[House Report 113-312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress 
 1st Session            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                 Report
                                                                113-312
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     

                                                 Union Calendar No. 230

                 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

                                 of the

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                               during the

                    ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

                      together with minority views


 



 December 31, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                          House of Representatives,
                         Committee on House Administration,
                                 Washington, DC, December 31, 2013.
Hon. Karen Haas,
Clerk of the House,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Ms. Haas: Pursuant to Rule XI, clause 1, paragraph (d) 
of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, I hereby 
transmit the First Annual Report on the Activities of the 
Committee on House Administration. This report summarizes the 
activities of the Committee with respect to its legislative and 
oversight responsibilities in the 113th Congress from January 
2013 to December 2013.
            Sincerely,
                                         Candice S. Miller,
                                                          Chairman.


                                                 Union Calendar No. 230
113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    113-312

======================================================================



 
    FIRST ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 
                ADMINISTRATION DURING THE 113TH CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

 December 31, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mrs. Candice S. Miller of Michigan, from the Committee on House 
                Administration, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                             MINORITY VIEWS

                              INTRODUCTION

    The Committee on House Administration (``Committee'') is 
charged with the oversight of federal elections and the day-to-
day operations of the House of Representatives.
    The Committee on House Administration oversees 
appropriations for the salaries and expenses of all House 
committees (except for the Committee on Appropriations); 
allowance and expenses of House Members, officers, and 
administrative offices; and the auditing and settling of these 
accounts. The Committee further oversees the employment of 
staff for House Members, committees, and stenographers. The 
Committee has jurisdiction over the House Library; the statuary 
and art in the Capitol; the Franking Commission; the 
Congressional Record; accounts of the House; and the assignment 
of office space for House Members and committees. The Committee 
also has the important duty of overseeing the Capitol Police 
and security of the House office buildings and grounds.
    Additionally, the Committee's jurisdiction covers the 
election of the President and Vice President, House Members, 
Delegates, the Resident Commissioner, and Senators as well as 
House contested elections, credentials and qualifications of 
candidates, corrupt practices, and campaign finance matters in 
federal elections. Regarding Member services, the Committee 
oversees the House restaurant, parking facilities, and 
administration of the House office buildings and of the House 
wing of the Capitol. The Committee also deals with the travel 
of Members; and the compensation, retirement and other benefits 
of Members, officers and employees of Congress. Lastly, the 
Committee has jurisdiction over the Library of Congress, the 
purchase of books and manuscripts, the Botanic Garden, and the 
Smithsonian Institution.

                          COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

    On January 3, 2013, the House elected, through H. Res. 6, 
Representative Candice S. Miller of Michigan as Chairman of the 
Committee on House Administration. Also elected to the 
Committee was Representative Gregg Harper of Mississippi, 
Representative Phil Gingrey of Georgia, Representative Aaron 
Schock of Illinois, Representative Todd Rokita of Indiana, and 
Representative Rich Nugent of Florida. The three minority 
Members elected were Representative Robert A. Brady of 
Pennsylvania, the Ranking Minority Member, Representative Zoe 
Lofgren of California, and Representative Juan Vargas of 
California.
    On February 5, 2013, the Committee met to organize for the 
113th Congress. During this organizational meeting, the 
Committee adopted its rules and oversight plan. During the 
113th Congress, the Committee also abolished its subcommittees 
allowing for all issues to come before the full Committee.

                           COMMITTEE FUNDING

    The Committee on House Administration reports a biennial 
primary expense resolution by which standing and select 
committees of the House (except the Committee on 
Appropriations) are authorized operating funds for each 
Congress. During the first three months of each new Congress, 
House Rule X, clause 7, provides a temporary authorization for 
House committees to continue operations. This temporary 
authorization is based on their funding authorizations from the 
preceding session and allows committees to organize, adopt 
legislative and oversight agendas, and seek spending authority 
through the adoption of a primary expense resolution by the 
House.

113th Congress Proceedings

    To gather the information necessary to create the omnibus 
primary expense resolution, the Committee required the standing 
and select committees to submit estimates for their expected 
expenses for both sessions of the 113th Congress. The Committee 
asked that committees provide line-item estimates for the 
following expenses: personnel compensation (including salaries 
and lump sum payments), overtime, transit benefits, travel, 
communications, and printing and reproduction costs. The 
Committee also requested that the standing and select 
committees estimate their expenses for other services, 
including consultant contracts, detailees from executive and 
other agencies, training, representational expenses, 
specialized training, and miscellaneous expenses. Finally, the 
Committee requested budget estimates for the costs of supplies, 
materials, and equipment.
    In addition to requiring the above information, the 
Committee asked that the standing and select committee budget 
requests include the possibility of an 11% cut to conform to 
the funding cuts required by President Obama's sequestration 
order under the Budget Control Act of 2011.
    To further gather the information necessary to create the 
omnibus primary expense resolution, the Committee convened a 
two-day hearing to provide the Chairs and Ranking Members of 
the standing and select committees an opportunity to present 
and share their views on their respective budget requests for 
the 113th Congress.
    During the hearing, Members of the Committee asked the 
Chairs and Ranking Members if these smaller budget requests 
would impact their ability to conduct effective oversight or 
pursue their legislative goals.
    Members of the Committee also asked the Chairs and Ranking 
Members how they were managing and will manage their resources 
with equity and prudence. Since the 104th Congress, House 
majority leadership and the Chair and Ranking Member of the 
Committee have encouraged the Chairs of the standing and select 
committees to provide the minority with one-third of committee 
staff and/or resources authorized in the primary expense 
resolutions. During the hearings, the Committee sought to 
ensure that the minority in each committee was treated 
equitably in the funding process. Each Ranking Member was asked 
if he or she was allocated the traditional one-third share of 
committee staff positions and/or committee resources, as 
determined by each committee. These exchanges indicated that 
committees appear to be in compliance with the traditional 
``two-thirds/one-third'' distribution of funds among the 
majority and minority.
    After the hearing, the Committee used the budget 
submissions and Member testimony to create an omnibus expense 
resolution, H. Res. 115, introduced by Chairman Miller, to 
authorize funding for all committees. The resolution reflected 
appropriate cuts from each of the Committee's authorizations to 
comply with the appropriations reductions required by President 
Obama's sequestration order under the Budget Control Act.
    The Committee conducted the hearing on March 5, 2013, and 
the hearing continued on March 6, 2013. On March 15, 2013, by 
voice vote, the Committee met and agreed to a motion to report 
H. Res. 115, the omnibus expense resolution, favorably to the 
House without amendment. H. Res. 115 was ordered favorably 
reported by the Committee to the House.
    The House agreed to H. Res. 115 on March 19, 2013 by a vote 
of 272-136.

                  MEMBERS' REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCE

    The Committee has jurisdiction over the use of 
appropriations from the accounts of the U.S. House of 
Representatives for the Members' Representational Allowance 
(``MRA'') as well as official travel by Members and staff, and 
compensation, retirement and other benefits of Member office 
employees. The MRA is the annual authorization made to each 
Member of the House to obligate U.S. Treasury funds not to 
exceed a certain amount. These funds may be used by the Member 
to pay ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred by the 
Member and his or her congressional office employees in support 
of the conduct of the Member's official and representational 
duties on behalf of the district from which the Member is 
elected. The annual MRA is available for one legislative year 
(i.e., January 3 of one year through January 2 of the following 
year).
    The MRA is made up of three primary expense components: 
personnel compensation, official expenses, and official 
(franked) mail expenses. The amount of the MRA varies from 
Member to Member based on the distance of a Member's district 
from Washington, D.C., the cost to lease federal office space 
in a Member's district, and the number of U.S. Postal Service 
private delivery stops in a Member's district. The use of funds 
in any expense category is not limited by the amount factored 
into a corresponding expense component, e.g., a Member may 
spend more or less than the amount of the travel component to 
travel and from his or her district. Each Member has complete 
discretion in budgeting the total amount of his or her MRA as 
he or she determines to support the operation of his or her 
Washington, D.C., and district congressional offices, 
consistent with applicable Federal law and House Rules and 
regulations.
    Federal law authorizes the Committee to fix and adjust the 
amounts, terms, and conditions of, and other matters relating 
to the MRA (including all aspects of official mail) by reason 
of:
          1. A change in the price of materials, services, or 
        office space;
          2. A technological change or other improvement in 
        office equipment; or
          3. An increase in rates of pay under the General 
        Schedule, e.g., a comparability and/or locality wage 
        adjustment.

113th Congress

    The 2013 MRA amount was initially updated with new rent, 
mail, and mileage components to account for the updated 
reapportionment and redistricting information after the 2010 
Census. Those amounts were measured against the amount 
available in the total MRA appropriation and each MRA was 
reduced by a proportional amount so they were computed to the 
amount available in the appropriation. Then the MRAs were 
further reduced on March 4, 2013, by 8.2% to comply with 
sequestration orders issued by President Obama pursuant to the 
Budget Control Act. The total amount authorized for all 
Members' Representational Allowances for 2013 was $548,829,438. 
The average MRA for 2013 was $1,244,543. This reduction 
promoted a greater level of efficiency within office 
operations.

             COMMISSION ON CONGRESSIONAL MAILING STANDARDS

    The Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards of the 
U.S. House of Representatives (``Franking Commission''), 
established by Public Law 93-191, is composed of six Members 
appointed by the Speaker of the House; three from the majority 
and three from the minority. The Speaker designates as Chairman 
of the Franking Commission, from among the Members of the 
Committee on House Administration, one of the Members appointed 
to the Commission.
    In the 113th Congress, Representative Candice S. Miller was 
appointed Chairman of the Franking Commission. Additionally, 
Representative Tom Price, M.D., of Georgia and Representative 
Robert E. Latta of Ohio were appointed as majority Members to 
the Commission. Representative Susan Davis of California was 
appointed as the Ranking Minority Member, and Representative 
Brad Sherman of California and Representative Cedric Richmond 
of Louisiana were appointed as minority Members to the 
Commission.
    All communications required to receive an Advisory Opinion 
from the Franking Commission are subject to full public 
disclosure. These Advisory Opinions are made available for 
review (and duplication) to the public through the Legislative 
Resource Center, B-106 Cannon House Office Building. 
Communications that require an Advisory Opinion include mass 
mailings, mass communications (regardless of media). A mass 
mailing or communication is considered to be any unsolicited 
communication of substantially identical content initiated by a 
Member that will potentially be distributed to, i.e., read by, 
heard by, or seen by, 500 or more individuals. As of December 
2013, the Franking Commission has reviewed, and approved nearly 
6,000 requests for Advisory Opinions.
    The Franking Commission is also responsible for monitoring 
requests to review Advisory Opinions filed at the Legislative 
Resource Center to ensure that the applicable public disclosure 
requirements are fully complied with. In addition, it is the 
practice of the Franking Commission to provide notice to a 
Member whenever his or her public disclosure file has been 
reviewed in whole or in part. So far, during the 113th 
Congress, the Commission has issued 66 Notifications of Review.
    On December 4, 2013, at the request of Commission Chairman 
Candice S. Miller the Commission met to revise two of its 
regulations. The Commission voted to permit incidental holiday 
greetings, such as ``Merry Christmas'' in an otherwise official 
and frankable mass mailing. Furthermore, upon the motion of 
Representative Davis, the Commission adopted a new regulation 
concerning the amount of space a Member's photograph may occupy 
in any one page.

         OVERSIGHT AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

No Budget, No Pay

    On January 23, 2013, the Committee brought to the floor, in 
conjunction with the Committee on Ways and Means, H.R. 325, the 
No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The Act, which became Public Law 
113-3, required that Members of each chamber pass a budget by 
April 15 to receive their salaries on time. If a chamber did 
not adopt a budget resolution by that time, the Members' 
salaries would be held in escrow until the end of the Congress, 
in compliance with the 27th Amendment. Following passage of No 
Budget, No Pay, the Senate passed a budget for the first time 
in four years.

