[House Report 114-901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                Union Calendar No. 712
114th Congress   }                                       {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                       {     114-901
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     



                      THE REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

                               during the

                             114TH CONGRESS

                      TOGETHER WITH MINORITY VIEWS

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


 December 30, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
           
                                   ______

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

23-172                         WASHINGTON : 2016             
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                          House of Representatives,
                         Committee on House Administration,
                                 Washington, DC, December 30, 2016.
Hon. Karen L. Haas,
Clerk of the House,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Clerk: Pursuant to Rule XI, clause 1, paragraph 
(d) of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, I hereby 
transmit the 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 114th Congress from January 2015 to 
December 2016.
            Sincerely,
                                         Candice S. Miller,
                                                          Chairman.














                                                Union Calendar No. 712
114th Congress   }                                       {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                       {     114-901

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



 
 THE REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 
                       DURING THE 114TH CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

 December 30, 2016.--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 Adminstration, 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 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.
    On March 4, 2015 the Committee met to consider House 
Resolution 132, providing for the expenses of certain 
committees of the House of Representatives for the 114th 
Congress. The amounts proposed in H. Res. 132 reflect the 
justifications provided to the Committee by the Chairs and 
Ranking Members during their testimony at the Committee Hearing 
held on February 11, 2015. The Committee approved H. Res, 132 
by voice vote. On March 19, 2015, the House, again by voice 
vote, agreed to the Resolution.
    On November 19, 2015, the Committee adopted Committee 
Resolution 114-10, which allocated $300,000 from the Reserve 
Fund created in H. Res. 132 to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce for purposes of funding a portion of the operations of 
its Select Investigative Panel.
    On June 17, 2016, the Committee adopted Committee 
Resolution 114-19, which allocated $490,000 from the Reserve 
Fund created in H. Res. 132 to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce for purposes of funding a portion of the operations of 
its Select Investigative Panel.
    On November 15, 2016, the Committee considered and adopted 
H. Res. 933, which authorized the final installment of funding, 
$800,000, to the Committee on Energy and Commerce for purposes 
of funding a portion of the operations of its Select 
Investigative Panel.
    On December 1, 2016, the House of Representatives 
considered and adopted by a vote of 234-181, H. Res. 933, which 
provided the final installment of funding, $800,000, to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce for purposes of funding a 
portion of the operations of its Select Investigative Panel.

                  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.
    During the 114th Congress, the Committee took the following 
actions pertaining to the Member's Representational Allowance:
    On February 8, 2016, the Committee set authorization 
amounts for each of the 441 Members of the House of 
Representatives for the legislative year starting on January 3, 
2016, until January 2, 2017. The amounts were authorized with a 
1% increase to each of the 114th Congress first session 
amounts.
    On March 16, 2016, the Committee on House Administration 
considered and adopted updates to the following regulations:
          Members' Congressional Handbook;
          Committee Congressional Handbook;
          Guide to Outfitting and Maintaining an Office; and
          Regulations pursuant to H. Res. 5 regarding 
        Congressional Member Organizations.

