[Senate Prints 108-3]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


108th Congress 
 1st Session                COMMITTEE PRINT                     S. Prt.
                                                                  108-3
_______________________________________________________________________

 
                       GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION

                                   OF

                          LEGISLATIVE REPORTS

                               __________

                            prepared for the

                              COMMITTEE ON

                      ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                                     
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] 

                                     
                              JANUARY 2003

                       Printed for the use of the
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources










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               COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

                 PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico, Chairman

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma                JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico
LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho                DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii
BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado    BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming                BOB GRAHAM, Florida
LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee           RON WYDEN, Oregon
LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska               TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota
JAMES M. TALENT, Missouri            MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana
CONRAD BURNS, Montana                EVAN BAYH, Indiana
GORDON SMITH, Oregon                 DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California
JIM BUNNING, Kentucky                CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York
JON KYL, Arizona                     MARIA CANTWELL, Washington

                       Alex Flint, Staff Director

                     James P. Beirne, Chief Counsel

               Robert M. Simon, Democratic Staff Director

                Sam E. Fowler, Democratic Chief Counsel

                                  (ii)






                            C O N T E N T S

                               __________
                                                                   Page

Guide for the Preparation of Legislative Reports.................     1

General Outline for Committee Reports............................     2

     1. Cover Page...............................................     2

         Cover Page Example......................................     3

     2. Report Table of Contents.................................     4

     3. Amendments...............................................     4

     4. Purpose of the Measure...................................     5

     5. Summary of Major Provisions..............................     5

     6. Background and Need......................................     6

     7. Legislative History......................................     6

     8. Committee Recommendation and Tabulation of Votes.........     7

     9. Committee Amendments.....................................     8

    10. Section-by-Section Analysis..............................     8

    11. Cost and Budgetary Considerations including Congressional 
      Budget    Office Estimates.................................     8

    12. Regulatory Impact Evaluation.............................    10

    13. Executive Communications.................................    11

    14. Supplemental, Minority or Additional Views...............    12

    15. Changes in Existing Law..................................    12

    16. Appendix.................................................    14

Preparing a Bill to be Reported..................................    14

Review and Filing of Reports.....................................    14

Sample Bill to be Reported.......................................    15

                                 (iii)

  
                      GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF

                          LEGISLATIVE REPORTS

                              ----------                              

    When proposed legislation or other matters are recommended 
to the Senate by the Committee, they are accompanied by a 
report of the Committee. The most usual case is a report on a 
legislative measure (bill or resolution). Reports of oversight 
investigations, nominations, and other matters require special 
treatment and cannot be easily generalized. The Rules of the 
Senate (paragraph 10(b), Rule XXVI) provide that: ``It shall be 
the duty of the chairman of each Committee to report . . . 
promptly to the Senate any measure reported by his Committee.'' 
Thus, when the Committee orders a bill or other matter 
reported, the preparation of the Committee report automatically 
becomes a high priority task for the Committee staff.
    Uniformity in format among reports is not a formal 
requirement of the Senate, although several parts of the report 
are prescribed by law or Senate rule. The principal reasons for 
following the format set forth in this guide are:

          1. It provides the writer with a checklist to avoid 
        inadvertent omissions of material;
          2. It expedites completion of reports because 
        ``boilerplate'' sections need not be composed anew for 
        each report;
          3. It facilitates teamwork or assistance with report 
        preparation by other professional and clerical people 
        when necessary; and
          4. It facilitates review of reports which are being 
        written by several individuals.

    The following is a general outline of the major parts of a 
legislative report. Unless there are compelling reasons to do 
otherwise and the staff has received clearance to do so by the 
Chief Counsel, the sequence of parts shown in the outline 
should be used and all of the parts with asterisks must be 
included. Parts without asterisks can be omitted if the 
situation dictates.
    A template for reports is avilable as a macro in the 
Committee's word processor software. The template includes the 
mandatory sections of the report together with the boilerplate 
introductory language for the sections. Optional sections may 
be added as necessary, but all mandatory sections must be 
included in the report. To the extent that portions of the 
background memoranda for hearings or the agenda items for the 
business meeting reflect sections of the report and had 
previously been cleared with the Minority, the process of 
preparation, clearance, and filing of the report can be 
expedited.