Cumulative Taxpayer Savings Estimated to be $405 Million

    Added to the House's budget reductions and savings achieved 
in FY 2011 and FY 2012, the cuts applied in FY 2013 represent a 
total savings of $450 million for taxpayers. This includes 
approximately $58 million in savings in FY 2011, another $143 
million in FY 2012, and $205 million in FY 2013.

Officers of the House

    One of the responsibilities of the Committee is to conduct 
oversight of the Officers of the House, whose organizations 
serve primary roles in legislative operations and the day-to-
day administrative and operational infrastructure necessary to 
support the Members and staff of the House.
            Clerk of the House
    The Office of the Clerk is charged with overseeing nine 
departments including the Office of Art and Archives, the 
Legislative Resource Center, and the Office of Official 
Reporters. The Clerk's primary responsibilities involve the 
legislative activities of the House. This includes managing the 
bills originating in the House as well as overseeing the voting 
system.
    With help from the Committee, House leadership, and the 
Rules Committee, the Clerk rolled out Phase II of 
Docs.house.gov. House committee documents are now available in 
XML, an open, machine-readable format that improves 
transparency and access to data. The Committee also 
participated in Bulk Data Task Force meetings headed by the 
Deputy Clerk and House Appropriations staff, which included 
bipartisan leadership and Committee staff, administrative 
staff, and representatives of legislative branch support 
agencies. The task force worked throughout the year to increase 
the availability of bulk data and reduce duplication and 
expenses.
    The Committee worked with several of the Clerk's 
subdivisions on projects throughout the year, including the 
Historian on the updated version of the Hispanic Americans in 
Congress book set to be released in early 2014.
    The Committee worked with the Office of House Employment 
Counsel to prepare frequently asked questions to advise Member 
and Committee offices on appropriate personnel steps to comply 
with the sequestration orders issued by President Obama under 
the Budget Control Act.
            Sergeant-at-Arms and the United States Capitol Police
    The House Sergeant-at-Arms (``HSAA'') is responsible for 
maintaining the security of the House side of the Capitol 
Grounds and for ensuring the security of Members of Congress, 
staff, and visitors.
    Oversight of the House Sergeant-at-Arms and the United 
States Capitol Police (``USCP'') continued to be a priority for 
the Committee. In order to receive regular updates regarding 
security in both Washington and in Member districts, the 
Committee meets with both the HSAA and the USCP on a monthly 
basis.
    The Committee continued to monitor the development, 
testing, and integration of the USCP Digital Radio project.
    The Committee approved a House Sergeant-at-Arms requested 
reorganization of the HSAA structural alignment, including 
certain personnel reassignments. In addition, the Committee 
approved a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment program for 
eligible HSAA staff, to be completed by January 2014.
            Chief Administrative Officer
    The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (``CAO'') 
supports the budget, finance, procurement, facilities, and 
information technology needs of the House and all of its 
components. The Committee is charged with overseeing the CAO 
and its support staff. Over the past year, the Committee worked 
with the CAO on a variety of cost-savings and process 
improvement initiatives, policies, and programs throughout all 
facets of the organization.
    With assistance from the Committee, the CAO executed 
several contracts, and purchase orders that saved over $2 
million per year including a new furniture storage and delivery 
contract costing 40% less than the prior contract.
    The Committee worked with the CAO on a variety of 
programmatic initiatives and pilot programs to improve the 
services provided by the CAO and day-to-day office operations. 
These programs included: enabling the online purchase of 
constituent flags through Pay.gov, implementing an E-voucher 
system for the electronic submission and approval of all office 
vouchers, and executing a Service Request Management system for 
entering CAO service requests that are entered and tracked 
through an online portal. All of these programs improved Member 
and Committee office operations as well as the CAO's operations 
through increased automation.
    At the request of Member offices, the Committee worked with 
the CAO to allow for the online ordering of constituent flags 
through the use of the Department of Treasury's Pay.gov portal. 
Prior to the system rollout, constituents had to write manual 
checks and submit them to the Member office who in turn 
submitted them to the Office Supply to store for processing. 
The new automated process, which is now being used on 216 
Member websites, is a cost-savings and process improvement for 
all involved parties.
    The Committee was involved with another improvement this 
year deployed by the CAO's Finance Office: the E-voucher 
System. The E-voucher system allows for all offices to submit 
vouchers and invoices for payment electronically to the Office 
of Finance. The project was rolled out in phases with the first 
phase beginning in April 2013 and the final phase launching in 
late summer 2013. The benefits of the system include faster 
processing time, electronic routing and approval, elimination 
of a signed paper voucher, and increased voucher status 
transparency. The Committee also oversaw the CAO's successful 
upgrade to a new version of the House's financial system in 
October 2013.
    The Committee worked with the CAO on the CAO's rollout of a 
new Service Request Management system in the fall, allowing 
offices to place CAO service requests through a portal that 
routes the request directly to the appropriate department. The 
system improves the accuracy of the request, reduces the 
timeframe for completion of the request, and eliminates the 
middleman. This new system is popular amongst users and it will 
be enhanced with more services in the new year.
    The Committee partnered with the CAO on the redesign of the 
House's intranet, HouseNet. The updated site was the first 
redesign since 2007, and improved the functionality and 
usability of the site. With the assistance of feedback from the 
Committee and the House community, the CAO was able to develop 
an intranet website with helpful, timely, and comprehensive 
information for the campus.
    With the Committee's approval, the Chief Administrative 
Officer implemented a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program 
which resulted in a total of 40 employee departures from a 
variety of CAO units. The plan was reviewed and approved by the 
Committee to ensure the continuity of operations despite the 
staffing changes.

House Information Resources

    Throughout the year, the Committee worked with House 
Information Resources (``HIR'') to improve technology services 
for the House community. These services included expansion of 
the House Cloud file services, the addition of YouTube live 
streaming, approval of new hardware and software standards, and 
various cyber security awareness initiatives.
    The Committee approved the addition of YouTube live 
streaming to the House's list of available video services. 
Member and Committee offices can stream, for free, the official 
events live from their official websites and safely store 
archived video for re-use in other communications, such as e-
mails and social media.
    The Committee worked with HIR to enhance cyber security 
education in the House through outreach and education by 
conducting briefing and training on data security, cloud 
computing safety, and social media tool safety.
    At the request of the Committee, HIR began a pilot project 
for using Voice-over-IP telephony for district offices. The 
pilot program was designed to test installation, configuration, 
capabilities, reliability and security. Transitioning to VOIP 
could potentially result in cost savings for Member offices.

Inspector General

    House Rule II creates the Office of the Inspector General 
(``OIG'') and charges the Committee with oversight of the 
office. During the past year, the OIG produced eight management 
advisory reports and six audit reports. Of particular note was 
the FY 2012 House Financial Statement Audit which the Committee 
released on May 1st. The House received an unqualified or 
``clean'' opinion on its financial statements and internal 
controls over financial reporting. This is the second 
consecutive ``clean'' audit the House has received since its 
adverse opinions in 2009 and 2010.

The Architect of the Capitol

    The Architect of the Capitol (``AOC'') is responsible for 
the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of 
the entire Capitol Complex, which includes 17.4 million square 
feet of building space and more than 460 acres of land. Certain 
decisions regarding management of the House office buildings 
and the House side of the Capitol reside with the House Office 
Building Commission, but the Committee supervises and oversees 
AOC implementation of all its programs.
    The Committee met regularly with the House Office Building 
Superintendent, his senior staff, and other AOC management and 
staff during the period of this report. The Committee continued 
to monitor AOC operations, including the American Veterans 
Disabled for Life Memorial, the AOC's Office of Security 
Programs, and the Cannon Building renewal, the O'Neill Building 
renovations, and the planning and implementation of the Capitol 
Dome renewal project. The Committee also helped facilitate 
cooperation and communication occurs between the AOC's Office 
of Security Programs and the USCP.

Office of Congressional Accessibility Services

    The Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 
(``OCAS'') was created by the Capitol Visitor Center Act of 
2008. OCAS operates under the direction of the Congressional 
Accessibility Services Board and is charged with providing and 
coordinating accessibility services for individuals with 
disabilities including Members of Congress, officers and 
employees of the House and Senate, and visitors to the U.S. 
Capitol Complex. The Committee on House Administration is 
charged with overseeing the agency and meets with OCAS 
quarterly.
    During the year, the Committee met with the OCAS Director 
on a variety of accessibility issues impacting Member and 
committee offices and the public including, but not limited to, 
sign language interpreting services, assistive listening 
services, accessibility training, accessible tours, and House 
website improvements for accessibility resources and maps. The 
Committee also stayed apprised throughout the year of OCAS' 
progress on the new audio-descriptive tour for Exhibition Hall 
which was released in July.

Library of Congress and Joint Committee on the Library

    The Committee continues to monitor the status of the 
Library's Contracting Office and acquisitions function. In June 
2013, the Library appointed a new director of the Library's 
Contracting Office.
    Oversight staff continued to meet with Library personnel 
and monitor Library initiatives related to Congress.gov, the 
National Book Festival, the Library's storage needs, and its 
seven respective service units.
    The Joint Committee on the Library (``JCL'') has no 
legislative authority but is tasked with oversight of the 
Library of Congress and the Congressional Research Service, 
management of the National Statuary Hall Collection, and the 
United States Botanic Garden. In this role, the JCL approved 
adjusting the Garden's hours during the Holiday season, the 
replacement of certain CVC tunnel artwork, and the maquette of 
Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Iowa statue set to replace Iowa's James 
Harlan statue.
    The Joint Committee on the Library held its Organizational 
Meeting on May 7, 2013. Representative Gregg Harper was elected 
Chairman and Senator Charles Schumer was elected Vice-Chairman 
for the 113th Congress.
    The Committee oversaw the implementation of Public Law 112-
174 authorizing the acceptance of the statue of Frederick 
Douglass from the District of Columbia. The statue was unveiled 
in Emancipation Hall on June 19, 2013.

Fine Arts Board

    The House Fine Arts Board is comprised of the five House 
Members of the Joint Committee on the Library. It has authority 
over works of fine art and historical objects that are the 
property of Congress and are for display in the House wing of 
the Capitol or in the House Office Buildings. The Board also 
accepts gifts of fine art and historical objects on behalf of 
the House, and the Clerk maintains the collection.
    During the past year, the Fine Arts Board approved requests 
to organize portrait fund Committees from Representative Sam 
Graves, Representative Lamar Smith, Representative Frank Lucas, 
Representative Bennie Thompson, Representative Dave Camp, 
Representative Steve Buyer, Representative Darrell Issa, 
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Representative Harold 
Rogers. Further, the Board approved the acceptance and deed of 
gift for the portrait of Representative Barney Frank, which 
will be added to the House Collection.