             COMMISSION ON CONGRESSIONAL MAILING STANDARDS

    The 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 
one of the Members appointed to the Commission, who must also 
be a Member of the Committee on House Administration. In the 
114th Congress, the Commission was chaired by Rep. Candice S. 
Miller of Michigan, with Rep. Susan A. Davis of California 
serving as Ranking Member, and joined by Commission Members 
Rep. Robert E. Latta of Ohio, Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, 
Rep. Brad Sherman of California, and Rep. Cedric Richmond of 
Louisiana.
    By law, House Rule and regulation, the jurisdiction and 
related functions of the Franking Commission are:
    1. To prescribe regulations governing the proper use of the 
franking privilege by those entitled to use the privilege in 
connection with the mailing or contemplated mailing of franked 
mail under 39 U.S.C. sections 3210, 3211, 3212, 3213(2), 3218, 
3219 or in connection with the operation of section 3215; in 
connection with any other Federal law (other than any law which 
imposes any criminal penalty), or in connection with any Rule 
of the U.S. House of Representatives relating to franked mail 
(2 U.S.C. 501(d)).
    2. Upon the request of any person entitled to use the 
franking privilege and other official communication resources, 
to provide guidance, assistance, advice, and counsel, through 
Advisory Opinions or consultations, in connection with the 
distribution or contemplated distribution of franked mail or 
official communications regarding the application and/or 
compliance with applicable Federal statutes and House Rules and 
regulations. The staff assigned to the Commission is delegated 
authority by the Commission to perform advisory and counseling 
functions, subject to review by the Commission. (2 U.S.C. 
501(d), House Rule XXIV, and the Regulations of the Committee 
on House Administration).
    3. To investigate, decide, and dispose of complaints 
regarding the misuse of the franking privilege (2 U.S.C. 
501(e)).
    On June 9, 2015 the Commission agreed by unanimous vote to 
issue an advisory opinion on Cedric Richmond request number 
47853-11, ruling that it is permissible to include in an 
official mailing or communication, information from a private 
source which refers to specific instructional or educational 
material about emergency preparedness, survival, and relief. 
Any such reference may not be the sole purpose of the 
communication and may not promote, endorse, or solicit on 
behalf of any organization.
    On October 29, 2015 the Commission amended the Regulations 
on the Use of the Congressional Frank by Members of the House 
of Representatives to permit the use of franked mail in support 
of officially-sanctioned competitions as authorized in the 
Members Congressional Handbook.
    At the time of filing this report, the Franking Commission 
had reviewed 12,850 requests for advisory opinions and issued 
10,083 final advisory opinions during the 114th Congress.
    Staff of the Franking Commission travelled with the 
Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Ethics 
to meet with the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada 
from August 16th through 24th. The purpose of the trip was to 
meet with legislators and leadership of the regulatory agencies 
that govern the use of franked mail and official resources. The 
meetings informed policy and oversight considerations as the 
Commission considers proposals on social media, advertising, 
postal transactions, and public disclosure.
    On August 31, 2016 the Franking Commission received a 
complaint filed pursuant to the Rules of Practice in 
Proceedings before the House Commission on Congressional 
Mailing Standards. On October 17, 2016, the Commission issued 
an order to dismiss the complaint by unanimous vote pursuant to 
Rule 3 of the Rules of Practice in Proceedings before the House 
Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, having 
determined that there was no reason to believe that a violation 
had occurred as alleged in the complaint.
    Effective January 3, 1996, all communications required to 
receive an Advisory Opinion from the Franking Commission are 
subject to full public disclosure. Communications that require 
an Advisory Opinion prior to distribution, publication, 
dissemination, etc. include mass mailings, and mass 
communications (regardless of medium) as defined by 39 U.S.C. 
section 3210(a)(6)(E) and the Members Congressional Handbook. 
The Franking Commission is 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. 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.

         OVERSIGHT AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

    The Committee continues to work with House Leadership and 
Legislative Branch Appropriations to reduce overall costs and 
efficiently manage House operations.

