[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1757-1760]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     PUBLICATION OF COMMITTEE RULES


   rules of the committee on veterans' affairs for the 115th congress

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

                                 Washington, DC, February 2, 2017.
     Hon. Paul D. Ryan,
     Speaker of the House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Speaker: I respectfully submit for publication, 
     the attached copy of the rules of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, Committee on Veterans' Affairs for the 115th 
     Congress which were approved via voice vote by the Full 
     Committee on January 31, 2017.
           Sincerely,
                                               David P. Roe, M.D.,
                                                         Chairman.

        Jurisdiction of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

       Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
     establishes the standing committees of the House and their 
     jurisdiction. Under that rule, all bills, resolutions, and 
     other matters relating to the subjects within the 
     jurisdiction of any standing committee shall be referred to 
     such committee. Clause 1(s) of Rule X establishes the 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs as 
     follows:
       (1) Veterans' measures generally.
       (2) 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).
       (3) Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education 
     of veterans
       (4) Life insurance issued by the Government on account of 
     service in the Armed Forces.
       (5) Pensions of all the wars of the United States, general 
     and special.
       (6) Readjustment of servicemembers to civil life.
       (7) Servicemembers' civil relief.
       (8) Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment of 
     veterans.


                       RULE 1--GENERAL PROVISIONS

       (a) Applicability of House Rules.--The Rules of the House 
     are the rules of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and its 
     subcommittees so far as 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 non-debatable privileged motions in 
     Committees and subcommittees.
       (b) 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.
       (c) Incorporation of House Rule on Committee Procedure.--
     Rule XI of the Rules of the House, which pertains entirely to 
     Committee procedure, is incorporated and made part of the 
     rules of the Committee to the extent applicable. Pursuant to 
     clause 2(a)(3) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, the 
     Chairman of the full Committee is directed to offer a motion 
     under clause 1 of Rule XXII of the Rules of the House 
     whenever the Chairman considers it appropriate.
       (d) Vice Chairman.--Pursuant to clause 2(d) of Rule XI of 
     the Rules of the House, the Chairman of the full Committee 
     shall designate the Vice Chairman of the Committee.


                RULE 2--REGULAR AND ADDITIONAL MEETINGS

       (a) Regular Meetings.--The regular meeting day for the 
     Committee shall be at 10 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each 
     month in such place as the Chairman may designate. However, 
     the Chairman may dispense with a regular Wednesday meeting of 
     the Committee.
       (b) Additional Meetings.--The Chairman of the Committee 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 purpose pursuant to the call of the Chairman.
       (c) Notice.--The Chairman shall notify each Member of the 
     Committee of the agenda of each regular and additional 
     meeting of the Committee at least 24 hours before the time of 
     the meeting, except under circumstances the Chairman 
     determines to be of an emergency nature. Under such 
     circumstances, the Chairman shall make an effort to consult 
     the Ranking Minority Member, or in such Member's absence, the 
     next ranking minority party member of the Committee.


                RULE 3--MEETINGS AND HEARINGS GENERALLY

       (a) Open Meetings and Hearings.--Meetings and hearings of 
     the Committee and each of its subcommittees shall be open to 
     the public unless closed in accordance with clause 2(g) of 
     Rule XI of the Rules of the House.
       (b) Announcement of Hearing.--The Chairman, in the case of 
     a hearing to be conducted by the Committee, and the 
     subcommittee Chairman, in the case of a hearing to be 
     conducted by a subcommittee, 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 or the 
     subcommittee determines that there is good cause to begin the 
     hearing at an earlier date, in accordance with Rule XI, 
     clause 2(g)(3)(B) of the Rules of the House of 
     Representatives. In the latter event, the Chairman or the 
     subcommittee Chairman, as the case may be, shall consult with 
     the Ranking Minority Member and make such public announcement 
     at the earliest possible date. The clerk of the Committee 
     shall promptly notify the Daily Clerk of the Congressional 
     Record and the Committee scheduling service of the House 
     Information Resources as soon as possible after such public 
     announcement is made.
       (c) Wireless Telephone Use Prohibited.--No person may use a 
     wireless telephone during a Committee or subcommittee meeting 
     or hearing.
       (d) Media Coverage.--Any meeting of the Committee or its 
     subcommittees 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 or subcommittee 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 a committee or subcommittee 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.
       (e) Requirements for Testimony
       (1) Each witness who is to appear before the Committee or a 
     subcommittee shall file with the clerk of the Committee, at 
     least 48 hours (exclusive of weekends and holidays) in 
     advance of his or her appearance, or at such other time as 
     designated by the Chairman after consultation with the 
     Ranking Member, a written statement of his or her proposed 
     testimony. 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 any oral presentation to a summary of the written 
     statement.

