    [House Hearing, 114 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                  HOUSE OFFICER PRIORITIES FOR 2016 AND BEYOND

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the
                               COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
                                 ADMINISTRATION
                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        3ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                  JUNE 3, 2015

                                   __________

          Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                           Available on the Internet:
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                          U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
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                       COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

                     CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Chairman

    GREGG HARPER, Mississippi           ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
    RICHARD NUGENT, Florida              Ranking Minority Member
    RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois              ZOE LOFGREN, California
    BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia          JUAN VARGAS, California
    MARK WALKER, North Carolina

                               Professional Staff

                          Sean Moran, Staff Director

                         Kyle Anderson, Minority Staff Director

                  HOUSE OFFICER PRIORITIES FOR 2016 AND BEYOND

                                  ----------

                            WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015

                              House of Representatives,
                             Committee on House Administration,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 1:01 p.m., in Room
    1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller
    [chairman of the Committee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Nugent, Davis,
    Comstock, Walker, Brady, and Lofgren.
        Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; John Clocker,
    Deputy Staff Director; Bob Sensenbrenner, Deputy General
    Counsel; Reynold Schweickhardt, Director of Technology Policy;
    John L. Dickhaus, Legislative Clerk; Erin McCracken,
    Communications Director; Katie Ryan, Professional Staff; Brad
    Walvort, Professional Staff; Kyle Anderson, Minority Staff
    Director; Matt Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy Advisor; Khalil
    Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director/Director of Legislative
    Operations; Mike Harrison, Minority Chief Counsel; and Eddie
    Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk.
        The Chairman. I now call to order the Committee on House
    Administration for today's hearings on the operations and
    priorities of the House officers. The hearing record will
    remain open for 5 legislative days so that members might submit
    any materials that they wish to be included.
        When our Founding Fathers drafted our Constitution, the
    first institution of government that was created in Article I,
    Section 1, was the House of Representatives. Unlike the Senate,
    where Members can be appointed to vacancies, the Constitution
    requires that no Member shall serve in the House who has not
    been elected by the people, and each Member must stand for
    reelection every 2 years to make this body the closest to the
    people. That is why the House is known as the people's House.
        The last clause of Article I, Section 1, gives the House
    the power to choose our Speaker and other officers of the
    House. We are meeting today to hear from the officers of the
    House that were elected at the beginning of the 114th Congress
    about current House operations and priorities that each of the
    officers set forth to accomplish during this Congress, as well
    as in the years to come. The House officers are partners with
    us as we work for the American people to implement their agenda
    to move this great Nation forward.
        While our primary purpose as Members is to legislate and be
    the voice of our constituents, we also must, of course, be good
    stewards of the institution. The House officers are integral to
    meeting the daily and long-term needs of the Congress' work and
    the physical makeup of the institution itself. Each officer is
    sworn to do their very best to support the vital duties of this
    great legislative body.
        The House officers our Committee will hear from today are
    the Clerk of the House, Karen Haas; the House Sergeant at Arms,
    Paul Irving; and the Chief Administrative Officer, Ed Cassidy.
        For more than 200 years, since the First United States
    Congress met, our House officers have been asked to take on all
    kinds of duties to better support and improve the overall
    function of our institution. In 1789, Congress' first order of
    business was the election of its first Speaker. And its second
    order of business was the election of the first Clerk of the
    House.
        The Clerk of the House performs invaluable and essential
    duties that keep the legislative process in the House running
    smoothly. Her responsibilities include everything from
    processing introduced bills; to operating the electronic voting
    system; to transcribing floor and committee proceedings; and
    ultimately compiling and making available to the public all of
    the legislative proceedings and associated documents in both
    hardcopy and electronic formats as well.
        The Clerk serves as our official record keeper and
    protector of the House's collection of art, archives, and
    history. This responsibility requires great coordination,
    cooperation, and consultation with individual committees and
    certainly Members as well of the Office of the Historian and
    National Archives. The office works very diligently to make the
    legislative and historical records accessible to the public,
    not only now but in formats that will last even as technology
    evolves.
        Finally, the Clerk's Office is charged with carrying out
    the House's public disclosure responsibilities and does so
    through the operation and maintenance of the House's Financial
    Disclosure Filing System and the Lobbying Disclosure System.
    The Clerk's Office plays a vital role in the House's efforts to
    provide transparency in every action that we take and to ensure
    that both legislative and Member information is being
    accessible to the public. Docs.house.gov, which serves as an
    online one-stop shop for legislative information, is just one
    example of the efforts that the Clerk's Office undertakes.
        Our Committee looks forward to hearing from the Clerk on
    her priorities and planned improvements for both House
    operations and public access to legislative information.
        The position of Sergeant at Arms of the House was created 2
    weeks after the Clerk's position in 1789. The Sergeant at Arms
    is the chief law enforcement and protocol officer in the House
    and is charged with securing and keeping order within the
    Chamber. Duties of the position include all manner of security
    issues ranging from overseeing the House floor; to ensuring
    that the proper identification is issued, both to Members and
    to staff; to coordinating with other law enforcement and
    security agencies to monitor potential threats to Members of
    Congress and the complex here in the Capitol.
        The Sergeant at Arms manages state visits, including
    responsibilities related to security when the President or
    other dignitaries visit during joint sessions. The Sergeant at
    Arms develops protocols and programs to keep Members, staff,
    and visitors safe in any potentially dangerous event, and
    ensures that the Congress can accomplish its legislative work
    in a safe environment and in full view of the American public.
        Mr. Irving serves as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police
    Board, responsible for policy oversight over the U.S. Capitol
    Police. Just last week, this Committee, as you know, Paul,
    heard from the Chief of Police. We certainly look forward to
    your perspective as well on current procedures and future
    improvements to both our campus and district office security as
    well.
        The Chief Administrative Officer position, often
    abbreviated as CAO, which is what we are going to refer to it
    here, was established in 1995 at the beginning of the 104th
    Congress. The CAO is responsible for providing administrative,
    financial, and technical support of the entire House. This
    office is also charged with managing the House's computer
    system and technology infrastructure; finances; human
    resources; procurement; budgeting; staff training; and is
    ultimately responsible with properly outfitting offices, both
    here in D.C. as well as in the districts, so that each can run
    at its maximum efficiency. And of particular note, the CAO
    manages the House finances, making sure that the House pays its
    bills on time and keeps good track of the funds and assets
    entrusted to us by the taxpayers.
        Also, the CAO runs the House cybersecurity program. We are
    going to be interested to hear how the House must continue
    certainly to evolve our cyber posture to manage emerging
    threats.
        Additionally, the CAO plays a major role in providing
    logistic support for the House offices by running the House
    supply store, managing our concessionaire contracts, and
    provisioning furniture as well. Because of that broad logistics
    role, the CAO is very engaged in the Cannon renovation. I am
    sure we will be hearing something about that as well and their
    coordinated efforts with the Architect of the Capitol's Office
    on that project.
        The CAO also provides a number of unique services that are
    critical to House operations. The House Recording Studio, a
    business unit within the CAO, provides public access to the
    House floor and committee proceedings. The office supports the
    media galleries, ensuring open and accessible coverage of the
    House.
        Finally, the CAO also supports the House's Wounded Warrior
    Program, which provides Members access to a remarkable group of
    veterans who are continuing their service to our country.
        Again, each House officer is integral to furthering
    effective governance while protecting taxpayers' dollars and we
    are very, very interested in hearing from all of them because
    good policies provide for effective and accountable government.
    Together, the House continues to work on ways that we can all
    prioritize our resources and rein in costs; all while we uphold
    our commitment to increase the level of transparency,
    accountability, and public access to our operations for many
    years to come.
        So I want to thank all of the witnesses for appearing here
    today.
        I would now recognize our ranking member.
        Mr. Brady. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        I would like to join with my friend Chairman Miller in
    welcoming our witnesses today. As you know, the Committee on
    House Administration has jurisdiction over the administration
    and operation of this institution. And your respective
    organizations, along with the House Superintendent, in many
    ways form the operational backbone of the House.
        You have been entrusted with ensuring the safety and
    security of visitors, Members, and staff; maintaining integrity
    of our legislative system; and making sure that our bills are
    paid. And for that, we are most appreciative.
        I would be remiss if I did not specifically mention the
    dedication and invaluable service of the people in your
    respective organizations. Their contributions often go
    unrecognized, but I am sure that you would agree that you could
    not succeed without them, nor could this House.
        I look forward to hearing your testimony.
        But I would like to make one note, Madam Chair, that I am
    looking at the Honorable Ed Cassidy sitting up there at the
    front of the desk, and for years, he was back in that corner.
    And I don't know who the hell he was watching, me or you, but
    he was watching somebody. But we got you right now. Now we are
    watching you, sir. Thank you.
        The Chairman. I thank the gentleman.
        Let me give a very quick, more formal introduction of our
    three testifiers.
        We will start with the Clerk. Karen Haas was sworn in as
    the Clerk of the House of Representatives on January 5, 2011.
    This is her second occupancy of this position, having
    previously served as the House Clerk from 2005 to 2007. She has
    a very strong working knowledge of the House, as she served on
    Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer, a floor assistant to a
    former Speaker, and a staff director for a House committee.
        Paul Irving was sworn in as the Sergeant at Arms of the
    U.S. House of Representatives on January 17, 2012, during the
    second session of the 112th Congress. He is the 36th person to
    hold this position since 1789. Previously, he served as an
    assistant director of the U.S. Secret Service from 2001 to 2008
    and served as a special agent with the Secret Service for 25
    years.
        Ed Cassidy was elected to the post of CAO in January of
    2014. Prior to serving as the CAO, Mr. Cassidy worked for 7
    years as a senior leadership aide to Speaker Boehner, most
    recently as Director of House Operations. He has served more
    than three decades in Federal Government service, largely here
    in this House but also in the executive branch.
        Again, we welcome you all and look forward to your
    testimony.
        With that, the chair would recognize the Honorable Karen
    Haas.