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.
    The Committee worked with several of the Clerk's 
subdivisions on projects throughout the past two years, 
including the Historian, to produce the Hispanic Americans in 
Congress book in e-Book format in January 2015. The Committee 
also encouraged the Clerk to publish an online phone book for 
staff to increase the timeliness of the information and reduce 
printing costs. The online phone book was launched in August 
2016.
    The Committee also heard testimony from the Clerk regarding 
her FY16 priorities in its June 3, 2015 hearing on ``House 
Officer Priorities for 2016 and Beyond.'' During the hearing 
the Committee received an update on the upgrade of the House's 
Electronic Voting System, a critical component of the House's 
Legislative operations. The new system, which includes new 
voting stations and cards, is to be complete in August 2017.
    The Clerk continued to co-chair the Bulk Data Task Force 
and to work with Committee staff to implement continued 
progress in transparency and digital transformation in the 
House.
    The House Rules for the 114th Congress continued to call 
for greater transparency and accessibility to legislative 
information. Among other things, the Rules instructed the Clerk 
of the House to make available electronically each memorial 
pertaining to Article V of the Constitution of the United 
States and added a requirement that parallel citations for 
amendatory instructions to Public Laws and Statutes at Large 
that are not classified in the U.S. Code be included in 
proposed legislation.
    House Bill Summaries were made available as XML bulk data 
on the FDsys Bulk Data Repository. Senate bill summaries were 
added to this collection in January 2015. In April, 2015 the 
House Clerk began publishing some Member data in XML format.
    The Speaker announced an initiative to publically provide 
all forms of law in XML format. The Office of the Clerk is 
coordinating this project with the Government Publishing Office 
and the Office of the Federal Register.
    The Clerk worked with the Committee on House Administration 
to develop a standard for House Committee Hearing documents. A 
pilot project produced sample hearings for review. The Joint 
Committee on Printing has tasked GPO to operationalize the 
Hearing Modernization project to increase transparency and 
reduce the cost of producing hearings.

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 regular 
basis. The Committee coordinated with the HSAA and other House 
officers to continually reassess House security policies and 
procedures, and monitored both new and ongoing projects. HSAA 
and USCP made enhanced security screening efforts a priority 
for the House campus and District Offices. The Committee 
coordinated extensively with USCP, HSAA, Leadership, and other 
committees of jurisdiction to achieve successful installation 
of screening measures at garage entrances in the Longworth, and 
Cannon underground garages and Ford House Office Buildings. The 
Committee will continue to work with HSAA and USCP to plan for 
similar improvements in the Rayburn and Cannon House Office 
Buildings. The Committee worked closely with the HSAA to 
provide Member District Offices with mail screening hoods. 
Finally, CHA passed a Committee resolution determining that the 
management and operation of safes in the House buildings will 
now be managed by the Sergeant at Arms rather than the Chief 
Administrative Officer. The Committee continues to work with 
both organizations to implement the transition and additional 
recommendations from the House Inspector General related to the 
program.
    On May 20, 2015, the Committee held a hearing inviting 
Chief Kim Dine of the USCP to testify regarding management 
challenges within USCP and his vision for the force. The 
hearing revealed his plan for the Department, and 
organizational and operational changes followed in the months 
after the hearing. Chief Dine announced his eventual retirement 
in August of 2015, and the Committee met frequently with the 
HSAA and Capitol Police Board regarding the search for a new 
Chief of Police. When Chief Matthew Verderosa was sworn-in, the 
Committee held a hearing in May of 2016 regarding his 
priorities as the Department transitioned under his leadership. 
Preceding the hearing, the Committee reported favorably a bill 
allowing USCP to accept and dispose of surplus property, 
bringing them into line with other federal law enforcement 
agencies.