                 GENERAL OUTLINE FOR COMMITTEE REPORTS
           *1. Cover page
            2. Table of Contents
            3. Amendments
           *4. Purpose of the Measure
            5. Summary of Major Provisions
           *6. Background and Need
           *7. Legislative History
           *8. Committee Recommendation and Tabulation of Votes
            9. Committee Amendments (explanation)
           10. Section-by-Section Analysis
          *11. Cost and Budgetary Considerations including 
        Congressional Budget Office estimates
          *12. Regulatory Impact Evaluation
          *13. Executive Communications
           14. Supplemental, Minority and/or Additional Views
          *15. Changes in Existing Law
           16. Appendix

    Each of the parts listed is discussed in the following 
pages.
1. Cover Page
    The preprinted cover page form is filled out as shown on 
the attached example. The numbered items are described below:

           1. Self explanatory.
           2. Self explanatory.
           3. Leave blank.
           4. Leave blank.
           5. Provide a brief, cogent title. The short title of 
        the bill, if any, or some other descriptive phrase may 
        be used. Strive to avoid confusion with other reports, 
        similar reports in earlier years, etc.
           6. Leave the date blank.
           7. The Full Committee Chairman files the Committee 
        report.
           8. Number of bill being reported.
           9. Self explanatory.
          10. Self explanatory.
        
        
          11. Fill in the complete title of the measure as it 
        was introduced.
          12. The Secretary of the Senate has requested us to 
        characterize the nature of the amendment or amendments 
        by indicating on the cover whether they amend the text, 
        preamble, and/or title of the measure.
          13. Self explanatory.
          14. Begin the body of the report on a new page.

    After a measure is reported, the printer will normally 
provide a completed cover page for the report to the staff 
responsible for preparing the report together with the text of 
any amendments adopted by the Committee.
2. Report Table of Contents
    On very voluminous reports (there should be very few in the 
course of a normal Congress) a table of contents will be of 
assistance to users who do not intend to read the entire 
document or who are using it for reference. Very short reports 
obviously do not require a table of contents and including one 
needlessly adds to the printing and proofreading job.
3. Amendments
    The amendments which are being recommended by the Committee 
should be formally set forth at the outset of the report. If a 
substitute text was adopted it should be printed at this point. 
The printer will normally prepare the amendment and attach it 
to the cover page before giving it to the professional staff. 
The professional staff must ensure that the printer has a copy 
of all amendments adopted by the Committee and that the text 
attached to the cover page is accurate.
    The amendments must follow rigorously the action taken by 
the Committee in the markup. Rule 7(d) of the Committee rules 
authorizes the staff to make necessary, technical and clerical 
corrections in the measure.
    While this is not intended to be a short course in 
legislative drafting, the following rules must be observed.
    In defining amendments to a Senate bill, the page and line 
numbers of the bill as originally introduced and printed must 
be used. Committee prints and other intermediate documents have 
no formal standing. The Committee must report to the Senate 
(and the Bill Clerk) the changes which it recommends be made to 
the text of the measure formally before the Senate.
    When the Committee is reporting a House measure already 
passed by the House, the page and line numbers of the text of 
the House ``Act'' which was referred to the Committee must be 
used to describe amendments. If the ``Act'' has not been 
printed, the official papers must be used as the reference.
    When an entire new text is substituted, it constitutes only 
one amendment and it states:

          Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert 
        the following:

    An amendment to the title of a bill must be stated as a 
separate amendment and is shown as the final amendment if there 
are any others:

          Amend the title so as to read: ``a bill to provide . 
        . .''