    STATEMENTS OF THE HONORABLE KAREN L. HAAS, CLERK, UNITED STATES
        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; THE HONORABLE PAUL D. IRVING,
     SERGEANT AT ARMS, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; AND
    THE HONORABLE ED CASSIDY, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, UNITED
                    STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE KAREN L. HAAS

        Ms. Haas. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Brady, Members of
    the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before
    the committee today regarding the priorities of the Office of
    the Clerk for the upcoming year.
        As you know, my staff and I routinely meet with your
    committee staff, and we appreciate the support and feedback
    that we receive. To a large extent, the core responsibilities
    of the Clerk's Office remain constant from year to year. Our
    office is charged with supporting the legislative operations of
    the House and its committees, preserving and protecting the
    heritage of the House, and providing numerous public disclosure
    services.
        While our core responsibilities remain fairly constant, the
    manner in which we perform our work requires regular review to
    ensure that we are taking advantage of rapidly evolving
    technology that can improve the timeliness, accuracy,
    transparency, and public accessibility of our work product.
        One of the Clerk's most important responsibilities is
    recording, tallying, and publicly disclosing our floor votes
    cast in the House of Representatives. During the coming year,
    we will implement the next phase in a multiyear process of
    updating the electronic voting system used by the House. Our
    next step is to update the voting stations throughout the
    Chamber. We will replace our voting boxes and related wiring
    and will upgrade Member voting cards to be compatible with
    improved technology. In addition, we will also make plans to
    enhance the disclosure of vote results that the Clerk's Office
    makes publicly available online.
        We will also be working on a number of improvements to the
    Clerk's Web site in the coming year. We are focusing our
    redesign efforts on making information we provide on House
    floor activity more prominent and user-friendly for both
    internal users and the public that relies on our office to
    provide accurate, timely, and official information on the
    legislative activity of the House. We hope to deploy a fully
    redesigned site by the end of next year.
        The Clerk's Office also provides numerous legislative
    support services for our House committees. In the coming year,
    we will continue to work with this committee on your project to
    streamline and standardize the process for producing committee
    hearing reports.
        Management of official House records is also an important
    responsibility of our office. We will continue to work closely
    with the National Archives as they develop a plan to ensure
    that there is adequate and sufficient space to preserve House
    and Senate records in Washington in the medium and long term.
    Our goal is to ensure that congressional records continue to be
    archived in a manner that allows committees to access their
    records in a timely manner and to make House records publicly
    available for research, pursuant to House rules.
        We will continue to work closely with the House Historian
    as he writes a history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
    in Congress. This project was commissioned by the House and
    builds on the already published works on Black Americans in
    Congress, Women in Congress, and Hispanic Americans in
    Congress.
        We are also in the process of redesigning and enhancing the
    ``Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress,'' which provides
    historical information on every Member who has served. We have
    completed the requirements phase on the upgrade to the bioguide
    Web site, and we will move into the design and development
    phase when resources permit.
        Finally, the Clerk's Office is charged with administering a
    number of public disclosure requirements. Following passage of
    the STOCK Act in 2012, we undertook the design and development
    of the electronic filing system for all Financial Disclosure
    Statements and Periodic Transaction Reports. In May, we
    completed the second cycle in which the electronic filing
    system was available. We are pleased to deploy several
    improvements to the system, including the ability for filers to
    import information from previous electronic filings. In the
    upcoming year, we will provide technical assistance to the
    Committee on Ethics with its internal review system and
    continue to use feedback we receive from users to improve the
    system.
        Lastly, it is important to note that we depend on the
    professionalism, skill, and dedication of our staff as we carry
    out the roles in supporting the legislative operation of the
    House. In the Clerk's Office, we are fortunate to have many
    employees with decades of service, and their institutional
    knowledge is invaluable. We recognize the need to continue to
    provide professional development and cross-training
    opportunities.
        Our staff is also well positioned to provide training to
    House employees concerning research and record management,
    among other topics. We look forward to continuing those efforts
    with the CAO through the House Learning Center.
        Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
        [The statement of Ms. Haas follows:]

