[House Prints 116-1]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



116th Congress }
                      HOUSE COMMITTEE PRINT NO. 1
 1st Session   }
 


_______________________________________________________________________


                      COMMITTEE RULES OF PROCEDURE

                                FOR THE

                             116TH CONGRESS

                                 OF THE

                            HOUSE COMMITTEE

                                   ON

                           VETERANS' AFFAIRS


                           FEBRUARY 13, 2019


              [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]



 February 13, 2019.--Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' 
                Affairs of the House of Representatives


                                  ________
                       
                       U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                
35-234                         WASHINGTON: 2019



                     COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                   MARK TAKANO, California, Chairman

JULIA BROWNLEY, California           DAVID P.ROE, Tennessee, Ranking 
KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York               Member
CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania, Vice-      GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida
    Chairman                         AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, 
MIKE LEVIN, California                   (American Samoa)
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York           MIKE BOST, Illinois
MAX ROSE, New York                   NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hempshire          JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia            JIM BANKS, Indiana
SUSIE LEE, Nevada                    ANDY BARR, Kentucky
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina       DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
GILBERT R. CISNEROS, JR.,            STEVE C.WATKINS, Kansas
    California                       CHIP ROY, Texas
COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota        W. GREGORY STEUBE, Florida
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, 
    (Northern Mariana Islands)
COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas
LAUREN UNDERWOOD, Illinois
                       Ray Kelley, Staff Director
                 Jon Towers, Republican Staff Director
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
 
                        RULES OF THE COMMITTEE

                          ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         FOR THE 116TH CONGRESS

        JURISDICTION OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

    Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
establishes the standing Committees of the House and their 
jurisdiction. Under that Rule, all bills, resolutions, and 
other matters relating to the subjects within the jurisdiction 
of any standing Committee shall be referred to such Committee. 
Clause 1(s) of Rule X establishes the jurisdiction of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs as follows:
          (1) Veterans' measures generally.
          (2) Cemeteries of the United States in which veterans 
        of any war or conflict are or may be buried, whether in 
        the United States or abroad (except cemeteries 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior).
          (3) Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and 
        education of veterans.
          (4) Life insurance issued by the Government on 
        account of service in the Armed Forces.
          (5) Pensions of all the wars of the United States, 
        general and special.
          (6) Readjustment of servicemembers to civil life.
          (7) Servicemembers' civil relief.
          (8) Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment 
        of veterans.

                       Rule 1--General Provisions


    (a) Applicability of the Rules of the U.S. House of 
Representatives..--
    In General.--The Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives 
(the House) are the Rules of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
(Committee) and its Subcommittees so far as applicable.
    (b) Subcommittees.--Each Subcommittee of the Committee is a 
part of the Committee and is subject to the authority and 
direction of the Committee and to its Rules so far as 
applicable. Except where the terms ``Full Committee'' and 
``Subcommittee'' are specifically mentioned, the following 
Rules shall apply to the Committee's Subcommittees and their 
respective chairs and ranking minority Members to the same 
extent as they apply to the Full Committee and its Chair and 
Ranking Minority Member.
    (c) Incorporation of House Rule on Committee Procedure.--
Clause 2 of House Rule XI, which pertains entirely to Committee 
procedure, is incorporated and made part of the Rules of the 
Committee so far as applicable.
    (d) Privileged Motions.--In the Committee, a motion to 
recess from day to day, a motion to recess subject to the call 
of the Chair (within 24 hours), and a motion to dispense with 
the first reading (in full) of a bill or resolution if printed 
copies are available, shall be privileged and decided without 
debate.
    (e) Conferences.--Pursuant to clause 2(a)(3) of House Rule 
XI, the Chair is authorized to offer a motion under clause 1 of 
House Rule XXII whenever the Chair considers it appropriate.
    (f) Vice Chair.--Pursuant to clause 2(d) of House Rule XI , 
the Chair of the Committee shall designate the Vice Chair of 
the Committee.
    (g) Taking of Depositions.--Pursuant to section 103(a) of 
House Resolution 6 of the 116th Congress, the Chair upon 
consultation with the Ranking Minority Member may order the 
taking of depositions, including pursuant to subpoena, by a 
Member or counsel of the Committee. Depositions taken by a 
Member or counsel of the Committee shall be subject to 
regulations issued by the Committee on Rules and printed in the 
Congressional Record.
    (h) Subpoenas.--Pursuant to clause 2(m) of House Rule XI, 
subpoenas may be authorized and issued by the Committee in the 
conduct of any investigation or series of investigations or 
activities, only when authorized by a majority of the Members 
voting, a majority being present.
    (i) Open Meetings and Hearings.--Meetings and hearings of 
the Committee shall be open to the public unless closed in 
accordance with clause 2(g) of House Rule XI.
    (j) Motions, Reduced to Writing.--Every motion made to the 
Committee and entertained by the Chair shall be reduced to 
writing upon demand of any Member, and a copy made available to 
each Member present.
    (k) Wireless Telephone Use Prohibited.--No person may use a 
wireless telephone during a Committee meeting or hearing.

