[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H288-H292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE STATUS OF CENSUS 2000

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is a significant day 
in the history of our Republic. For only the 22nd time since our 
founding, those charged with the constitutional mandate to conduct a 
decennial census will report to the Nation on the preliminary results 
of their work. The Census acting director appears before Congress, and 
he will give us the first report on the quality and completeness of 
that count, under oath.
  Rumor has it that the results are good, I think. I say that because 
there is still quite a bit we do not know. Apparently, the net national 
undercount from the 2000 census is about 1 percent. These results are a 
significant improvement over 1990. The 2000 census may well be the best 
ever conducted.

[[Page H289]]

  It is also my obligation to report to this House that all may not be 
well with the census. If what I read in the papers is right, there is 
an ongoing plan by the Republican leadership to stop the Bureau from 
completing its job by blocking the use of modern scientific methods to 
achieve the most accurate picture of America.
  This is not a charge that I make or any Democrat makes, it is a 
charge made by the investigative staff of none other than the Wall 
Street Journal in a story which appeared last Thursday quoting 
Republican sources that such a plan is afoot.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record this issue of the Wall Street 
Journal.

              [From the Wall Street Journal, Feb. 8, 2001]

     Bush's Next Recount Battle: Should Census Tallies Be Adjusted?

                           (By Jim VandeHei)

       Washington.--Amid warnings of protests from minorities, 
     President Bush must decide soon whether to use revised census 
     data to redraw congressional boundaries and to divvy up 
     roughly $185 billion a year in federal funds
       At issue is the way the U.S. counts its people. Republicans 
     want the person-by-person head count conducted in 2000 to 
     stand; Democrats are demanding the use of statistical 
     ``sampling'' models that they believe more accurately count 
     hard-to-reach minority families in inner cities.
       With potentially greater representation of minorities--and, 
     therefore, Democrats--in Congress at stake, plus billions of 
     dollars for minority communities, New York Democratic Rep. 
     Carolyn Maloney calls the dispute the ``bloodiest political 
     war'' she has ever seen. If Democrats lose, Mr. Bush's 
     decision ``will clearly make Florida look like a case of 
     petty theft,'' she says.
       But Republicans on Capitol Hill insist the war is over: The 
     White House, they say, has privately promised to block states 
     from using sampled numbers to redraw any of the nation's 435 
     congressional districts. This would brighten Republicans' 
     prospects for retaining their tenuous five-seat House 
     majority in 2002. Missouri GOP Rep. Roy Blunt, a Bush 
     confidant, says he does ``not believe there is any reason'' 
     that the president would change his mind and permit the use 
     of ``statistical sampling'' for redistricting, which the GOP 
     argues is unconstitutional.
       Mr. Bush, however, may be willing to use sampled data for 
     the distribution of federal funds if it becomes clear that 
     the revised figures will increase government funding for 
     urban, minority areas. This potential ``compromise,'' 
     Republicans say, underscores the president's sensitivity to 
     the racial overtones of this debate. That could hardly 
     placate Democrats, given the enormous political stakes.


                       Working Toward a Solution

       Scott McClellan, a spokesman for President Bush, says no 
     decisions have been made yet. But officials at the Commerce 
     Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, are working to 
     craft a solution. Commerce Department officials have been 
     advised by two stauch critics of sampling: Tom Hoffeler, a 
     redistricting guru at the Republican National Committee, and 
     Jane Cobb, the GOP staff director on the House subcommittee 
     that overseas the census. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, 
     who was Mr. Bush's campaign chairman, also will play an 
     influential role. * * * this month. If the bureau finds that 
     the 2000 head count was off significantly, it could release 
     the sampled figures when it begins providing states a 
     breakdown of the original census on March 1 for 
     redistricting. A final decision, by law, must be made by the 
     end of March.
       Mr. Bush's father faced a similar situation 10 years ago. 
     Finally, then-Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher blocked the 
     Census Bureau from using sampled numbers. He provided the 
     younger Bush a precedent for possible compromise by later 
     finding that sampled data, if based on sound science, could 
     be preferable for distributing government funds.
       This time, the White House has an array of options to stop 
     the use of sampled data for redistricting. All are loaded 
     with political and practical consequences.
       Mr. Bush could revoke a Clinton administration rule that 
     empowers the head of the Census Bureau to make the final call 
     on whether to use sampled data. The courts have ruled that 
     only unadjusted data could be used to determine how many 
     House seats each state gets, but they left open the question 
     of whether sampling could be used to redraw districts. Mr. 
     Bush would have to overturn the rule before the new figures 
     are released publicly, which gives him about a month to act.
       Or the president could appoint a new Census Bureau 
     director, who would make the final call on release of sampled 
     data and possibly provide cover to Mr. Bush. Kenneth Prewitt, 
     the bureau's director under former President Clinton and a 
     staunch advocate of sampling, left last month. Career civil 
     servant William Barron, the acting director, would not 
     hesitate to release the sampled data if it showed a 
     noticeable difference, observers say. But it would be nearly 
     impossible for Mr. Bush to get a new director in place in 
     time.
       There is still a slim chance that Mr. Bush won't have to 
     make a decision at all. If the Census Bureau finds that the 
     2000 person-by-person head count was nearly dead-on; there 
     would be no reason to use revised numbers. That is unlikely, 
     but Mr. Prewitt does say the 2000 census was the most 
     accurate count ever taken. Democrats concede that it was 
     probably far more accurate than the 1990 count, which they 
     say underestimated the U.S. population by a net of about four 
     million people, mostly poor people from big cities.


