[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 244 Laid on Table in House (LTH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 244

 To direct the Speaker to provide an appropriate remedy in response to 
        the use of a forged document at a subcommittee hearing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 1995

Ms. Slaughter submitted the following resolution; which was laid on the 
                                 table

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To direct the Speaker to provide an appropriate remedy in response to 
        the use of a forged document at a subcommittee hearing.

Whereas, on September 28, 1995, the Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, 
        Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs of the Committee on Government 
        Reform and Oversight held a hearing on political advocacy of Federal 
        grantees;

Whereas the president of the Alliance for Justice, a national association of 
        public interest and civil rights organizations, testified at that 
        hearing;

Whereas a document was placed upon the press table for distribution at the 
        hearing which contained the letterhead, including the name, address, 
        phone number, fax number, and E-mail address of the Alliance for 
        Justice, and the names of certain member organizations and the dollar 
        amounts of Federal grants they received;

Whereas, in her opening statement at the hearing, the president of the Alliance 
        for Justice identified the document as being forged and contained errors 
        and requested an explanation from the chairman of the subcommittee as to 
        the source of the document;

Whereas, in response, the chairman acknowledged that the document was created by 
        the subcommittee staff;

Whereas House Information Resources, at the request of the subcommittee staff, 
        prepared the forged document;

Whereas the document was prepared using official funds;

Whereas the chairman of the subcommittee acknowledged in a letter, dated 
        September 28, 1995, to the president of the Alliance for Justice that 
        ``the graphics, unfortunately, appeared to simulate the Alliance's 
        letterhead'';

Whereas the September 29, 1995, issue of the National Journal's Congress Daily 
        reported that Representative McIntosh's communications director said 
        that ``the letterhead was taken from a faxed document, scanned into 
        their computer system and altered''; and

Whereas questions continue to arise regarding the responsibility for preparation 
        of the forged document; the chairman of the subcommittee stated during 
        the hearing that he had no prior knowledge of the document's 
        preparation; the chairman later stated that the subcommittee staff 
        prepared the document; and other published reports suggested that 
        Chairman McIntosh's personal office staff prepared the document;

Whereas, on September 27, 1995, the Speaker expressed concern over the 
        distribution of unattributed documents and announced a policy requiring 
        that materials disseminated on the floor of the House must bear the name 
        of the Member authorizing their distribution;


Whereas Members and staff of the House have an obligation to ensure the proper 
        use of documents and other materials and exhibits prepared for use at 
        committee and subcommittee hearings and which are made available to 
        Members, the public or the press, and to ensure that the source of such 
        documents or other materials is not misrepresented;

Whereas committees and subcommittees should not create documents for use in 
        their proceedings that may give the impression that such documents were 
        created by other persons or organizations, as occurred at the September 
        28, 1995, hearing of the Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, 
        Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs; and

Whereas the dissemination of a forged document distorts the public record and 
        affects the ability of the House of Representatives, its committees, and 
        Members to perform their legislative functions, and constitutes a 
        violation of the integrity of committee proceedings which form a core of 
        the legislative process: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Speaker shall take such action as may be 
necessary to provide an appropriate remedy to ensure that the integrity 
of the legislative process is protected and shall report his actions 
and recommendations to the House.
                                 <all>