[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2929-S2930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING
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RULES OF PROCEDURE
Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, on May 14, 2015, the Joint Committee on
Printing organized, elected a chairman, a vice chairman, and adopted
committee rules for the 114th Congress. Members of the Joint Committee
on Printing elected Senator Roy Blunt as vice chairman and Congressman
Gregg Harper as chairman. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of
the committee rules be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Joint Committee on Printing, 114th Congress
Rule 1.--Committee Rules
(a) The rules of the Senate and House insofar as they are
applicable, shall govern the Committee.
(b) The Committee's rules shall be published in the
Congressional Record as soon as possible following the
Committee's organizational meeting in each odd-numbered year.
(c) Where these rules require a vote of the members of the
Committee, polling of members either in writing or by
telephone shall not be permitted to substitute for a vote
taken at a Committee meeting, unless the Ranking Minority
Member assents to waiver of this requirement.
(d) Proposals for amending Committee rules shall be sent to
all members at least one week before final action is taken
thereon, unless the amendment is made by unanimous consent.
Rule 2.--Regular Committee Meetings
(a) The regular meeting date of the Committee shall be the
second Wednesday of every month when the House and Senate are
in session. A regularly scheduled meeting need not be held if
there is no business to be considered and after appropriate
notification is made to the Ranking Minority Member.
Additional meetings may be called by the Chairman, as he may
deem necessary or at the request of the majority of the
members of the Committee.
(b) If the Chairman of the Committee is not present at any
meeting of the Committee, the Vice-Chairman or Ranking Member
of the majority party on the Committee who is present shall
preside at the meeting.
Rule 3.--Quorum
(a) Five members of the Committee shall constitute a
quorum, which is required for the purpose of closing
meetings, promulgating Committee orders or changing the rules
of the Committee.
(b) Three members shall constitute a quorum for purposes of
taking testimony and receiving evidence.
Rule 4.--Proxies
(a) Written or telegraphic proxies of Committee members
will be received and recorded on any vote taken by the
Committee, except for the purpose of creating a quorum.
(b) Proxies will be allowed on any such votes for the
purpose of recording a member's position on a question only
when the absentee Committee member has been informed of the
question and has affirmatively requested that he be recorded.
Rule 5.--Open and Closed Meetings
(a) Each meeting for the transaction of business of the
Committee shall be open to the public except when the
Committee, in open session and with a quorum present,
determines by roll call vote that all or part of the
remainder of the meeting on that day shall be closed to the
public. No such vote shall be required to close a meeting
that relates solely to internal budget or personnel matters.
[[Page S2930]]
(b) No person other than members of the Committee, and such
congressional staff and other representatives as they may
authorize, shall be present in any business session that has
been closed to the public.
Rule 6.--Alternating Chairmanship and Vice-Chairmanship by Congresses
(a) The Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship of the Committee
shall alternate between the House and the Senate by
Congresses: The senior member of the minority party in the
House of Congress opposite of that of the Chairman shall be
the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee.
(b) In the event the House and Senate are under different
party control, the Chairman and Vice Chairman shall represent
the majority party in their respective Houses. When the
Chairman and Vice-Chairman represent different parties, the
Vice-Chairman shall also fulfill the responsibilities of the
Ranking Minority Member as prescribed by these rules.
Rule 7.--Parliamentary Questions
Questions as to the order of business and the procedures of
Committee shall in the first instance be decided by the
Chairman; subject always to an appeal to the Committee.
Rule 8.--Hearings: Public Announcements and Witnesses
(a) The Chairman, in the case of hearings to be conducted
by the Committee, shall make public announcement of 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 the Committee determines
that there is good cause to begin such hearing at an earlier
date. In the latter event, the Chairman shall make such
public announcement at the earliest possible date. The staff
director of the Committee shall promptly notify the Daily
Digest of the Congressional Record as soon as possible after
such public announcement is made.
(b) So far as practicable, all witnesses appearing before
the Committee shall file advance written statements of their
proposed testimony at least 48 hours in advance of their
appearance and their oral testimony shall be limited to brief
summaries. Limited insertions or additional germane material
will be received for the record, subject to the approval of
the Chairman.