                     guarding `their civil rights'

       But Rep. Maloney says it is likely that 2000 census, at the 
     very least, missed huge pockets of people of inner cities 
     that ``must have their civil rights protected.''
       It is impossible to determine what effect the sampled data 
     will have on the distribution of federal funds until the 
     numbers are released. But if the 1990 census is any 
     indication, it could boost government spending by billions of 
     dollars over 10 years in cities such as New York and Chicago, 
     according to various studies, because the government 
     allocates much of its funds based on population.
       Rep. Thomas Davis of Virginia, chairman of the GOP's 
     congressional committee, accuses the Democrats of ``using the 
     funding issue to try to scare people'' and mask their true 
     intent, which is to pick up House seats. ``Every seat 
     counts,'' when a swing of five seats would cost the GOP 
     control of the House, he says. Indeed, experts predict that 
     sampling could significantly increase the number of 
     Democratic voters in as many as 12 House districts currently 
     held by Republicans.
       Most of these seats are swing districts on the shoulders of 
     the country's largest cities. Consider Los Angeles. Democrats 
     control the entire redistricting process, which is done by 
     the governor and the state Legislature. If the Census 
     Bureau's sampling data finds that minorities inside Los 
     Angeles were undercounted, it could correct the problem by 
     adding thousands of residents, presumably Democrats, to its 
     original count. When the state redraws its congressional 
     districts, Democrats then could simply draw pockets of 
     minority-rich neighborhoods into GOP districts in neighboring 
     suburbs.
       In California alone, Republicans worry that this could cost 
     them at least two House seats. Sampling, says Rep. Blunt, 
     could ``change'' the control of the House.
       In the end, it is likely that the courts will decide this 
     dispute. Indeed, both sides have promised to file lawsuits if 
     they lose.

  Mr. Speaker, as we all learned in high school, no single action by 
this government other than the census does more to reapportion 
political power here and in our State legislatures and local 
communities. No single action, other than the census, does more to 
fairly distribute billions in Federal, State, and local tax dollars or 
private investment. No single act does more to recognize who we are as 
individuals, or together as communities assembled into a single Nation.
  The impact of each new census is far-reaching because each occurs 
only once every 10 years. We have just completed our 22nd decennial 
census. Indeed, our fighting men and women have been sent abroad to 
defend liberty more times than we have conducted a full count of our 
own people to ensure that liberty is guaranteed.
  A successful effort to interfere with a modern scientific count to 
achieve a purely partisan advantage of one political party over the 
other, as the Wall Street Journal suggests is under way, denies liberty 
and disenfranchises the unrepresented for an entire decade. That is why 
many call this moment in our history the most important civil rights 
issue of this decade.
  Mr. Speaker, I remind this House of the recent election process in 
Florida. Those who felt denied access to the polls or disenfranchised 
by having their ballots set aside, or those stripped of their right to 
choose their political leadership, they still have recourse. Next year 
they can go to the polls again in local, State, and Federal elections 
and make their voices heard. Believe me, the whole world will be 
watching.
  To those left out of the census, however, those that are 
disenfranchised by a purely partisan intervention to ensure that they 
are not counted or recognized or represented, to them there is no 
recourse, not for 10 long years. Billions of dollars in Federal funding 
will be unfairly spent, private investment will be redirected to those 
less deserving, local planners and school boards will overlook again 
those uncounted, unless we do everything we can to improve the census 
and ensure that it is as complete and accurate as possible.
  What we are likely to hear tomorrow is that the net national 
undercount is better than in 1990. It may be 3 million people missed 
instead of 4 million. In any case, we know that they are most

