[House Document 109-120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
109th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 109-120
REQUEST FOR FY 2006 BUDGET AMENDMENTS
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
transmitting
A REQUEST FOR A FY 2006 FULLY OFFSET PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL
FUNDS FOR THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS ACCOUNT WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
June 29, 2006.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered
to be printed
The White House,
Washington, June 28, 2006.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: I ask the Congress to consider
expeditiously the enclosed fully offset FY 2006 request for the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to address the security of
personal information of veterans and service personnel.
I am requesting these additional resources for VA to cover
the increased costs to the VA information technology account in
FY 2006 as a result of providing credit monitoring and fraud
watch services for veterans and service members impacted by a
security breach that occurred on May 3, 2006. The total cost of
this effort, estimated to be $160.5 million in FY 2006, is
fully offset.
The details of these proposals are set forth in the
enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush.
[Estimate No. 8, 109th Congr., 2d Sess.]
Executive Office of the President,
Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC, June 28, 2006.
The President,
The White House.
Submitted for your consideration is a request for a FY 2006
fully offset proposal to provide additional funds for the
Information Technology Systems account within the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA). This request supplements the $1.214
billion already appropriated for FY 2006 information technology
costs.
VA plans to provide one year of credit monitoring and fraud
watch services to those veterans and service members whose
personal identifiable information was exposed as a result of
the theft of a personal laptop computer and external hard drive
of a VA employee. The total cost of this effort is estimated to
be $160.5 million in FY 2006. In addition to the new funding
requested in this transmittal, VA has identified $29 million of
excess FY 2006 funding in its General Operating Expenses that
will be transferred to the Information Technology Systems
account through existing transfer authority.
Your Administration is committed to ensuring the security
of the personal information of the veterans and service
personnel who may be affected by the security breach. The
offsets identified would not impact current operations and were
not expected to be obligated this year. The $131.5 million in
requested funding is fully offset by the proposals described
below and in more detail in the enclosures:
Reductions of unobligated balances to the Food
Stamp Employment and Training Program (-$20.0 million) and the
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program (-$40.0
million) in the Department of Agriculture that are in excess of
current requirements.
Cancellation of balances from the Health
Professions Student Loans program (-$6.7 million) in the
Department of Health and Human Services.
Cancellation of funds in the Responsible
Reintegration of Youthful Offenders program (-$49.1 million) in
the Department of Labor.
Reduction of unobligated balances in the Next
Generation High Speed Rail program (-$9.0 million) in the
Department of Transportation.
Cancellation of funds in the Bureau of Public Debt
(-$1.4 million) and the Internal Revenue Service (-$5.3
million) in the Department of the Treasury.
Recommendation
I have carefully reviewed these proposals and am satisfied
that they are necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the
heads of the affected agencies in recommending that you
transmit these proposals to the Congress.
Sincerely,
Rob Portman,
Director.
Enclosures.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Departmental Administration
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
For an additional amount for ``Information Technology
Systems,'' $131,500,000, to remain available until September
30, 2007.
The total estimated cost of providing credit monitoring and
fraud watch services to those veterans and service members
whose personal identifiable information was exposed as a result
of the theft of a personal laptop computer and external hard
drive of a Veterans Affairs (V A) employee is $160.5 million.
VA has identified $29.0 million in current funds within the
agency to partially cover the funds needed. This proposal would
provide the remaining $131.5 million needed, fully offset by
funds available in the Departments of Agriculture, Health and
Human Services, Labor, Transportation, and the Treasury.
Details regarding the offsets proposed are described in the
accompanying proposals.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service
TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR FARMERS
Of the unobligated balances available under this heading of
funds provided pursuant to section 298(a) of the Trade Act of
1974, as amended, $40,000,000 are canceled.
This proposal would cancel $40 million in unobligated
balances in the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers
program. These balances are in excess of current program
requirements.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
FOOD STAMP PROGRAM
Of the unobligated balances available under this heading of
funds provided pursuant to section 16(h)(1)(A) of the Food
Stamp Act of 1977, $20,000,000 are canceled.
This proposal would cancel $20 million in unobligated
prior-year balances in the Food Stamp Employment and Training
program. These balances are in excess of current program
requirements.
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Of the unobligated balances of the Health Professions
Student Loan program, authorized in subpart II, Federally
Supported Student Loan Funds, of title VII of the Public Health
Service Act, $6,700,000 are canceled.
This proposal would cancel $6.7 million in unobligated
balances in the Health Resources and Services account. These
funds represent collections of excess balances held by health
professions training institutions.
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Of the funds provided under this heading in Public Law 109-
149, $49,104,000 are cancelled.
This proposal would cancel $49.1 million provided for the
Responsible Reintegration of Youthful Offenders program in FY
2006, available for the period July 1, 2006, through June 30,
2007.
Responsible Reintegration of Youthful Offenders is a
narrow-purpose demonstration project that provides employment
and training services to ex-offenders under age 35. Although it
has been funded since 1998, the program has not demonstrated
employment outcomes. Services would be better provided through
the more comprehensive Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, which
would offer a range of job training, housing, and mentoring
services and harness the experience of faith-based and
community organizations.
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
NEXT GENERATION HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Of the unobligated balances available under this heading,
$9,000,000 are cancelled.
No funding was requested for this program in FY 2007. This
proposal would cancel a portion of unobligated balances in this
account and would not impact program operations.
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Bureau of Public Debt
ADMINISTERING THE PUBLIC DEBT
Of the unobligated balances available under this heading,
$1,400,000 are cancelled.
Section 511 of P.L. 108-477 makes 50 percent of unobligated
balances remaining available at the end of FY 2005 from this
account available through September 30, 2006, of which $1.4
million are proposed for cancellation and would not impact
program operations.
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
PROCESSING, ASSISTANCE, AND MANAGEMENT
Of the unobligated balances available under this heading,
$5,300,000 are cancelled.
Section 511 of P.L. 108-477 makes 50 percent of unobligated
balances remaining available at the end of FY 2005 from this
account available through September 30, 2006, of which $5.3
million are proposed for cancellation and would not impact
program operations.