Joint Committee on Printing and U.S. Government Printing Office

    The Government Printing Office (``GPO'') produces, 
preserves and distributes the official publications and 
information products of the Congress and Federal government. By 
House rule, the Committee on House Administration has oversight 
of and legislative jurisdiction over the Government Printing 
Office.
    By law, the Chairman of the Committee on House 
Administration and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Rules and Administration serve with four other Members of each 
committee on the Joint Committee on Printing (``JCP''). The 
bicameral JCP exercises certain authority over federal printing 
policy, congressional printing and administration of the GPO.
    On April 10, 2013, the House adopted, via unanimous 
consent, H. Res. 142, which elected Members to JCP. The 
following Members were elected: Representative Gregg Harper, 
Representative Candice Miller, Representative Richard Nugent, 
Representative Robert Brady and Representative Juan Vargas. On 
May 7, 2013, the Joint Committee held its organizational 
meeting. Senator Charles Schumer was elected Chairman of the 
JCP, and Representative Gregg Harper was elected Vice-Chairman 
for the 113th Congress.
    The Committee on House Administration held an oversight 
hearing of GPO on December 4, 2013, titled, ``GPO in 2023: 
Keeping America Informed in a Post-Print World.'' Committee 
Members heard from the United States Public Printer, Davita 
Vance-Cooks, confirmed in August 2013, on her vision for the 
agency in the next ten years. She specifically addressed 
challenges surrounding the agency's business and financial 
model, its digital publishing and preservation efforts, its 
human capital, and its facilities as it transitions into the 
21st century.
    The Committee worked closely with GPO and the Senate 
Committee on Rules and Administration on the production of both 
the Congressional Pictorial Directory and The Congressional 
Directory for the 113th Congress. The Committee worked with GPO 
to finalize an updated version of Hispanic Americans in 
Congress, which will be disseminated as both a physical book 
and e-publication.
    The Committee also partnered with GPO and the Office of the 
Clerk to reduce the number of print publications each committee 
received. The document reductions took effect November 12th, 
2013.

Smithsonian

    The Committee serves as the primary legislative and 
oversight body for the Smithsonian Institution, a federal trust 
instrumentality composed of 19 museums, numerous research 
centers, and the National Zoo. Approximately two-thirds of the 
Institution's funding is from direct federal appropriations.
    The Committee has been engaged in oversight of the 
Institution through ongoing discussions, meetings and briefings 
with Smithsonian staff and the Inspector General on various 
topics including construction of the National Museum of African 
American History and Culture; financial management; agendas for 
the Board of Regent meetings; the impact of reduced federal 
appropriations on Smithsonian activities; and budgetary 
matters. Committee staff also participated in a site visit to 
view the construction of facilities at the Smithsonian 
Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.
    On July 17, 2013, the Committee held an oversight hearing 
on ``Collections Stewardship at the Smithsonian.'' The purpose 
of the hearing was to discuss the Smithsonian's collections 
stewardship practices and plans. After several Inspector 
General reports highlighted deficiencies in collections 
management, the Smithsonian implemented steps to improve 
processes. The hearing focused on these steps and their 
effectiveness. The Committee received testimony from G. Wayne 
Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Dr. Scott 
Miller, Deputy Under Secretary for Collections and 
Interdisciplinary Support of the Smithsonian Institution; and 
Mr. Scott S. Dahl, Inspector General of the Smithsonian 
Institution.
    On December 11, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on ``The 
Establishment of a Commission to Study the Creation of a 
National Museum of Women's History.'' The purpose of the 
hearing was to examine the need for a national museum dedicated 
to women's contributions to society and to highlight the issues 
involved with creating such a museum for a potential commission 
to address including whether the museum should be part of the 
Smithsonian. The Committee received testimony from 
Representative Marsha Blackburn and Representative Carolyn 
Maloney, sponsors of legislation to establish a commission, and 
from Joan Wages, President of the National Women's History 
Museum.

Office of Compliance

    The Office of Compliance (``OOC'') was created by the 
Congressional Accountability Act (``CAA'') to facilitate the 
application of statutes identified in the CAA to Congress. The 
Committee has oversight over the OOC, and bipartisan Committee 
staff meets monthly with OOC leadership to discuss their 
initiatives and any issues arising in the course of OOC 
operations.

Elections

    The Committee reviewed and recommended dismissal of three 
election contests in the first session of this Congress. The 
Committee ordered reported an original resolution dismissing an 
election contest for the twenty-eighth district of Texas, H. 
Res. 127, to the House via voice vote on March 14, 2013. The 
House adopted the resolution via unanimous consent on March 19, 
2013. The Committee ordered reported two other original 
resolutions dismissing election contests for the forty-third 
district of California, and the ninth district of Tennessee, H. 
Res. 278 and H. Res. 277 respectively, on June 4th, 2013. The 
House adopted the resolutions via unanimous consent on June 
26th, 2013.
    The Committee held a hearing on ``H.R. 2115, The Voter 
Registration Efficiency Act'' on June 4, 2013. The witnesses at 
the hearing were Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, 
Michigan State Elections Director, Mr. Chris Thomas, and the 
President of the League of Women Voters of the United States, 
Ms. Elisabeth McNamara. The Committee heard testimony about how 
H.R. 2115, introduced by Chairman Miller and co-sponsored by 
Representative Rokita and Representative Nugent, would reduce 
the burdens on states attempting to comply with the National 
Voter Registration Act to remove invalid or duplicate 
registrations by matching driver's license applications between 
states.
    On November 20th, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on 
``Military and Overseas Voting in 2012.'' The witnesses were 
Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller and Federal Voting 
Assistance Program Director Matt Boehmer. Mr. Miller and Mr. 
Boehmer testified about their efforts to help improve the 
voting experience for military and overseas civilian voters 
covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voters 
Act (``UOCAVA''). Mr. Miller testified on his office's efforts 
to reduce the number of rejected UOCAVA ballots. Mr. Boehmer 
highlighted the Federal Voting Assistance Program's outreach 
efforts to UOCAVA voters.
    On June 4, 2013, the Committee held a markup on H.R. 94, 
H.R. 95, and H.R. 1994. All were ordered reported favorably to 
the House via voice vote. H.R. 94 would cause significant 
savings for the taxpayers by no longer funding party nominating 
conventions from taxpayer grants. It is an idea which is long 
overdue so that taxpayers no longer foot the bill for 
politicians' parties. H.R. 95 would realize significant savings 
for taxpayers by eliminating the Presidential Election Campaign 
Fund. The Presidential Election Campaign Fund has seen 
progressively declining support in the general population, 
demonstrated by fewer and fewer citizens agreeing to have a 
portion of their taxes used for the fund. Participation 
declined from a high of 28.7% in 1980 to only 7.3% in 2010. 
Candidates, too, have rejected the fund. Major party candidates 
have begun declining primary election funding from the 
Presidential Election Campaign Fund in increasing numbers since 
2000. In 2008, for the first time, a candidate declined general 
election funding from the fund and in 2012 neither major party 
candidate accepted general election funding. H.R. 1994 would 
eliminate the Election Assistance Commission. Taxpayers would 
see significant savings from the elimination of a federal 
agency that has outlived its usefulness.
    The Committee staff conducted interviews of staff at the 
Federal Election Commission as part of a joint investigation 
with the Committee on Ways and Means into political targeting 
of certain organizations.
    On November 19, 2013, the House adopted H.R. 3487, 
cosponsored by all Members of the Committee. The bill 
reauthorizes the Federal Election Commission's administrative 
fines program, which provides for streamlined enforcement when 
reports are filed after the applicable deadline. The program 
saves costs for the taxpayer and reduces the need for filers to 
retain counsel for a full enforcement action. The bill also 
expands the program to apply to additional categories of 
reports.

Lapse in Appropriations

    The Committee, in its role as custodian of the accounts of 
the House, prepared and distributed guidance on House 
operations during a lapse in appropriations. The guidance 
informed Members of the relevant legal constraints, including 
appropriations law and the Constitution. The guidance also 
informed Members of the appropriate steps to take to ensure 
they could continue to receive the support necessary to perform 
their constitutional responsibilities. The guidance further 
explained the impact of a lapse in appropriations on employees' 
health benefits, student loan repayment programs, and transit 
benefits. The Committee advised Members on the appropriate 
decision-making processes for determining which of their 
employees are necessary to perform their constitutional 
responsibilities. The Committee advised Members of the 
appropriate rules, regulations and laws concerning employment 
practices and decisions made in the event of a lapse in 
appropriations.
    The Committee also worked with the Officers of the House to 
ensure that their operations took appropriate actions during a 
lapse in appropriations. The Committee designed plans with the 
Officers to maintain a secure Capitol Complex during a lapse in 
appropriations. The Committee further worked with the Officers 
to ensure that necessary legislative operations would continue 
during a lapse in appropriations.
    In addition, the Committee sent out Dear Colleague letters 
setting forth the appropriate steps to be taken in the event of 
a lapse in appropriations. The Committee further sent out 
letters describing the levels of service that would be provided 
to Members, staff and the public. The Committee also advised 
Members of methods to return their salary to the Treasury 
should they wish to do so in the event of a lapse in 
appropriations.

            ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

House Office of Legislative Counsel and Law Revision Counsel 
        Modernization Project

    The Committee worked with the House Office of Legislative 
Counsel (``HOLC''), the Office of Law Revision Counsel 
(``LRC''), leadership, and the Office of the Clerk on internal 
modernization projects. The goal of the LRC is to maintain a 
complete, authoritative, accurate, and consolidated version of 
the U.S. Code. On July 30th, the U.S. Code was released in XML.

Parking Policy

    At its organizational meeting on February 5, 2013, the 
Committee adopted a parking policy for the 113th Congress 
appropriate to meet the needs of the House. Committee staff 
conducted regular oversight of House Parking Security to ensure 
compliance with the parking policy. The Committee worked with 
House Parking Security to implement Public Law 112-70, which 
established electric car recharging stations in U.S. House of 
Representatives garages at no cost to taxpayers.

                  EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Congressional Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual 
        Disabilities

    During the period of this report, the internship program, 
which started in 2010, had its highest level of participation 
since its creation. 44 House and Senate offices participated in 
the program. Over the life of the program--12 semesters to 
date--more than 84 offices have hosted interns. The Committee 
intends to continue to build on the success of the program 
established by Representative Harper.

Summer Intern Lecture Series

    The Congressional Summer Intern Lecture Series is a 
bipartisan, bicameral effort coordinated annually by the 
Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on 
Rules and Administration. Started by former Representatives 
Gerald Ford and Donald Rumsfeld in the 1960s, both committees 
extend invitations, mostly to current and former government and 
military officials, policy experts, and media personalities, to 
speak to congressional interns.
    There were a total of 48 lectures over the two month period 
between June 3 and August 2, 2013, with a lecture nearly every 
day during that time. Notable speakers from this year's series 
included the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin 
Dempsey, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, House Democratic 
Whip Steny Hoyer, General Colin Powell, and comedian Stephen 
Colbert.

Outreach to Member and Committee Offices

    As part of its Member office outreach and education 
responsibilities, the Committee hosted a series of briefings 
and focus groups for Member and committee offices to help them 
improve their own office operations. The first briefing 
prepared Member office staff for spring constituent visits, by 
sharing tips and information on tour booking procedures and 
upcoming spring exhibits in the CVC, Botanic Garden, Library of 
Congress and Smithsonian. The second provided intern 
coordinators with rules, regulations, and best practices 
surrounding summer intern programs. Several weeks following the 
briefing, the Committee promoted and hosted Intern 101 training 
to better equip summer interns with the resources to help them 
have a positive Capitol Hill experience.
    In the first half of the year, the Committee hosted a focus 
group for financial administrators to gather feedback on tools 
and resources that would aid them in their jobs, as well as one 
for new Member Chiefs of Staff to gather feedback on the 
Congressional transition and New Member Orientation. During the 
second half of the year, the Committee assisted offices by 
providing guidance on shutdown procedures and Affordable Care 
Act implementation.
    Finally, the Committee planned and hosted its second annual 
Legislative Data Standards Conference in the Capitol Visitor 
Center on May 22nd. Approximately 100 legislative branch agency 
representatives as well as data users and transparency 
advocates came together to discuss the use and future of 
legislative data in order to improve legislative efficiency and 
transparency.

STEM Academic Competition

    The House approved H. Res. 77, sponsored by Committee 
Chairman Candice S. Miller, establishing an Academic 
Competition for high school students in the areas of science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics (``STEM''). H. Res. 77 
directed the Committee on House Administration to adopt 
regulations governing the competition. The Committee worked 
with the Committee on Ethics, House leadership and the other 
House stakeholders to develop regulations that covered the 
funding and management of the Competition. The Committee 
approved the STEM Competition regulations on November 20, 2013. 
The first competition is expected to begin in February of 2014.