[[Page H290]]

likely, most probably, minorities and children who are undercounted, 
the urban and rural poor. Mostly affluent whites have been double-
counted. Mr. Speaker, we cannot make up for not counting minorities by 
double-counting whites.
  There are those in the administration rushing to prejudge the results 
without having all the facts. They claim this is the most accurate 
census in American history. We hope so, but the whole story is not 
known.
  The key to this challenge is not just how many were missed, but who 
was missed? Where do they reside? Were some groups missed at higher 
rates than others? What if we learned that nationally a net of 3 
million residents were missed, but that one million were in Florida. 
Would Florida not insist on an adjustment?
  Equality of outcome, for all types of communities and for all 
population groups, is what we need to ensure the fair allocation of 
resources to areas most in need, as well as the obvious, equal 
representation for everyone in our democracy.
  This is my pledge to the Members of the House and to those we 
represent. Through my position on the Census Subcommittee, and through 
whatever power I can muster, we will ultimately learn if any political 
influence by this administration is used to interfere with the 
scientific process of a complete and accurate Census. I led the fight 
to ensure that career professionals at the Census Bureau would make 
this decision when the prior Democratic administration was in power. 
The same process should apply to the new administration. I want to 
ensure the Secretary of Commerce and the President that we are 
watching. There can be no more unseemly act than the one suggested in 
these press accounts. To have the very government elected to serve the 
people use its power to block the exercise of every political right on 
the part of millions of Americans is wrong.
  We are on the verge in this Nation of redrawing every political 
jurisdiction in every state from congressional districts to state 
legislatures to city councils and school boards and even local taxing 
districts. Only the census numbers which give us the most complete 
accounting of everyone residing in our country should be used for that 
purpose. To think that this Federal Government, the very instrument of 
political empowerment in the last century for people of color, women, 
and youth, would be turned against those same groups is unimaginable.
  We shall not have ended the poll tax, given suffrage to women, 
lowered the voting age to 18, ensured all qualified citizens the right 
to vote, arrested those who intimidated voters at the polls, to just 
turn away now while millions are left uncounted, unrecognized and 
unempowered. The struggle for full voting rights cannot and must not be 
undone by the swipe of a political appointee's pen.

PUBLICATION OF THE RULES OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 107TH 
                                CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, on February 7, 2001, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce, meeting in open markup session, adopted the following 
Rules for the 107th Congress.