                       Rule 2--Committee Meetings


    (a) Notice Requirements for Meetings.--The Chair shall 
furnish each Member of the Committee with the date, place, and 
a list of measures and subjects to be considered at a Committee 
meeting, which may not commence earlier than the third calendar 
day on which Members have notice thereof (excluding Saturdays, 
Sundays and legal holidays except when the House is in session 
on such a day).
    (b) At least 48 hours prior to the commencement of a 
meeting for the markup of legislation, including any amendment 
in the nature of a substitute to such bills or resolutions that 
shall first be recognized by the Chair, the text of such 
legislation shall be made publicly available in electronic 
form.
    (c) In an emergency that does not reasonably allow for the 
notice as required in paragraph (a), the Chair may waive the 
notice requirement with the concurrence of the Ranking Minority 
Member; or if the Committee so determines by majority vote of 
the quorum required under Committee Rule 4(a). An announcement 
made under this subparagraph shall be published promptly in the 
Daily Digest and made publicly available in electronic form.
    (d) To the maximum extent practicable, amendments to a 
measure or matter noticed under paragraph (b) shall be 
submitted in writing or electronically to the designee of both 
the Chair and Ranking Member and made available electronically 
to each Member of the Committee at least 24 hours prior to the 
consideration of the measure or matter. The Chair may use his 
or her discretion to give priority to amendments submitted in 
advance.
    (e) Transcripts of markups shall be recorded and may be 
published in the same manner as hearings before the Committee.
    (f) Additional Meetings.--The Chair of the Committee may 
call and convene, as the Chair considers necessary, additional 
meetings of the Committee for the consideration of any bill or 
resolution pending before the Committee or for the conduct of 
other Committee business. The Committee shall meet for such 
purpose pursuant to the call of the Chair.
    (g) Congressional Budget Office Scoring.--The Committee 
shall not include any bill or resolution for consideration 
during a Committee markup which is not accompanied by an 
accounting from the Congressional Budget Office of the 
mandatory and discretionary costs or savings associated with 
such bill or resolution.
    The accounting from the Congressional Budget Office need 
not be official, but is expected to provide Committee Members 
with an approximation of the budgetary impact a bill or 
resolution may have prior to any vote to favorably forward or 
report such bill or resolution. The requirements of this 
paragraph may be waived by a majority of Committee Members, a 
quorum being present.