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        The Chairman. Thank you so very much.
        The chair now recognizes Paul Irving. We are going to ask
    you to keep to 5 minutes since we are in a vote series here.

               STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE PAUL D. IRVING

        Mr. Irving. I will. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Good afternoon, Chairman Miller, Mr. Brady, and members of
    the Committee. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to appear to
    before you today to discuss the Sergeant at Arms' priorities
    for 2016 and beyond. I look forward to continuing to work
    closely with you and other members of the Committee throughout
    the 114th Congress.
        As the Committee is aware, as the chief law enforcement
    officer of the House, I am responsible for directing all
    security matters which relate to the House of Representatives.
    Together with the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of
    the Capitol, I serve as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police
    Board, which oversees the Capitol Police as well as establishes
    policies and guidelines which safeguard the Capitol complex and
    its occupants.
        I also work very closely with the other officers of the
    House, Karen Haas and Ed Cassidy.
        In the security arena, I devote considerable time to a host
    of ongoing priorities to ensure the safety of Members, their
    staff, and visitors to the House of Representatives. These
    priorities include threat and intelligence monitoring and
    analysis by reviewing all threats and intelligence directed to
    Members of the House of Representatives in Washington, in their
    district offices, or wherever they may be. I monitor events on
    the Capitol complex, such as demonstration activity, committee
    hearings, head of state visits, and major events taking place
    on the complex.
        Congressional delegations, or codels, are also monitored to
    ensure that the military and the Department of State provide
    adequate security in country. I monitor and review all security
    plans for Member-sponsored events off the Capitol complex,
    where Members and leadership may gather. And, of course, we
    ensure the security posture is maintained daily during each and
    every activity in the House of Representatives.
        Although I have submitted a more comprehensive testimony
    for the record with regard to our major ongoing initiatives for
    fiscal year 2016, I would like to mention a few of them
    briefly. One of our top priorities is airspace security. We are
    working closely with the Department of Defense, Department of
    Transportation, and Department of Homeland Security to ensure
    we have the most efficient and robust early detection,
    identification, and warning systems.
        With regard to garage security, we are working toward 100-
    percent screening of all those who enter our House office
    buildings. We are also working on an initiative to safeguard
    our Chamber Galleries to ensure that all searches are conducted
    to prevent any potential disruption to those Galleries.
        Another important project that will utilize no additional
    manpower is the relocation of our appointments desks to ensure
    that all those entering the Capitol are vetted.
        Working in conjunction with the Capitol Police Board and
    members of the Capitol Police, our camera security initiative
    will ensure that all coverage of the exterior of the Capitol is
    taken care of by the end of this fiscal year.
        To enhance district office security, we are in the process
    of offering mail hoods to district offices so that district
    staff can open mail safely and securely in the confines of
    their own offices, and we are working toward enhancing
    literature and tools available through our Law Enforcement
    Coordinator Program. To further improve our response to
    emergencies on the Capitol complex, we are continuing to
    promote the importance of our office Emergency Coordinator
    Program and encourage every Member office to partake in that
    program.
        Aside from long-term initiatives, some of the areas that we
    are focusing on this year have been the State of the Union
    Address, several Gold Medal ceremonies, eight visits by heads
    of state, four joint meetings of Congress in the House Chamber,
    and the recent Memorial Day concert.
        There are a number of major events this year for which
    planning is underway. Primarily, the Speaker has extended an
    invitation to the Pope to address a joint meeting of Congress
    on September 24. This is the first such address delivered by a
    pontiff to Congress.
        In my role as a member of the Capitol Police Board, I spend
    considerable time attending to duties associated with oversight
    of the U.S. Capitol Police. This includes the protection,
    security, intelligence and threat assessment, counterterrorism,
    and emergency response and preparedness functions of the
    Capitol Police. This includes life-safety assessment and
    recovery relating to the continuity of Congress and the
    protection of individuals in the Capitol complex.
        I want to assure the Committee that I work very closely
    with the members of the Capitol Police Board, the Chief of
    Police, and his staff. And, of course, I report to you,
    leadership, and this committee on these critical issues so
    vital to the safety and security of all those Members, staff,
    and visitors to the House of Representatives.
        In closing, I would like to thank the Committee for the
    opportunity to appear before you to discuss some of my
    priorities for the current year, fiscal year 2016, and beyond.
    As always, I want to assure you of my deep commitment and that
    of everyone in my office of providing the finest possible
    service to the House of Representatives, while maintaining a
    safe and security environment for all.
        As noted, I have submitted my full testimony for the
    record. I will continue to keep the committee informed of my
    activities, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may
    have.
        [The statement of Mr. Irving follows:]

     [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        The Chairman. Thank you very much.
        Mr. Cassidy.

