The Committee recommends $8,000,000 for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the same as the comparable fiscal year 2001 level and the budget request. The Commission advises Congress on matters of physician and hospital reimbursement under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

The Committee provides $1,000,000 for the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, $495,000 below the comparable fiscal year 2001. The budget request did not include funding for the Commission. The Committee encourages the Commission to utilize this year's funding to complete ongoing projects.

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY

The bill provides $2,830,000 for the National Council on Disability (NCD), $215,000 above the fiscal year 2001 level and the same as the budget request. The Council monitors implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and makes recommendations to the President, the Congress, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research on public policy issues of concern to individuals with disabilities.

NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL

The Committee does not recommend funding for the National Education Goals Panel. The Panel was funded at $1,500,000 in fiscal year 2001 and the budget requested $2,000,000 for it in fiscal year 2002. the Panel was established in 1990 following the National Education Summit held in September 1989. The Committee notes that the Goals Panel has been repealed in H.R. 1, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

The bill provides $221,438,000 for the National Labor Relations Board, $5,000,000 more than the fiscal year 2001 level and the same as the budget request. The NLRB receives, investigates, and prosecutes unfair labor practice charges filed by businesses, labor unions, and individuals. It also schedules and conducts representation elections. The five-member Board considers cases in which administrative law judge decisions are appealed.

NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

The bill provides $10,635,000 for the National Mediation Board (NMB), $235,000 above the comparable fiscal year 2001 authority and the same as the budget request. The NMB mediates labor disputes between employees and railroad and airline carriers subject to the Railway Labor Act. The Board also resolves representation disputes involving labor organizations seeking to represent railroad or airline employees.

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

The bill provides $8,964,000 for the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), $244,000 above the fiscal year 2001 level and the same as the budget request. The Commission adjudicates contested citations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against employers for violations of safety and health standards. The Commission's administrative law judges settle and decide cases at the initial level of review. The agency's three appointed Commissioners also review cases, issue rulings on complicated issues, and may direct review of any decision by an administrative law judge.

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

DUAL BENEFITS ACCOUNT

The bill provides $146,000,000 for dual benefits, the same as the request and a reduction of $14,000,000 below the comparable fiscal year 2001 appropriation. These funds are used to pay dual benefits to those retirees receiving both railroad retirement and social security benefits. The bill includes a provision permitting a portion of these funds to be derived from income tax receipts on dual benefits as authorized by law. The Railroad Retirement Board estimates that approximately $9,000,000 may be derived in this manner.

FEDERAL PAYMENT TO THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

The bill provides $150,000 for the interest earned on unnegotiated checks, the same as the budget request and the comparable amount provided for fiscal year 2001.

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