[Senate Report 105-14]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
105th Congress REPORT
SENATE
1st Session 105-14
_______________________________________________________________________
REVIEW OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY DURING THE 104TH CONGRESS
__________
Report
of the
COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
during the
104TH CONGRESS
(1995-1996)
PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 8(B) OF RULE XXVI
OF THE STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE
April 28, 1997.--Ordered to be printed
FORWARD
This report reviewing the legislative activity during the
104th Congress of the Committee on Rules and Administration is
submitted pursuant to paragraph 8(b) of Rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate. Paragraph 8 provides that
standing committees of the Senate shall review and study, on a
continuing basis, the application, administration, and
execution of those laws, or parts thereof, the subject matter
of which is within their jurisdiction, and submit to the
Senate, not later than March 31 of each odd-numbered year, a
report detailing the activities of that committee for the
preceding Congress. The text of paragraph 8 of rule XXVI is as
follows:
8. (a) In order to assist the Senate in--
(1) its analysis, appraisal, and evaluation of the
application, administration, and execution of the laws
enacted by the Congress, and
(2) its formulation, consideration, and enactment of
such modifications of or changes in those laws, and of
such additional legislation, as may be necessary or
appropriate,
each standing committee (except the Committees on
Appropriations and the Budget), shall review and study, on a
continuing basis the application, administration, and execution
of those laws, or parts of laws, the subject matter of which is
within the legislative jurisdiction of that committee. Such
committees may carry out the required analysis, appraisal, and
evaluation themselves, or by contract, or may require a
Government agency to do so and furnish a report thereon to the
Senate. Such committees may rely on such techniques as pilot
testing, analysis of costs in comparison with benefits, or
provision for evaluation after a defined period of time.
(b) In each odd-numbered year, each such committee shall
submit, not later than March 31, to the Senate, a report on the
activities of that committee under this paragraph during the
Congress ending at noon on January 3 of such year.
John Warner, Chairman.
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Forward.......................................................... III
Jurisdiction of the Committee on Rules and Administration........ 1
Committee Legislative Activities................................. 2
Legislation Enacted.............................................. 3
Bills and Joint Resolution Reported by the Committee............. 3
Committee Meetings and Hearings.................................. 4
Federal Elections Legislation.................................... 6
Franked Mail..................................................... 7
Government Printing Office....................................... 8
Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution......................... 8
Administration of the Senate..................................... 9
Committee Publications........................................... 10
105th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 105-14
_______________________________________________________________________
REVIEW OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY DURING THE 104th CONGRESS
_______
April 28, 1997.--Ordered to be printed
_______________________________________________________________________
Mr. Warner, from the Committee on Rules and Administration, submitted
the following
R E P O R T
[Pursuant to paragraph 8(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the
Senate]
Jurisdiction of the Committee on Rules and Administration
The jurisdiction of the Committee on Rules and
Administration is set forth in paragraph 1 of Rule XXV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate. The following are excerpts from
that paragraph.
RULE XXV
standing committees
1. The following standing committees shall be appointed at
the commencement of each Congress, and shall continue and have
the power to act until their successors are appointed, with
leave to report by bill or otherwise on matters within their
respective jurisdictions:
* * * * * * *
(n)(1) Committee on Rules and Administration, to which
committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, message,
petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the
following subjects:
1. Administration of the Senate Office Buildings and the
Senate wing of the Capitol, including the assignment of office
space.
2. Congressional organization relative to rules and
procedures, and Senate rules and regulations, including floor
and gallery rules.
3. Corrupt practices.
4. Credentials and qualifications of Members of the Senate,
contested elections, and acceptance of incompatible offices.
5. Federal elections generally, including the election of
the President. Vice President, and Members of the Congress.
6. Government Printing Office, and the printing and
correction of the Congressional Record, as well as those
matters provided for under rule XI.
7. Meetings of the Congress and attendance of Members.
8. Payment of money out of the contingent fund of the
Senate or creating a charge upon the same (except that any
resolution relating to substantive matter within the
jurisdiction of any other standing committee of the Senate
shall be first referred to such committee).
9. Presidential succession.
10. Purchase of books and manuscripts and erection of
monuments to the memory of individuals.
11. Senate Library and statuary, art, and pictures in the
Capitol and Senate Office Buildings.
12. Services to the Senate, including the Senate
restaurant.