Rule 9.--Official Hearing Record
(a) An accurate stenographic record shall be kept of all
Committee proceedings and actions. Brief supplemental
materials when required to clarify the transcript may be
inserted in the record subject to the approval of the
Chairman.
(b) Each member of the Committee shall be provided with a
copy of the hearing transcript for the purpose of correcting
errors of transcription and grammar, and clarifying questions
or remarks. If any other person is authorized by a Committee
Member to make his corrections, the staff director shall be
so notified.
(c) Members who have received unanimous consent to submit
written questions to witnesses shall be allowed two days
within which to submit these to the staff director for
transmission to the witnesses. The record may be held open
for a period not to exceed two weeks awaiting the responses
by witnesses.
(d) A witness may obtain a transcript copy of his testimony
given at a public session or, if given at an executive
session, when authorized by the Committee. Testimony received
in closed hearings shall not be released or included in any
report without the approval of the Committee.
Rule 10.--Witnesses for Committee Hearings
(a) Selection of witnesses for Committee hearings shall be
made by the Committee staff under the direction of the
Chairman. A list of proposed witnesses shall be submitted to
the members of the Committee for review sufficiently in
advance of the hearings to permit suggestions by the
Committee members to receive appropriate consideration.
(b) The Chairman shall provide adequate time for
questioning of witnesses by all members, including minority
Members and the rule of germaneness shall be enforced in all
hearings notified.
(c) Whenever a hearing is conducted by the Committee upon
any measure or matter, the minority on the Committee shall be
entitled, upon unanimous request to the Chairman before the
completion of such hearings, to call witnesses selected by
the minority to testify with respect to the measure or matter
during at least one day of hearing thereon.
Rule 11.--Confidential Information Furnished to the Committee
The information contained in any books, papers or documents
furnished to the Committee by any individual, partnership,
corporation or other legal entity shall, upon the request of
the individual, partnership, corporation or entity furnishing
the same, be maintained in strict confidence by the members
and staff of the Committee, except that any such information
may be released outside of executive session of the Committee
if the release thereof is effected in a manner which will not
reveal the identity of such individual, partnership,
corporation or entity in connection with any pending hearing
or as a part of a duly authorized report of the Committee if
such release is deemed essential to the performance of the
functions of the Committee and is in the public interest.
Rule 12.--Broadcasting of Committee Hearings
The rule for broadcasting of Committee hearings shall be
the same as Rule XI, clause 4, of the Rules of the House of
Representatives.
Rule 13.--Committee Reports
(a) No Committee report shall be made public or transmitted
to the Congress without the approval of a majority of the
Committee except when Congress has adjourned: provided that
any member of the Committee may make a report supplementary
to or dissenting from the majority report. Such supplementary
or dissenting reports should be as brief as possible.
(b) Factual reports by the Committee staff may be printed
for distribution to Committee members and the public only
upon authorization of the Chairman either with the approval
of a majority of the Committee or with the consent of the
Ranking Minority Member.
Rule 14.--Confidentiality of Committee Reports
No summary of a Committee report, prediction of the
contents of a report, or statement of conclusions concerning
any investigation shall be made by a member of the Committee
or by any staff member of the Committee prior to the issuance
of a report of the Committee.
Rule 15.--Committee Staff
(a) The Committee shall have a staff director, selected by
the Chairman. The staff director shall be an employee of the
House of Representatives or of the Senate.
(b) The Ranking Minority Member may designate an employee
of the House of Representatives or of the Senate as the
minority staff director.
(c) The staff director, under the general supervision of
the Chairman, is authorized to deal directly with agencies of
the Government and with non-Government groups and individuals
on behalf of the Committee.
(d) The Chairman or staff director shall timely notify the
Ranking Minority Member or the minority staff director of
decisions made on behalf of the Committee.
Rule 16.--Committee Chairman
The Chairman of the Committee may establish such other
procedures and take such actions as may be necessary to carry
out the foregoing rules or to facilitate the effective
operation of the Committee. Specifically, the Chairman is
authorized, during the interim periods between meetings of
the Committee, to act on all requests submitted by any
executive department, independent agency, temporary or
permanent commissions and committees of the Federal
Government, the Government Publishing Office and any other
Federal entity, pursuant to the requirements of applicable
Federal law and regulations.
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