    Clarity in describing amendments often requires some 
ingenuity in determining how much to strike and revise; how to 
handle punctuation changes, and how to avoid ambiguity. The 
principal tradeoff is between economy of presentation (striking 
and replacing extensive text encompassing several changes) and 
specificity about the effect of the amendment. Liberties may 
not be taken with the Committee's instructions.
    The formal descriptions of amendments set forth in the 
report must conform exactly with the graphic representation of 
the changes shown in the text of the reported bill.
    This section of the report is simply a technical statement 
of the amendments which the Committee is recommending. The 
narrative discussion of the intent of the justification for the 
amendments will be included later in the report.
4. Purpose of the Measure
    This part of the report should be a concise statement, in 
plain language of the principal objectives of the measure. It 
should quickly inform a reader of the main thrust of the 
measure. It is not a section-by-section analysis or a sales 
pitch.
5. Summary of Major Provisions
    A report on an uncomplicated measure may omit this part as 
it will be encompassed by the discussion of the ``Purpose of 
the Measure'' above. If a bill has multiple provisions and 
several sections or titles, it will assist the users of the 
report if the major provisions are set forth in summary at the 
outset. This part should be in plain language, and it may omit 
less significant provisions. It should emphasize significant 
changes in policy that are included in the measure. It should 
not paraphrase the bill nor should it duplicate the section-by-
section analysis. If it is not a concise summary, it adds 
nothing to the report.
6. Background and Need
    This part is intended to set forth the situation that gave 
rise to the measure and to provide a justification for the 
policies and actions proposed in the measure. An historical 
background is appropriate, including a discussion of the origin 
of, and experience under, existing programs and policies 
affected by the measure.
    The need section is the appropriate place for a 
justification (sales pitch). Each report should set forth the 
reasons why the Committee believes the Senate should pass the 
measure as reported. The statement need not be lengthy, but it 
should reflect any discussion in Committee.
    A carefully crafted background discussion will strive to be 
responsive to the questions which would logically occur to a 
person studying the measure. The purpose of this section, as of 
the entire report, is to efficiently and effectively inform the 
reader of the circumstances giving rise to the legislation. The 
measure of the report writer's competence is the ability to 
select those facts that are essential for an appreciation of 
the measure and will be required for its comprehension.
    It is a disservice to everyone who must use the report to 
spill the contents of the hearing record and the staff person's 
files into the background section. Excessive length actually 
reduces the effectiveness of the report as a persuasive 
argument because material must be read before it convinces. 
Unnecessary or peripheral discussion in reports may 
gratuitously raise sincere but irrelevant concerns about 
legislative proposals or provide material for opponents who 
seek to introduce doubts into debate on the Floor or in 
conference. Everything put into a report should have a reason 
for being there.
    Quotes from the hearing transcript usually should be 
avoided. The information in a quote almost always can be more 
economically restated. It is not the purpose of the report to 
enshrine the utterances of favorite agency officials or client 
group representatives, or to create a personal identity with 
the legislation on the parts of various individuals.
7. Legislative History
    This section should be an abbreviated, factual account of 
the legislative history of the measure which took place 
preceding the report. It should include:

   Related measures introduced in earlier Congresses 
        and the action taken.
   Similar pending measures that will be preempted by 
        the reported measure.
   History of the reported measure, including 
        introduction, hearing dates, markup dates, etc.
   A complete list of cosponsors at the time, including 
        those added after introduction.
8. Committee Recommendation and Tabulation of Votes
    If there was a record vote on reporting the measure or if 
individual members specifically requested that their support or 
opposition be recorded, the vote or statement should be 
recorded at the conclusion of this section.
    The Senate rules require that all roll call votes taken in 
markup sessions be announced and permanently recorded. We have 
developed the convention that such votes on amendments will be 
announced in open markup when they occur and included in the 
permanent record of the meeting. The staff person handling a 
measure shares the responsibility to insure that the minutes of 
the markup are accurate, but votes on amendments should not be 
included in reports. Roll call votes on reporting the measure 
must be tabulated in the report, showing which votes were by 
proxy. Make sure that listing members and the vote count agree. 
A sample of the format is as follows:

                COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION AND TABULATION 
                                OF VOTES
    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on May __, 1995, by majority vote of a 
quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. ____, if 
amended as described herein.
    The rollcall vote on reporting the measure was 14 yeas, 4 
nays as follows:
        YEAS                          NAYS
Mr. Murkowski                       Mr. Dorgan
Mr. Hatfield                        Mr. Campbell
Mr. Domenici *                      Mr. Nickles
Mr. Craig                           Mr. Thomas
Mr. Kyl
Mr. Grams
Mr. Jeffords
Mr. Burns
Mr. Johnston
Mr. Bumpers
Mr. Ford
Mr. Bradley
Mr. Bingaman
Mr. Akaka

    * Indicates vote by proxy.
9. Committee Amendments
    This part explains the amendments recommended by the 
Committee. The actual amendments will have been set forth at 
the beginning of the report and may be referred to in this 
section by number. Obviously, if an entire new text has been 
substituted, it is important to describe, in some detail, all 
of the significant changes resulting from the substitution.
    The Committee's reason for recommending the amendments 
should be included in the explanation. It is important, 
however, to accurately reflect the discussion that took place 
in the markup or the explanations that were set forth in 
written discussions of the amendments that were before the 
members at the time. The staff should scrupulously resist any 
temptation to extemporize upon the Committee's views and make 
unwarranted legislative history on the amendments. It is the 
responsibility of the professional staff associated with each 
report to police this matter. Infractions can result in most 
serious reflections upon staff integrity.
10. Section-by-Section Analysis
    This part is necessary in complex or extensive measures to 
amplify the proposed statutory language by filling in 
references to other existing law or policy, providing guidance 
in interpretation of qualitative words and phrases, and 
expressing Committee attitudes and expectations. The discussion 
should be of the bill as amended by the Committee. Differences 
between the bill as introduced and as reported normally would 
be discussed in ``Committee amendments.''
    The previous caveats about extending the discussion beyond 
the Committee's expressed intent are applicable. If the 
statutory language of a section is clear on its face and no 
amplifying Committee expression was made in markup, no 
explanation need be included in the section-by-section 
analysis. Simply state ``The section is self explanatory''. 
Paraphrasing statutory language without adding or subtracting 
meaning is difficult. Great care should be exercised in writing 
both the Committee Amendments and Section-by-Section Analysis. 
These sections often are referred to in litigation to interpret 
the intent of Congress, and it is imperative that the 
discussion reflect what was intended by the Committee and only 
what was intended by the Committee.
11. Cost and Budgetary Considerations
    The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, as amended 
(paragraph 11(a), Rule XXVI), requires that each report include 
an estimate of the cost of carrying out the proposed measure 
for the five fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year in 
which the bill is reported. This estimate normally will be 
prepared by the Congressional Budget Office and provided in 
letter form. The text of the letter usually is simply included 
in the report with the following preamble:

          The following estimate of costs of this measure has 
        been provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

    Absence of this part of the report is grounds for a point 
of order on the Floor of the Senate.
    Every effort should be made by the professional staff 
member responsible for the measure to facilitate timely receipt 
of the CBO estimate. The responsible staff member should alert 
CBO to the need for a CBO estimate and furnish them with any 
amendments or other materials needed to make the cost estimate. 
It may be necessary to assist CBO in the interpretation of the 
measure and amendments. It is not necessary to furnish CBO with 
a draft copy of the report.
    If the urgency of reporting or other circumstances require 
the report to be filed prior to receipt of the CBO report, the 
Committee should include its own best estimate of costs along 
with the following remark:

          The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the costs 
        of this measure has been requested but was not received 
        at the time the report was filed. When the report is 
        available, the Chairman will request it to be printed 
        in the Congressional Record for the advice of the 
        Senate.