Chief Administrative Officer

    The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (`CAO') 
supports the budget, finance, procurement, logistics, and 
information technology needs of the House and all of its 
components. The Committee is charged with overseeing the CAO 
and its support staff. After the retirement of the previous 
CAO, Ed Cassidy, on December 31, 2015, Will Plaster temporarily 
assumed the role of CAO for seven months. Pursuant to H. Res. 
826, Philip G. Kiko was sworn in as CAO effective August 1, 
2016. Over the past two years, the Committee worked with the 
CAOs and his staff on a variety of cost-savings and process 
improvement initiatives, policies, and programs throughout all 
facets of the organization.
    The Committee continued the oversight over the CAO's 
management of the House finances and financial system. The CAO, 
in cooperation with both the Committee and the Inspector 
General, continues to make progress on improving internal 
controls over IT systems, financial reporting, and property and 
equipment.
    As part of the Member Expense Review, the Committee 
reviewed the voucher review and approval process within the 
CAO. Based on this review, the Committee worked with the CAO to 
make numerous training and process improvements to ensure that 
all expenses submitted for reimbursement are in compliance with 
Committee regulations and have the required supporting 
documentation. The Committee also used this process to revise 
the Voucher Documentation Standards, which had not been updated 
since 2010. Working with the CAO, the Committee provided 
training for all financial administrators and financial 
counselors and implemented the new voucher standards on October 
1, 2016.
    Also as part of the Member Expense Review, the Committee 
directed the CAO to make improvements to the transparency of 
Member expenses, including more precise descriptions of Office 
travel expenses in the Statements of Disbursement (SOD), which 
are published quarterly. The Committee also directed the CAO to 
publish the SOD in open formats that are more easily searchable 
and sortable.
    A significant portion of the Congress was spent on 
coordinating and planning transition activities with the CAO. 
The Committee approved the 115th Congress Transition Policies 
covering everything from mobile device policies to the shipment 
of Member papers to VOIP and broadband policies for the 
district offices. The 115th Congress Standard Lease templates 
and approval processes were also updated to include a broadband 
requirement. Lastly, the Committee approved the Master Contract 
for CMS and Maintenance Providers for the House. This master 
contract included two new vendors increasing the CMS options 
for House Offices.
    The Committee continued to exercise its responsibility over 
the CAO through the review and approval of the Food Services 
RFP and contract. In August 2015, the newly selected vendor, 
Sodexo, transitioned into the House while bringing with it, a 
Subway deli in Rayburn, a Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins in 
Longworth, and other welcome renovations and changes in the 
Longworth Caf.
    Lastly, the Committee was proud to approve the expansion of 
the House's Wounded Warrior Program in October 2015. The CAO-
managed program provides a wonderful opportunity for Member 
Offices to employ a wounded warrior in their DC or District 
Offices for a two year period. The program has had 50 positions 
since its inception in 2008 and it now has 54 fellowships which 
are widely sought after. The Committee will continue to work 
with the CAO to see if further expansion is possible while also 
maintaining the same budget.

      OTHER OVERSIGHT AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

House Information Resources

    Throughout the Congress, the Committee worked with House 
Information Resources (`HIR') to improve technology services 
for the House community. These services included the approval 
of new hardware and software standards, faster district 
internet connectivity, and support for cloud based services 
including Office 365 and district office telephone support. CHA 
worked with HIR to complete the House's Technology Vendor 
Agreements for the 115th Congress.
    The Committee conducted oversight over HIR's technology 
support for Member offices, including the support for the over 
900 district offices throughout the United States. At the 
Direction of the Committee, HIR has transitioned over 100 
district offices to internet-based connections to improve speed 
and will continue this transition next Congress. HIR is 
evaluating options to reduce costs and increase mobility for 
district office telephone support.
    The Committee continued to examine HIR's management of 
various technology service vendors and approved incremental 
improvements to policies and procedures governing these 
vendors. The Committee believes additional changes are 
warranted to these programs to better serve Member needs and 
reduce costs.
    Like any governmental organization, the House must 
continually evolve its cybersecurity capabilities to meet 
changing threats. The Committee continued the review of HIR's 
security policies and procedures and worked with HIR to make 
improvements where warranted. The Committee approved the 
issuance of cybersecurity policies to address strengthening 
training requirements, network security, privileged account 
management, and cloud usage policies.
    Finally, the Committee continued to examine HIR's effort to 
improve technology governance, including efforts to improve 
strategic planning, service management and enterprise 
architecture.

