[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INITIAL SCOPE AND SUPPLEMENTAL RULES FOR THE JOINT INQUIRY BEING 
 CONDUCTED BY THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND 
              THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the initial scope and the 
supplemental rules for the Joint Inquiry being conducted by the House 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select 
Committee on Intelligence be published in the Congressional Record. 
Both the Joint Inquiry's initial scope and its supplemental procedural 
rules were adopted by the full membership of HPSCI and SSCI.

                                Preamble

       To reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks; to honor 
     the memories of the victims of the September 11 terrorist 
     attacks by conducting a thorough search for facts to answer 
     the many questions that their families and many Americans 
     have raised; and to lay a basis for assessing the 
     accountability of institutions and officials of government:


              the senate select committee on intelligence

                                  and

            house permanent select committee on intelligence

                               adopt this

                     initial scope of joint inquiry

       Pursuant to section 5(a)(1) of Senate Resolution 400, 94th 
     Congress, Rule 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate 
     Select Committee on Intelligence, Rule XI(1)(b) of the Rules 
     of the House of Representatives, and Rule 9 of the Rules of 
     Procedure of the House Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence, the two Committees have authorized an 
     investigation, to be conducted as a Joint Inquiry, into the 
     Intelligence Community's activities before and after the 
     September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. 
     The Committees have undertaken this Joint Inquiry pursuant to 
     their responsibility to oversee and make continuing studies 
     of the intelligence activities and programs of the United 
     States Government and all other authority vested in the 
     Committees.
       The purpose of this Joint Inquiry is--
       (a) to conduct an investigation into, and study of, all 
     matters that may have any tendency to reveal the full facts 
     about--
       (1) the evolution of the international terrorist threat to 
     the United States, the response of the United States 
     Government including that of the Intelligence Community to 
     international terrorism, from the creation of the Director of 
     Central Intelligence's Counterterrorist Center in 1986 to the 
     present, and what the Intelligence Community had, has, or 
     should have learned from all sources of information, 
     including any terrorist attacks or attempted ones, about the 
     international terrorist threat to the United States;
       (2) what the Intelligence Community knew prior to September 
     11 about the scope and nature of any possible attacks against 
     the United States or United States interests by international 
     terrorists, including by any of the hijackers or their 
     associates, and what was done with that information;
       (3) what the Intelligence Community has learned since the 
     events of September 11 about the persons associated with 
     those events, and whether any of that information suggests 
     actions that could or should have been taken to learn of, or 
     prevent, those events;
       (4) whether any information developed before or after 
     September 11 indicates systemic problems that may have 
     impeded the Intelligence Community from learning of or 
     preventing the attacks in advance, or that, if remedied, 
     could help the Community identify and prevent such attacks in 
     the future;
       (5) how and to what degree the elements of the Intelligence 
     Community have interacted with each other, as well as other 
     parts of federal, state, and local governments with respect 
     to identifying, tracking, assessing, and coping with 
     international terrorist threats; as well as biological, 
     chemical, radiological, or nuclear threats, whatever their 
     source (such as the Anthrax attack of 2001).
       (6) the ways in which the Intelligence Community's 
     responses to past intelligence problems and challenges, 
     whether or not related to international terrorism, have 
     affected its counterterrorism efforts; and
       (7) any other information that would enable the Joint 
     Inquiry, and the Committees in the performance of their 
     continuing responsibilities, to make such recommendations, 
     including recommendations for new or amended legislation and 
     any administrative or structural changes, or other actions, 
     as they determine to be necessary or desirable to improve the 
     ability of the Intelligence Community to learn of, and 
     prevent, future international terrorist attacks; and
       (b) to fulfill the Constitutional oversight and informing 
     functions of the Congress with regard to the matters examined 
     in the Joint Inquiry.

  House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Supplemental Joint 
                             Inquiry Rules

       In connection with the Joint Inquiry with the Senate Select 
     Committee on Intelligence into the events of September 11, 
     2001, authorized by the House Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence (``HPSCI'') pursuant to Rule XI(1)(b) of the 
     Rules of the House of Representatives and Rule 9 of HPSCI's 
     Rules of Procedure, and pursuant to Rule XI(2)(a) of the 
     Rules of the House of Representatives, HPSCI adopts the 
     following Joint Inquiry Rules to supplement HPSCI's Rules for 
     purposes of the Joint Inquiry only:


                joint inquiry rule 1. joint proceedings

       1.1. HPSCI may conduct hearings jointly with the Senate 
     Select Committee on Intelligence. All joint hearings shall be 
     considered hearings of both Committees.
       1.2. The Rules of Procedure of HPSCI and the Senate Select 
     Committee on Intelligence shall apply in all hearings and 
     other proceedings of this Joint Inquiry, except where 
     superseded by these Joint Inquiry Rules, provided that, at 
     any joint hearing, if any rules of the two Committees are 
     inconsistent, the rules of that Committee whose Chairman or 
     his designee is presiding shall apply.
       1.3. For the purposes of the proceedings of this Joint 
     Inquiry, all employees on the staff of either Committee 
     working on the Joint Inquiry shall be considered to be acting 
     on behalf of both Committees.


                     joint inquiry rule 2. hearings

       2.1. All testimony at hearings shall be taken under oath or 
     affirmation.


                   joint inquiry rule 3. depositions

       3.1. All testimony taken, and all documents, records, or 
     other materials produced, at a deposition of the Senate 
     Select Committee on Intelligence shall be considered part of 
     the record of both Committees.

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