[[Page 1758]]

       (2) Pursuant to clause 2(g)(5) of Rule XI of the Rules of 
     the House:
       (A) 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 or payments 
     originating with a foreign government, received during the 
     current calendar year or either of the two previous calendar 
     years by the witness and related to the subject matter of the 
     hearing.
       (B) The disclosure required by this Rule shall include 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.
       (f) Calling and Questioning Witnesses
       (1) Committee and subcommittee members may question 
     witnesses only when they have been recognized by the Chairman 
     of the Committee or subcommittee for that purpose, and only 
     for a 5-minute period until all members present have had an 
     opportunity to question a witness. The 5-minute period for 
     questioning a witness by any one member may be extended only 
     with the unanimous consent of all members present. The 
     questioning of witnesses in both Committee and subcommittee 
     hearings shall be initiated by the Chairman, followed by the 
     ranking minority party member and all other members 
     alternating between the majority and minority. Except as 
     otherwise announced by the Chairman 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 Chairman 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, the Chairman after consultation 
     with the Ranking Minority Member may designate an equal 
     number of members of the Committee or subcommittee majority 
     and minority party to question a witness for a period not 
     longer than 30 minutes, In no event shall the Chairman 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 Chairman 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 of time.
       (3) Non-Committee Members may be invited to sit at the dais 
     for and participate in Committee hearings with the unanimous 
     consent of all Members present. Further, non-Committee 
     Members may be recognized for questioning of witnesses but 
     only after all Committee Members have first been recognized.
       (4) When a hearing is conducted by the Committee or a 
     subcommittee on any measure or matter, the minority party 
     members on the Committee shall be entitled, upon request to 
     the Chairman 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.
       (g) Subpoenas.--Pursuant to clause 2(m) of Rule XI of the 
     Rules of the House, subpoenas may be authorized and issued by 
     the Committee or a subcommittee 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.
       (h) Notice Requirements
       (1) The text of all bills or resolutions for markup, and 
     any amendments in the nature of a substitute to such bills or 
     resolution to be first recognized by the Chairman, shall be 
     made available, via written or electronic notice, to 
     Committee members at least 48 hours prior to a scheduled 
     markup, except as agreed to by unanimous consent.
       (2) Subject to the second sentence of this paragraph, it 
     shall not be in order for the Committee to consider any 
     amendment proposed to a bill or resolution under 
     consideration by the Committee, or proposed to an amendment 
     in the nature of a substitute noticed under paragraph (1), 
     unless a written or electronic copy of such amendment has 
     been delivered to each Member of the Committee (or 
     subcommittee for purposes of subcommittee markups) at least 
     24 hours before the meeting at which the amendment is to be 
     proposed, and such amendment is in compliance with subsection 
     (i) of this rule. This paragraph may be waived by unanimous 
     consent and shall apply only when the 48-hour written notice 
     has been provided in accordance with paragraph (1).
       (i) 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, 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. The requirements of this 
     paragraph may be waived by a majority of Committee members, a 
     quorum being present.


      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 and a 
     majority of the members of any subcommittee shall constitute 
     a quorum thereof 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 to the House of Representatives unless a 
     majority of the Committee was actually 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 or a subcommittee with respect to any 
     measure or matter may be cast by proxy.
       (e) Postponing Proceedings.--Committee and subcommittee 
     chairmen 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 
     within two legislative days 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 four subcommittees of the Committee 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, 
     transition of servicemembers to civilian life, civil service 
     reform and other employee related issues at the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and servicemembers civil relief.
       (C) Subcommittee on Health, which shall have legislative, 
     oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over the Veterans 
     Health Administration (VHA) including medical services, 
     medical support and compliance, medical facilities, medical 
     and prosthetic research, homeless programs, and major and 
     minor construction.
       (D) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which 
     shall have oversight and investigative jurisdiction over 
     veterans' matters generally, and over such matters as may be 
     referred to the subcommittee by the Chairman of the full 
     Committee for its oversight or investigation and for its 
     appropriate recommendations. The subcommittee shall have 
     legislative jurisdiction over information technology and 
     procurement generally, and over such bills or resolutions as 
     may be referred to it by the Chairman of the full Committee.
       (2) Each subcommittee shall have responsibility for such 
     other measures or matters as the Chairman 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 Chairman 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 Chairman deems appropriate. In 
     referring any measure or matter to a subcommittee, the 
     Chairman 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

