[House Prints 118-1]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
118th Congress }
1st Session } HOUSE COMMITTEE PRINT NO. 1
_______________________________________________________________________
COMMITTEE RULES OF PROCEDURE
FOR THE
118TH CONGRESS
OF THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE
ON
VETERANS' AFFAIRS
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
February 8, 2023.--Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the House of Representatives
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
51-183 WASHINGTON : 2023
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
MIKE BOST, Illinois, Chairman
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, MARK TAKANO, California, Ranking
American Samoa, Vice-Chairwoman Member
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan JULIA BROWNLEY, California
NANCY MACE, South Carolina MIKE LEVIN, California
MATTHEW M. ROSENDALE, Montana CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa FRANK J. MRVAN, Indiana
GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK,
C. SCOTT FRANKLIN, Florida Florida
DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin CHRISTOPHER R. DELUZIO,
MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas Pennsylvania
JUAN CISCOMANI, Arizona MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
ELIJAH CRANE, Arizona DELIA C. RAMIREZ, Illinois
KEITH SELF, Texas GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio
JENNIFER KIGGANS, Virginia NIKKI BUDZINSKI, Illinois
Jon Clark, Republican Staff Director
Matt Reel, Democratic Staff Director
RULES OF THE COMMITTEE
ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FOR THE 118TH CONGRESS
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) Rules of the 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. Written rules of the Committee, not
inconsistent with the Rules of the House, shall be binding on
each subcommittee of the Committee.
(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 1 day), 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 3(k) of
House Resolution 5 of the 118th 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 Chairman 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) Decorum.--The Chair shall enforce decorum including
with regard to actions that impact the health and safety of
Members, staff, and anyone else present, or impedes the
business of the Committee.
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) Availability of Texts.--At least two days (excluding
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays except when the House is
in session on such a day) 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) Amendments.--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 one day
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.--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 and may be a preliminary score 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. A
majority of Committee members may waive the requirements of
this paragraph with a quorum present.
(h) Notice and Approval of Committee Investigative Reports
or Studies.--A proposed investigative or oversight report shall
be considered as read in committee if it has been available to
the members for at least one day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays,
or legal holidays except when the House is in session on such a
day).
A proposed investigative report or study shall not be
considered in the Committee unless the report has been
available to the members of the Committee for at least seven
calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays
except when the House is in session on such a day) before
consideration of such proposed report or study in the
Committee. Only those investigative reports or studies approved
by a majority vote of the committee at a meeting which a quorum
is present may be ordered reported.
RULE 3--HEARINGS
(a) Notice.--(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 2 days
(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) Truth in Testimony Disclosure: In accordance
with Rule XI, clause 2(g)(5) of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, 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, grants, or payments originating with a
foreign government, received during the past 36 months
by the witness or by an entity represented by the
witness and related to the subject matter of the
hearing, and a disclosure of whether the witnesses is a
fiduciary (including, but not limited to, a director,
officer, advisor, or resident agent) of any
organization or entity that has an interest in the
subject matter of the hearing
(B) Pursuant to Rule XI., clause 2(g)(5), the
witness is required to 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) Any witness appearing before the Committee shall
remain available for questioning by the Committee
unless excused by the Chair.
(5) 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.
(6) 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.
(7) At the discretion of the chair and in accordance
with regulations submitted for printing in the
Congressional Record by the chair of the Committee on
Rules----
(A) witnesses at committee or subcommittee
proceedings may appear remotely;
(B) counsel shall be permitted to accompany
witnesses appearing remotely; and
(C) an oath may be administered to a witness
remotely for purposes of clause 2(m)(2) of rule XI.
(8) Member Day Hearing: During the first session of
the 118th Congress, the Chair shall hold a hearing at
which it receives testimony from Members, Delegates,
and the Resident Commissioner on proposed legislation
within its jurisdiction.
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 unless a majority of the members of the
Committee or Subcommittee 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 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 including
medical care, medical services, community care, medical
support and compliance, medical and prosthetic
research, health care for homeless veterans, medical
education, major and minor construction, medical
facilities including leases and recurring and non-
recurring maintenance, and the Fourth Mission of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(D) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,
which shall have oversight and investigative
jurisdiction over veterans' matters generally. The
subcommittee shall have legislative jurisdiction over
VA Central Office organizations, enterprise human
capital management, information technology,
cybersecurity, data management, financial management,
supply chain and procurement, whistleblower matters,
the Office of Inspector General, and over such matters
as may be referred to the Subcommittee by the Chair of
the full Committee.