                 HEARINGS AND MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE

    On February 5, 2013, the Committee met to organize for the 
113th Congress. During the hearing, the Committee adopted three 
Committee resolutions: Committee Resolution 113-1, Rules of the 
Committee on House Administration, Committee Resolution 113-2, 
the Committee Oversight Plan, and Committee Resolution 113-3, 
the House Parking Policy for the 113th Congress.
    On March 5, 2013, the Committee held a hearing, ``Committee 
Funding for the 113th Congress.'' The Committee heard testimony 
from each of the Chairs and Ranking Members of the standing and 
select committees regarding their committee budget requests for 
the 113th Congress.
    On March 6, 2013, the Committee continued its hearing, 
``Committee Funding for the 113th Congress.'' The Committee 
heard testimony from each of the Chairs and Ranking Members of 
the standing and select committees regarding their committee 
budget requests for the 113th Congress.
    On March 14, 2013, the Committee met to mark up H. Res. 
115, the omnibus Committee funding resolution, Committee 
Resolution 113-5, to approve franked mail allowances for 
Committees for the 113th Congress, and H. Res. 127, dismissing 
an election contests for the twenty-eighth district of Texas.
    On June 4, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on ``H.R. 
2115, the Voter Registration Efficiency Act.'' The Committee 
heard testimony from The Honorable Ken Bennett, Secretary of 
State, Arizona, Mr. Chris Thomas, State Elections Director, 
Michigan, and Ms. Elisabeth McNamara, President of the League 
of Women Voters of the United States.
    On June 4, 2013, the Committee met to mark up H.R. 94, to 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to the use of public 
funds for political party conventions, H.R. 95, to reduce 
federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer 
financing of Presidential Election Campaigns and Party 
conventions, H.R. 1994, the Election Assistance Commission 
Termination Act, H. Res. 278, dismissing an election contest 
for the forty-third district of California, H. Res. 277, 
dismissing an election contest for the ninth district of 
Tennessee.
    On July 17, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on 
``Collections Stewardship at the Smithsonian.'' The Committee 
heard testimony from G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the 
Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Scott Miller, Deputy Under 
Secretary for Collections and Interdisciplinary Support for the 
Smithsonian Institution, and Mr. Scott S. Dahl, Inspector 
General of the Smithsonian Institution.
    On November 20, 2013, the Committee met to mark up 
Committee Resolution 113-6, the STEM Competition regulations.
    On November 20, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on 
``Military and Overseas Voting in 2012.'' The Committee heard 
testimony from The Honorable Ross Miller, Nevada Secretary of 
State, and Mr. Matt Boehmer, Director of the Federal Voting 
Assistance Program.
    On December 4, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on ``GPO 
in 2023: Keeping American Informed in a Post-Print World.'' The 
Committee heard testimony from the Honorable Davita Vance-
Cooks, the Public Printer of the United States.
    On December 11, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on 
``Establishing a Commission to Study the Potential Creation of 
a National Women's History Museum.'' The Committee heard 
testimony from the Honorable Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee, 
the Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney from New York, and Ms. Joan 
Bradley Wages, President and CEO of the National Women's 
History Museum.

LEGISLATION WITHIN THE COMMITTEE'S JURISDICTION CONSIDERED BY THE HOUSE

    On January 21, 2013, the House considered H.R. 325, the No 
Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 under a closed rule. The House 
passed the measure by a vote of 285-144.
    On February 26, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 77, the 
Academic Competition Resolution of 2013 under suspension of the 
rules. The House agreed to the resolution by a vote of 411-3.
    On March 6, 2013, the House considered H. Con. Res. 14, 
permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony 
as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of 
victims of the Holocaust. The House agreed to the measure via 
unanimous consent.
    On March 11, 2013, the House considered H. Con. Res. 20, 
permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony 
to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Professor Muhamad 
Yunus. The House agreed to the measure via unanimous consent.
    On March 19, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 115, the 
omnibus committee funding resolution, under a closed rule. The 
House agreed to the measure 272-136.
    On March 19, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 127, 
dismissing the election contest relating to the twenty-eighth 
district of Texas. The House agreed to the resolution via 
unanimous consent.
    On April 10, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 142, 
electing the members of the Joint Committee on Printing and the 
Joint Committee on the Library. The House agreed to the 
resolution via unanimous consent.
    On April 15, 2013, the House considered H.R. 249, the 
Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2013 under 
suspension of the rules. The measure failed by a vote of 250-
159.
    On May 14, 2013, the House considered S. Con. Res. 10, 
authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor 
Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King 
Kamehameha under suspension of the rules. The House agreed to 
the measure by a vote of 411-0.
    On May 21, 2013, the House considered H.R. 324, to grant 
the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First 
Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior service 
during World War II. The House agreed to the measure by 
unanimous consent.
    On May 22, 2013, the House considered H.R. 45, to repeal 
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-
related provisions in the Health Care and Education 
Reconciliation Act of 2010. The House passed the measure by a 
vote of 229-195.
    On June 26, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 270, 
permitting official photographs of the House of Representatives 
to be taken while the House is in actual session on a date 
designated by the Speaker. The House agreed to the measure by 
unanimous consent.
    On June 26, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 277, 
dismissing an election contest relating to the ninth district 
of Tennessee. The House agreed to the measure by unanimous 
consent.
    On June 26, 2013, the House considered H. Res. 278, 
dismissing an election contest relating to the forty-third 
district of California. The House agreed to the measure by 
unanimous consent.
    On July 9, 2013, the House considered H. Con. Res. 43, 
authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor 
Center for a ceremony honoring the life and legacy of Nelson 
Mandela on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of his birth. 
The House agreed to the measure via unanimous consent.
    On November 18, 2013, the House considered H.R. 3487, to 
amend the Federal Election Campaign Act to extend through 2018 
the authority of the Federal Election Commission to impose 
civil money penalties on the basis of a schedule of penalties 
established and published by the Commission, to expand such 
authority to certain other violations, and for other purposes 
under suspension of the rules. The House passed the measure via 
voice vote.

                               APPENDIX A

             Rules of the Committee on House Administration

                    One Hundred Thirteenth Congress

                       (Adopted February 5, 2013)

                               RULE NO. 1

General Provisions
    (a) The Rules of the House are the rules of the Committee 
so far as applicable, except that a motion to recess from day 
to day is a privileged motion in the Committee.
    (b) The Committee is authorized at any time to conduct such 
investigations and studies as it may consider necessary or 
appropriate in the exercise of its responsibilities under House 
Rule X and, subject to the adoption of expense resolutions as 
required by House Rule X, clause 6, to incur expenses 
(including travel expenses) in connection therewith.
    (c) The Committee is authorized to have printed and bound 
testimony and other data presented at hearings held by the 
Committee, and to make such information available to the 
public. All costs of stenographic services and transcripts in 
connection with any meeting or hearing of the Committee shall 
be paid from the appropriate House account.
    (d) The Committee shall submit to the House, not later than 
January 2 of each year, a report on the activities of the 
committee under House Rules X and XI.
    (e) The Committee's rules shall be made publicly available 
in electronic form and published in the Congressional Record 
not later than 30 days after the Committee is elected in each 
odd-numbered year.

                               RULE NO. 2

Regular and Special Meetings
    (a) The regular meeting date of the Committee on House 
Administration shall be the second Wednesday of every month 
when the House is in session in accordance with Clause 2(b) of 
House Rule XI. If the House is not in session on the second 
Wednesday of a month, the regular meeting date shall be the 
third Wednesday of that month. Additional meetings may be 
called by the Chair of the Committee as she or he may deem 
necessary or at the request of a majority of the members of the 
Committee in accordance with Clause 2(c) of House Rule XI. The 
determination of the business to be considered at each meeting 
shall be made by the Chair subject to Clause 2(c) of House Rule 
XI. A regularly scheduled meeting may be dispensed with if, in 
the judgment of the Chair, there is no need for the meeting.
    (b) If the Chair is not present at any meeting of the 
Committee, the ranking member of the majority party who is 
present shall preside at the meeting.
    (c) The Chair, in the case of meetings to be conducted by 
the Committee shall make public announcement of the date, 
place, and subject matter of any meeting to be conducted on any 
measure or matter. Such meeting shall not commence earlier than 
the third day on which members have notice thereof. If the 
Chair, with the concurrence of the ranking minority member, 
determines that there is good cause to begin the meeting 
sooner, or if the Committee so determines by majority vote, a 
quorum being present, the Chair shall make the announcement at 
the earliest possible date. The announcement shall promptly be 
made publicly available in electronic form and published in the 
Daily Digest.
    (d) The Chair, in the case of meetings to be conducted by 
the Committee shall make available on the Committee's web site 
the text of any legislation to be marked up at a meeting at 
least 24 hours before such meeting (or at the time of an 
announcement made within 24 hours of such meeting). This 
requirement shall also apply to any resolution or regulation to 
be considered at a meeting.

                               RULE NO. 3

Open Meetings
    As required by Clause 2(g), of House Rule XI, each meeting 
for the transaction of business, including the markup of 
legislation of the Committee shall be open to the public except 
when the Committee in open session and with a quorum present 
determines by record vote that all or part of the remainder of 
the meeting on that day shall be closed to the public because 
disclosure of matters to be considered would endanger national 
security, would compromise sensitive law enforcement 
information, or would tend to defame, degrade or incriminate 
any person, or otherwise would violate any law or rule of the 
House. Provided, however, that no person other than members of 
the Committee, and such congressional staff and such other 
persons as the Committee may authorize, shall be present in any 
business or markup session which has been closed to the public. 
To the maximum extent practicable, the Chair shall cause to be 
provided audio and video coverage of each hearing or meeting 
that allows the public to easily listen to and view the 
proceedings and maintain the recordings of such coverage in a 
manner that is easily accessible to the public.

                               RULE NO. 4

Records and Rollcalls
    (a)(1) A record vote shall be held if requested by any 
member of the Committee.
    (2) The result of each record vote in any meeting of the 
Committee shall be made available for inspection by the public 
at reasonable times at the Committee offices, including a 
description of the amendment, motion, order or other 
proposition; the name of each member voting for and against; 
and the members present but not voting.
    (3) The Chairman shall make the record of the votes on any 
question on which a record vote is demanded available on the 
Committee's website not later than 48 hours after such vote is 
taken (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays). Such 
record shall include a description of the amendment, motion, 
order, or other proposition, the name of each member voting for 
and each member voting against such amendment, motion, order, 
or proposition, and the names of those members of the Committee 
present but not voting.
    (4) The Chairman shall make available on the Committee's 
website not later than 24 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, 
and legal holidays) after the adoption of any amendment to a 
measure or matter the text of such amendment.
    (b)(1) Subject to subparagraph (2), the Chairman may 
postpone further proceedings when a record vote is ordered on 
the question of approving any measure or matter or adopting an 
amendment. The Chair may resume proceedings on a postponed 
request at any time.
    (2) In exercising postponement authority under subparagraph 
(1), the Chairman shall take all reasonable steps necessary to 
notify members on the resumption of proceedings on any 
postponed record vote.
    (3) 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.
    (c) All Committee hearings, records, data, charts, and 
files shall be kept separate and distinct from the 
congressional office records of the member serving as Chair; 
and such records shall be the property of the House and all 
members of the House shall have access thereto.
    (d) House records of the Committee which are at the 
National Archives shall be made available pursuant to House 
Rule VII. The Chairman shall notify the ranking minority member 
of any decision to withhold a record pursuant to the rule, and 
shall present the matter to the Committee upon written request 
of any Committee member.
    (e) To the maximum extent feasible, the Committee shall 
make its publications available in electronic form.