                 STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ED CASSIDY

        Mr. Cassidy. Thank you, Chairman Miller, Ranking Member
    Brady, Congressman Harper, Ms. Lofgren.
        It is a real privilege today to join the Committee for this
    discussion of the priorities that we face together in fiscal
    year 2016. It is a special privilege to be here representing
    the hundreds of dedicated men and women professionals who serve
    in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.
        As the principal manager of House finances, information
    technology, physical property and equipment, and a wide range
    of other administrative and support services, the men and women
    in the Chief Administrative Office continually strive to carry
    out efficiently and effectively our wide range of
    responsibilities. And that imperative will grow even more
    compelling this year as the CAO launches costly but absolutely
    critical initiatives in cybersecurity, asset management, and a
    number of others that I would be happy to discuss with the
    committee.
        In the interest of time, however, and recognizing that
    votes have been ordered over in the House Chamber, I will
    suspend at this point and look forward to discussing those
    issues in detail with the committee or in the questions and
    answers.
        [The statement of Mr. Cassidy follows:]

     [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        The Chairman. Thank you very much.
        I really appreciate that.
        Before we adjourn here--and we will reconvene right after
    votes--let me just say that the purpose of this hearing was to
    provide for our due diligence with oversight, but really, in
    the most part the driving impetus for me was to be able to
    demonstrate how efficiently and effectively this House is being
    run and what a great team of House officers the Speaker has
    appointed for this Congress.
        In the Clerk's Office, the transparency and the different
    things that you have done there are just remarkable I think.
        Certainly, Mr. Irving, to be able to look at the challenges
    that our Nation is facing here on this campus and to be so safe
    and secure is, again, just a mark of yourself and your entire
    time.
        Mr. Cassidy, of course, we just came through a clean audit.
    I know there are other things that the media wants to write
    about here sometimes, but that is a wonderful, wonderful
    achievement that that has happened with your team and working
    together with everyone.
        So I look forward to really helping to amplify what I think
    is an extremely positive team of House officers and the
    remarkable work that is happening here.
        At this time, I would recess the hearing. The Committee
    will reconvene right after the vote series.
        [Recess.]
        The Chairman. Okay. We will reconvene the Committee on
    House Administration and continue the hearing on the House
    officers. A quorum is present, so we can proceed.
        Clerk Haas, I think I will start right in with you.
        Ms. Haas. Okay.
        The Chairman. I appreciated very much and was interested in
    your testimony about the electronic voting system, which
    obviously we all have a huge interest in. Maybe you could just
    flesh out for us a bit about the system and some of the
    challenges that you are facing. I know that we had a little bit
    of a chat about how some of the technology is new, and some of
    it is old. What are some of the various problems that you are
    looking at there and what do you think you need to do and how
    we can be of assistance with that? Obviously, we can't have any
    incidents there.
        Ms. Haas. I appreciate that. We have been in a multiyear
    process of updating the electronic voting system. In 2009 and
    2010, the summary boards and the main display boards were
    upgraded.
        What we have discovered is, you know, one of the last
    pieces on the floor to be upgraded are the voting stations
    themselves as well as the wiring. So we are undertaking a
    project to update both the wiring and the voting stations. We
    have started that process. We expect to be able to begin
    testing in August of next year.
        As part of that, we will also be upgrading the cards, the
    voting cards that Members use, the technology. And the current
    cards are quite old. So it is an opportunity for us to look at
    new technologies and other potential ways that we can use those
    cards.
        So we are beginning the process now. As I mentioned, we
    expect to be able to test in August of next year and then would
    deploy at the end of the Congress or the beginning of the new
    Congress. But that will be in coordination with this committee
    and with leadership.
        The Chairman. You know, I guess, just as Members, we have
    all gotten used to wherever the voting stations are at. So I
    don't know if you have any plans to move those. Every time we
    have a series of 2-minute votes, I sometimes think it would be
    good to have a voting station in the middle of some of those
    rows, but I don't know if that is even possible.
        Ms. Haas. So, currently, under our current situation, it is
    not possible. We are maxed out. We have 46 stations throughout
    the Chamber. With this new upgrade, we will be able to have
    that option if leadership decides they would like additional
    stations. That is something that has been coordinated over the
    years with leadership on both sides of the aisle. So we are
    open to providing additional stations if that is what the
    decision is.
        The Chairman. Okay. Very good.
        To the Sergeant at Arms, I would like to ask you a little
    bit about a hearing we had a couple of weeks ago with Chief
    Dine. One of the things that all the Members were interested in
    was the gyrocopter incident. I guess I would just ask you, do
    you have any lessons learned that you have been participating
    in since that time of how we can better protect the campus
    here?
        One of the things, I am not sure if I am advocating for
    this, but I did ask the Chief about it, and here I think I am
    putting my Homeland Security hat on, but if you look along the
    southern border and the way that we have been able to utilize,
    actually, in some cases surplus DOD goods that have been
    particularly effective at border security with the eye in the
    sky. As I say, I don't think I am advocating for some of the
    blimps or other equipment, the dirigibles that you can see, but
    some of the UAVs that they have available now, the VADERs, et
    cetera, are incredibly effective. I am not sure, again, whether
    that is something that could be utilized here, but perhaps.
    What is your thought on equipment like that?
        Mr. Irving. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        Yes, as a matter of fact, even before the gyro incident,
    which obviously generated a fair amount of attention here, we
    were looking at the airspace security. It was a pretty
    aggressive initiative to improve some of the gaps that we have.
    We will have to get into more of a classified session to get
    into some of that. But that was a priority for us. We work very
    closely with the Department of Defense, Department of
    Transportation, and Homeland Security with some continuing
    efforts in that endeavor. There will be a couple more things
    coming online, again, which I will allude to in a classified
    briefing.
        I want the Committee to be aware of the fact that the
    Capitol Police Board and the Capitol Police are looking at this
    and working very closely with Defense and the other executive
    branch agencies on this issue.
        You raise an excellent point in terms of the southwest
    border. There are systems in place down there that we are very
    well aware of. It is a different pattern here in a congested
    urban environment versus something that is a little less
    congested. So there are more challenges to airspace security in
    this national capital region. Having said that, we have some
    countermeasures in place, and we will have some additional ones
    in the not too distant future.
        I want to assure you that the couple of themes, here, from
    the perspective of airspace security, which is the early
    identification and warning, we are working aggressively on
    that. In terms of the Capitol Police's ability to conduct
    certain countermeasures, their weapons and use-of-force policy,
    that is a separate issue which we have also addressed. Again,
    we can get into that in more detail in a classified session.
        We also have not only the low and slow aircraft but also
