S. 2257 — Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026

This section limits the availability of appropriations under this Act for the Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account to the fiscal year or fiscal years for which provided and requires any unexpended balances remaining after the end of such period to be returned to the Treasury in accordance with 2 U.S.C. 4107 for deficit reduction (or, if there is no federal budget deficit after such payments, to reduce the federal debt). (Thus, such balances may no longer be used to liquidate unpaid obligations from prior appropriations for the same general purpose, overriding current treatment under 2 U.S.C. 4107.)

This section amends the temporary delegation authority for the Secretaries of the Senate Conference of the Majority and the Conference of the Minority to transfer funds from their offices' appropriation account to the Senate contingent fund's "miscellaneous items" account (Sec. 104, Div. I, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021) by (1) expanding applicability to the 118th Congress and any subsequent Congress; (2) striking the period ending January 7, 2025; and (3) striking the limitation to fiscal years on or after January 3, 2023. (Thus, extends the authority indefinitely.)

This section authorizes the transfer of up to $10 million from amounts available under the Capitol Police heading in this Act to the Capitol Police—United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements account on September 30, 2026, with transferred funds remaining available through September 30, 2030, for reimbursements for mutual aid and related training (including under mutual aid agreements authorized by section 7302 of P.L. 108-458). Obligation of transferred funds is subject to notification to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the House Committee on Administration of the amount and purpose within 15 days of obligation.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated in this Act for the Architect of the Capitol from making incentive or award payments to contractors on contracts or programs that are behind schedule or over budget, unless the Architect or an agency designee determines that such deviations result from unforeseeable events, government-driven scope changes, or are not significant relative to the overall project or program.

This section limits the Library of Congress's obligational authority for reimbursable and revolving fund activities—which are funded from sources other than legislative branch appropriations—to $332,285,000 for FY2026.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated in this Act for the maintenance or care of private vehicles, except for emergency assistance and cleaning as provided under regulations relating to House parking facilities issued by the Committee on House Administration and Senate parking facilities issued by the Committee on Rules and Administration.

This section establishes the rates of compensation, designations for offices and positions appropriated for in this Act, official expenses of Members, officers, and committees of the Senate and House, and clerk hire for Senators and Representatives as permanent law, superseding the Legislative Pay Act of 1929 where different.

This section limits expenditures of appropriations under this Act for consulting services procured by contract under 5 U.S.C. §3109 (i.e., temporary or intermittent expert or consultant services exempt from competitive service appointment, classification, and pay rules) to contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public inspection, except as otherwise provided under existing law or an existing Executive order issued pursuant to existing law.

This section authorizes administrative expense funds of legislative branch entities participating in the Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council (LBFMC)—established by charter on March 26, 1996—to cover their allocated share of LBFMC costs, as determined by the LBFMC, with total shared costs not to exceed $2,000.

This section prohibits the transfer of funds appropriated by the Act to any other department, agency, or instrumentality of the U.S. government except as expressly authorized by the Act or any other appropriations Act.

This section prohibits the Architect of the Capitol from using funds provided in this Act to eliminate or restrict guided tours of the U.S. Capitol led by employees and interns of offices of Members of Congress and other House and Senate offices, except through regulations authorized by section 402(b)(8) of the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008 (2 U.S.C. 2242(b)(8)). It authorizes temporary suspension or restriction of such tours for security or related reasons at the direction of the Capitol Police Board (or the Architect with Board approval), to the same extent as tours led by the Architect.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to maintain or establish a computer network unless the network blocks the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography. Subsection (b) exempts from this prohibition funds necessary for federal, state, tribal, or local law enforcement agencies or other entities carrying out criminal investigations, prosecutions, adjudications, or other official government activities.

This section directs all agencies and offices funded by this Act that contract with food service providers to confer and coordinate with such providers, in consultation with disability advocacy groups, to eliminate or reduce plastic waste—including from plastic straws—explore the use of biodegradable items, and increase recycling and composting opportunities.

This section prohibits cost-of-living adjustments for Members of Congress during FY2026. (Thus, notwithstanding the automatic annual adjustment mechanism in 2 U.S.C. 4501—which ties congressional pay to Employment Cost Index increases capped at the General Schedule adjustment—salaries for Senators, House Members, Delegates, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, party leaders, and the Speaker remain unchanged in that fiscal year.)

This section expands the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rights and protections applied to covered congressional employees (i.e., most House and Senate staff, excluding interns) to include section 18D (29 U.S.C. 218d), enacted as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act. Section 18D requires employing offices to provide reasonable break time for nursing mothers to express breast milk for the first year after a child's birth and a private space (not a bathroom) shielded from view and free from intrusion.

This section provides additional emergency funding for Senate and Capitol Police security programs, as follows: (1) $18.5 million for Contingent Expenses of the Senate—Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, to remain available until expended, including $15 million for enhanced Member security and $3.5 million for the residential security system program, with transfer authority to related accounts and a requirement to submit a spending plan to the Senate Appropriations Committee; (2) $25 million for Capitol Police—United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements, to remain available through September 30, 2030, for mutual aid and related training subject to congressional notification; and (3) $1 million for Capitol Police—General Expenses, to remain available until expended, to support the Senate Sergeant at Arms residential security system program.