[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 520 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 520

To establish a Select Committee to Investigate CIA Involvement in Crack 
                     Cocaine Sales to Fund Contras.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 11, 1996

 Ms. Waters submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                         the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
To establish a Select Committee to Investigate CIA Involvement in Crack 
                     Cocaine Sales to Fund Contras.

    Resolved, 
    (a) There is established in the House of Representatives a select 
committee to be known as the Select Committee to Investigate CIA 
Involvement in Crack Cocaine Sales to Fund Contras (hereinafter 
referred to in this resolution as the ``select committee'').
    (b) The select committee shall be composed of 15 Members of the 
House to be appointed by the Speaker, one of whom he shall designate as 
chairman, and one of whom he shall designate as vice chairman. Any 
vacancy occurring in the membership of the select committee shall be 
filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
    (c) The select committee is authorized and directed to conduct a 
full and complete investigation and study, and to make such findings 
and recommendations to the House as the select committee deems 
appropriate, regarding the following matters:
            (1) Existence of Central Intelligence Agency files on 
        cocaine purchases and arms transfers to inner-city south 
        central Los Angeles residents.
            (2) Central Intelligence Agency employment of Danilo 
        Blandon and Edwin Menenses as informants.
            (3) Diversion or intended diversion of funds appropriated 
        by Congress for assistance to Nicaraguan contras or the sale of 
        crack cocaine for such purposes.
            (4) Any other matters deemed appropriate or germane to 
        either Central Intelligence Agency involvement in unauthorized 
        or illegal drug sales or the use of informants to provide 
        information on sale of crack cocaine to south central Los 
        Angeles residents.
    (d) One-third of the members of the select committee shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business other than the 
reporting of a matter, which shall require a majority of the committee 
to be actually present, except that the select committee may designate 
a lesser number, but not less than two, as a quorum for the purpose of 
holding hearings to take testimony. When a quorum for any particular 
purpose is present, general proxies may be counted for that purpose. 
The select committee may sit while the House is reading a measure for 
amendment under the five-minute rule. The rules of the House shall 
govern the select committee where not inconsistent with this 
resolution. The select committee shall adopt additional written rules, 
which shall be public, to govern its procedures, which shall not be 
inconsistent with this resolution or the rules of the House. Such rules 
may govern the conduct of the depositions, interviews, and hearings of 
the select committee, including the persons present.
    (e) The select committee is authorized to sit and act during the 
present Congress at such times and places within the United States, 
including any Commonwealth or possession thereof, or in any other 
country, whether the House is in session, has recessed, or has 
adjourned; to require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance and 
testimony of such witnesses, the furnishing of information by 
interrogatory, and the production of such books, records, 
correspondence, memoranda, papers, documents, calendars, recordings, 
data compilations from which information can be obtained, tangible 
objects, and other things and information of any kind as it deems 
necessary, including all intelligence materials however classified, 
White House materials, and materials pertaining to unvouchered 
expenditures or concerning communications interceptions or 
surveillance; and to obtain evidence in other appropriate countries 
with the cooperation of their governments. Unless otherwise determined 
by the select committee the chairman, upon consultation with the 
ranking minority member, or the select committee, shall authorize and 
issue subpoenas. Subpoenas shall be issued under the seal of the House 
and attested by the Clerk, and may be served by any persons designated 
by the chairman or any member. Provisions may be included in the rules 
and process of the select committee to prevent the disclosure of 
committee demands for information. The select committee may request 
investigations, reports, and other assistance from any agency of the 
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal 
Government.
    (f) The chairman, or in his absence the vice chairman, or in their 
absence a member designated by the chairman, shall preside at all 
meetings and hearings of the select committee. All meetings and 
hearings of the committee shall be conducted in open session, unless a 
majority of members of the select committee voting, there being in 
attendance the requisite number required for the purpose of hearings to 
take testimony, vote to close a meeting or hearing. Pursuant to rule 
XI(3)(f)(2), coverage of testimony of subpoenaed witnesses will be 
limited at their request, unless a majority of members of the select 
committee voting, there being in attendance the requisite number 