                            Rule 3--Hearings


    (a) Announcement of Hearing.--(1) The Chair, in the case of 
a hearing to be conducted by the Committee, shall publicly 
announce the date, place, and subject matter of any hearing to 
be conducted on any measure or matter at least one week before 
the commencement of that hearing, unless in accordance with 
clause 2(g)(3)(B) of House Rule XI -
          (A) the Chair with the concurrence of the Ranking 
        Minority Member determines that there is good cause to 
        begin the hearing at an earlier date, or
          (B) the Committee determines by majority vote of the 
        quorum required under Committee Rule 4(a) that a 
        hearing may begin earlier than one week after 
        announcement of the hearing as required under this 
        subsection. An announcement made under this 
        subparagraph shall be published promptly in the Daily 
        Digest and made publicly available in electronic form.
    (b) Requirements for Testimony.--
          (1) Pursuant to clause 2(g)(5) of House Rule XI, each 
        witness who is to appear before the Committee shall 
        file with the clerk of the Committee, at least 48 hours 
        (exclusive of weekends and holidays) in advance of his 
        or her appearance, or at such other time as designated 
        by the Chair after consultation with the Ranking 
        Minority Member, a written statement of his or her 
        proposed testimony. Each witness shall, to the greatest 
        extent practicable, provide a copy of such written 
        testimony in an electronic format prescribed by the 
        Chair. Each witness shall limit initial presentations 
        to a brief summary of the written statement.
          (2)(A) In the case of a witness appearing in a non-
        governmental capacity, a written statement of proposed 
        testimony shall include a curriculum vitae and a 
        disclosure of any Federal grants or contracts, or 
        contracts or payments originating with a foreign 
        government, received during the current calendar year 
        or either of the two previous calendar years by the 
        witness and related to the subject matter of the 
        hearing.
                  (B) The disclosure required by this Rule 
                shall include the amount and source of each 
                Federal grant (or subgrant thereof) or contract 
                (or subcontract thereof) related to the subject 
                matter of the hearing and the amount and 
                country of origin of any payment or contract 
                related to the subject matter of the hearing 
                originating with a foreign government.
    (c) Calling and Questioning Witnesses.--
          (1) Committee Members may question witnesses only 
        when they have been recognized by the Chair of the 
        Committee for that purpose, and only for a 5-minute 
        period until all Members present have had an 
        opportunity to question a witness. The questioning of 
        witnesses in Committee hearings shall be initiated by 
        the Chair, followed by the Ranking Minority Member and 
        all other Members alternating between the majority and 
        minority. Except as otherwise announced by the Chair at 
        the beginning of a hearing, Members who are present at 
        the start of the hearing will be recognized before 
        other Members who arrive after the hearing has begun. 
        In recognizing Members to question witnesses in this 
        fashion, the Chair shall take into consideration the 
        ratio of the majority to minority Members present and 
        shall establish the order of recognition for 
        questioning in such a manner as not to disadvantage the 
        Members of the majority.
          (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) 
        regarding the 5-minute Rule, and pursuant to clause 
        2(j) of House Rule XI, the Chair after consultation 
        with the Ranking Minority Member, may permit a 
        specified number of Committee Members to question a 
        witness for longer than 5 minutes. The time for 
        extended questioning of a witness under this paragraph 
        shall be equal for the majority party and the minority 
        party and may not exceed one hour in the aggregate. In 
        no event shall the Chair allow a Member to question a 
        witness for an extended period under this Rule until 
        all Members present have had the opportunity to ask 
        questions under the 5-minute Rule. The Chair after 
        consultation with the Ranking Minority Member may 
        permit Committee staff for its majority and minority 
        party Members to question a witness for equal specified 
        periods. The time for extended questioning of witnesses 
        by staff shall be equal for the majority party and the 
        minority party and may not exceed one hour in the 
        aggregate.
          (3) Pursuant to clause 2(k) of House Rule XI, the 
        Chair at a hearing shall announce in an opening 
        statement the subject of the hearing, and a copy of the 
        Committee Rules and of clause 2 of House Rule XI shall 
        be made available to each witness on request.
                  (A) Witnesses at hearings may be accompanied 
                by their own counsel for the purpose of 
                advising them concerning their constitutional 
                rights. The Chair may punish breaches of order 
                and decorum, and of professional ethics on the 
                part of counsel, by censure and exclusion from 
                the hearings; and the Committee may cite the 
                offender to the House for contempt.
                  (B) Whenever it is asserted by a Member of 
                the Committee that the evidence or testimony at 
                a hearing may tend to defame, degrade, or 
                incriminate any person, or it is asserted by a 
                witness that the evidence or testimony that the 
                witness would give at a hearing may tend to 
                defame, degrade, or incriminate the witness--
                          (i) notwithstanding clause 2(g)(2) of 
                        House Rule XI, such testimony or 
                        evidence shall be presented in 
                        executive session if, in the presence 
                        of the number of Members required under 
                        Committee Rule 4(a), the Committee 
                        determines by vote of a majority of 
                        those present that such evidence or 
                        testimony may tend to defame, degrade, 
                        or incriminate any person; and
                          (ii) the Committee shall proceed to 
                        receive such testimony in open session 
                        only if the Committee, a majority being 
                        present, determines that such evidence 
                        or testimony will not tend to defame, 
                        degrade, or incriminate any person.
    In either case the Committee shall afford such person an 
opportunity voluntarily to appear as a witness, and receive and 
dispose of requests from such person to subpoena additional 
witnesses.
                  (C) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 
                the Chair shall receive and the Committee shall 
                dispose of requests to subpoena additional 
                witnesses.
                  (D) Evidence or testimony taken in executive 
                session, and proceedings conducted in executive 
                session, may be released or used in public 
                sessions only when authorized by the Committee, 
                a majority being present.
                  (E) In the discretion of the Committee, 
                witnesses may submit brief and pertinent sworn 
                statements in writing for inclusion in the 
                record. The Committee is the sole judge of the 
                pertinence of testimony and evidence adduced at 
                its hearing.
                  (F) A witness may obtain a transcript copy of 
                the testimony of such witness given at a public 
                session or, if given at an executive session, 
                when authorized by the Committee.
          (4) Non-Committee Members may be invited to sit at 
        the dais for and participate in Committee hearings with 
        the unanimous consent of the Members present. Further, 
        non-Committee Members may be recognized for questioning 
        of witnesses but only after all Committee Members have 
        first been recognized.
          (5) Pursuant to House Rule XI clause 2(j)(1), when a 
        hearing is conducted by the Committee on any measure or 
        matter, the minority Members of the Committee shall be 
        entitled, upon request to the Chair of a majority of 
        those minority Members before the completion of the 
        hearing, to call witnesses selected by the minority to 
        testify with respect to that measure or matter during 
        at least one day of the hearing thereon.