     RULES FOR THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 107TH CONGRESS

       Rule 1. General Provisions. (a) Rules of the Committee. The 
     Rules of the House are the rules of the Committee on Energy 
     and Commerce (hereinafter the ``Committee'') and its 
     subcommittees so far as is applicable, except that a motion 
     to recess from day to day, and a motion to dispense with the 
     first reading (in full) of a bill or resolution, if printed 
     copies are available, are nondebatable and privileged in the 
     Committee and its subcommittees.
       (b) Rules of the Subcommittees. Each subcommittee of the 
     Committee is 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 adopted by the Committee, 
     not inconsistent with the Rules of the House, shall be 
     binding on each subcommittee of the Committee.
       Rule 2. Time and Place of Meetings. (a) Regular Meeting 
     Days. The Committee shall meet on the fourth Tuesday of each 
     month at 10 a.m., for the consideration of bills, 
     resolutions, and other business, if the House is in session 
     on that day. If the House is not in session on that day and 
     the Committee has not met during such month, the Committee 
     shall meet at the earliest practicable opportunity when the 
     House is again in session. The chairman of the Committee may, 
     at his discretion, cancel, delay, or defer any meeting 
     required under this section, after consultation with the 
     ranking minority member.
       (b) Additional Meetings. The chairman may call and convene, 
     as he 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 
     purposes pursuant to that call of the chairman.
       (c) Vice Chairmen; Presiding Member. The chairman shall 
     designate a member of the majority party to serve as vice 
     chairman of the Committee, and shall designate a majority 
     member of each subcommittee to serve as vice chairman of each 
     subcommittee. The vice chairman of the Committee or 
     subcommittee, as the case may be, shall preside at any 
     meeting or hearing during the temporary absence of the 
     chairman. If the chairman and vice chairman of the Committee 
     or subcommittee are not present at any meeting or hearing, 
     the ranking member of the majority party who is present shall 
     preside at the meeting or hearing.
       (d) Open Meetings and Hearings. Except as provided by the 
     Rules of the House, each meeting of the Committee or any of 
     its subcommittees for the translated of business, including 
     the markup of legislation, and each hearing, shall be open to 
     the public including to radio, television and still 
     photograph coverage, consistent with the provisions of Rule 
     XI of the Rules of the House.
       Rule 3. Agenda. The agenda for each Committee or 
     subcommittee meeting (other than a hearing), setting out the 
     date, time, place, and all items of business to be 
     considered, shall be provided to each member of the Committee 
     at least 36 hours in advance of such meeting.
       Rule 4. Procedure. (a)(1) Hearings. The date, time, place, 
     and subject matter of any hearing of the Committee or any of 
     its subcommittees shall be announced at least one week in 
     advance of the commencement of such hearing, unless the 
     Committee or subcommittee determines in accordance with 
     clause 2(g)(3) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House that 
     there is good cause to begin the hearing sooner.
       (2)(A) Meetings. The date, time, place, and subject matter 
     of any meeting (other than a hearing) scheduled on a Tuesday, 
     Wednesday, or Thursday when the House will be in session, 
     shall be announced at least 36 hours (exclusive of Saturdays, 
     Sundays, and legal holidays except when the House is in 
     session on such days) in advance of the commencement of such 
     meeting.
       (B) Other Meetings. The date, time, place, and subject 
     matter of a meeting (other than a hearing or a meeting to 
     which subparagraph (A) applies) shall be announced at least 
     72 hours in advance of the commencement of such meeting.
       (b)(1) Requirements for Testimony. Each witness who is to 
     appear before the Committee or a subcommittee shall file with 
     the clerk of the Committee, at least two working days in 
     advance of his or her appearance, sufficient copies, as 
     determined by the chairman of the Committee or a 
     subcommittee, of a written statement of his or her proposed 
     testimony to provide to members and staff of the Committee or 
     subcommittee, the news media, and the general public. Each 
     witness shall, to the greatest extent practicable, also 
     provide a copy of such written testimony in an electronic 
     format prescribed by the chairman. Each witness shall limit 
     his or her oral presentation to a brief summary of the 
     argument. The chairman of the Committee or subcommittee, or 
     the presiding member, may waive the requirements of this 
     paragraph or any part thereof.
       (2) Additional Requirements for Testimony. To the greatest 
     extent practicable, the written testimony of each witness 
     appearing in a non-government capacity shall include a 
     curriculum vitae and disclosure of the amount and source (by 
     agency and program) of any federal grant (or subgrant 
     thereof) or contract (or subcontract thereof) received during 
     the current fiscal year or either of the two preceding fiscal 
     years by the witness or by an entity represented by the 
     witness.
       (c) Questioning Witnesses. The right to interrogate the 
     witnesses before the Committee or any of its subcommittees 
     shall alternate between majority and minority members. Each 
     member shall be limited to 5 minutes in the interrogation of 
     witnesses until such time as each member who so desires has 
     had an opportunity to question witnesses. No member shall be 
     recognized for a second period of 5 minutes to interrogate a 
     witness until each member of the Committee present has been 
     recognized once for that purpose. While the Committee or 
     subcommittee is operating under the 5-minute rule for the 
     interrogation of witnesses, the chairman shall recognize in 
     order of appearance members who were not present when the 
     meeting was called to order after all members who were 
     present when the meeting was called to order have been 
     recognized in the order of seniority on the Committee or 
     subcommittee, as the case may be.
       (d) Explanation of Subcommittee Action. No bill, 
     recommendation, or other matter reported by a subcommitt4ee 
     shall be considered by the full explanation, has been 
     available to members of the Committee for at least 36 hours. 
     Such explanation shall include a summary of the major 
     provisions of the legislation, an explanation of the 
     relationship of the matter to present law, and a summary of 
     the need for the legislation. All subcommittee actions shall 
     be reported promptly by the clerk of the Committee to all 
     members of the Committee.
       (e) Opening Statements. Opening statements by members at 
     the beginning of any hearing or markup of the Committee or 
     any of its subcommittees shall be limited to 5 minutes each 
     for the chairman and ranking minority member (or their 
     respective designee) of the Committee or subcommittee, as