required for the conduct of business, vote otherwise.
    (g) The chairman, upon consultation with the ranking minority 
member, may employ and fix the compensation of such clerks, experts, 
consultants, technicians, attorneys, investigators, and clerical and 
stenographic assistants as it considers necessary to carry out the 
purposes of this resolution. No more than three such staff may receive 
compensation corresponding to Executive Level IV. The select committee 
shall be deemed a committee of the House for all purposes of law, 
including rule XI(2)(n), and sections 6005, 1505, and 1621 of title 18, 
section 192 of title 2, 1754(b)(1)(B)(ii) of title 22, and section 
734(a) of title 31, United States Code. The select committee may 
reimburse the members of its staff for travel, subsistence, and other 
necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of the duties 
vested in the select committee, other than expenses in connection with 
meetings of the select committee held in the District of Columbia. 
Staff of the House or joint committees, at the direction of their 
Members, committee chairmen, or the Speaker, as appropriate, and upon 
request of the select committee, may serve as associate staff to the 
select committee for designated purposes. Associate staff shall be 
deemed staff of the select committee to the extent necessary for those 
designated purposes.
    (h) Unless otherwise determined by the select committee the 
chairman, upon consultation with the ranking minority member, or the 
select committee, may authorize the taking of affidavits, and of 
depositions pursuant to notice or subpoena, by a Member or by 
designated staff, under oath administered by a Member or a person 
otherwise authorized by law to administer oaths. Deposition and 
affidavit testimony shall be deemed to have been taken in Washington, 
DC, before the select committee once filed there with the clerk of the 
committee for the committee's use. Unless otherwise directed by the 
committee, all depositions, affidavits, and other materials received in 
the investigation shall be considered nonpublic until received by the 
select committee, except that all such material shall, unless otherwise 
directed by the committee, be available for use by the Members of the 
select committee in open session.
    (i) The select committee shall be authorized to respond to any 
judicial or other process, or to make any applications to court, upon 
consultation with the Speaker consistent with rule L.
    (j) The select committee may submit to standing committees, 
including the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, specific 
matters within their jurisdiction, and may request that such committees 
pursue such matters further. Committees pursuing such requested 
inquiries may, in turn, receive the continuing assistance, consistent 
with the select committee's own jurisdiction, of the select committee's 
legal process, personnel, and records. Committees which pursue or have 
pursued inquiries, during the previous or current Congress, within the 
subjects of the select committee investigation shall furnish the select 
committee with copies of all testimony and documents.
    (k) The select committee shall provide other committees and Members 
of the House with access to information and proceedings, consistent 
with clause 7(c)(2) of rule XLVIII. However, the select committee may 
direct that particular matters or classes of matter shall not be made 
available to any person by its members, staff, or others, or may impose 
any other restriction. The select committee may require its staff to 
enter nondisclosure agreements, and its chairman, in consultation with 
the ranking minority member, may require others, such as counsel for 
witnesses, to do so. The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct may 
investigate any unauthorized disclosure of such classified information 
by a Member, officer, or employee of the House or other covered person 
upon request of the select committee. If, at the conclusion of its 
investigation, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct 
determines that there has been a significant unauthorized disclosure, 
it shall report its findings to the House and recommend appropriate 
sanctions for the Member, officer, employee, or other covered person 
consistent with clause 7(e) of rule XLVIII and any committee 
restriction, including nondisclosure agreements.
    (l) There shall be paid out of applicable accounts of the House 
such sums as may be necessary for the expenses of the select committee. 
Such payments shall be maid on vouchers signed by the chairman and 
approved in the manner directed by the Committee on House Oversight. 
Amounts made available under this subsection shall be expended in 
accordance with regulations prescribed by the Committee on House 
Oversight of the House.
    (m) The select committee shall report to the House the final 
results of its investigation and study as soon as practicable during 
the present Congress. Following the filing of its final report, it 
shall have one month before the authority herein shall expire in order 
to close its affairs, including provision of assistance to committees 
pursuing remaining inquiries, transmittal of records to other 
committees, and storage of its remaining records by the Clerk of the 
House, who may, as directed by the select committee, store records in 
secure facilities of the intelligence community pursuant to agreement 
retaining control of access by the House.
                                 <all>