    Of course, the responsible professional staff person should 
be sure that the report is included in the Record when received 
by providing the Chief Counsel with a copy and appropriate 
statement for the Chairman.
    The budgetary impact of legislation can be an important 
factor in Floor debate. Cost implications can become a 
convenient argument for opponents of a measure. Where 
significant costs are involved, therefore, it will be useful to 
include in this section of the report some discussion and, if 
necessary, justification of the costs associated with the 
measure and its relation to the President's budget, the 
Congressional budget resolutions, and current appropriations 
levels, if any.
    Coordination with CBO and the Budget Committee will usually 
insure that there is no disagreement concerning the estimate of 
the cost impact of a particular measure. Estimates, however, 
sometimes involve considerable judgment. The responsibility for 
expressing the intent of the measure, as reported, rests 
primarily with the Committee of jurisdiction. If the CBO 
estimate is at variance with the professional staff's judgment 
of the Committee's intent or of the programmatic impact of the 
measure, every effort should be made to resolve the 
disagreement by informal discussion. If it cannot be resolved, 
it is entirely appropriate to include the Committee's own 
estimate in the report along with that of CBO. If this is done, 
it should be presented as objectively as possible with some 
discussion of the nature of disagreement on assumptions.
12. Regulatory Impact Evaluation
    The Senate rules require that all Committee reports contain 
an ``evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be 
incurred in carrying out the bill or joint resolution.'' The 
text of the rule (paragraph 11(b), Rule XXVI) is set forth 
below; it has a fairly straightforward description of each of 
the four points to be addressed in this section. Please note 
that the rule provides an alternative in subsection (2) if 
compliance is ``impracticable.''

          11(b) Each such report (except those by the Committee 
        on Appropriations) shall also contain--
          (1) an evaluation, made by such Committee, of the 
        regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying 
        out the bill or joint resolution. The evaluation shall 
        include (A) an estimate of the numbers of individuals 
        and businesses who would be regulated and a 
        determination of the groups and classes of such 
        individuals and businesses, (B) a determination of the 
        economic impact of such regulation on the individuals, 
        consumers, and businesses affected, (C) a determination 
        of the impact of the personal privacy of the 
        individuals affected, and (D) a determination of the 
        amount of additional paperwork that will result from 
        the regulations to be promulgated pursuant to the bill 
        or joint resolution, which determination may include, 
        but need not be limited to, estimates of the amount of 
        time and financial costs required of affected parties, 
        showing whether the effects of the bill or joint 
        resolution could be substantial, as well as reasonable 
        estimates of the record keeping requirements that may 
        be associated with the bill or joint resolution; or
          (2) in lieu of such evaluation, a statement of the 
        reasons why compliance by the committee with the 
        requirements of clause (1) is impracticable.

    The following introduction is set forth in the template:

          In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of Rule XXVI of 
        the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes 
        the following evaluation of the regulatory impact which 
        would be incurred in carrying out S. ____.

    If the bill has no regulatory impact, the following 
language (also set forth in the template) may be adopted and 
expanded to fit the program involved:

          The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of 
        imposing Government established standards or 
        significant economic responsibilities on private 
        individuals and businesses (Characterize the type of 
        program in the bill).
          No personal information would be collected in 
        administering the program. Therefore, there would be no 
        impact on personal privacy.
          Little if any additional paperwork would result from 
        the enactment of S. ____.

13. Executive Communications
    In this part of the report, the full text of pertinent 
letters from Executive agencies communicating the 
recommendations of the agencies concerning the proposed measure 
should be set forth. The comments of all agencies which 
submitted formal legislative reports should be included even if 
they are repetitive. If formal reports had not been requested 
previously, they should be requested when hearings are 
scheduled.
    Where legislative reports include lengthy attachments, some 
discretion should be exercised. Material included in printed 
hearing records should be omitted from the report provided the 
omission is noted and does not detract from the meaning of the 
formal recommendations. A reference to the hearing record 
should be included.
    The following introduction is set forth in the template:

          The pertinent legislative reports received by the 
        Committee from the Department of                 
        setting forth Executive agency recommendations relating 
        to S. (H.R.) ____ are set forth below:

    In some instances, formal agency reports may not have been 
received. The report should reflect that such views were 
requested and not received at time of filing and may, in 
appropriate circumstances, include testimony by agencies 
presented at a hearing in lieu of such a report.
    If the Committee has not received a report, insert the 
following language which is set forth in the template:

          On ____________________, the Committee on Energy and 
        Natural Resources requested legislative reports from 
        the Department of ____________________ and the Office 
        of Management and Budget setting forth executive views 
        on ____________________. These reports had not been 
        received at the time the report on S. (H.R.) ____ was 
        filed. When the reports become available, the Chairman 
        will request that they be printed in the Congressional 
        Record for the advice of the Senate. The testimony 
        provided by (agency) at the Subcommittee hearing 
        follows:
14. Supplemental, Minority or Additional Views
    The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended 
(paragraph 10(c), Rule XXVI), provides that if a member of the 
Committee gives notice of his intention at the time of 
Committee approval of a measure, he may file supplemental, 
minority, or additional views to be included as part of the 
report. The member or members shall be entitled to not less 
than three calendar days to file such views with the clerk 
(Staff Director) of the Committee.
    If supplemental, minority, or additional views are included 
in a report, the cover shall state that fact as follows:

          Mr. ------------------, from the Committee on Energy 
        and Natural Resources, submitted the following

                                 REPORT

                             together with

                     MINORITY AND ADDITIONAL VIEWS

                   (or appropriate other designation)

                         (To accompany S. ____)
    Supplemental or additional views or ``minority'' views of 
members must be signed by the member. Where several members 
join in a set of views, each member must sign.
15. Changes in Existing Law
    When any proposed measure would result in amendments to the 
statutory language of existing law, the report must include a 
statement of the changes (paragraph 12, Rule XXVI, known as the 
Cordon Rule). The pertinent portions of existing law should be 
set forth in roman type. It is not necessary to include an 
entire Act, but sufficient context--sections, title, etc.--must 
be displayed to make the changes meaningful without reference 
to other sources. The existing law, of course, must be 
corrected to incorporate any earlier amendments already 
enacted.
    Note that except for those titles of the United States Code 
that have been enacted into positive law, the United States 
Code is not law and not the statute being amended. The United 
States Code is an effort to assemble the various statutes of 
the United States into an organized format and to reflect the 
current status of the laws. Most of the areas of Federal law 
dealt with by the Committee are included in Titles of the 
United States Code that have not been enacted into positive law 
(e.g. Titles 15, 16, 30, 42, 43, and 48). Unless the title has 
been enacted into positive law, staff should not assume that 
the Code is accurate. The Code will routinely delete expired 
authorizations even though they remain part of the statute. 
Changes in existing law must be to the statute (as amended) and 
it is the responsibility of the staff, if necessary, to 
reproduce the relevant section of the statute and incorporate 
all subsequent amendments. The Code can be helpful, but is not 
a substitute. If the staff determines that the language of the 
Code does reflect current law, it may be used but it is still 
necessary to replace the Code citation (48 U.S.C. 1423) with 
the proper statutory citation:

          Act of August 1, 1950 (64 Stat. 387)

    On House-passed measures, staff should not assume that the 
changes in existing law reflected in the House report are 
accurate. Staff should also remember that the report the 
Committee is filing is being done pursuant to Senate rules, not 
House rules.
    The deletions that would be made by the proposed measure 
are enclosed in heavy brackets, and the new matter which would 
be inserted is shown in italic.
    Changes in existing law shall be introduced as set forth in 
the template and as shown below:

                                [Sample]

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
          In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
        Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law 
        made by the bill S. ____, as ordered reported, are 
        shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted 
        is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in 
        italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is 
        shown in roman):

    If there are no changes in existing law made by the 
measure, the following statement also set forth in the template 
should be included:

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
          In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
        Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that 
        no changes in existing law are made by the bill S. ____ 
        as ordered reported.
16. Appendix
    Upon rare occasions, an appendix may be included in a 
legislative report. It is appropriate where special 
circumstances dictate the inclusion of a document, map, 
tabulation, or other matter which is essential to the utility 
or necessary for the comprehension of the report, but which is 
not integral to the discussion or a part of the executive 
communications.
    An example might be a report on a resolution approving an 
international agreement. The text of the agreement could be 
included in an appendix to the report. The appendix should not 
be used to salvage extraneous matter pruned out of the body of 
the report.