      Rule 4--Quorum and Record Votes; Postponement Of Proceedings


    (a) Working Quorum.--A majority of the Members of the 
Committee shall constitute a quorum for business, except that 
two Members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of taking 
testimony and receiving evidence.
    (b) Quorum for Reporting.--No measure or recommendation 
shall be reported to the House or to the Full Committee in a 
meeting of a Subcommittee unless a majority of the Members of 
the Committee are present.
    (c) Record Votes.--A record vote may be demanded by one-
fifth of the Members present or, in the apparent absence of a 
quorum, by any one Member. With respect to any record vote on 
any motion to amend or report, the total number of votes cast 
for and against, and the names of those Members voting for and 
against, shall be included in the report of the Committee on 
the bill or resolution.
    (d) Prohibition Against Proxy Voting.--No vote by any 
Member of the Committee with respect to any measure or matter 
may be cast by proxy.
    (e) Postponing Proceedings.--The Committee Chair may 
postpone further proceedings when a record vote is ordered on 
the question of approving a measure or matter or on adopting an 
amendment; and may resume proceedings on a postponed question 
after reasonable notice. When proceedings resume on a postponed 
question, notwithstanding any intervening order for the 
previous question, an underlying proposition shall remain 
subject to further debate or amendment to the same extent as 
when the question was postponed.