    the drone issue. That is another facet of this that we are also
    working on. We also have some classified systems in place that
    we can chat about further.
        I want to assure the committee that the Capitol Police
    Board, Capitol Police were aggressively working this with our
    partners in military and other executive branch agencies.
        The Chairman. You know, since you mention the Capitol
    Police Board, let me just ask a question. If you don't want to
    answer it, you don't have to. Maybe I am just making a comment
    here, but I am looking at the construct of the Capitol Police
    Board, which has been in place for 150 years; and maybe it made
    sense then. I am not sure that it does right now. So you have
    yourself, then your Senate counterpart, and then the Architect
    of the Capitol on the police board.
        I just think from a management wiring diagram, if you will,
    organizational chart, I am not sure that serves us as well as
    perhaps it should. So I am almost throwing this out to the
    other members of the Committee to contemplate that. I don't
    know if you have any comment about that, or since you sit on
    the police board you would rather not say. I totally
    understand, but I personally have a little bit of consternation
    about whether or not it is the best system.
        Mr. Irving. I certainly feel free to comment on it if you
    like, Madam Chair. I speak to Kim Dine on a daily basis on
    issues relating to House-wide interests, security and protocol
    interests. The Senate Sergeant at Arms does the same relative
    to the Senate. But the Senate Sergeant at Arms and I deal with
    Kim Dine, again, on a daily basis relative to security for the
    entire complex. And I think it is a good dynamic, the
    relationship that I have with the Senate Sergeant at Arms to
    deal with security campuswide. As you know, we have the Pope
    coming, joint visits, State of the Union, inaugurations, events
    that require campuswide security protocols. We have a lot of
    initiatives that are ongoing now that are campuswide, so I work
    very, very closely with the Senate Sergeant at Arms. But I also
    filter many, many, many comments, requests, concerns from
    Members, House Members, to the Chief so that his phone is not
    ringing from every Member. He will come to me. I will speak to
    them about it. I will express those concerns to the Chief.
        I really want to assure the committee that the Capitol
    Police Board does exert robust oversight on the Chief. We are
    with him each and every day. I know that there has been a
    number of things in the media lately that cause concern. But we
    have talked to the Chief before a lot of these issues became
    public and certainly afterwards. And aside from, obviously,
    both Sergeants at Arms, the Architect of the Capitol is a
    critical component because a lot of the security initiatives
    that we want to put in place deal with the infrastructure of
    the Capitol and the office buildings. And the Architect has,
    obviously, jurisdiction over that. I would say it is a pretty
    good construct, but again, I am on the Board.
        The Chairman. Okay. I appreciate that.
        The chair recognizes our ranking member.
        Mr. Brady. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        The luxury you have of asking a question behind you is that
    I don't have to ask any because great minds think alike. You
    would ask the questions that I would ask, and you already
    answered them.
        But I want to say thank you to the Clerk and to the
    Sergeant at Arms and to the Chief Administrative Officer
    because I know you have a tough job dealing with our egos, 435
    of us, you know. I appreciate the job that you do. I appreciate
    the courtesy you show us on the floor every time we are there,
    which we are always there every day.
        Sergeant at Arms, thank you for being informative. You
    know, we don't get that much from the Chief. We have expressed
    that. But you always keep us informed of what is going on every
    second, every minute. And we do appreciate that. And I know
    that will continue. We thank you for that.
        And to the Chief Administrative Officer, thank you, you
    have been a friend for a lot of years. Thanks for what you do.
    And, again, dealing with all the egos that you have to deal
    with.
        The only question I would have is we are your oversight
    committee, so if there is anything you need us to do to make
    your job a little easier because when your job becomes easier,
    nobody comes and complains to us and causes us any problems. So
    is there anything you think that we need to do, whether it be
    right here now or anywhere on the floor? I see you always on
    the floor. You know where my office is. You just come to us,
    and whatever we can make it easier for you because I know it is
    tough enough, again, dealing with us, dealing with the egos
    that you have to deal with. So thank you, again, for all of you
    being here.
        Mr. Irving. Thank you. We appreciate very much your
    support.
        The Chairman. Mr. Harper.
        Mr. Harper. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        And thanks to each of you for the great work that you do.
    Unlike many entities that we might provide some oversight on,
    we have firsthand knowledge of what you do. And we appreciate
    the hard work. And what you do is not really--it is certainly
    not partisan. It is really not bipartisan. It is nonpartisan.
    And you make this place function very well. So we thank you for
    that. But we all want to do the very best we can, whatever that
    role is.
        And, you know, as a person who occupies an office in
    Cannon, we would obviously wish that we weren't going through
    that process.
        Mr. Cassidy, that is an incredible undertaking, past due,
    as you know, but coming along very nicely, a long process. But
    you have so much to deal with, each of you. And it is just one
    of the buildings that you have responsibility for.
        And but I want to say to, first, you, Mr. Cassidy,
    congratulations on the audit. That is not an easy
    accomplishment. Can you share a little bit of background on
    that for us on how that worked and your comments on that?
        Mr. Cassidy. Certainly, Mr. Harper. And thank you very much
    for those kind words.
        As was mentioned by the chairman in her opening remarks,
    the House recently received its 17th consecutive clean audit.
    These audits occur every year. They are conducted by an outside
    private auditing firm, a CPA firm. That firm is contracted for
    not by us but by the Inspector General of the House. And it is
    essentially a review of the House's financial managers. I don't
    know that it is unprecedented across the government, but
    certainly nowhere else in the legislative branch and nowhere in
    the executive branch of which I am aware--not even the Senate
    gets independent outside audits of its financial statements.
    But the House does.
        It is a very worthwhile exercise. It raises the confidence,
    we hope, of Members and the citizens you represent that the
    funds entrusted to the United States House of Representatives
    are spent effectively and efficiently and appropriately.
        And this audit, if you will, as any of you who have been in
    business know how daunting it can be to be audited by anybody.
    I had hundreds of auditors working for me in the executive
    branch, and I got a nonstop stream of calls from CEOs and other
    corporate officials complaining about the enthusiasm of our
    auditors.
        Our folks are on the other side of that. You know, our
    financial managers under the Chief Financial Officer of the
    House, Traci Beaubian, who is with me here today, they are on
    the receiving end of this annual financial audit. The audit is
    a report card, if you will. And Traci and her team welcome the
    opportunity to test themselves against the highest generally
    accepted accounting principles. And they welcome the fact that
    each and every year, those auditors, no surprise to any of you
    who have been audited, they find areas that can be improved.
        And as the chairman of this committee likes to say, the
    biggest room in any house is the room for improvement. Our
    financial staff, our accountants, our financial managers relish
    the opportunity not only to be tested against those standards
    but to have outside independent eyes point out areas where we
    can improve. And each and every year, our processes do improve
    as a direct result of that audit.
        I would be happy to talk later about some examples of that,
    the most current of which would be our Asset Management Reform
