Statement by the President

Today I have signed into law H.R. 2657, the "Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2004" for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and making emergency supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2003.

Section 103 of the Act establishes in the House of Representatives an Office of Interparliamentary Affairs. To ensure consistency with the President's constitutional authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs, the executive branch shall construe section 103 as assigning the Office functions limited to protocol and travel support for the House of Representatives.

Several provisions of the Act make specified changes in statements of managers of the House-Senate conference committees that accompanied various bills reported from conference that ultimately became laws. As with other committee materials, statements of managers accompanying a conference report do not have the force of law. Accordingly, although changes to these statements are directed by the terms of the statute, the statements themselves are not legally binding.

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