                         Rule 5--Subcommittees


    (a) Establishment and Jurisdiction.--
          (1) There shall be five Subcommittees of the 
        Committee with jurisdictions as follows:
                  (A) Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and 
                Memorial Affairs, which shall have legislative, 
                oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over 
                compensation; general and special pensions of 
                all the wars of the United States; life 
                insurance issued by the Government on account 
                of service in the Armed Forces; cemeteries of 
                the United States in which veterans of any war 
                or conflict are or may be buried, whether in 
                the United States or abroad, except cemeteries 
                administered by the Secretary of the Interior; 
                burial benefits; the Board of Veterans' 
                Appeals; and the United States Court of Appeals 
                for Veterans Claims.
                  (B) Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, 
                which shall have legislative, oversight, and 
                investigative jurisdiction over education of 
                veterans, employment and training of veterans, 
                vocational rehabilitation, veterans' housing 
                programs (including homeless veterans housing), 
                transition of servicemembers to civilian life, 
                veteran-owned business concerns, and 
                servicemembers civil relief.
                  (C) Subcommittee on Health, which shall have 
                legislative, oversight, and investigative 
                jurisdiction over the Veterans Health 
                Administration (VHA) including medical 
                services, community care, medical support and 
                compliance, medical facilities, medical and 
                prosthetic research, provision of healthcare to 
                homeless veterans, and major and minor 
                construction.
                  (D) Subcommittee on Oversight and 
                Investigations, which shall have oversight and 
                investigative jurisdiction over veterans' 
                matters generally, and over such matters as may 
                be referred to the Subcommittee by the Chair of 
                the Full Committee for its oversight or 
                investigation and for its appropriate 
                recommendations. The Subcommittee shall have 
                legislative jurisdiction over information 
                technology and procurement generally, and over 
                such bills or resolutions as may be referred to 
                it by the Chair of the Full Committee.
                  (E) Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, 
                which shall have oversight and investigative 
                jurisdiction over Department of Veterans 
                Affairs' enterprise technology modernization 
                programs and projects, including the Electronic 
                Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program.
          (2) Each Subcommittee shall have responsibility for 
        such other measures or matters as the Chair refers to 
        it.
    (b) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Membership of a 
Subcommittee shall not affect the power of the remaining 
Members to execute the functions of that Subcommittee.
    (c) Ratios.--On each Subcommittee, there shall be a ratio 
of majority party Members to minority party Members, which 
shall be consistent with the ratio on the Full Committee.
    (d) Referral to Subcommittees.--The Chair of the Committee 
may refer a measure or matter, which is within the general 
responsibility of more than one of the Subcommittees of the 
Committee, as the Chair deems appropriate. In referring any 
measure or matter to a Subcommittee, the Chair of the Committee 
may specify a date by which the Subcommittee shall report 
thereon to the Committee.
    (e) Powers and Duties--
          (1) Each Subcommittee is authorized to meet, hold 
        hearings, receive evidence, and report to the Full 
        Committee on all matters referred to it or under its 
        jurisdiction. Subcommittee Chairs shall set dates for 
        hearings and meetings of their respective Subcommittees 
        after consultation with the Chair of the Committee and 
        other Subcommittee chairs with a view toward avoiding 
        simultaneous scheduling of Committee and Subcommittee 
        meetings or hearings whenever possible.
          (2) Whenever a Subcommittee has ordered a bill, 
        resolution, or other matter to be reported to the 
        Committee, the Chair of the Subcommittee reporting the 
        bill, resolution, or matter to the Full Committee, or 
        any Member authorized by the Subcommittee to do so, 
        shall notify the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member 
        of the Committee of the Subcommittee's action.
          (3) A Member of the Committee who is not a Member of 
        a Subcommittee may sit with the Subcommittee during any 
        of its meetings and hearings, but shall not have 
        authority to vote, cannot be counted for a quorum, and 
        cannot raise a point of order at the meeting or 
        hearing.
          (4) The Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the 
        Committee may serve as ex-officio Members of each 
        standing Subcommittee to which the Chair or Ranking 
        Minority Member have not been assigned. Ex-officio 
        Members shall have the right to fully participate in 
        Subcommittee activities but may not vote and may not be 
        counted in establishing a quorum.
          (5) Non-Committee Members may be invited to sit at 
        the dais for and participate in Subcommittee hearings 
        with the unanimous consent of all Members present. 
        Further, non- Committee Members may be recognized for 
        questioning of witnesses but only after all 
        Subcommittee Members have first been recognized for 
        questioning.
          (6) Each Subcommittee shall provide the Full 
        Committee with copies of such record votes taken in 
        Subcommittee and such other records with respect to the 
        Subcommittee as the Chair of the Committee deems 
        necessary for the Committee to comply with the House 
        Rules.

                Rule 6--General Oversight Responsibility


    (a) Purpose.--Pursuant to House Rule X clause 2, the 
Committee shall carry out oversight responsibilities consistent 
with clause 1(s) of House Rule X and Committee Rule 5.
    (b) Oversight Plan.--Not later than March 1 of the first 
session of a Congress, the Chair shall prepare, in consultation 
with the Ranking Minority Member, an oversight plan for that 
Congress; provide a copy of that plan to each Member of the 
Committee for at least seven calendar days before its 
submission; and submit the plan (including any supplemental, 
minority, additional, or dissenting views submitted by a Member 
of the Committee) to the Committee on Oversight and Reform and 
the Committee on House Administration, in accordance with House 
Rule X clause 2(d).
    (c) Oversight by Subcommittees.--The existence and 
activities of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 
shall in no way limit the responsibility of the other 
Subcommittees of the Committee for carrying out oversight 
duties.
    (d) Pursuant to House Rule XI clause 1(b), the Committee 
may conduct at any time such investigations and studies as it 
considers necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its 
responsibilities under Rule X.