[[Page H291]]

     applicable, and 3 minutes each for all other members.
       Rule 5. Waiver of Agenda, Notice, and Layover Requirements. 
     Requirements of rules 3, 4(a)(2), and 4(d) may be waived by a 
     majority of those present and voting (a majority being 
     present) of the Committee or subcommittee, as the case may 
     be.
       Rule 6. Quorum. Testimony may be taken and evidence 
     received at any hearing at which there are present not fewer 
     than two members of the Committee or subcommittee in 
     question. A majority of the member of the Committee shall 
     constitute a quorum for the purposes of reporting any measure 
     or matter, or authorizing a subpoena, or of closing a meeting 
     or hearing pursuant to clause 2(g) of Rule XI of the Rules of 
     the House (except as provided in clause 2(g)(2)(A) and (B)). 
     For the purposes of taking any action other than those 
     specified in the preceding sentence, one-third of the members 
     of the Committee or subcommittee shall constitute a quorum.
       Rule 7. Official Committee Records. (a)(1) Journal. The 
     proceedings of the Committee shall be recorded in a journal 
     which shall, among other things, show those present at each 
     meeting, and include a record of the vote on any question on 
     which a record vote is demanded and a description of the 
     amendment, motion, order, or other proposition voted. A copy 
     of the journal shall be furnished to the ranking minority 
     member.
       (2) Recorded 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. No demand for a record vote shall 
     be made or obtained except for the purpose of procuring a 
     record vote or in the apparent absence of a quorum. The 
     result of each record vote in any meeting of the Committee 
     shall be made available in the Committee office for 
     inspection by the public, as provided in Rule XI, clause 2(e) 
     of the Rules of the House.
       (b) Archived Records. The records of the Committee at the 
     National Archives and Records Administration shall be made 
     available for public use in accordance with Rule VII of the 
     Rules of the House. The chairman shall notify the ranking 
     minority member of any decision, pursuant to clause 
     3(b)(3) or clause 4(b) of the Rule, to withhold a record 
     otherwise available, and the matter shall be presented to 
     the Committee for a determination on the written request 
     of any member of the Committee. The chairman shall consult 
     with the ranking minority member on any communication from 
     the Archivist of the United States or the Clerk of the 
     House concerning the disposition of noncurrent records 
     pursuant to clause 3(b) of the Rule.
       Rule 8. Subcommittees. There shall be such standing 
     subcommittees with such jurisdiction and size as determined 
     by the majority party caucus of the Committee. The 
     jurisdiction, number, and size of the subcommittees shall be 
     determined by the majority party caucus prior to the start of 
     the process for establishing subcommittee chairmanships and 
     assignments.
       Rule 9. Powers and Duties of Subcommittees. Each 
     subcommittee is authorized to meet, hold hearings, receive 
     testimony, mark up legislation, and report to the Committee 
     on all matters referred to it. Subcommittee chairmen shall 
     set hearing and meeting dates only with the approval of the 
     chairman of the Committee with a view toward assuring the 
     availability of meeting rooms and avoiding simultaneous 
     scheduling of Committee and subcommittee meetings or hearings 
     whenever possible.
       Rule 10. Reference of Legislation and Other Matters. All 
     legislation and other matters referred to the Committee shall 
     be referred to the subcommittee of appropriate jurisdiction 
     within two weeks of the date of receipt by the Committee 
     unless action is taken by the full committee within those two 
     weeks, or by majority vote of the members of the Committee, 
     consideration is to be by the full Committee. In the case of 
     legislation or other matter within the jurisdiction of more 
     than one subcommittee, the chairman of the Committee may, in 
     his discretion, refer the matter simultaneously to two or 
     more subcommittees for concurrent consideration, or may 
     designate a subcommittee of primary jurisdiction and also 
     refer the matter to one or more additional subcommittees for 
     consideration in sequence (subject to appropriate time 
     limitations), either on its initial referral or after the 
     matter has been reported by the subcommittee of primary 
     jurisdiction. Such authority shall include the authority to 
     refer such legislation or matter to an ad hoc subcommittee 
     appointed by the chairman, with the approval of the 
     Committee, from the members of the subcommittee having 
     legislative or oversight jurisdiction.
       Rule 11. Ratio of Subcommittees. The majority caucus of the 
     Committee shall determine an appropriate ratio of majority to 
     minority party members for each subcommittee and the chairman 
     shall negotiate that ratio with the minority party, provided 
     that the ratio of party members on each subcommittee shall be 
     no less favorable to the majority than that of the full 
     Committee, nor shall such ratio provide for a majority of 
     less than two majority members.
       Rule 12. Subcommittee Membership. (a) Selection of 
     Subcommittee Members. Prior to any organizational meeting 
     held by the Committee, the majority and minority caucuses 
     shall select their respective members of the standing 
     subcommittee.
       (b) Ex Officio Members. The chairman and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee shall be ex officio members with 
     voting privileges of each subcommittee of which they are not 