13. United States Capitol and congressional office
buildings, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution
(and the incorporation of similar institutions), and the
Botanic Gardens.
(2) Such committee shall also--
(A) make a continuing study of the organization and
operation of the Congress of the United States and
shall recommend improvements in such organization and
operation with a view toward strengthening the
Congress, simplifying its operations, improving its
relationships with other branches of the United States
Government, and enabling it better to meet its
responsibilities under the Constitution of the United
States; and
(B) identify any court proceeding or action which, in
the opinion of the Committee, is of vital interest to
the Congress as a constitutionally established
institution of the Federal Government and call such
proceeding or action to the attention of the Senate.
* * * * * * *
Committee Legislation Activities
During the 104th Congress, a total of 88 legislative
measures were referred to the Committee on Rules and
Administration, of which 32 were reported to the Senate. The 88
total measures included 30 simple Senate resolutions (24
reported, of which 11 were agreed to), 16 Senate and House
concurrent resolutions (2 reported and 2 agreed to by both the
House and Senate), and 42 Senate and House bills and joint
resolutions (6 reported, and 6 enacted into law).
Legislation Enacted
The following is a list of the bills and joint resolutions
considered by the Committee during the 104th Congress which
ultimately became public law:
H.R. 2527, to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 to improve the electoral process by permitting electronic
filing and preservation of Federal Election Commission reports.
(Public Law 104-79)
H.J. Res. 69, providing for the appointment of Homer Alfred
Neal as a citizen regent of the Smithsonian Institution Board
of Regents. (Public Law 104-81)
H.J. Res. 110, providing for the appointment of Howard H.
Baker, Jr. as a citizen regent of the Smithsonian Institution
Board of Regents. (Public Law 104-82)
H.J. Res. 111, providing for the appointment of Anne
D'Harnoncourt as a citizen regent of the Smithsonian
Institution Board of Regents. (Public Law 104-83)
H.J. Res. 112, providing for the appointment of Louis
Gerstner as a citizen regent of the Smithsonian Institution
Board of Regents. (Public Law 104-84)
S. 1995, to authorize construction of the Smithsonian
Institution National Air and Space Museum Dulles Center at
Washington Dulles International Airport. (Public Law 104-222)
Measures Reported to the Senate by the Committee
1. S. 246, to authorize the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to
establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the
District of Columbia.
2. S. 426, to authorize the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to
establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. in the District
of Columbia. S. Rep. 104-190. (Language subsequently
incorporated in H.R. 4236, Presidio Parks legislation. Became
Public Law 104-333.
3. S. Con. Res. 34, to authorize the printing of ``Vice
Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993'' as a Senate
document.
4. S. Res. 24, to provide for the broadcasting of press
briefings on the Floor prior to the Senate's daily convening.
5. S. Res. 36, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Finance. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
6. S. Res. 38, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Appropriations. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
7. S. Res. 39, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported as a provision of S.
Res. 73.
8. S. Res. 40, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Indian Affairs. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
9. S. Res. 41, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Foreign Relations. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
10. S. Res. 43, to authorize expenditures by the Select
Committee on Intelligence. Reported as a provision of S. Res.
73.
11. S. Res. 45, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Governmental Affairs. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
12. S. Res. 48, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Environment and Public Works. Reported as a provision of S.
Res. 73.
13. S. Res. 49, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Rules and Administration. Reported as a provision of S. Res.
73.
14. S. Res. 50, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on the Budget. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
15. S. Res. 51, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Small Business. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
16. S. Res. 52, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Banking. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
17. S. Res. 53, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported as a
provision of S. Res. 73.
18. S. Res. 54, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on the Judiciary. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
19. S. Res. 55, to authorize expenditures by the Special
Committee on Aging. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
20. S. Res. 56, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Commerce. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
21. S. Res. 58, providing for members on the part of the
Senate of the Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint
Committee on the Library. Agreed to in the Senate.
22. S. Res. 59, to authorize the printing of a collection
of the rules of the committees of the Senate. Agreed to in the
Senate.
23. S. Res. 62, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Labor and Human Resources. Reported as a provision of S.
Res. 73.
24. S. Res. 64, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
25. S. Res. 65, to authorize expenditures by the Committee
on Armed Services. Reported as a provision of S. Res. 73.