    Project that is underway right now.
        But I appreciate the kind words. Our folks live and breathe
    that about 9 months out of every year. And it is always a huge
    sigh of relief when we get that report. And this year's report
    was more encouraging than any in recent memory. So thank you.
        Mr. Harper. Congratulations. And to the team,
    congratulations.
        Mr. Irving, thank you for your hard work, your dedication.
    And it is a lot, and a great responsibility that you have to
    look at the safety of our Capitol complex and things that are
    there. But I would like to talk for just a moment, I only have
    just a little bit of time left, about the security needs in our
    district offices. I think there are over 800 district offices
    across the country and in the Territories. And so those are
    things that, you know, we all have concerns about. And I know I
    have discussed those with you in the past. I know the mail
    hoods have been discussed in the district offices. Can you just
    share a little bit about what you see is the things that we can
    do to improve our security in the district offices?
        Mr. Irving. Thank you very much, Congressman.
        I appreciate your kind words again. The district offices
    are certainly a challenge because as you indicate, there are
    over 800, actually over 900. We need to maintain relationships
    with each and every one of them. We can't be everywhere. So we
    have a robust program, the Law Enforcement Coordinator Program,
    whereby we ask staff in each district office to appoint someone
    to work with my office, to work liaison with local law
    enforcement.
        Any time a Member is going to make an appearance or do
    something in their district that could raise a certain profile,
    we like to ensure local law enforcement is apprised of that.
    District office security is critical. Resident security is
    critical. So we would like Law Enforcement Coordinators to
    contact our office. And we provide them guidance on a daily
    basis. We give them checklists, we give them tools that they
    may need to ensure that those district offices and the Members
    are as safe as possible.
        Mr. Harper. And I know for us and for you, threat
    assessment is always an ongoing situation because----
        Mr. Irving. Yes.
        Mr. Harper. Some are legitimate, some are not. And I know
    that is a difficult thing. But I want to say thank you for the
    job your office does. It works very well I know with our office
    for sure and others that I hear.
        And my time is up, so I yield back.
        Mr. Irving. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
        The Chairman. Mr. Nugent.
        Mr. Nugent. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        And I appreciate you all, your service to this country and
    to the House of Representatives in particular. You all have
    unique and different responsibilities.
        But I really want to talk to our Sergeant at Arms. I
    appreciate you coming up in our meeting yesterday. It was very
    enlightening in regard to the discussion as it relates to the
    Capitol Police. And you know my background in law enforcement.
    And I want to make sure that the Capitol Police Board has the
    authority and has the ability to do what they need to do, but
    more importantly, I want to make sure that the Chief of Police
    is accountable to you all and through oversight of this
    committee to make sure that we get the best of the best. You
    know, I think that and what I worry about in my conversations
    with some of the officers is that they feel underappreciated.
    You know, they are not security guards; they are Capitol
    Police. And it is a huge responsibility to keep this campus and
    all the Members safe. And I know we are on the same page when
    it comes to that.
        But all I can do is encourage the Capitol Police Board to
    make sure that they hold the Chief of Police accountable
    because we talked about a numerous number of issues yesterday,
    everything from, you know, training, experience, the things
    that are important to the rank and file because, you know, they
    want to do a great job. Most of our police officers across this
    country and, more importantly, right here in the Capitol,
    really want to do a good job. And they want to be proud of the
    job that they do. They want to be proud of the agency they
    serve with and those that serve with them.
        So we need to do everything, and I think the chairman is on
    the right track by holding the meeting that we had with the
    Chief last week or the week before, I guess. It all runs
    together, Madam Chair. But it is really important to us because
    we are the community. The Members are the community that they
    are sworn to protect. Obviously, the citizens that come to the
    Capitol, but we are the constituency, and we want to make sure
    that we have a voice in that.
        And I think, by you coming and sitting down and talking
    with Members, and I know you have done that in the past, you
    have other meetings we have had, but you need to have all the
    information at your fingertips. And I know that you have all
    had issues from time to time. And I have no doubt that you are
    going to rectify that, at least by our conversation yesterday.
    And if you want to add anything as it relates to the Capitol
    Police.
        But I just want to just reiterate that, you know, I have
    the utmost respect for those that wear the uniform in law
    enforcement to protect us no matter where you are in this great
    country. And you talk about the district offices. It is so
    important that they have a good liaison with their local law
    enforcement agency because you are up here, and I am down in
    Florida. And the local law enforcement agency has the primary
    responsibility at that point to make sure that things go right.
    And they need help from time to time. But go right ahead.
        Mr. Irving. Thank you. Again, Congressman, I appreciate all
    of your time and attention to this. The committee has been so
    supportive. And going back to the chair's comments and Mr.
    Brady's comments, this committee has always been so responsive
    and supportive. Usually, before we make an attempt to implement
    a security measure which has a tendency of affecting the
    business processes of the institution, I come to you first
    because there is a fair chance your phone will ring if we have
    done something to change a certain business process which has a
    tendency of coming down on convenience or lack thereof.
        Having said that, your door has always been open. I
    appreciate all the time that you and have I spent together
    talking over these issues. Because of your background, you know
    all of these issues. And I appreciate your support of the
    Capitol Police Board and the Capitol Police.
        I do want to assure you that the Capitol Police Board is
    conducting robust oversight of the Chief and of the Capitol
    Police. They do a fantastic job each and every day. They have a
    tough job. We hear some things every now and then in the press.
    But, frankly, there are thousands of contacts with the public,
    with Members each and every day, and they do a fantastic job.
    And my hat's off to the men and women of the Capitol Police,
    but more importantly, I thank you for your leadership, your
    oversight, and your support.
        And we will certainly continue to keep you posted as we
    work all the issues that we addressed yesterday, certainly
    things that have been out there. But, again, I want to thank
    you for all of your support.
        Mr. Nugent. I appreciate that.
        And, Madam Chair, I am out of time, but I would hope that
    we have a followup meeting with the Capitol Police, with
    yourself, or with the Chief to see where they are in regards to
    the things that we have talked about. And I know that the
    Sergeant at Arms has talked about where are we at in regards
    to, are those things getting fixed to our satisfaction? And I
    know Mr. Brady feels the same way. I am not going to put words
    in his mouth. But we want to know. And I think that is a fair
    thing for us to do. And I appreciate your indulgence. Thank
    you.
        The Chairman. Thank you very much. Mr. Davis.
        Mr. Davis. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        And I would like to associate myself with many of the
    comments that my colleague Mr. Nugent mentioned about our
    concerns. We had a great meeting with Mr. Irving just yesterday
    and talked about many of these issues.
        Thank you for your service. Thanks for what you are doing
    to address some of these issues.