                               RULE NO. 5

Proxies

    No vote by any member in the Committee may be cast by 
proxy.

                               RULE NO. 6

Power to sit and act; subpoena power

    (a) For the purpose of carrying out any of its functions 
and duties under House Rules X and XI, the Committee is 
authorized (subject to subparagraph (b)(1) of this paragraph)--
          (1) to sit and act at such times and places within 
        the United States, whether the House is in session, has 
        recessed, or has adjourned, and to hold such hearings; 
        and
          (2) to require, by subpoena or otherwise, the 
        attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the 
        production of such books, records, correspondence, 
        memorandums, papers, documents and other materials as 
        it deems necessary, including materials in electronic 
        form. The Chair, or any member designated by the Chair, 
        may administer oaths to any witness.
    (b)(1) A subpoena may be authorized and issued by the 
Committee 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. The 
power to authorize and issue subpoenas under subparagraph 
(a)(2) may be delegated to the Chair pursuant to such rules and 
under such limitations as the Committee may prescribe. 
Authorized subpoenas shall be signed by the Chair or by any 
member designated by the Committee, and may be served by any 
person designated by the Chair or such member.
    (2) Compliance with any subpoena issued by the Committee 
may be enforced only as authorized or directed by the House.

                               RULE NO. 7

Quorums

    No measure or recommendation shall be reported to the House 
unless a majority of the Committee is actually present. For the 
purposes of taking any action other than reporting any measure, 
issuance of a subpoena, closing meetings, promulgating 
Committee orders, or changing the rules of the Committee, one-
third of the members of the Committee shall constitute a 
quorum. For purposes of taking testimony and receiving 
evidence, two members shall constitute a quorum.

                               RULE NO. 8

Amendments

    Any amendment offered to any pending legislation before the 
Committee must be made available in written form when requested 
by any member of the Committee. If such amendment is not 
available in written form when requested, the Chair will allow 
an appropriate period of time for the provision thereof.

                               RULE NO. 9

Hearing procedures

    (a) The Chair, 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 (1) week before the commencement 
of that hearing. If the Chair, with the concurrence of the 
ranking minority member, determines that there is good cause to 
begin the hearing sooner, or if the Committee so determines by 
majority vote, a quorum being present, the Chair shall make the 
announcement at the earliest possible date. The clerk of the 
Committee shall promptly notify the Daily Digest Clerk of the 
Congressional Record as soon as possible after such public 
announcement is made.
    (b) Unless excused by the Chair, each witness who is to 
appear before the Committee shall file with the clerk of the 
Committee, at least 48 hours in advance of his or her 
appearance, a written statement of his or her proposed 
testimony and shall limit his or her oral presentation to a 
summary of his or her statement.
    (c) When any hearing is conducted by the Committee upon any 
measure or matter, the minority party members on the Committee 
shall be entitled, upon request to the Chair by a majority of 
those minority members before the completion of such hearing, 
to call witnesses selected by the minority to testify with 
respect to that measure or matter during at least one day of 
hearings thereon.
    (d) Reserved.
    (e) Committee members may question witnesses only when they 
have been recognized by the Chair 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 can be extended as 
provided by House Rules. The questioning of a witness in 
Committee hearings shall be initiated by the Chair, followed by 
the ranking minority member and all other members alternating 
between the majority and minority. In recognizing members to 
question witnesses in this fashion, the Chair 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. The Chair may accomplish this by recognizing 
two majority members for each minority member recognized.
    (f) The following additional rules shall apply to hearings 
of the Committee as applicable:
          (1) The Chair at a hearing shall announce in an 
        opening statement the subject of the investigation.
          (2) A copy of the Committee rules and this clause 
        shall be made available to each witness as provided by 
        clause 2(k)(2) of Rule XI.
          (3) Witnesses at hearings may be accompanied by their 
        own counsel for the purpose of advising them concerning 
        their constitutional rights.
          (4) The Chair may punish breaches of order and 
        decorum, and of professional ethics on the part of 
        counsel, by censure and exclusion from the hearings; 
        and the Committee may cite the offender to the House 
        for contempt.
          (5) If the Committee determines that evidence or 
        testimony at a hearing may tend to defame, degrade, or 
        incriminate any person, it shall--
                  (A) afford such person an opportunity 
                voluntarily to appear as a witness;
                  (B) receive such evidence or testimony in 
                executive session; and
                  (C) receive and dispose of requests from such 
                person to subpoena additional witnesses.
          (6) Except as provided in subparagraph (f)(5), the 
        Chair shall receive and the Committee shall dispose of 
        requests to subpoena additional witnesses.
          (7) No evidence or testimony taken in executive 
        session may be released or used in public sessions 
        without the consent of the Committee.
          (8) In the discretion of the Committee, witnesses may 
        submit brief and pertinent sworn statements in writing 
        for inclusion in the record. The Committee is the sole 
        judge of the pertinence of testimony and evidence 
        adduced at its hearing.
          (9) 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.

                              RULE NO. 10

Procedures for reporting measures or matters

    (a)(1) It shall be the duty of the Chair to report or cause 
to be reported promptly to the House any measure approved by 
the Committee and to take or cause to be taken necessary steps 
to bring the matter to a vote.
    (2) In any event, the report of the Committee on a measure 
which has been approved by the Committee shall be filed within 
7 calendar days (exclusive of days on which the House is not in 
session) after the day on which there has been filed with the 
clerk of the Committee a written request, signed by a majority 
of the members of the Committee, for the reporting of that 
measure. Upon the filing of any such request, the clerk of the 
Committee shall transmit immediately to the Chair notice of the 
filing of that request.
    (b)(1) No measure or recommendation shall be reported to 
the House unless a majority of the Committee is actually 
present.
    (2) With respect to each record vote on a motion to report 
any measure or matter of a public character, and on any 
amendment offered to the measure or matter, the total number of 
votes cast for and against, and the names of those members 
voting for and against, shall be included in the Committee 
report on the measure or matter.
    (c) The report of the Committee on a measure or matter 
which has been approved by the Committee shall include the 
matters required by Clause 3(c) of Rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House.
    (d) If, at the time any measure or matter is ordered 
reported by the Committee, any member of the Committee gives 
notice of intention to file supplemental, minority, or 
additional views, that member shall be entitled to not less 
than two additional calendar days after the day of such notice, 
commencing on the day on which the measure or matter(s) was 
approved, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, in 
which to file such views, in writing and signed by that member, 
with the clerk of the Committee. All such views so filed by one 
or more members of the Committee shall be included within, and 
shall be a part of, the report filed by the Committee with 
respect to that measure or matter. The report of the Committee 
upon that measure or matter shall be printed in a single volume 
which--
          (1) shall include all supplemental, minority, or 
        additional views, in the form submitted, by the time of 
        the filing of the report, and
          (2) shall bear upon its cover a recital that any such 
        supplemental, minority, or additional views (and any 
        material submitted under subparagraph (c)) are included 
        as part of the report. This subparagraph does not 
        preclude--
                  (A) the immediate filing or printing of a 
                Committee report unless timely request for the 
                opportunity to file supplemental, minority, or 
                additional views has been made as provided by 
                paragraph (c); or
                  (B) the filing of any supplemental report 
                upon any measure or matter which may be 
                required for the correction of any technical 
                error in a previous report made by the 
                Committee upon that measure or matter.
          (3) shall, when appropriate, contain the documents 
        required by Clause 3(e) of Rule XIII of the Rules of 
        the House.
    (e) The Chair, following consultation with the ranking 
minority member, is directed to offer a motion under clause 1 
of Rule XXII of the Rules of the House, relating to going to 
conference with the Senate, whenever the Chair considers it 
appropriate.
    (f) If hearings have been held on any such measure or 
matter so reported, the Committee shall make every reasonable 
effort to have such hearings published and available to the 
members of the House prior to the consideration of such measure 
or matter in the House.
    (g) The Chair may designate any majority member of the 
Committee to act as ``floor manager'' of a bill or resolution 
during its consideration in the House.

                              RULE NO. 11

Committee oversight

    The Committee shall conduct oversight of matters within the 
jurisdiction of the Committee in accordance with House Rule X, 
clause 2 and clause 4. Not later than February 15 of the first 
session of a Congress, the Committee shall, in a meeting that 
is open to the public and with a quorum present, adopt its 
oversight plan for that Congress in accordance with House Rule 
X, clause 2(d).

                              RULE NO. 12

Review of Continuing Programs; Budget Act Provisions

    (a) The Committee shall, in its consideration of all bills 
and joint resolutions of a public character within its 
jurisdiction, ensure that appropriation for continuing programs 
and activities of the Federal Government will be made annually 
to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with the nature, 
requirement, and objectives of the programs and activities 
involved. For the purposes of this paragraph a Government 
agency includes the organizational units of government listed 
in Clause 4(e) of Rule X of House Rules.
    (b) The Committee shall review, from time to time, each 
continuing program within its jurisdiction for which 
appropriations are not made annually in order to ascertain 
whether such program could be modified so that appropriations 
therefore would be made annually.
    (c) The Committee shall, on or before February 25 of each 
year, submit to the Committee on the Budget (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 
which are within its jurisdiction or functions, and (2) an 
estimate of the total amounts of new budget authority, and 
budget outlays resulting there from, to be provided or 
authorized in all bills and resolutions within its jurisdiction 
which it intends to be effective during that fiscal year.
    (d) As soon as practicable after a concurrent resolution on 
the budget for any fiscal year is agreed to, the Committee 
(after consulting with the appropriate committee or committees 
of the Senate) shall subdivide any allocation made to it in the 
joint explanatory statement accompanying the conference report 
on such resolution, and promptly report such subdivisions to 
the House, in the manner provided by section 302 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
    (e) Whenever the Committee is directed in a concurrent 
resolution on the budget to determine and recommend changes in 
laws, bills, or resolutions under the reconciliation process it 
shall promptly make such determination and recommendations, and 
report a reconciliation bill or resolution (or both) to the 
House or submit such recommendations to the Committee on the 
Budget, in accordance with the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974.

                              RULE NO. 13

Broadcasting of Committee Hearings and Meetings

    Whenever any hearing or meeting conducted by the Committee 
is open to the public, those proceedings shall be open to 
coverage by television, radio, and still photography, as 
provided in Clause 4 of House Rule XI, subject to the 
limitations therein. Operation and use of any Committee 
Internet broadcast system shall be fair and nonpartisan and in 
accordance with Clause 4(b) of rule XI and all other applicable 
rules of the Committee and the House.

                              RULE NO. 14

Committee staff

    The staff of the Committee on House Administration shall be 
appointed as follows:
    (a) The staff shall be appointed by the Chair except as 
provided in paragraph (b), and may be removed by the Chair, and 
shall work under the general supervision and direction of the 
Chair;
    (b) All staff provided to the minority party members of the 
Committee shall be appointed by the ranking minority member, 
and may be removed by the ranking minority member of the 
Committee, and shall work under the general supervision and 
direction of such member;
    (c) The appointment of all professional staff shall be 
subject to the approval of the Committee as provided by, and 
subject to the provisions of, clause 9 of Rule X of the Rules 
of the House;
    (d) The Chair shall fix the compensation of all staff of 
the Committee, after consultation with the ranking minority 
member regarding any minority party staff, within the budget 
approved for such purposes for the Committee.