26. S. Res. 73, to authorize biennial expenditures by the
committee of the Senate for the period of March 1, 1995 through
February 28, 1997. Agreed to by the Senate on February 13,
1995.
27. S. Res. 227, to authorize additional expenditures by
the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs for
expenses of the Whitewater Investigation.
Committee Meetings and Hearings
January 12, 1995--To adopt Rules of Procedure of the
Committee and select members for the Joint Committee on
Printing and the Library; and to consider pending legislative
and administrative business.
January 18 and 19, 1995--To receive testimony from
committee chairmen and ranking minority members on Their
committee funding resolutions for 1995 and 1996.
January 25, 1995--To mark up the following: an original
resolution authorizing expenditures by committees of the Senate
(the Omnibus Committee Funding Resolution for 1995-1996).
March 16, 1995--To receive testimony on the operations of
the Office of the Architect of the Capitol.
March 30, 1995--To mark up the following: an original
resolution providing for the broadcasting of press briefings on
the floor prior to the Senate's daily convening.
May 11 and 18, 1995--To receive testimony on the
Smithsonian Institution: Management Guidelines for the Future.
June 15, 1995--To receive testimony on the budget
authorization request of the Federal Election Commission for FY
1996.
November 29, 1995--To receive testimony on the operations
of the Library of Congress.
December 7, 1995--To receive testimony on Technology in the
Senate, an Agenda for the Information Age.
December 14, 1995--To consider pending executive,
legislative and administrative business, including S. 426,
authorizing the establishment of a memorial tot he late Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.; H.R. 2527, an amendment to the Federal
Election Campaign Act; H.J. Res. 69, 110, 111, and 112,
authorizing appointment of citizen regents to the Board of
Regents of the Smithsonian; S. Con. Res. 34, authorizing
printing of ``Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-
1993;'' Senate Internet Usage Rules and Policies.
February 1, 1996--To receive testimony on general aspects
of Campaign Finance Reform, including reform and the
constitutionality of recently proposed reforms.
February 29, 1996--To receive testimony on the operations
of the Secretary of the Senate, Sergeant at Arms, and Architect
of the Capitol, and to receive testimony on establishing a
criteria for the selection of a new Architect of the Capitol.
March 5, 1996--To mark up S. Res. 227, authorizing the use
of additional funds for salaries and expenses of the Special
Committee to Investigate Whitewater Development Corporation and
related matters.
March 13, 1996--To received testimony on general aspects of
Campaign Finance Reform.
March 20, 1996--To receive testimony on the Congressional
Research Service, including operation, infrastructure, and
budget.
March 27, 1996--To receive testimony on general aspects of
Campaign Finance Reform, including the availability of reduced-
fee postage grants to candidates for election.
April 17, 1996--To receive testimony on Campaign Finance
Reform, including the role of political parties in campaigns,
and the impact of proposed reforms on that role.
May 7, 1996--To receive testimony on the operations of the
Library of Congress.
May 8, 1996--To receive testimony on general aspects of
Campaign Finance Reform.
May 15, 1996--To receive testimony on Campaign Finance
Reform, including review of free and reduced-fee broadcast
provisions of recent campaign finance reform bills including
the need for such reforms and constitutional impediments.
June 18, 1996--To receive testimony on Public Access to
Government Information in the 21st Century, with a focus on the
GPO Depository Library System.
June 19, 1996--To continue testimony on Public Access in
the 21st Century, with a focus on future trends of the GPO
Depository Library Program.
June 26, 1996--To receive testimony on the budget
authorization request of the Federal Election Commission for FY
1997, oversight and campaign finance reform.
July 16, 1996--To receive testimony on Public Access to
Government Information in the 21st Century, with a focus on the
GPO Depository Library Program.
July 14, 1996--To receive testimony on Public Access to
Government Information in the 21st Century, with a focus on the
GPO Depository Library Program.
Federal Elections Legislation
campaign finance reform
The Committee on Rules and Administration held hearings on
February 1, 1996, and May 15, 1996 to receive testimony on
proposals to reform the financing of federal elections, and to
consider measures as follows:
S. 46, a bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign
Act of 1971 to provide for a voluntary system of
spending limits and partial public financing of Senate
primary and general election campaigns, to limit
contributions by multi candidate political committees;
S. 1219, to reform the financing of Federal
elections;
S. 1389, to reform the financing of Federal
elections; and
S. 1528, to reform the financing of Senate election
campaigns.