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 two years, the OIG produced twelve management 
advisory reports and thirteen audit reports. Of particular note 
were the FY 2014 and FY 2015 House Financial Statement Audits 
which the Committee released on May 20, 2015 and April 26, 2016 
respectively. The House received unqualified or `clean' 
opinions on its financial statements and internal controls over 
financial reporting. The FY15 audit was the eighteenth 
consecutive `clean' audit the House has received.
    At the Committee's direction, the House Inspector General 
worked with the Officers of the House in 2015 to develop a 
strategic plan for the continued improvement of House 
operations. The plan focused on improving governance over 
information technology, service delivery to House offices, and 
physical security initiatives. As a result of this work, the 
Committee formed staff working groups on technology governance 
and service delivery that developed a number of recommendations 
for implementation in the next Congress.

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 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. In addition, regular 
meetings with the Architect of the Capitol were held to review 
critical items and projects.
    The Committee continued to monitor AOC operations, 
including the completion of work addressing the Americans with 
Disabilities Act requirements, the operations of the AOC's 
Office of Security Programs, issues related to the newly leased 
O'Neill Building, and the continued planning and implementation 
of the Capitol Dome renewal project.
    The Committee significantly expanded oversight of the 
Cannon renovation, as that project has now begun and will 
require the relocation of 31 Member suites beginning in January 
2017. Along with the Appropriations Committee and the House 
Office Building Commission, the Committee continued to review 
the AOC governance of this ten-year project. The Committee 
initiated a working group to meet and address any issues 
related to the project. Participants include House 
Administration, House Leadership staff, Appropriations 
Committee Staff, House Officers, USCP, and the AOC. The group 
has developed a targeted communications plan to inform the 
House community about the project, especially issues related to 
Member office moves and other disruption to the House community 
that are inevitable in a project of this size, scope and 
duration.
    In June 2016, the House Superintendent discovered elevated 
lead levels in water sources in the Cannon House Office 
Building. The Committee assisted the AOC in developing a 
communications and outreach strategy to relay to Members and 
staff what was happening as well as the remedy to identify and 
fix the problem.
    The Committee also coordinates with the management team of 
the Congressional Visitors Center, and met regularly to ensure 
visitor operations are running effectively. A point of 
Committee emphasis was the CVC's ability to adapt tours 
throughout 2015 and 2016, as the Capitol experienced temporary 
periods where the Rotunda was closed due to the Dome 
Restoration. Finally, the Committee worked with the AOC and 
House Superintendent to ensure a smooth transition period for 
both new and departing Members.

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.
    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 intranet 
improvements for accessibility resources and maps. Finally, 
OCAS was charged with accommodating guests with accessibility 
requirements for the historic visit of Pope Francis to address 
Congress. The Committee coordinated with the Director to ensure 
OCAS received the support and resources it required for such a 
large-scale event.