                              RULE NO. 15

Travel of members and staff

    (a) Consistent with the primary expense resolution and such 
additional expense resolutions as may have been approved, the 
provisions of this rule shall govern travel of Committee 
members and staff. Travel for any member or any staff member 
shall be paid only upon the prior authorization of the Chair or 
her or his designee. Travel may be authorized by the Chair for 
any member and any staff member in connection with the 
attendance at hearings conducted by the Committee and meetings, 
conferences, and investigations which involve activities or 
subject matter under the general jurisdiction of the Committee. 
Before such authorization is given there shall be submitted to 
the Chair in writing the following:
          (1) The purpose of the travel;
          (2) The dates during which the travel will occur;
          (3) The locations to be visited and the length of 
        time to be spent in each; and
          (4) The names of members and staff seeking 
        authorization.
    (b)(1) In the case of travel outside the United States of 
members and staff of the Committee for the purpose of 
conducting hearings, investigations, studies, or attending 
meetings and conferences involving activities or subject matter 
under the legislative assignment of the committee, prior 
authorization must be obtained from the Chair. Before such 
authorization is given, there shall be submitted to the Chair, 
in writing, a request for such authorization. Each request, 
which shall be filed in a manner that allows for a reasonable 
period of time for review before such travel is scheduled to 
begin, shall include the following:
          (A) the purpose of the travel;
          (B) the dates during which the travel will occur;
          (C) the names of the countries to be visited and the 
        length of time to be spent in each;
          (D) an agenda of anticipated activities for each 
        country for which travel is authorized together with a 
        description of the purpose to be served and the areas 
        of committee jurisdiction involved; and
          (E) the names of members and staff for whom 
        authorization is sought.
    (2) At the conclusion of any hearing, investigation, study, 
meeting or conference for which travel outside the United 
States has been authorized pursuant to this rule, members and 
staff attending meetings or conferences shall submit a written 
report to the Chair covering the activities and other pertinent 
observations or information gained as a result of such travel.
    (c) Members and staff of the Committee performing 
authorized travel on official business shall be governed by 
applicable laws, resolutions, or regulations of the House and 
of the Committee on House Administration pertaining to such 
travel.

                              RULE NO. 16

    Reserved.

                              RULE NO. 17

    Reserved.

                              RULE NO. 18

Other procedures and regulations

    The Chair 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.

                              RULE NO. 19

Designation of clerk of the committee

    For the purposes of these rules and the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, the staff director of the Committee shall 
act as the clerk of the Committee.

                               APPENDIX B

                   Committee on House Administration

                     113th Congress Oversight Plan

                            MEMBER SERVICES

     Oversee Members' allowance amounts, including 
structure and regulations.
     Provide guidance and outreach to congressional 
offices to ensure compliance with Committee regulations.
     Review and revise the Guide to Outfitting and 
Maintaining an Office of the U.S. House of Representatives, a 
set of regulations governing the acquisition, transfer, and 
disposal of furnishings, equipment, software, and related 
services.
     Update the calculation of the Members' 
Representational Allowances and ensure that all Members have 
adequate resources for representing their constituents.
     Oversee the processing of vouchers and direct 
payments, including those for payroll.
New member orientation
     Plan, implement, and oversee the New Member 
Orientation Program for newly-elected Members of Congress.
     Oversee the planning and implementation of the 
Congressional Research Service New Member Issues Seminar in 
Williamsburg.
Intern program
     In coordination with the Senate Committee on Rules 
and Administration, organize, administer, and oversee the 
Intern Lecture Series.
     Review and consider revising the Intern Handbook 
and other publications and communication materials used in 
support of the Intern Program.
     Continue and expand the Congressional Internship 
Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

                    COMMITTEE FUNDING AND OVERSIGHT

     Review Monthly Reports on committee activities and 
expenditures.
     Review the Committees' Congressional Handbook 
regulations governing expenditure of committee funds and update 
regulations as needed.
     Review Primary and any Secondary Expense 
Resolutions and approve authorization of committee-funding 
levels in committee and by House Resolution.
     Review Committees' Franking expenditures.

                CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995

     Monitor application of the Congressional 
Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) (PL 104-1).
     Review regulations adopted by the Office of 
Compliance.
     Evaluate resources available to the Office of 
Compliance and House employing offices to facilitate 
implementation of the Act.
     Conduct general oversight of the Office of 
Compliance.
     Monitor ongoing judicial proceedings to determine 
the impact on the CAA.

                          FRANKING COMMISSION

     Oversee the Members' use of the congressional 
frank by providing guidance, advice, and counsel through 
consultation or advisory opinion on the frankability of 
congressional mail
     Review proposals to reform mass mailing practices 
of Members, and regulations governing such mailings, and 
monitor current prohibition on mass mailings 90 days before a 
primary or general election.
     Review previously implemented rules to increase 
disclosure and improve the accounting of franked mail costs.
     Revise the Regulations on the Use of the 
Congressional Frank and Rules on Practice in Proceedings Before 
the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards.

                  HOUSE OFFICERS AND HOUSE OPERATIONS

     Work with House officers to identify and reduce 
spending and create more cost effective and efficient 
operations within the House.
     Analyze management improvement proposals and other 
initiatives submitted by the House Officers, the Inspector 
General, the Capitol Police Board, the Architect of the 
Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, 
and other legislative branch agencies.
     Coordinate with the Subcommittee on Legislative 
Appropriations on matters impacting operations of the House and 
joint entities.
     Provide policy guidance to the House Officers, 
Inspector General and the joint entities as appropriate.
     Oversee compliance with the House Employee 
Classification Act (2 U.S.C. 291 et seq.).
     Assure coordination among officers and joint 
entities on administrative and technology matters.
     Continue review of congressional continuity 
issues, including organizing sessions of Congress at alternate 
locations, technological support for Member communications and 
chamber operations and filling vacancies in the House.
     Provide policy guidance and conduct oversight of 
security and safety issues and congressional entities charged 
with such roles.

Chief Administrative Officer

     Review procedures for processing contracts with 
the House that exceed the threshold of $350,000.
     Continue to review the current financial 
management system and implementation of the Financial System 
Replacement project.
     Review the structure of House Information 
Resources and determine organizational direction of technology 
services in the House.
     Review and oversee information technology services 
provided, maintained or hosted by House Information Resources. 
Continue oversight of failsafe procedures to guarantee 
continuity of operations.
     Review new technology initiatives to better serve 
Members, committees, and the public.
     Continue the review of administrative operations 
assigned to the Chief Administrative Officer.
     Review semi-annual financial and operational 
status reports; oversee implementation of changes in operations 
to improve services and increase efficiencies.
     Review the operations and strategic planning of 
the House gift shop.
     Continue review of House restaurant operations; 
furniture policy, inventory and selection; and alternatives to 
the current mail delivery process in order to strengthen the 
services and tools available to Members and staff.
     Review the printing needs of the Chief 
Administrative Officer's operation to identify the potential 
for eliminating duplication.
     Examine Chief Administrative Officer's role in 
assuring accessibility to the House wing of the Capitol, the 
House Office Buildings and other House facilities consistent 
with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
     Review staff benefits offered by the House and 
proposals to modify benefits.
     Continue oversight of CAO functions performed for 
Members, committees and other entities to assure that current 
model delivers best value for entities served and taxpayers.

Clerk of the House

     Review the administration of audio transmission on 
the House floor.
     Review and approve contracts and requests for 
proposals by the Clerk that exceed the $350,000 spending 
threshold.
     Oversee the Document Management System.
     Review standards for the electronic exchange of 
legislative information among the Houses of Congress and 
legislative-branch agencies.
     Coordinate on matters under the jurisdiction of 
the House Fine Arts Board.
     Continue review of functions and administrative 
operations assigned to the Clerk.
     Review of semi-annual financial and operational 
status reports; recommend changes in operations to improve 
services and increase efficiencies.
     Review the printing needs of the Clerk to evaluate 
the potential for eliminating duplication.
     Oversee preparation of congressionally-authorized 
publications.

Sergeant-at-Arms

     Review and oversee security operations in the 
House, including the House chamber, the galleries, the Capitol, 
House Office Buildings, Capitol Grounds, and District offices.
     Review and oversee initiatives designed to 
increase security and security awareness for Members and staff 
in district offices.
     Review semi-annual financial and operational 
status reports; recommend changes in operations to improve 
services and increase efficiencies.
     Review impact of electronic access to controlled 
spaces.
     Continue review of functions and administrative 
operations assigned to the Sergeant-at-Arms.
     Review the security operation of House parking 
facilities, regulations, and allocation of parking spaces.
     Consult with the Sergeant-at-Arms on policies 
adopted by the Capitol Police Board.
     Review the policies and procedures for visitor 
access to the Capitol.
     Review the printing needs of the Sergeant-at-Arms 
and the Capitol Police Board to identify the potential for 
eliminating duplication.
     Examine Sergeant-at-Arms' role in assuring 
accessibility to the House wing of the Capitol, the House 
Office Buildings, and other House facilities consistent with 
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
     Review the use of technology generally in the 
protection of the House of Representatives.
     Oversee the Office of Emergency Management, 
including the implementation of coordinated plans for emergency 
evacuation and response.

House Inspector General

     Review proposed audit plan and audit reports.
     Review comprehensive financial and operational 
audits of the House, investigate any irregularities uncovered, 
and monitor necessary improvements.
     Monitor progress of House audits.
     Continue review of functions and administrative 
operations assigned to the Inspector General.
     Direct Inspector General to conduct management 
advisories to improve implementation and operation of key House 
functions.

           OVERSIGHT OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AND OTHER ENTITIES

Information and technology coordination

     Oversee, in conjunction with the Senate, forums 
for the sharing of technology plans and capabilities among the 
legislative branch agencies.
     Oversee, in conjunction with the Senate, the 
Legislative Branch Telecommunications group.
     Oversee continuing development of the Congress.gov 
website.
     Oversee work of the Legislative Branch Financial 
Managers' Council.
     Oversee, in conjunction with the Senate, proposals 
to reduce technology costs through consolidation and use of 
internet-based resources.

Library of Congress

     Conduct a review of the progress that the Library 
has made in providing public access to government information, 
especially in electronic form.
     Continue oversight of Library of Congress 
operations, including inventory and cataloguing systems.
     Continue oversight of Law Library operations.
     Continue oversight of Congressional Research 
Service operations, and consider any need to modify management 
of the Service.
     Review implementation of the Library of Congress 
Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-481), 
the Veterans' Oral History Project Act (Public Law 106-380), 
the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 (Public Law No: 
106-474), and the History of the House Awareness and 
Preservation Act (Public Law 106-99).
     Consider human-resources legislation proposed by 
the Library.
     Review the use of technology generally in Library 
of Congress operations.
     Review printing policies of the Library of 
Congress to assure compliance with Title 44 of the U.S. Code.
     Review reports by Library of Congress Inspector 
General and implementation of audit recommendations. Examine 
options to improve operation and structure of the Library of 
Congress Inspector General's office.

United States Capitol Police

     Monitor administrative operations of the agency, 
including budgetary management, civilian component, attrition 
rates, recruitment efforts and incentive programs for officers 
and civilian employees.
     Review proposals for additional USCP facilities 
and equipment.
     Review analysis of uniformed officer post/duty 
assignments to determine and authorize force levels to meet the 
agency's security requirements within the Capitol complex to 
include the Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress and 
U.S. Botanic Garden.
     Review and consider proposals to improve USCP 
training program for new recruits, and in-service training.
     Authorize and oversee the installation and 
maintenance of new security systems and devices proposed by the 
Police Board.
     Review and authorize regulations prescribed by the 
Police Board for use of law enforcement authority by the 
Capitol Police.
     Examine Capitol Police role in assuring 
accessibility to the House wing of the Capitol, House Office 
Buildings and other facilities consistent with the Americans 
with Disabilities Act.
     Monitor the ongoing implementation of the Radio 
Modernization Project.
     Review reports by USCP Inspector General and 
implementation of audit recommendations. Examine options to 
improve operation and structure of the USCP Inspector General's 
office.