During the 104th Congress, the Rules Committee held the
following hearings on proposals to reform the financing of
federal elections:
February 1, 1996. Testimony was received from Senator John
McCain, Senator Russell D. Feingold, Senator Fred Thompson,
Senator Paul Wellstone, Senator Dianne Feinstein. Testimony was
also received from a panel consisting of Joel M. Gora,
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Brooklyn Law School; Robert
M. O'Neil, Director, Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection
of Free Expression; Archibald Cox, Harvard Law School. A third
panel consisted of Bradley A. Smith, Capital University Law
School; David M. Mason, The Heritage Foundation; Ann McBride,
President, Common Cause; Joan B. Claybrook, President, Public
Citizen.
March 13, 1996. Testimony was received from Representative
Christopher Shays, Representative Linda Smith, Representative
Martin T. Meehan. Testimony was also received from a panel
consisting of David N. O'Steen, Ph.D., National Right to Life
Committee; Becky Cain, President, League of Women Voters of
U.S.; Charles R. Serio. A third panel consisted of Col. Billie
M. Bobbitt, USAF Ret.; John Dye, President, Virginia Rural
Letter Carriers Association; Linda DeVries; Mr. James Bopp,
Jr., Free Speech Coalition.
March 27, 1996. Testimony was received from Jeffrey
Zelkowitz, U.S. Postal Service; Richard A. Barton, Direct
Marketing Association. A second panel consisted of Thomas E.
Mann and Professor Michael J. Malbin.
April 17, 1996. Testimony was received from Haley Barbour,
Chairman, National Republican Committee, and Donald Fowler,
National Chairman, Democratic National Committee. Testimony was
also received from James J. Brady, President, Association of
State Democratic Chairs, and Mr. Robert T. Bennett, State
Chairman, Republic State Central and Executive Committee of
Ohio.
May 8, 1996. Testimony was received from Professor Larry
Sabato, University of Virginia; Professor Herbert E. Alexander,
Citizens' Research Foundation; and Norman J. Ornstein, American
Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. A second panel
consisted of Professor Lillian R. BeVier, University of
Virginia Law School; Dr. Candice Nelson, the American
University; and Professor Frederick Schauer, John F. Kennedy
School of Government.
May 15, 1996. Testimony was received from Gregory M.
Schmidt, Vice President, LIN Television Corporation; Al
Bramstedt, Jr., General manager, KTUU-TV; and Jan Crawford, Jan
Crawford Communications. A second panel consisted of Paul
Taylor, Director, Free TV for Straight Talk Coalition;
Professor Benjamin Barber, Walt Whitman Professor of Political
Science, Rutgers University; and P. Cameron DeVore, DAVIS WHITE
TREMAINE Law Offices.
June 26, 1996. Testimony was received on budget
authorization request of the Federal Election Commission for FY
1997, oversight, and campaign finance reform. Testimony was
received from Ms. Lee Ann Elliott, Chairman, Federal Election
Commission, accompanied by Mr. Scott E. Thomas, Chairman,
Finance Committee, Federal Election Commission and Ms. Joan D.
Aikens, Vice Chairman, Finance Committee, Federal Election
Commission. A second panel consisted of Ms. Becky Cain,
President, League of Women Voters.
Franked Mail
During the 104th Congress, the Rules Committee adopted
three revisions to the Regulations Governing Franked Mail for
FY97. Clarifications were made to regulations regarding town
meeting notices, state office frank mail cost reporting and
restrictions on responding to solicited mass mailings during
the 60 day moratorium before elections.
Town meeting notices, now, may include a short description
as to subject matter or purpose of the town meeting and an
official photo in the banner of the notice.
State offices must advise their D.C. office of their frank
mail counts on a monthly basis. The D.C. offices will inform
the Service Department of these counts by the 5th of each
month. These timely and accurate reports are required to ensure
proper accounting of franking mail.
Solicitation forms provided by a Member through a mass
mailing which are intended to be mailed back by constituents,
may not be responded to during the 60 days immediately before
the date of any primary, or general election (whether regular,
special or runoff), for any Federal, State or local office in
which a Member of the Senate is a candidate for election.
These changes were adopted by the Rules Committee November
22, 1996 and the Senate offices were provided with copies of
the new regulations.
