Contract for Legal Services

When the House General Counsel entered into a contract on April 25, 2011 for legal services, the House Office of General Counsel incurred an obligation of $500,000 against its appropriation for salaries and expenses. The House Chief Administrative Officer has advised us that there was an adequate unobligated balance to satisfy this obligation. Therefore, the General Counsel did not violate the Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C.1341(a), when he signed the contract. In addition, should the Office of General Counsel require additional funds to carry out its responsibilities during the remainder of fiscal year 2011, the House may utilize its authority under 2 U.S.C. 95b to transfer amounts to the Office of General Counsel's appropriation, as needed, in order to avoid any Antideficiency Act violations.