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     report to the full Committee on all matters referred to it or 
     under its jurisdiction. Subcommittee chairmen shall set dates 
     for hearings and meetings of their respective subcommittees 
     after consultation with the Chairman of the Committee and 
     other subcommittee chairmen 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 Chairman 
     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 Chairman 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 
     particular 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) 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.
       (5) Each subcommittee shall provide the Committee with 
     copies of such record votes taken in subcommittee and such 
     other records with respect to the subcommittee as the 
     Chairman of the Committee deems necessary for the Committee 
     to comply with all rules and regulations of the House.


                rule 6--general oversight responsibility

       (a) Purpose.--Pursuant to clause 2 of Rule X of the Rules 
     of the House, the Committee shall carry out oversight 
     responsibilities. In order to assist the House in--
       (1) Its analysis, appraisal, evaluation of--
       (A) The application, administration, execution, and 
     effectiveness of the laws enacted by the Congress, or
       (B) Conditions and circumstances, which may indicate the 
     necessity or desirability of enacting new or additional 
     legislation, and
       (2) Its formulation, consideration and enactment of such 
     modifications or changes in those laws, and of such 
     additional legislation, as may be necessary or appropriate, 
     the Committee and its various subcommittees, consistent with 
     their jurisdiction as set forth in Rule 5, shall have 
     oversight responsibilities as provided in subsection (b).
       (b) Review of Laws and Programs.--The Committee and its 
     subcommittees shall review and study, on a continuing basis, 
     the applications, administration, execution, and 
     effectiveness of those laws, or parts of laws, the subject 
     matter of which is within the jurisdiction of the Committee 
     or subcommittee, and the organization and operation of the 
     Federal agencies and entities having responsibilities in or 
     for the administration and execution thereof, in order to 
     determine whether such laws and the programs thereunder are 
     being implemented and carried out in accordance with the 
     intent of the Congress and whether such programs should be 
     continued, curtailed, or eliminated. In addition, the 
     Committee and its subcommittees shall review and study any 
     conditions or circumstances which may indicate the necessity 
     or desirability of enacting new or additional legislation 
     within the jurisdiction of the Committee or subcommittee 
     (whether or not any bill or resolution has been introduced 
     with respect thereto), and shall on a continuing basis 
     undertake future research and forecasting on matters within 
     the jurisdiction of the Committee or subcommittee.
       (c) Oversight Plan.--Not later than February 15 of the 
     first session of a Congress, the Committee shall meet in open 
     session, with a quorum present, to adopt its oversight plans 
     for that Congress for submission to the Committee on House 
     Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Government 
     Reform, in accordance with the provisions of clause 2(d) of 
     Rule X of the Rules of the House.
       (d) 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 on Veterans' Affairs 
     for carrying out oversight duties.


                  rule 7--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 
     six weeks after the President submits his budget, 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 8--records and other matters

       (a) Transcripts.--There shall be a transcript made of each 
     regular and additional meeting and hearing of the Committee 
     and its subcommittees. 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.
       (b) Records.--
       (1) The Committee shall keep a record of all actions of the 
     Committee and each of its subcommittees. 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 and each of its subcommittees, 
     including a record of the votes on any question on which a 
     recorded vote is demanded. The result of each such record 
     vote shall be made available by the Committee for inspection 
     by the public at reasonable times in the offices of the 
     Committee. Information so available for public inspection 
     shall include a description of the amendment, motion, order 
     or other proposition and 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 
     Rule VII of the Rules of the House. The Chairman shall notify 
     the Ranking Minority Member of any decision, pursuant to 
     clause 3 or clause 4 of Rule VII of the Rules of the House, 
     to withhold a record otherwise available, and the matter 
     shall be presented to the Committee for a determination on 
     written request of any member of the Committee.
       (d) 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 9--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 the following:
       (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 
     regulations of the House and of the Committee on House 
     Administration.


                        rule 10--facility naming

       (a) Facility 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 to be named, or (ii) was a 
     recipient of the Medal of Honor or, as determined by the 
     Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, otherwise performed 
     military service of an extraordinarily distinguished 
     character;
       (B) A Member of the United States House of Representatives 
     or Senate who had a direct association with such facility;
       (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 Chairman and 
     Ranking Minority Member, performed outstanding service for 
     veterans.
       (2) Each Member of the Congressional delegation 
     representing the State in which the designated facility is 
     located must indicate in writing such Member's support of the 
     proposal to name such facility after such individual. 
     Evidence of a Member's support in

[[Page 1760]]

     writing may either be in the form of a letter to the Chairman 
     and Ranking Member or cosponsorship of legislation proposing 
     to name the particular VA facility 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.
       (b) The above criteria for naming a VA facility may be 
     waived by unanimous consent.

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