(E) Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, which
shall have oversight and investigative jurisdiction
over the Department of Veterans Affairs' enterprise
technology modernization programs and projects,
including the Electronic Health Record Modernization
program, the Office of Information and Technology,
information technology, enterprise information
technology governance, cybersecurity, and data
management.
(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 shall be 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--TASK FORCE
(a) Establishment.--The Committee may establish a
task force to perform specific oversight functions for
time limited purposes. A task force does not have
legislative or hearing jurisdiction.
(b) Authorization.--The Committee shall adopt a
resolution authorizing a task force. The resolution
shall set forth the specific purpose and objectives of
the task force.
(c) Membership and Ratios.--The Task Force shall be
led by a Chair and Co-Chair. It shall include committee
majority and minority members, on a volunteer basis.
(d) Duration.--No task force shall exist for a
cumulative period longer than 6 months in a Congress.
(e) Powers and Duties.--
(1) A task force is authorized to meet, hold
roundtables, and report to the full Committee on all
matters set forth in the resolution authorizing the
task force.
(2) The task force shall submit the findings and
recommendations of the task force to the full Committee
within 30 days of completion of the task force.
(3) The rules of the Committee are the rules of a
task force.
RULE 7--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 a meeting
that is open to the public, adopt its authorization and
oversight plan for that Congress. The plan shall be submitted
simultaneously to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability
and the Committee on House Administration.
(c) Each such plan shall include, with respect to programs
and agencies within the committee's jurisdiction, and to the
maximum extent practicable----
(A) a list of such programs or agencies with lapsed
authorizations that received funding in the prior
Fiscal Year or, in the case of a program or agency with
a permanent authorization, which has not been subject
to a comprehensive review by the committee in the prior
three Congresses;
(B) a description of each such program or agency to
be authorized in the current Congress;
(C) a description of each such program or agency to
be authorized in the next Congress, if applicable;
(D) a description of any oversight to support the
authorization of each such program or agency in the
current Congress; and
(E) recommendations for changes to existing law for
moving such programs or agencies from mandatory funding
to discretionary appropriations, where appropriate.
(d) Each such plan may include, with respect to the
programs and agencies within the committee's jurisdiction----
(A) recommendations for the consolidation or
termination of such programs or agencies that are
duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent with the
appropriate roles and responsibilities of the Federal
Government;
(B) recommendations for changes to existing law
related to Federal rules, regulations, statutes, and
court decisions affecting such programs and agencies
that are inconsistent with the authorities of the
Congress under Article I of the Constitution;
(C) a description of such other oversight activities
as the committee may consider necessary.
(e) In the development of such plan, the chair of
each committee shall coordinate with other committees
of jurisdiction to ensure that programs and agencies
are subject to routine, comprehensive authorization
efforts.
(f) 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 or investigative duties.
(g) 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.
Prior to initiating an investigation or study, the
Chair shall, in consultation with the Ranking Member,
set forth the objectives and scope of the
investigation. Upon initiating an investigation or
study, the Chair shall inform members in writing of the
objectives and scope of the investigation or study. No
changes to objectives or scope shall be made unless the
consultation and notice requirements are met. All
witness interviews--formal and informal--conducted in
connection with a report or study shall be open to
majority and minority staff.
RULE 8--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 6
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 9--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. These transcripts shall be maintained in
electronic format on a repository operated by the House Clerk.
(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
publicly available by the Committee in electronic form
within 2 days 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 Amendments.--Not later than 1 day after
the adoption of any amendment, or 2 days after the disposition
or withdrawal of any other 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 on a repository operated by the House Clerk.
(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 10--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 11--FACILITY OR PROPERTY NAMING
(a) Facility or property 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 or
property 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 U.S. House of Representatives
or Senate who had a direct association with such
facility or property;
(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
or property is located must indicate in writing such
member's support of the proposal to name such facility
or property after such individual. Evidence of a
member's support in writing must be in the form of a
letter to the Chair and Ranking Member proposing to
name the particular VA facility or property 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. Under certain
circumstances, the Committee may grant a waiver to
accept written support from pertinent chapters or posts
of chartered veterans' organizations in lieu of the
State department.
(b) The above criteria for naming a VA facility or property
may be waived by unanimous consent.
RULE 12--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.
(13) Majority Committee staff shall be required to
notify the Minority Committee staff if a hearing will
be streamed by an outside media outlet in addition to
the House Recording Studio.
(14) Personnel providing coverage by the television
and radio media shall be currently accredited to the
Radio and Television Correspondents Galleries.