        Thank you all for being a part of this great institution.
        I come from a different perspective. I spent 16 years as a
    district office staffer, so I have a vested interest in
    district office issues. And I know many of the issues that each
    of you address relate to district offices. And there are some
    differences between district offices and what we see here in
    D.C. And sometimes I think that the district offices and what
    they have access to may be taken for granted because of the
    access that we have on this campus to many different issues,
    that security being one of them.
        So I am glad, Mr. Irving, that there has been a focus on
    district office security issues. And I look forward to working
    with you with my perspective if there are any issues that you
    think I can be helpful on in the future too.
        One issue, I will start with you, Mr. Irving, and this
    actually, unfortunately, relates back here. It is something you
    mentioned in your testimony about the Garage Security
    Enhancement Project. Would the completion of that project
    require any different procedures for Members and staff in your
    opinion?
        Mr. Irving. There will be some changes. And I am working
    very carefully with the committee and leadership on that. We
    will be restricting, or the goal ultimately is to restrict the
    number of access points so that everyone can undergo security
    screening. So that will certainly require, you know, assistance
    from the committee and leadership to get us to that point.
        There will be some conveniences that will be dispensed
    with. But I will say that we will do everything we can to
    ensure that Members have access to the doors that they require.
    We will probably be undergoing either a prox card or a
    biometric type of entrance system so that Members can utilize
    more doors. As you know, Members do not undergo magnetometer
    screening whereas staff and visitors do. It will probably be a
    very similar protocol. But the goal is for everyone to have
    that 100 percent screening.
        Mr. Davis. Thank you. You and I would agree that project is
    critical.
        Mr. Irving. Yes. And I appreciate so much the committee's
    support on that project and mail hoods. And I could go on and
    on on a lot of the initiatives that I have enumerated in my
    testimony. This committee has been so supportive. So thank you.
        And I know that we will have to work through some of the
    details of that initiative because of the access point closures
    and routings and what have you. But we will do our best to make
    sure that the business process of the institution is not
    affected.
        Mr. Davis. Thank you. Thanks very much, Paul.
        Mr. Cassidy, back to my district office issues. Obviously,
    you know, you and I have talked about many different district
    office issues. And I am happy to be someone that can offer a
    different perspective on many of the issues. And I know that
    one issue that we have worked on has been district office
    connectivity. I can tell you firsthand the connectivity issues
    at a district office are vastly different than what we can
    experience here on this campus.
        We have been very active as a committee and been concerned
    with these connections. And I know there has been an initiative
    that you have been working on and CAO has been working on. Can
    you kind of give us an update on how that is going? Anything
    the committee can do to be of assistance?
        Mr. Cassidy. Certainly, Congressman. The Committee has
    already been very helpful on this project.
        The issue, in a nutshell, for those who aren't familiar
    with it, is, how do we connect the computer systems in 800 or
    900 district offices with the House network back here? For many
    years now, we have done that by providing between Washington
    and a Member's principal district office a high speed data link
    called an MPLS circuit. And then, from the district, the main
    district office to any other district offices that a Member may
    have, they are responsible for providing that connection. But
    the House connects the primary office back to here.
        The challenge around that is that in the years since that
    technical approach was adopted, the demand for data to move
    back and forth through this pipeline, if you will, has exploded
    as a result of video and social media and all of the things
    with which the committee is familiar. With that in mind, what
    we have been looking at is an alternative to the MPLS circuits
    we use today, which have a maximum flow-through rate of 3
    megabytes, if you will. We have been looking at something
    called VPN, which is an Internet connectivity.
        Mr. Davis. Which some offices use now.
        Mr. Cassidy. Which many offices, most offices in fact, use
    to connect their primary office to any satellite offices, and a
    small number use to connect their D.C. offices to here. That is
    a good news/bad news story. The good news in the first instance
    is that it is a lot less expensive to use VPN than it is to use
    MPLS. And, secondly, the VPN technology has a much higher
    ceiling, if you will, on the amount and the speed with which
    data can move back and forth.
        But it also has a lower floor. So with the classic
    traditional MPLS model we have been using, you get 3 megabytes;
    you don't any get any more than that, and you don't get any
    less.
        With VPN, you get a much higher ceiling, but 3 isn't
    guaranteed. And depending on the time of day, depending on the
    makeup of the network in your district, the number of
    customers, the demand and such, you may find slower speeds.
        What we have done in the last several months, with the
    strong support of this committee, is to begin connecting up
    Members' primary district offices. We are up over 70 now. The
    majority of those are freshmen, but they are not all freshmen.
    Several members of this committee participated in a pilot
    project around this. And we now have a fairly robust plan,
    which we will share with the committee shortly, to take that
    number up around 400. As it happens, there are a handful of
    Members in certain parts of the country--the islands are a good
    example of that, but there are actually some rural areas in
    this country--where the current MPLS approach actually is the
    best. So we are not going to mandate a move to VPN, but we are
    going to facilitate a move to VPN, and we are going to do it as
    quickly as we can possibly get it done.
        We learned a lot in the pilot. And the staff of this
    committee was an integral part of that process. We hope to put
    those lessons learned to use. We may find out--we actually have
    an RFP that was on the street recently, just closed, seeking
    proposals to provide this service--we may find out we have got
    some hybrid approaches that employ both of those technologies
    in particular places, and so you get the best of both.
        But we are going to work very closely with this committee
    going forward, as we have up to this date, and try to make this
    transition as expeditious as we can. But it is probably another
    year or two before we get this thing rolled out to all of the
    offices that want it. But we are moving--in fact, we are ahead
    of schedule right now on that rollout.
        Mr. Davis. Thank you.
        My time has expired.
        The Chairman. Mrs. Comstock.
        Mrs. Comstock. Madam Chairman, I don't have any questions.
        The Chairman. Okay.
        Mr. Walker.
        Mr. Walker. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        First of all, let me say thank you guys for being here.
    Even Sergeant at Arms Mr. Irving coming by yesterday and taking
    time to visit with us, I appreciate that. It meant a lot to us.
        I want to go back and talk about the partnering agencies
    from the Capitol Hill Police's perspective. Talk to me about
    the confidence in our response with the other agencies that we
    have taken in the aftermath of some of the drone stuff, some of
    the gyrocopter stuff. Can you give me a little briefing and get
    me caught up to speed as far as how you feel like you guys are
    doing there?
        Mr. Irving. Thank you, Congressman. We engaged our local,
    Federal, State partners in law enforcement on all of these
    issues. On the gyro issue in particular that you addressed,
    there are a number of working groups, airspace security working
    groups specifically, dealing with a number of Department of
    Homeland Security agencies as well as military and Department
    of Transportation, FAA, Secret Service. MPD is involved, and
