate Recording Studio Revolving Fund”, for the purpose of administering the duties of the Senate Recording Studio. (h) All moneys received by the House Recording Studio from Members of the House of Representatives for disk, film, or tape recordings, or from any other source, shall be deposited by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives in the revolving fund established for the House Recording Studio by the preceding paragraph; moneys in such fund shall be available for disbursement therefrom by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives for the care, maintenance, operation, and other expenses of the studio upon vouchers signed and approved in such manner as the committee shall prescribe. All moneys received by the Senate Recording Studio shall be deposited in the Senate Recording Studio Revolving Fund established by subsection (g) and all funds received by the Senate Photographic Studio shall be deposited in the Senate Photographic Studio Revolving Fund established by such subsection; moneys in the Senate Recording Studio Revolving Fund shall be available for disbursement therefrom upon vouchers signed by the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate for the care, maintenance, operation, and other expenses of the Senate Recording Studio, and moneys in the Senate Photographic Studio Revolving Fund shall be available for disbursement therefrom upon vouchers signed by the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate for the care, maintenance, operation, and other expenses of the Senate Photographic Studio. (1) As soon as practicable after June 27, 1956, but no later than September 30, 1956, the equity of the Joint Senate and House Recording Facility Revolving Fund shall be distributed equally to the Senate and House of Representatives on the basis of an audit to be made by the General Accounting Office. (2) The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall, subject to the approval of the committees mentioned in subsection (c) hereof, determine the assignment of existing studio facilities to the Senate and the House of Representatives, and also the existing equipment, materials and supplies to be transferred to the respective studios. The evaluation of equipment, materials and supplies transferred to each studio shall be on the basis of market value. Any other equipment, materials and supplies determined to be obsolete or not needed for the operation of the respective studio shall be disposed of to the best interest of the Government and the proceeds thereof deposited in the Joint Senate and House Recording Facility Revolving Fund. (3) Accounts receivable, which on the effective date of liquidation, are due from Members and committees of the Senate shall be transferred to the Senate Studio, and those due from Members and committees of the House of Representatives shall be transferred to the House Studio. (4) A sufficient reserve shall be set aside from the Joint Senate and House Recording Facility Revolving Fund to liquidate any outstanding accounts payable. (5) After appropriate adjustments for the value of assets assigned or transferred to the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, the balance in the Joint Senate and House Recording Facility Revolving Fund shall be distributed equally to the Senate and House of Representatives for deposit to the respective revolving funds authorized by this section. (j) Pending acquisition of the stock, supplies, materials, and equipment necessary to properly equip both studios, the present services and facilities shall be made available to both studios in order that each studio may carry out its duty. (k) No person shall be an officer or employee of the House Recording Studio, Senate Recording Studio, or Senate Photographic Studio while he is engaged in any other business, profession, occupation, or employment which involves the performance of duties which are similar to those which would be performed by him as such an officer or employee of such studio unless approved in writing by the committee in the case of the House Recording Studio and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration in the case of the Senate Recording Studio and the Senate Photographic Studio. (l) The Joint Recording Facility positions and salaries established pursuant to the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1948, and all subsequent Acts are abolished. (m) Effective with the completion of the transfer provided for by subsection (i) hereof the joint resolution entitled “Joint resolution establishing in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund within the contingent fund of the House of Representatives”, approved August 7, 1953, is repealed. (n) (o) Such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section are authorized to be appropriated.