                  Rule 7--Budget Act Responsibilities


    (a) Budget Act Responsibilities.--Pursuant to clause 
4(f)(1) of Rule X of the Rules of the House, the Committee 
shall submit to the Committee on the Budget not later than six 
weeks after submission of the budget by the President, or at 
such time as the Committee on the Budget may request--
          (1) Its views and estimates with respect to all 
        matters to be set forth in the concurrent resolution on 
        the budget for the ensuing fiscal year that are within 
        its jurisdiction or functions; and
          (2) An estimate of the total amounts of new budget 
        authority, and budget outlays resulting therefrom, to 
        be provided or authorized in all bills and resolutions 
        within its jurisdiction that it intends to be effective 
        during that fiscal year.

                   Rule 8--Records and Other Matters


    (a) Transcripts.--There shall be a transcript made of each 
meeting and hearing of the Committee. Any such transcript shall 
be a substantially verbatim account of remarks actually made 
during the proceedings, subject only to technical, grammatical, 
and typographical corrections authorized by the person making 
the remarks involved.
    (b) Records.--(1) The Committee shall keep a record of all 
Committee action. The record shall contain all information 
required by clause 2(e)(1) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House 
and shall be available for public inspection at reasonable 
times in the offices of the Committee.
          (2) There shall be kept in writing a record of the 
        proceedings of the Committee, including a record of the 
        votes on any question on which a record vote is taken. 
        The result of each such record vote shall be made 
        available by the Committee for inspection by the public 
        at reasonable times in the offices of the Committee and 
        also made publicly available in electronic form within 
        48 hours of such record vote. Information so available 
        shall include a description of the amendment, motion, 
        order, or other proposition, the name of each Member 
        voting for and each Member voting against such 
        amendment, motion, order, or proposition, and the names 
        of those Members present but not voting.
    (c) Availability of Archived Records.--The records of the 
Committee at the National Archives and Records Administration 
shall be made available for public use in accordance with House 
Rule VII. The Chair shall notify the Ranking Minority Member of 
any decision made by the Clerk of the House, pursuant to clause 
4 of House Rule VII, to withhold a record otherwise available, 
and the matter shall be presented to the Committee for a vote 
on written request of any Member of the Committee.
    (d) Availability of Adopted Amendments.--Not later than 24 
hours after the adoption of any amendment to a measure or 
matter considered by the Committee, the Chair shall cause the 
text of each such amendment to be made publicly available in 
electronic form.
    (e) Availability of Publications.--Pursuant to clause 
2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, the Committee 
shall make its publications available in electronic form to the 
maximum extent feasible.

                             Rule 9--Travel


    (a) Requirements for Travel.--All requests for travel, 
funded by the Committee, for Members and staff in connection 
with activities or subject matters under the general 
jurisdiction of the Committee, shall be submitted to the Chair 
for approval or disapproval. All travel requests should be 
submitted to the Chair at least five working days in advance of 
the proposed travel. For all travel funded by any other source, 
notice shall be given to the Chair at least five working days 
in advance of the proposed travel. All travel requests shall be 
submitted to the Chair in writing and include--
          (1) The purpose of the travel.
          (2) The dates during which the travel is to occur.
          (3) The names of the locations to be visited and the 
        length of time to be spent in each.
          (4) The names of Members and staff of the Committee 
        for whom the authorization is sought. Travel by the 
        minority shall be submitted to the Chair via the 
        Ranking Member.
    (b) Trip Reports.--Members and staff shall make a written 
report to the Chair within 15 working days on all travel 
approved under this subsection. Reports shall include a 
description of their itinerary, expenses, and activities, and 
pertinent information gained as a result of such travel.
    When travel involves majority and minority Members or 
staff, the majority shall submit the report to the Chair on 
behalf of the majority and minority. The minority may append 
additional remarks to the report at their discretion.
    (c) Applicability of House Rules.--Members and staff of the 
Committee performing authorized travel on official business 
shall be governed by applicable laws, resolutions, and Rules of 
the House and of the Committee on House Administration.