    Metro Transit. You have got the Park Police, Pentagon Force
    Protection Agency. So there are a lot of local national capital
    region law enforcement partners that are engaged with the
    Capitol Police. The Chief enjoys a very good relationship with
    all of those other chiefs.
        And the Capitol Police Board, obviously, is attuned to all
    of those meetings and monitors those meetings. So I will tell
    that you there is considerable respect amongst all of the law
    enforcement for each other, not only in the law enforcement,
    domestic law enforcement perspective, policing perspective, but
    also in the intelligence perspective, intelligence-sharing
    perspective.
        Mr. Walker. And I love to hear the relational side is good
    and even working.
        Let me talk specifically about the technical aspect. And I
    believe I have got the date, if my memory serves me correctly,
    is January 2014, there was a completely new system put in for
    communications. We talked a little bit about the
    interoperability of it. You can talk about specifically the
    gyrocopter that day, but my larger concern is, is that
    functional? Do we do tests or drills on that? Are we sure that
    we have got an opportunity or really the potential to
    communicate across the board going to a frequency, whatever it
    is? Is there a plan in place that if there is, God forbid, a
    situation that we are able to utilize that to the max?
        Mr. Irving. Thank you, Congressman.
        On the communication front, the new radio modernization
    program has been working well, and is a tremendous success.
    There is interoperability. As we have discussed,
    interoperability is a combination of pre-event planning not
    only, you know, before something happens, but also, you know,
    merging that pre-event planning with the technology.
        From a technological perspective, the new radio
    modernization program can accomplish that. There is
    interoperability amongst all of the law enforcement entities in
    the national capital region. Training is always an issue in
    terms of time and expense. Capitol Police is working toward
    training with other law enforcement partners, though not as
    much as we would like.
        We can tell you, though, there is command level, there is
    communication almost daily between the command center, Capitol
    Police command center, Metro PD command centers, and the other
    multi-agency coordinating centers in the national capital
    region.
        Mr. Walker. So if something was to happen this afternoon,
    there would be a frequency or something that everybody is
    instructed to go to. The Capitol Hill Police is talking to
    agencies across the board. I mean, do we feel comfortable that
    that particular plan is in place?
        Mr. Irving. Yes, Congressman, very confident that, at the
    command center level, absolutely.
        Mr. Walker. Okay.
        Before my time expires, I want to bring Mr. Cassidy in this
    as well. A lot of times we are talking about the very physical
    threats. I want to touch on cybersecurity for just a moment
    there. Both of you guys can address this. It is a high priority
    for this committee, obviously, as it is for others. And I just
    want to talk about what are we taking proactive steps in
    regards to cybersecurity, and how do we see that possibly
    affecting us from this particular committee's perspective?
        Mr. Cassidy. Congressman, as you know, and as all the
    members of the committee know, we don't lack for high
    priorities in the IT area here in the House. We have a number
    of them. But there is no higher priority for us than
    cybersecurity. This is a target-rich environment. You have got
    10,000 or 11,000 Members and staff deployed in 800 or 900
    locations around the country. We have lots of devices, lots of
    programs, lots of systems, lots of flexibility that supports a
    pretty decentralized working style, if you will, here in the
    House.
        The danger is that, on any given day, at any given minute,
    any one of those people is likely clicking on something they
    shouldn't click on. And so that is a big challenge. And so what
    we have done to try to mitigate that, in addition to a number
    of technical approaches around secure configuration management
    and the like--
        Mr. Walker. When you say they are clicking on something
    they shouldn't be, obviously, we have a certain responsibility,
    Members and our staff. Can you be a little more specific when
    you say that that may put us a little more at risk?
        Mr. Cassidy. Certainly. For example, sir, phishing
    campaigns, which are known to all us, are campaigns in which
    someone pretending to be someone that you know sends you an
    email that looks just like you would expect an email to look
    like from that individual or that organization and asks you or
    offers to show you something, asks you to click on a link. If
    you click on that link, you have immediately put the House at
    risk.
        And so we have technological approaches to deal with that,
    but we also are working much harder in the last year or two on
    the education side. As you recall, we stiffened our password
    policies recently. We require longer passwords. You have to
    change them more frequently. You can't keep flipping back and
    forth between the last two or three passwords you have used,
    which I have done most of my adult life. We now require you to
    come up with truly new passwords.
        We produce a publication called ``Connected and Secured''
    that goes out every single month. It goes out every single
    month trying to give people in the House suggestions around
    safe social media practices, email practices, and the like.
        Mr. Walker. I appreciate your work on that.
        Thank you, panel.
        Madam Chairman.
        The Chairman. Thank the gentleman very much.
        Are there any other questions from any of the members?
        Well, I just want to, again, thank all of the House
    officers for their participation today, their statements, and
    the answering of questions. Obviously, you have a very engaged
    Committee here with what is happening with the House officers.
    I looked at this as an opportunity to really make sure that the
    folks understood what this Speaker has done in appointing these
    individuals and how he really is such an institutionalist and
    believes in this institution and how we are all so committed in
    our common goals to make sure that this House runs effectively,
    efficiently, transparently, and safely in every way.
        As we look at all of the different challenges that the
    House faces, we look to all of you. Obviously, this Committee
    wants to ensure that you have the resources that you need and
    that we can help you in any way that we can to share our common
    goal.
        It looks like Mr. Cassidy would like it say one other thing
    as well. I certainly recognize you to say something.
        Mr. Cassidy. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        I just want to take a moment if I could, a moment of
    privilege, if you will. Mention was made earlier about the work
    done by all of our staffs. But not enough has been said about
    the work done by your staffs. In particular, I want to point
    out, as everyone up there knows, but maybe not everyone in the
    room knows, our positions are thoroughly nonpartisan; our
    organizations are thoroughly nonpartisan. We serve the House
    equally. We work with this Committee equally.
        There isn't anybody in this room today who has worked
    harder or cared more or done more to facilitate our efforts in
    the CAO, and I hope I speak for my colleagues, than Kyle
    Anderson, the minority staff director of this committee. He has
    recently announced his intention to move on. And I just wanted
    to say personally how much I appreciate Kyle's contributions,
    his advice, his counsel, and the effort he has undertaken to
    help us do our jobs because, at the end of the of the day, our
    jobs are really about helping all of you do your jobs. And Kyle
    has been a terrific partner.
        The Chairman. I appreciate you saying that. Kyle is going
    to be missed. He is great. He really is. He is wonderful to
    work with.
        Mr. Brady. Now we need to get the double doors open so he
    can get his head out.
        The Chairman. All right. Well, we thank you all very, very
    much for your appearance today.
        I thank the Committee members as well for appearing.
        And, with this, the hearing will be adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 3:26 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]

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