Government Printing Office

     Oversee operations of the Government Printing 
Office, including the Superintendent of Documents.
     Review and adopt legislative proposals to reform 
government printing by eliminating redundancies and unnecessary 
printing, increasing efficiency, and enhancing public access to 
government publications.
     Examine options to improve operation and structure 
of the GPO Inspector General's office. Monitor implementation 
of remedial actions taken to address audit issues identified by 
the GPO Inspector General.
     Review the printing needs of the House of 
Representatives to identify the potential for eliminating 
duplication.
     Examine current GPO printing and binding 
regulations to determine advisability of change.
     Oversee Superintendent of Documents' Sales and 
Depository Library Programs.
     Review GPO labor practices and labor agreements.
     Review use of GPO facilities and other assets to 
identify possible alternatives enhancing value to the Congress 
and the public.
     Compare the responsibilities and operations of the 
GPO Police with the responsibilities and operations of the U.S. 
Capitol Police, in order to identify duplication and potential 
future savings.

Architect of the Capitol

     Review the operations of the office of the 
Architect.
     Review the electronic and procured services 
provided by the Architect.
     Oversee Architect of the Capitol's maintenance of 
House buildings and the House side of the Capitol, and review 
any plans for rehabilitation of House buildings.
     Continue oversight of life safety measures, 
accessibility measures, and improved evacuation mechanisms in 
House buildings.
     Review the AOC Office of Sustainability's efforts 
to reduce energy consumption by the Capitol complex.
     Continue oversight of implementation of utility 
tunnel rehabilitation settlement.
     Oversee operations of the Capitol Visitors Center, 
in conjunction with the Senate Committee on Rules and 
Administration.
     Review reports by Architect of the Capitol 
Inspector General and implementation of audit recommendations. 
Examine options to improve operation and structure of the 
Architect of the Capitol Inspector General's office.

Office of Congressional Accessibility Services

     Oversee management and operations of Office of 
Congressional Accessibility Services, such as the 
implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in 
conjunction with Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

Smithsonian Institution

     Review the Smithsonian Inspector General's reports 
on the status of the Smithsonian.
     Oversee general museum and research facility 
operations of the Smithsonian Institution.
     Review and evaluate the Smithsonian Institution's 
use of authorized public funds.
     Review proposed appointments of Citizen Regents to 
the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents.
     Review proposals for authorization of new 
Smithsonian facilities. Review Smithsonian policies regarding 
initiation of planning, design and construction of projects.
     Review operations of the National Zoo.
     Review operations and conduct oversight of 
Smithsonian Enterprises.
     Review the use of technology generally in 
Smithsonian operations.
     Review any proposals to charge fees for admission 
to any Smithsonian exhibits.

                      TECHNOLOGY USE BY THE HOUSE

     Continue oversight of House Information Resources 
and other technology functions of the House to improve 
electronic information dissemination.
     Oversee implementation of House Rule XI 2(e)(4) 
requiring committee documentation to be made available 
electronically, to the maximum extent feasible.
     Review cyber security measures.
     Oversee implementation of Committee hearing room 
upgrade program.
     Oversee and continue to implement an enterprise 
House Disaster Recovery Program for House offices, standing and 
select committees and Member offices.
     Oversee implementation of the House Office of 
Legislative Counsel & Law Revision Counsel's Modernization 
Project.
     Oversee and coordinate the House strategic 
technology plan.
     Oversee continuation of House technology 
assessment in new media.

            OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL ELECTION LAW AND PROCEDURES

     Recommend disposition of House election contests 
pending before the Committee; monitor any disputed election 
counts.
     Review operations of the Federal Election 
Commission (FEC) and evaluate possible changes to improve 
efficiency, improve enforcement of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act, and improve procedures for the disclosure of 
contributions and expenditures. Consider authorization issues 
and make recommendations on the FEC's budget.
     Review federal campaign-finance laws and 
regulations, including Presidential public financing, and 
consider potential reforms.
     Examine the role and impact of political 
organizations on federal elections.
     Review operations of the Election Assistance 
Commission (EAC) and evaluate possible changes to improve 
efficiency and improve implementation of the Help America Vote 
Act (HAVA). Consider authorization issues and make 
recommendations on the EAC's budget.
     Examine the impact and implementation of 
amendments made by HAVA and the Military and Overseas Voter 
Empowerment Act (MOVE Act) to the Uniformed and Overseas 
Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and consider proposals 
to improve voting methods for those serving and living abroad.
     Review state and federal activities under the 
National Voter Registration Act to identify potential for 
improvement to voter registration and education programs and 
reducing costs of compliance for state and local government.
     Review all aspects of registration and voting 
practices in federal elections. Monitor allegations of fraud 
and misconduct during all phases of federal elections and 
evaluate measures to improve the integrity of the electoral 
process.

                               APPENDIX C

              Committee Resolutions for the 113th Congress

             ADOPTION OF COMMITTEE RULES FOR 113TH CONGRESS

                      (Committee Resolution 113-1)

                        Adopted February 5, 2013

             ADOPTION OF OVERSIGHT PLAN FOR 113TH CONGRESS

                      (Committee Resolution 113-2)

                        Adopted February 5, 2013

                    ADOPTION OF HOUSE PARKING POLICY

                      (Committee Resolution 113-3)

                        Adopted February 5, 2013

               ADOPTION OF COMMITTEE VIEWS AND ESTIMATES

                      (Committee Resolution 113-4)

                         Adopted March 5, 2013

 PROVIDING OFFICIAL MAIL ALLOWANCE TO COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE FOR THE 
                             113TH CONGRESS

                      (Committee Resolution 113-5)

                         Adopted March 14, 2013

            ADOPTION OF REGULATIONS OF THE STEM COMPETITION

                      (Committee Resolution 113-6)

                       Adopted November 20, 2013

       MINORITY VIEWS OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER ROBERT A. BRADY

                           Federal Elections

    The Committee reviewed and dismissed three election 
contests during the first session of the 113th Congress. The 
Democrats on the Committee on House Administration agree with 
the Majority that these matters should be reviewed on the 
merits and dealt with quickly and efficiently. We disagree with 
the manner that two of the ``election contests'' were disposed. 
Two election contests were based purely on Members of Congress 
refusal to entertain frivolous accusations of impeachable 
offenses by President Barack Obama. As these Members did not 
act on the unsubstantiated claims, the organization alleges 
that Congress should call a new election for their seats. The 
organization did not claim the results of the election were 
inaccurate. These two matters should have been disposed of 
without a formal review, under the expressed agreement of the 
majority and minority.
    To bring an Election Contest under the Federal Elections 
Campaign Act the contestant must establish standing. In these 
two cases, the association filing the complaint claims to be a 
registered 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. There is no 
allegation of irregularity in the voting process nor any other 
matter which would raise this matter to a level of review.
    On its face the association--Project Hurt--is therefore 
unable to lay claim to either of the Congressional seats. This 
matter should not have risen to the level of formal dismissal 
or to any level which requires the Members to act. It should 
also be noted that Dwayne Anderson, founder of the Project 
Hurt, would not have qualified to file a contest in his 
individual capacity because of numerous defects. Arguably the 
biggest and most obvious defect is that Mr. Anderson was not a 
candidate in either district in which Project Hurt filed its 
contests. It is the hope of the Committee Democrats that moving 
forward the Majority will work with Committee Democrats to 
dispose of frivolous contests that do not claim a legitimate 
right to a seat.
    We reluctantly acquiesced in the majority's desire to 
originate privileged resolutions to dismiss this ``election 
contest'' against Rep. Steve Cohen, as well as the identical 
one against Rep. Maxine Waters. These Members appear to have 
been chosen essentially at random by the ``contestant.'' (Cover 
letter by the Clerk of the House and ``Notice of Contested 
Election'' appear in the Appendix following these views)
    There is nothing in the House rules which requires the 
Committee, or the House, to address a matter which is not a 
proper election contest. Sections 5.1 (p. 348), 6.6 (p. 355), 
19.6 (p. 389) and 53.2 (pages 539-542) of volume 2 of 
Deschler's Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives 
discuss In re Plunkett, a 1945 contest initiated by a non-
candidate purporting to challenge the elections of 79 Members. 
According to these citations, ``the committee took no action on 
the matter, it appearing that the contestant, not being a 
candidate in the disputed election, was not qualified to 
initiate the proceedings.'' There is no record the committee 
submitted a report in this case or that the House acted in any 
way upon the contest.
    In the 1941 contest, Miller v. Kirwan, Deschlers sec. 51.1, 
p. 525, the Majority Leader brought a resolution to the floor 
summarily dismissing the case without committee action, on the 
grounds that Miller had not been a general election candidate 
and was not competent to bring a contest for the seat.
    The Committee on House Administration, its predecessor 
panels and the House has acted in the past to dismiss frivolous 
contests, but these new cases should prod the Committee to 
adopt clearer standards before wasting either our own time or 
that of the House. The report outlines the reasons why this is 
not a proper election contest, yet instead of drawing the 
conclusion that it did not merit a response, the Majority 
presses ahead anyway to present a resolution to the House.
    The Majority would contend that the Committee must act on 
everything presented to it in the guise of an election contest, 
in order to ensure that no legitimate future challenge is 
unfairly buried by a partisan majority. However, our role as 
elected Members of the House is to make choices, to review 
issues on behalf of the House, and to make recommendations, or 
take action, or not, as appropriate. Even if the Committee were 
to make an egregious error in failing to consider a particular 
contest, the matter could still be raised independently on the 
Floor by any Member as a question of the privileges of the 
House pursuant to Rule IX.
    In the instant case, the ``contestant'' did not run against 
the incumbent Member and is not even a person, being described 
as ``Project Hurt,'' a name of a purported organization linked 
to a convicted felon, Dwayne Anderson, incarcerated at Hardeman 
County Correctional Facility in Whiteville, Tennessee. No 
allegations were made disputing the validity of Rep. Cohen's 
election. As stated in the draft report presented at the House 
Administration Committee markup of June 4, 2013, this matter 
gives no basis to contest the outcome of his election, does not 
meet the definition of contestant under the FCEA, and was filed 
too late. Notably, the report states, relating to the 
allegations: ``They are outside the scope of the FCEA and 
outside the Committee on House Administration's jurisdiction.'' 
The report appears to raise doubts that there was anything 
before the Members which could be acted upon in the form of a 
report or resolution, which the Committee claims to be 
privileged under Rule X, clause 1(k)(12) and clause 5(a)(3) of 
Rule XIII, relating to the Committee's authority to file 
privileged reports at any time on contested elections.
    The fact that a person, or entity, does not like a 
particular Member or Members of the House should not qualify as 
an election contest. In the Committee's logic, an otherwise 
blank sheet of paper stating, as this one does, that Member X 
is ``hereby contested'' could set in motion an inexorable chain 
of events requiring a vote by and consuming the time of the 
House in the event it is entertained. This should not be the 
case.
    We are ready to work with the majority to develop standards 
to facilitate consideration of proper election contests. 
Perhaps those which are blatantly frivolous could be disposed 
of through adoption of internal committee resolutions 
describing, for the historical record, the reasons for such 
action. These would not require any action by the House.

