[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
BUSINESS MEETING ON H.R. 4009, SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK
CENTRAL PARKING FACILITY AUTHORIZATION ACT, AND A COMMITTEE RESOLUTION
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
ADMINISTRATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 13, 2017
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Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
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Available on the Internet:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/administration/index.html
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
32-362 WASHINGTON : 2018
Committee on House Administration
GREGG HARPER, Mississippi, Chairman
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois, Vice ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania,
Chairman Ranking Member
BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia ZOE LOFGREN, California
MARK WALKER, North Carolina JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland
ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia
BUSINESS MEETING ON H.R. 4009, SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK
CENTRAL PARKING FACILITY AUTHORIZATION ACT, AND A COMMITTEE RESOLUTION
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:40 a.m., in Room
1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Gregg Harper
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Harper, Davis, Walker, Smith,
Brady, and Raskin.
Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Bob
Sensenbrenner, General Counsel; Cole Felder, Deputy General
Counsel; Dan Jarrell, Legislative Clerk; Max Engling, Staff
Director of the Franking Commission; Mary Sue Englund, Director
of Administration and Operations; Erin McCracken,
Communications Director; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director;
Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; and Eddie
Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk.
The Chairman. I call to order the Committee on House
Administration for today's Committee markup. A quorum is
present, so we may proceed. The meeting record will remain open
for 5 legislative days so Members may submit any materials they
wish to be included therein.
We are here today to formally approve a Committee
resolution to update the advertisement regulations found in the
Members' Congressional Handbook and to markup H.R. 4009, the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park Central Parking Facility
Authorization Act.
Our first agenda item deals with creating an advertisement
with official resources. Representatives of the House are
required to follow the regulations found in the Members'
Congressional Handbook and submit the advertisement to the
Franking Commission for an advisory opinion.
The Committee resolution before us updates the regulations
to allow advertisements that link directly to a Federal dot-gov
or House of Representatives hosted website. This update will
offer additional flexibility to Members when communicating with
their constituents, while ensuring that the Franking Commission
has clear direction on how to review advertisements.
Our second agenda item, H.R. 4009, authorizes the
Smithsonian Board of Regents to plan, design, and construct a
centralized parking facility at the National Zoo in Washington,
D.C., using nonappropriated funds. Currently, parking at the
zoo includes several paved surface lots spread across the
campus. The proposed new facility, included in the zoo's 2008
master plan, consolidates public parking into a garage located
at the mid-point of the zoo. Benefits of the project include
increasing onsite visitor parking to better meet demand,
expanding animal habitat by repurposing some surface lots,
improving security through consolidating access points, and
enhancing pedestrian safety.
The Smithsonian intends to enter into a public-private
partnership for the project. The developer would be responsible
for the design, construction, maintenance, and operations of
the facility for a fixed term, with the zoo receiving an annual
payment based on revenues. No appropriated funds will be
expended for the project. The developer will assume sole
responsibility for financing.
I would now like to recognize the Ranking Member, Mr.
Brady, for the purpose of providing an opening statement, if he
wishes.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no opening
statement.
The Chairman. Does any other Member wish to be recognized
for the purpose of an opening statement?
The Chair recognizes the Vice Chairman of the Committee,
Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for
holding this markup, and I look forward to discussing the
proposed and much needed changes to the Members' Congressional
Handbook. As Chair of the Franking Commission, I think these
are long overdue.
I want to say I appreciate my counterpart on the Franking
Commission, which many of you know is an equally divided
commission that oversees the franking rules that Members have
to follow for offering communications from our offices. My
colleague and counterpart, Susan Davis, brought this issue to
our attention. And I am glad we could find a solution that will
benefit all of our Members on both sides in being able to
communicate directly with our constituents the important work
we are doing on their behalf.
And as I communicated with Congresswoman Davis, it has
never been our intention to prevent Members from communicating
about websites like healthcare.gov with their constituents. But
unfortunately, during these discussions, longstanding rules
within the Members' Congressional Handbook have strictly
prohibited directly linking to any website, other than the
Member's official website, when it comes to paid
advertisements. We all know government's not the best in
keeping up with technology, and something this Committee has
been focused on changing in many aspects of the House. And
these changes that we are proposing today are long overdue.
As more and more information is available to our
constituents online, it only makes sense that we are able to
link to these dot-gov and House-hosted sites in paid
advertisements just as we are in regular communications through
our offices. I hope this change today spurs interest in what I
have been hoping to do, which is to review and update rules
regarding Member communications to ensure that we have rules
and transparency in place that better help our Members directly
communicate with the people that they represent.
So I look forward to this change, and I look forward to
working with all of the Members of this Committee in a
bipartisan way to ensure more transparency as we move into the
future.
And I yield back.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields back.
The Chair would certainly like to acknowledge the great
work and the hard work that Mr. Davis has done, and we thank
you for that effort.
Any other Member wish to make an opening?
Seeing none, I now call up and lay before the Committee the
resolution to approve the update to the Members' Congressional
Handbook. Without objection, the first reading of the
resolution is dispensed with, and the resolution is considered
read and open for amendment at any point.
[The resolution follows:]
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The Chairman. Is there any debate?
Seeing none, are there any Members who want to offer an
amendment to the resolution?
If not, I move the Committee to adopt the resolution. The
question is on the motion. All those in favor, signify by
saying aye.
All opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon
the table.
The Chairman. And I now call up and lay before the
Committee H.R. 4009, Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Central Parking Facility Authorization Act. Without objection,
the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill
is considered read and open for amendment at any point.
[The bill follows:]
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The Chairman. Is there any debate?
Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the
bill?
If not, I move the Committee favorably report the bill. The
question is on the motion. All those in favor, signify by
saying aye.
Opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to. Without objection, the motion to
reconsider is laid upon the table.
Without objection, the markup is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:47 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
[all]