Members of the House have been given the all-clear for spending their allowance on beefing up security in their home district offices. House Administration Committee Chairman Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) told his colleagues in a letter that they need no prior approval for expenditures up to $10,000.
Spending beyond the limit requires approval by the House Sergeant-at-Arms, as well as the selection of a company besides ADT Security Services, which is on the General Services Administration schedule.
A spokeswoman for House Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood told Roll Call that he is “precluded from endorsing any one company or product,” but that they “provide a standardized level of equipment and performance to all Members in all districts.”
Lungren opted for a security firm from his district in Sacramento, while others have used companies like Guardian Protection Services and Alliance Security Service.
ADT’s parent company, Tyco International, gave in excess of a quarter of a million dollars to Members of Congress in the 2010 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. ADT did not return Roll Call‘s request for comment.