Oversight of the Government Printing Office
In the 104th Congress, the Rules Committee held the
following hearings to receive testimony on Public Access to
Government Information in the 21st Century, with a focus on the
GPO Depository Library Program and Title 44 of the U.S. Code.
June 18, 1996. Testimony was received from Wayne P. Kelley,
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office;
Dr. Daniel P. O'Mahony, Government Documents Coordinator, Brown
University Library; Dr. Betty J. Turock, President, American
Library Association, and Dr. Christie D. Vernon.
June 19, 1996. Testimony was received from Dr. William A.
Wulf, Professor of Computer Science, School of Engineering and
Applied Science, University of Virginia; Dr. Dennis Galletta,
Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh; Mr.
Robert Smith, Executive Director, Interactive Services
Association; The Honorable Jeanne Hurley Simon, Chairperson,
U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences;
Dr. Lewis Bellardo, Deputy Archivist of the United States,
National Archives and Records Administration.
July 16, 1996. Testimony was received from Benjamin Y.
Cooper, Vice President, Government Affairs, Printing Industries
of America; William A. Gindlesperger, President, ABC/Bids Plus;
Robert G. Claitor, President, Claitor's Law Books and
Publishing Division, Inc.' and Eric Massant, Director,
Government and Industry Affairs, LEXIS-NEXIS and Congressional
Information Service, Inc.
July 24, 1996. Testimony was received from the Honorable
Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge, for the
District of Columbia, United States Court; Hon. Sally Katzen,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget; Mr. Christopher H. Schroeder,
Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel,
U.S. Department of Justice; Dr. Donald R. Johnson, Director,
National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of
Commerce; Honorable Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer, U.S.
Government Printing Office, and Mr. Roy Francis, Chairman,
Interagency Council on Printing and Publication Services,
Department of Interior.
Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution
The Rules Committee reported four Senate Joint Resolutions
concerning the appointment of individuals to the Board of
Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, all of which were
enacted into law, as follows:
H.J. Res. 69, (companion measure of S.J. Res. 30),
providing for the reappointment of Homer Neal as a citizen
regent of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents. (Public
Law 104-48)
H.J. Res. 110, (companion measure of S.J. Res. 39),
providing for the reappointment of Howard H. Baker, Jr. as a
citizen regent of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents.
(Public Law 104-82)
H.J. Res. 111, (companion measure of S.J. Res. 40),
providing for the reappointment of Anne D'Harnoncourt as a
citizen regent of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents.
(Public Law 104-83)
H.J. Res. 112, (companion measure of S.J. Res. 41),
providing for the reappointment of Louis Gerstner as a citizen
regent of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents. (Public
Law 104-84)
S. 1995, to authorize construction of the Smithsonian
Institution National Air and space Museum Dulles Center at
Washington Dulles International Airport. It was discharged from
the Committee and passed the Senate on July 31, 1996, and
enacted into law on October 1, 1996. (Public Law 104-222)
During the 104th Congress, a number of Senators wrote to
the Rules Committee requesting that hearings be held on a
National Air and Space Museum on planned exhibition
commemorating the end of World War II, better known as the
Enola Gay exhibition.
The Rules Committee subsequently held the following
oversight hearings to receive testimony on management
guidelines for the future of the Smithsonian Institution:
May 11, 1995. Testimony was received from Maj. General
Charles W. Sweeney, USAF Ret.; Colonel Charles D. Cooper, USAF
Ret., Director of Publications, the Retired Officers
Association; Mr. Herman G. Harrington, Chairman, National
Internal Affairs Commission, the American Legion; Mr. R.E.
Smith, National President, Air Force Association, and Mr. Bob
Manhan, Assistant Director of Legislation, Veterans of Foreign
Wars.
May 18, 1995. Testimony was received from Representative
Sam Johnston; Mr. Edward T. Linenthal, Professor of Religious
and American Culture, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Mr. Ira
M. Heyman, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, accompanied by
Ms. Constance Newman, Under Secretary, Smithsonian Institution;
Mr. Tom Crouch, Chairman, Aeronautics Department, National Air
and Space Museum; and Ms. Maxine F. Singer, Chairman,
Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution and
President, Carnegie Institute of Washington, D.C.