                           Election Hearings

    The Committee held only two election focused hearings 
during the first session of the 113th Congress. The first 
hearing focused on Chairman Miller's H.R. 2115, the Voter 
Registration Efficiency Act, which would amend the National 
Voter Registration Act to update a voter's address for voter 
registration purposes. We stand ready to work with the majority 
to improve the legislation; many issues were raised during the 
hearing concerning the effectiveness of the legislation and 
have been echoed by several nonpartisan groups since.
    The second hearing dealt with issues faced by military and 
overseas voters during the 2012 election. These issues deserve 
our attention as do the voting concerns of those with 
disabilities, students, minorities and other groups who have 
been historically disadvantaged to improve the voting process 
for all eligible Americans. It is our hope that the majority 
holds these and additional hearings during the second session 
of the 113th Congress.
    The Majority ignored calls to investigate the vast number 
of reported voting problems and irregularities that occurred 
during the 2012 general election. These problems ranged from 
voters' names not being in registration books to long lines at 
the polling stations to poorly trained poll workers. The 
Majority also ignored the long standing practice of holding a 
``look back hearing'' to hear directly from state and local 
election officials along with civil rights groups and concerned 
citizens regarding their experience with the most recent 
federal election. The Committee has used these hearings in the 
past to draft legislation and debate the need for changes to 
the way federal elections are administered. Instead the 
Majority focused on eliminating the only federal agency tasked 
with improving the administration of elections, the Election 
Assistance Commission (EAC). In order to address these 
concerns, President Obama, using his executive authority, 
appointed a bipartisan 6 month commission to listen and report 
on the problems associated with the 2012 election. The 
Commission's report is expected to be released in January 2014. 
This is a task that should have been given to the EAC. As the 
agency continues to lack a quorum, it would have been difficult 
if not impossible to complete the task.
    The majority has now turned its sights on ``investigating'' 
employees at the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an agency 
that is at its lowest staffing levels in 15 years. The FEC is 
continually being called a toothless tiger for a weakened role 
as a watchdog agency. Committee Democrats believe that the 
staff should be allowed to do their jobs without the constant 
threat of a so-far baseless and inconclusive investigation.
    Several members of the House introduced legislation to 
address problems with the 2012 general election, most notably 
Representative John Lewis. Congressman Lewis introduced the 
Voter Empowerment Act of 2013, to improve voter registration, 
access for people with disabilities and for voters overseas and 
in the military. It addresses the security and integrity of 
elections while also preventing deceptive practices. The bill 
also looks forward in addressing the concepts and practices of 
voting early and by mail. This comprehensive piece of 
legislation is needed to continue building the faith of the 
voting process which has been eroded over the last few election 
cycles by voter intimidation; supreme court rulings and a move 
back to pre-voting rights ideas. The Committee should hold 
hearings on this very important piece of legislation.
    The Committee has a responsibility to ensure that these 
issues are addressed and if necessary take action to prevent 
further problems from occurring in future elections. The 
Majority is not ensuring that the voting rights of eligible 
Americans are being administrated in a manner to prevent the 
problems stated above from occurring during the 2014 election 
or future elections.

         Supreme Court Strikes Down the Defense of Marriage Act

    In June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of 
Marriage act (DOMA) as an unconstitutional violation of the 
Equal Protection Clause. House Administration authorized 
millions of dollars to be spent attempting to defend an 
indefensible law. Luckily for American taxpayers, the Supreme 
Court's ruling was in line with what Committee Democrats and 
House Leadership have been arguing for years and Republicans 
were forced to abandon their expensive defense of an 
unconstitutional law.

                             House Officers

    We are concerned that during the First Session, the 
Committee has drastically reduced its capacity to perform 
sufficient oversight of the House officers. The majority has 
reduced the standing, bipartisan oversight meeting and, in some 
cases, the officers now come in for questions only once every 
two months. And none of them have testified before the 
Committee at a hearing during the 113th Congress. Several 
oversight staff members on the Committee have left and not been 
replaced.

                 The House Chief Administrative Officer

    As with other areas of committee jurisdiction, we are 
troubled by the marked decrease in Member oversight and 
corresponding Committee staff designated to oversee the Chief 
Administrative Officer's operation. In previous Congresses, 
regularly scheduled, timely House Officer oversight meetings 
were the rule. The same can also be said of official Committee 
oversight hearings. During the First Session of this Congress, 
we have witnessed a decline in Committee oversight. This is a 
troubling trend particularly when the Committee has the 
oversight responsibility for an operation as large and 
important as the CAO. We hope to see an increase in both staff-
level oversight meetings and official Committee meetings and 
Hearings.
    The Minority welcomes the appointment of Ed Cassidy as the 
new CAO and looks forward to working with him on many of these 
important issues.
    The major priority for the minority continues to be greater 
CAO oversight of vendor contract negotiations and contract 
management.

                       U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)

    We are greatly concerned that for some unexplained reason 
the Committee's level of oversight of the Capitol Police has 
been reduced during this session compared to the levels 
performed during the preceding Congresses. Moreover, the 
frequency of staff-level meetings with the Chief of Police or 
his senior staff fell from approximately weekly in prior 
sessions to monthly or less; the Committee held no public 
hearings on police-related matters, not even one to hear from 
Kim Dine, the new Chief of Police, to learn about his plans for 
the agency.
    Unique among the entities this Committee oversees, the work 
of the Capitol Police never stops, continuing 24 hours a day, 
365 days a year. In addition to the day-to-day operational 
duties of USCP employees, which require close scrutiny by CHA, 
the Sergeant at Arms, the GAO and others, this year USCP also 
devoted thousands of staff hours to the Inauguration and its 
aftermath, the enormous radio project, and other crucial work 
performed within an inevitably disruptive context of widespread 
federal furloughs and ongoing budgetary uncertainty.
    We wonder whether the Committee's approach to oversight 
this year, with fewer regular meetings between the USCP, the 
House Sergeant at Arms and our bipartisan Committee staff who 
are necessarily a key source of information for us, best serves 
those we oversee, especially in the wake of events like the 
Navy Yard massacre in September and the October shooting on the 
Capitol grounds. Oversight is not a one-way street; it also 
provides the agency being overseen with the opportunity to 
bring its concerns to policymakers in a timely way.

                    Government Printing Office (GPO)

    We want to compliment the new Public Printer, Ms. Davita 
Vance-Cooks, on her confirmation to lead that important agency 
without which this Congress could not operate. Since her 
confirmation and for the prior 18 months during which she 
served in an ``acting'' capacity, Ms. Vance-Cooks has 
demonstrated both great skill and judgment in managing her 
agency. We can only hope for many more.
    In the Committee's hearing on December 4, 2013, we explored 
how the GPO is in transition from print-centric to digital-
centric publishing. This hearing, informative as it was, 
revealed no surprises in that context. However, the hearing did 
provide the Public Printer with the opportunity to emphasize 
that for GPO, transition is nothing new; in fact, for GPO 
transition is constant, a way of life there driven by changes 
in technology and the needs of its customers.
    The recent study and report on GPO from the National 
Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) also confirmed this 
fact of life, validating both the value and need for the work 
performed by the GPO, loosely described as ``Keeping America 
Informed.'' The study lauded GPO's approach to its work for the 
Congress and its other agency customers, and offered sundry 
suggestions for how GPO, working with Congress, might increase 
its future value in a digital context.
    During our December 4 hearing, among other things we 
learned of the Majority's willingness to consider legislation 
to change the name of the agency in the way requested by the 
Public Printer, designed to make it more descriptive of GPO's 
work as a ``publisher'' and not a mere ``printer.'' We look 
forward to working with the Chairman and with the Public 
Printer on that initiative, on ways to increase revenues and to 
find savings, including merging the GPO Police with the U.S. 
Capitol Police.

                        Smithsonian Institution

    In August, Senior Policy Adviser Matt Pinkus from the 
Democratic staff made a two-day oversight visit to the 
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), a research center 
of the Smithsonian Institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It 
is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the 
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The 
facilities are spread out at several major sites near the 
Harvard campus and elsewhere in the city. Since the Committee 
focuses so much of its work on governance and budget issues of 
the Smithsonian, as well as care of collections and the 
National Zoo, it is also important to provide attention to the 
Smithsonian's unique contributions to astrophysics and ongoing 
space exploration.
    Oversight activities included meetings with the SAO 
director and core staff; observing experiments in progress, 
including preparations for a new spacecraft to study the solar 
atmosphere at close range; discussing preparation of 
educational materials sent to schools by SAO; and visiting the 
SAO labs contained in rented space designed for SAO projects, 
which also manufactures specialized materials for use in 
astrophysical research
    Also visited at SAO was NASA's Chandra X-Ray Center, 
including the control room. The Chandra X-ray Observatory, 
which was launched and deployed by Space Shuttle Columbia on 
July 23, 1999, is the most sophisticated X-ray observatory 
built to date. The Chandra spacecraft is designed to observe X-
rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as the 
remnants of exploded stars. The Chandra observatory's 
elliptical orbit takes the spacecraft to an altitude of 
approximately 86,500 miles, more than a third of the distance 
to the Moon.
    On December 18, bipartisan committee staff met with Don 
Moore, associate director of the National Zoo, to discuss a 
series of recent events at the Zoo and the Front Royal, Va., 
facility involving the deaths of animals and the injury to a 
Zoo employee who was attacked by a zebra when fences within 
that exhibit were not secured. Following the report of an 
internal task force, the Zoo assured the committee that it had 
identified deficiencies and would make improvements.
    The Smithsonian had been assuring the Committee 
consistently that recent budget cuts would not have an impact 
on animal care, and the results of the meeting indicated that 
management deficiencies, rather than insufficient funds, had 
been at the heart of the problems.

                     Architect of the Capitol (AOC)

    During the 1st Session of the 113th Congress, the Architect 
of the Capitol (AOC) and House of Representative's 
Superintendent continued to provide excellent service and 
support on behalf of the House, its staff, and visitors. This 
service level, however, is hampered by continued budgetary 
constraints. While the AOC has found ways to prioritize 
projects in this fiscal climate, the Committee on House 
Administration (CHA) Democrats have concerns for the health and 
safety of House Office Building occupants and visitors.
    After some debate as to the need to restore the crumbling 
Capitol Dome, funding was secured for its restoration; however, 
we question the need for such prolonged discussion in the case 
of iconic national landmarks. Planning for the full renovation 
of the Cannon House Office Building (CHOB) is well underway and 
has thus far been well executed by the AOC. Unfortunately, the 
CHOB continues to deteriorate at an unpredictable rate. 
Examples include failures of ornamental features on the 
building's exterior and serious water leaks in the building's 
interior. In both cases, emergency repairs were required to 
ensure a safe environment for the building's occupants and 
visitors. This deterioration is not limited to CHOB as both the 
Longworth, Rayburn, and Ford House Office Buildings continue to 
cope with the consequences of deferred maintenance due to 
budget constraints. CHA Democrats view all this as a serious 
neglect of building maintenance as a result of misguided 
funding practices for which the AOC is not at fault.

                       Library of Congress (LoC)

    As with other areas of committee jurisdiction, we are 
troubled by the marked decrease in oversight activities of the 
Library of Congress. In previous Congresses, regularly 
scheduled oversight meetings were the rule. They are now the 
exception. The same can also be said of official Committee 
oversight hearings. This is a troubling trend particularly when 
responsible for an agency and large and important as the 
Library of Congress. We hope to see an increase in both staff-
level oversight meetings and official Committee meetings.

  Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards (Franking Commission)

    During the First Session of this Congress, the Franking 
Commission continued the task of ensuring compliance with 
Public Law 93-191. The Commission continued to work towards 
establishing new regulations and passed two resolutions. The 
first allows for incidental holiday greetings in an otherwise 
official and frankable mass mailing. The second expands the 
amount of space a Member's photograph may occupy in any one 
page.
    In the Second Session, we look forward to expanding 
opportunities for transparency and improved use of technology. 
The majority has developed an electronic system for the 
submission and processing of Franking requests, an effort that 
we support. However, we feel very strongly that this effort 
should be coupled with efforts to provide the American people 
with greater access to final Franked jobs. The current system, 
which requires an interested party to actually visit the 
Legislative Resource Center in the basement of the Cannon House 
Office Building, severely restricts the ability of constituents 
to research and view franked jobs. The newly developed 
electronic submission system represents a unique opportunity to 
address this transparency shortcoming.

                                   Robert A. Brady.

                                  
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