                    PREPARING A BILL TO BE REPORTED
    A sample bill to be reported is attached and filled out 
accordingly. The numbered items are described below:
    First page of bill

          1. Calendar No. ______
          2. Report No. ______
          3. Reported by ______ with or without an amendment.
          4. Strike all language to be deleted from bill and 
        mark as shown with the word ``linetype''.
          5. New language inserted should be indicated with the 
        word ``italic.''

    Please remember when preparing a bill to be reported to 
show each page with text on one side only as shown on the 
attached sample.
    The printer will normally prepare the text of the bill and 
include the amendments adopted by the Committee. It remains the 
responsibility of the professional staff to ensure that all 
amendments are included as adopted by the Committee.

                      REVIEW AND FILING OF REPORTS
    Reports are printed by the Senate after they have been 
filed by the Chairman. One copy each of the report and the 
accompanying bill must be filed with the Bill Clerk after the 
review process is complete.
    The report may be filed in typed copy and reasonable 
amounts of legible pen and ink corrections are acceptable. 
Reports which are unusually long or complex or which include 
numerical data, tabulations, or other difficult material may be 
set in galley or page proofs at the request of the Committee so 
that the typesetting errors can be corrected before the report 
is filed.




    Discretion should be used in requesting galleys on reports. 
The majority of short reports are filed in typed form, and the 
errors are not noticeably greater than those found in reports 
pre-typeset before filing. Serious errors which are entirely 
typesetting errors will be corrected by the Government Printing 
Office (GPO) in a ``star print.''
    When a report is to be preset, the copy sent to GPO should 
be as complete and accurate as it would be if it were to be 
filed in typescript. Setting pieces of reports in type while 
drafting other parts while still in progress would be resorted 
to only under the most extraordinary time constraints and only 
with the approval of the Staff Director or Chief Counsel.
    When typeset copy is changed drastically to insert and 
remove matter and to make extensive revisions, the probability 
of typesetting errors is as great, or perhaps greater, than 
when typesetting is done originally from clean copy. Obviously, 
the advantage of presetting the report is lost.
    The responsible staff person should work with appropriate 
Minority staff and carefully consider their suggestion for 
material to be included in the report. The value of preparing 
joint background memoranda that follow the format of a report 
for hearings should be obvious. To the extent possible, most 
sections of a report can be precleared with the Minority prior 
to a business meeting. The draft report should be completed as 
quickly as possible so that measures can be filed within one 
week of Committee action. When the responsible staff person is 
satisfied that the report is complete and accurate, the pages 
of the report should be numbered and stapled to avoid loss of a 
page in handling. The accompanying bill should be stapled 
separately and the two packages attached by paper clip.
    The responsible staff person should then have the Committee 
printer check the report to insure legibility and mark the 
cover concerning additional copies, etc.
    The report should then be given to the Chief Counsel.
    The Staff Director or Chief Counsel will arrange for filing 
of the report. This review process is not only necessary to 
ensure the adequacy of reports, it is an integral part of the 
communications network of the Committee. Considering the nature 
of the Senate procedure, shortcuts in clearance or review of 
reports presents risks out of all proportion with the minimal 
delays of the process.
    It is the prerogative of the Committee Chairman to file 
reports.
    Only a Senator can file a report while the Senate is in 
session. In special circumstances, reports can be filed while 
the Senate is in recess if unanimous consent is obtained in 
advance. The Staff Director or Chief Counsel will arrange for 
such permission. This procedure should be used sparingly and 
only where there is a real need. Late filing inconveniences the 
Bill Clerk, contributes to the possibility of clerical or 
printing errors, and complicates the clearance of reports with 
the Committee.

                                    

      
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