                        Rule 10--Facility Naming


    (a) Facility Naming.--No Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA) facility or property shall be named after any individual 
by the Committee unless--
          (1) Such individual is deceased and was--
                  (A) A veteran who (i) was instrumental in the 
                construction or the operation of the facility 
                to be named, or (ii) was a recipient of the 
                Medal of Honor or, as determined by the Chair 
                and Ranking Minority Member, otherwise 
                performed military service of an 
                extraordinarily distinguished character;
                  (B) A Member of the United States House of 
                Representatives or Senate who had a direct 
                association with such facility;
                  (C) An Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, a 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a Secretary of 
                Defense or of a service branch, or a military 
                or other Federal civilian official of 
                comparable or higher rank; or
                  (D) An individual who, as determined by the 
                Chair and Ranking Minority Member, performed 
                outstanding service for veterans.
          (2) Each Member of the Congressional delegation 
        representing the State in which the designated facility 
        is located must indicate in writing such Member's 
        support of the proposal to name such facility after 
        such individual. Evidence of a Member's support in 
        writing may either be in the form of a letter to the 
        Chair and Ranking Member or co-sponsorship of 
        legislation proposing to name the particular VA 
        facility in question.
          (3) The pertinent State department or chapter of each 
        Congressionally chartered veterans' organization having 
        a national Membership of at least 500,000 must indicate 
        in writing its support of such proposal.
    (b) The above criteria for naming a VA facility may be 
waived by unanimous consent.

                        Rule 11--Media Coverage


    (a) Media Coverage.--Any meeting of the Committee that is 
open to the public shall be open to coverage by radio, 
television, and still photography in accordance with the 
provisions of clause 4(f) of House Rule XI as follows:
          (1) If audio or visual coverage of the hearing or 
        meeting is to be presented to the public as live 
        coverage, that coverage shall be conducted and 
        presented without commercial sponsorship.
          (2) The allocation among the television media of the 
        positions or the number of television cameras permitted 
        by a Committee Chair in a hearing or meeting room shall 
        be in accordance with fair and equitable procedures 
        devised by the Executive Committee of the Radio and 
        Television Correspondents' Galleries.
          (3) Television cameras shall be placed so as not to 
        obstruct in any way the space between a witness giving 
        evidence or testimony and any Member of the Committee 
        or the visibility of that witness and that Member to 
        each other.
          (4) Television cameras shall operate from fixed 
        positions but may not be placed in positions that 
        obstruct unnecessarily the coverage of the hearing or 
        meeting by the other media.
          (5) Equipment necessary for coverage by the 
        television and radio media may not be installed in, or 
        removed from, the hearing or meeting room while the 
        Committee is in session.
          (6)(A) Except as provided in subdivision (B), 
        floodlights, spotlights, strobe lights, and flashguns 
        may not be used in providing any method of coverage of 
        the hearing or meeting.
                  (B) The television media may install 
                additional lighting in a hearing or meeting 
                room, without cost to the Government, in order 
                to raise the ambient lighting level in a 
                hearing or meeting room to the lowest level 
                necessary to provide adequate television 
                coverage of a hearing or meeting at the current 
                state of the art of television coverage.
          (7) If requests are made by more of the media than 
        will be permitted by the Committee Chair for coverage 
        of a hearing or meeting by still photography, that 
        coverage shall be permitted on the basis of a fair and 
        equitable pool arrangement devised by the Standing 
        Committee of Press Photographers.
          (8) Photographers may not position themselves between 
        the witness table and the Members of the Committee at 
        any time during the course of a hearing or meeting.
          (9) Photographers may not place themselves in 
        positions that obstruct unnecessarily the coverage of 
        the hearing by the other media.
          (10) Personnel providing coverage by the television 
        and radio media shall be currently accredited to the 
        Radio and Television Correspondents' Galleries.
          (11) Personnel providing coverage by still 
        photography shall be currently accredited to the Press 
        Photographers' Gallery.
          (12) Personnel providing coverage by the television 
        and radio media and by still photography shall conduct 
        themselves and their coverage activities in an orderly 
        and unobtrusive manner.