     assigned as members and may be counted for purposes of 
     establishing a quorum in such subcommittees.
       Rule 13. Managing Legislation on the House Floor. The 
     chairman, in his discretion, shall designate which member 
     shall manage legislation reported by the Committee to the 
     House.
       Rule 14. Committee Professional and Clerical Staff 
     Appointments. (a) Delegation of Staff. Whenever the chairman 
     of the Committee determines that any professional staff 
     member appointed pursuant to the provisions of clause 9 of 
     Rule X of the House of Representatives, who is assigned to 
     such chairman and not to the ranking minority member, by 
     reason of such professional staff member's expertise or 
     qualifications will be of assistance to one or more 
     subcommittees in carrying out their assigned 
     responsibilities, he may delegate such member to such 
     subcommittees for such purpose. A delegation of a member of 
     the professional staff pursuant to this subsection shall be 
     made after consultation with subcommittee chairmen and with 
     the approval of the subcommittee chairman or chairmen 
     involved.
       (b) Minority Professional Staff. Professional staff members 
     appointed pursuant to clause 9 of Rule X of the House of 
     Representatives, who are assigned to the ranking minority 
     member of the Committee and not to the chairman of the 
     Committee, shall be assigned to such Committee business as 
     the minority party members of the Committee consider 
     advisable.
       (c) Additional Staff Appointments. In addition to the 
     professional staff appointed pursuant to clause 9 of Rule X 
     of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the 
     Committee shall be entitled to make such appointments to the 
     professional and clerical staff of the Committee as may be 
     provided within the budget approved for such purposes by the 
     Committee. Such appointee shall be assigned to such business 
     of the full Committee as the chairman of the Committee 
     considers advisable.
       (d) Sufficient Staff. The chairman shall ensure that 
     sufficient staff is made available to each subcommittee to 
     carry out its responsibilities under the rules of the 
     Committee.
       (e) Fair Treatment of Minority Members in Appointment of 
     Committee Staff. The chairman shall ensure that the minority 
     members of the Committee are treated fairly in appointment of 
     Committee staff.
       (f) Contracts for Temporary or Intermittent Services. Any 
     contract for the temporary services or intermittent service 
     of individual consultants or organizations to make studies or 
     advise the Committee or its subcommittees with respect to any 
     matter within their jurisdiction shall be deemed to have been 
     approved by a majority of the members of the Committee if 
     approved by the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
     Committee. Such approval shall not be deemed to have been 
     given if at least one-third of the members of the Committee 
     request in writing that the Committee formally act on such a 
     contract, if the request is made within 10 days after the 
     latest date on which such chairman or chairmen, and such 
     ranking minority member or members, approve such contract.
       Rule 15. Supervision, Duties of Staff. (a) Supervision of 
     Majority Staff. The professional and clerical staff of the 
     Committee not assigned to the minority shall be under the 
     supervision and direction of the chairman who, in 
     consultation with the chairmen of the subcommittees, shall 
     establish and assign the duties and responsibilities of such 
     staff members and delegate such authority as he determines 
     appropriate.
       (b) Supervision of Minority Staff. The professional and 
     clerical staff assigned to the minority shall be under the 
     supervision and direction of the minority members of the 
     Committee, who may delegate such authority as they determine 
     appropriate.
       Rule 16. Committee Budget. (a) Preparation of the Committee 
     Budget. The chairman of the Committee, after consultation 
     with the ranking minority member of the Committee and the 
     chairmen of the subcommittees, shall for the 107th Congress 
     prepare a preliminary budget for the Committee, with such 
     budget including necessary amounts for professional and 
     clerical staff, travel, investigations, equipment and 
     miscellaneous expenses of the Committee and the 
     subcommittees, and which shall be adequate to fully discharge 
     the Committee's responsibilities for legislation and 
     oversight. Such budget shall be presented by the chairman to 
     the majority party caucus of the Committee and thereafter to 
     the full Committee for its approval.
       (b) Approval of the Committee Budget. The chairman shall 
     take whatever action is necessary to have the budget as 
     finally approved by the Committee duly authorized by the 
     House. No proposed Committee budget may be submitted to the 
     Committee on House Administration unless it has been 
     presented to and approved by the majority party caucus and 
     thereafter by the full Committee. The chairman of the 
     Committee may authorize all necessary expenses in accordance 
     with these rules and within the limits of the Committee's 
     budget as approved by the House.
       (c) Monthly Expenditures Report. Committee members shall be 
     furnished a copy of each monthly report, prepared by the 
     chairman for the Committee on House Administration, which 
     shows expenditures made during the reporting period and 
     cumulative for the year by the Committee and subcommittees, 
     anticipated expenditures for the projected Committee program, 
     and detailed information on travel.