Administration of the Senate
information technology
During the 104th congress the Committee on Rules and
Administration held a number of hearings on oversight and
implementation of technology in the Senate. As a result of
those hearings the committee took the first steps toward
strategic planning by identifying a number of key areas that
needed further analysis. Several informal study/advisory groups
were formed in the areas of Inter/Intranet Services; Security;
Constituent Mail Systems; Video Information Services;
Legislative Information Systems; Financial Systems; Network
Infrastructure; Personal Workstation Software and Systems; and
Senate-wide Workstation Management.
In some of these areas the Committee has taken immediate
steps to address issues raised or problems identified:
All state offices are now authorized to use Internet
services;
The Senate firewall has been enhanced and made more
flexible so that offices can access audio and video
services;
The Department of Telecommunications has initiated a
study of the Senate's current and future network
capacity requirements for both Washington and State
offices;
Critical areas involving the security of computer
systems have been identified and options are being
reviewed for improving them;
The Sergeant At Arms is deploying a system that will
improve the ability to monitor and support all desktop
workstations;
The Senate's public Internet Home Page has been
enhanced and more information concerning the Senate is
now available to citizens;
Public Home Pages have been made available for all
Senators, committees, leadership, and support offices;
and
The text of floor debate can be read by Senate
offices shortly after it occurs by accessing the
Recording Studio Home Page
The Rules Committee has approved a design concept and is
currently reviewing a program plan that will lead to
significant improvements in the systems the Senate uses to
collect, manage, and retrieve its legislative information. The
management of this program will be under the direction of the
Secretary of the Senate, with the support of the Sergeant At
Arms. When complete, it will enable the Senate to manage its
own legislative information more efficiently and effectively by
the appropriate application of technology.
As a first concrete step in this initiative to improve the
quality of the legislative information available to the Senate,
the Rules Committee has directed the Congressional Research
Service, working with office of the Secretary, and with the
support of the Library of Congress, the Senate Computer Center,
and the Government Printing Office, to coordinate the
development of a new retrieval system to meet the needs of
Senate offices.
The Committee requested the Secretary of the Senate to work
with the Clerk of the House in developing standards for a
system that would capture all legislative information for the
respective Chambers in electronic format. The Committee also
sponsored legislation that established a framework for the
development of a electronic Senate legislative information and
document tracking system. The Secretary of the Senate, with the
technical assistance of the Sergeant at Arms, is charged with
the d4esign and implementation of a electronic legislative
information system for the Senate. The goal of this initiative
will be to provide this institution and the public with access
to legislative information electronically.
In October of 1995, the Committee announced the Senate's
World Wide Web site, which continues to be updated with
information about the Senate. The Senate Web site is used as a
gateway to the public for access to legislative information
about this institution. Today using the Senate Web site and
linking through the Government Printing Office the electronic
community has access to Bills, Resolutions and the
Congressional Record in electronic format.
Committee Publications
administrative publications
Authority and Rules of Senate Committees, 104th Congress,
1st session, 1995, S. Doc. 104-2.
Expenditure Authorizations and Requirements for Senate
Committees, 104th Congress, 2d session, 1996, S. Prt. 104-67.
Legislative Calendar of the Committee on Rules and
Administration, Final Calendar, 103d Congress, 2d session,
published 1995, S. Prt. 103-108.
Proceedings of a Joint Meeting of the 104th Congress to
Close the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of World War
II, 104th Congress, 1st session, 1995, S. Prt. 104-38.
Review of Legislative Activity during the 103d Congress,
104th Congress, 1st session, 1995, S. Rept. 104-100.
Rules and Mannual--1995, 104th Congress, 2d session, 1996,
S. Doc. 104-1.
Senate Election Law Guidebook--1996, 104th Congress, 2d
session, 1996, S. Doc. 104-12.
Senate Handbook--1996, 104th Congress, 2d session, 1996, S.
Prt. 104-64.
Standing Rules of the Senate, 104th Congress, 1st session,
1995, S. Doc. 104-8.
United States Senate (information brochure and seating
chart), 104th Congress, 1st session, 1995, S. Pub. 104-5.
legislative publications
Campaign Finance Reform Proposals of 1996, 104th Congress,
2d session, 1996, S. Hrg. 104-542.
Public Access to Government Information in the 21st
Century, 104th Congress, 2d session, 1996, S. Hrg. 104-543.
The Smithsonian Institution--Management Guidelines for the
Future, 104th Congress, 1st session, 1995, S. Hrg. 104-40.