Thank you, Mr. Hantman, for appearing today to discuss the operations of the office of the Architect of the Capitol.

The Architect of the Capitol is charged with the operation and maintenance of the buildings of the Capitol complex . This responsibility extends to a wide range of areas including perimeter security, Senate Restaurants, and Inaugural arrangements.

Needless to say, none of these responsibilities can be met in a successful manner without the dedicated service of the 2,000 men and women who work in the AoC organization. While resources and attention are devoted to mechanical and structural improvements of the Capitol complex, it is imperative that the human capital which is essential to get this done, is not overlooked.

In the past, and under past occupants of your office, the AoC has too often been reactive instead of pro-active. It is my hope and expectation that under your leadership, the office of the AoC will aggressively approach the issues of life safety, fire safety and human resources management. If this is to be achieved, employees can no longer be left grappling with vague guidelines on life safety and personnel issues. Instead, they need to be able to stand on firm policies. Senior management must recognize its role in this effort and stand accountable. In order to create a safe and healthy work environment free of recognized hazards and fear of retaliation, a communications strategy must be implemented so employees are aware of their rights and protections. And, a program must be developed to continuously measure progress toward this goal.

I was pleased to learn that you are making life safety your top priority and that you have increased staffing in that area. But staffing up is not enough. It will also require your personal involvement. To that end, I understand that you have recently participated in several meetings on these issues with members of the Rules Committee staff, and I applaud that effort, but more needs to be done.

Progress is being made and it is my sincere hope you will give this Committee your commitment to recognize the deficiencies that exist and pursue an aggressive strategic vision towards positive change.

In your spare time, you must contend with several floundering endeavors you inherited which together we are now tackling. Among them are the Senate Employees Child Care Center and the Senate Restaurants, where there has been an unprecedented reduction in treasury funds necessary to run the operation and it appears the positive trend will continue. Additionally, our offices are working closely to coordinate life and fire safety upgrades in the Capitol. Other projects under your purview include the Dirksen renovation which, I am pleased to note is on schedule. If it wasn't, I would never hear the end of it from my colleagues who suffer the disruption of dislocation.

While there is much more to be done, we must continue to work together. I look forward to hearing your testimony this morning and working with you on other projects, such as the Visitor Center.