[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2420-S2421]
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. SHELBY. Mr. President, on April 6, 2017, the Joint Committee on 
Printing organized, elected a chairman, a vice chairman, and adopted 
committee rules for the 115th Congress. Members of the Joint Committee 
on Printing elected Senator Richard Shelby as chairman and Congressman 
Rodney Davis as vice 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--115th 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.
       (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

[[Page S2421]]

     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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