[[Page H292]]

       Rule 17. Broadcasting of Committee Hearings. Any meeting or 
     hearing that is open to the public may be covered in whole or 
     in part by radio or television or still photography, subject 
     to the requirements of clause 4 of Rule XI of the Rules of 
     the House. The coverage of any hearing or other proceeding of 
     the Committee or any subcommittee thereof by television, 
     radio, or still photography shall be under the direct 
     supervision of the chairman of the Committee, the 
     subcommittee chairman, or other member of the Committee 
     presiding at such hearing or other proceeding and may be 
     terminated by such member in accordance with the Rules of the 
     House.
       Rule 18. Comptroller General Audits. The chairman of the 
     Committee is authorized to request verification examinations 
     by the Comptroller General of the United States pursuant to 
     Title V, Part A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
     (Public Law 94-163), after consultation with the members of 
     the Committee.
       Rule 19. Subpoenas. The Committee, or any subcommittee, may 
     authorize and issue a subpoena under clause 2(m)(2)(A) of 
     Rule XI of the House, if authorized by a majority of the 
     members of the Committee or subcommittee (as the case may be) 
     voting, a quorum being present. Authorized subpoenas may be 
     issued over the signature of the chairman of the Committee or 
     any member designated by the Committee, and may be served by 
     any person designated by such chairman or member. The 
     chairman of the Committee may authorize and issue subpoenas 
     under such clause during any period for which the House has 
     adjourned for a period in excess of 3 days when, in the 
     opinion of the chairman, authorization and issuance of the 
     subpoena is necessary to obtain the material set forth in the 
     subpoena. The chairman shall report to the members of the 
     Committee on the authorization and issuance of a subpoena 
     during the recess period as soon as practicable but in no 
     event later than one week after service of such subpoena.
       Rule 20. Travel of Members and Staff. (a) Approval of 
     Travel. Consistent with the primary expense resolution and 
     such additional expense resolutions as may have been 
     approved, travel to be reimbursed from funds set aside for 
     the Committee for any member or any staff member shall be 
     paid only upon the prior authorization of the chairman. 
     Travel may be authorized by the chairman for any member and 
     any staff member in connection with the attendance of 
     hearings conducted by the Committee or any subcommittee 
     thereof and meetings, conferences, and investigations which 
     involve activities or subject matter under the general 
     jurisdiction of the Committee. Before such authorization is 
     given there shall be submitted to the chairman in writing the 
     following: (1) the purpose of the travel; (2) the dates 
     during which the travel is to be made and the date or dates 
     of the event for which the travel is being made; (3) the 
     location of the event for which the travel is being made; and 
     (4) the names of members and staff seeking authorization.
       (b) Approval of Travel by Minority Members and Staff. In 
     the case of travel by minority party members and minority 
     party professional staff for the purpose set out in (a), the 
     prior approval, not only of the chairman but also of the 
     ranking minority member, shall be required. Such prior 
     authorization shall be given by the chairman only upon the 
     representation by the ranking minority member in writing 
     setting forth those items enumerated in (1), (2), (3), and 
     (4) of paragraph (a).

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