Library of Congress and Joint Committee on the Library

    Committee staff met regularly with Library management to 
monitor and review operations, services, and planning 
initiatives.
    The Committee reviewed the storage capabilities of Library 
of Congress and worked with the Library to develop alternate 
solutions to the challenges the backlog creates. The Committee 
also worked with the Library on specific projects of value to 
the House community, such as the development and communication 
of updates on Congress.gov and LIS websites to Members and 
staff. The Committee also coordinated with the Library on 
transitioning away from Thomas.gov.
    A significant point of emphasis for the Committee's 
Oversight of the Library was Library IT infrastructure and 
continuity abilities. A series of IT outages and incidents, as 
well as a pair of critical GAO reports related to Library IT 
capabilities spurred concerns about the Library's ability to 
manage and develop its systems. The Committee coordinated 
closely with the Library during its search for a Chief 
Information Officer, and has met regularly with Bud Barton 
after he was hired. Regular progress meetings are used to 
assess the Library's status.
    In addition to Library IT systems, the Committee explored 
the user experiences and IT capabilities for the U.S. Copyright 
Office. GAO concluded that there were fundamental challenges 
facing how the Copyright Office managed customer work flows, 
and proposed technological solutions did little to address the 
critical problems. In December of 2015, the Committee held a 
hearing with the Acting Librarian of Congress David Mao, 
Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante, and the Managing 
Director for Information Technology at GAO Joel Willemssen. The 
hearing explored how both organizations were focusing their 
resources and priorities to adapt to the digital age. In the 
aftermath of the hearing, the Committee has held numerous 
follow-up meetings and sent additional correspondence to 
continue its Oversight.
    During the Committee markup in May of 2016, multiple bills 
were reported favorably related to the Library's operations. 
H.R. 4511, the Gold Star Families Act expanded the Library's 
Veterans' History Project to include stories from immediate 
family members of soldiers who were killed or are missing in 
action. On November 28, 2016, the President signed the bill 
into law becoming Public Law 114-246. In addition, the 
Committee voted to reauthorize the Library's National Film and 
Sound Recording Preservation Boards and Foundations. Finally, 
the Committee passed H.R. 5227, the Library of Congress 
Modernization Act. This bill would institute a number of 
administrative reforms for the Library. These include allowing 
the Library to purchase and provide refreshable braille 
displays for users of the Library's National Service for the 
Blind, establishing a National Collection Stewardship fund that 
is intended to provide the Library with consistent financial 
resources and flexibility in addressing its storage issues, and 
finally establishing continuity on the Joint Committee on the 
Library during the transition into a new Congress.
    The Committee also reported favorably H.R. 4092, sponsored 
by Mr. Brady, to reauthorize the sound record and film 
preservation programs of the Library of Congress. A similar 
bill, S. 2893, was signed by the President on July 29, 2016 and 
became Public Law 114-217.
    One final example of the Committee exercising its oversight 
with Library operations took place after the Library announced 
their intent to reorganize certain subject headings referring 
to the term ``illegal alien.'' After meeting with the Committee 
to discuss such a change, it was discovered that the Library 
had not yet completed its appropriate process to formally 
propose or process the action. The Library is currently still 
proceeding through appropriate steps in evaluating subject 
heading changes.
    The Joint Committee on the Library (`JCL') has no 
legislative authority but is tasked with oversight of the 
Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, and 
the United States Botanic Garden (USBG), as well as management 
of the National Statuary Hall Collection.
    In this role, the JCL reviewed extended hours requests for 
the USBG for the Holiday season and Titan Arum exhibit, as well 
as special educational events for the general public. For the 
Library of Congress, the JCL reviewed special art and exhibit 
requests, donations to collections, and special operational 
projects. In addition, the JCL worked with the AOC on multiple 
requests for Statue Replacement and relocations related to the 
National Statuary Hall Collection. Finally, the JCL approved 
Trust Fund Board Resolutions relating to critical issues for 
the Library.

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 two years, the Fine Arts Board approved 
requests to organize portrait fund Committees for Chairman Jeb 
Hensarling, Chairman Jeff Miller, Chairman John Kline, Chairman 
Fred Upton, and Chairman Paul Ryan.
    Further, the Board approved the acceptance and deed of gift 
for the portraits of Representative Frank Lucas, Representative 
Harold Rogers, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 
Representative Louise Slaughter, Representative John Kline, 
Former Representative Richard Pombo, Former Representative John 
Spratt, and Former Representative Henry Waxman which will be 
added to the House Collection. Lastly, on June 8, 2016, the 
Board approved the House's acquisition of the 19th century 
painting of the first Dean of the House, the Honorable Thomas 
Newton, Jr., of Virginia.

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

    The Government Publishing 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 Publishing 
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.
    Throughout the Congress the Committee worked closely with 
GPO on the production, communication and distribution of 
several publications including the 114th Congressional 
Directory, the 114th Congress Pictorial Directory, and the 
President's 2016 and 2017 budgets. These books were produced in 
both physical and electronic copies. In addition to fulfilling 
requests for these publications, the Committee responded to 
numerous requests on a weekly basis for other Congressional 
publications including Pocket Constitutions, Our Flag, Our 
American Government, and How Our Laws Are Made.

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.
    Governance of the Smithsonian is vested in a 17-member 
Board of Regents, consisting of the Chief Justice, Vice 
President, six Members of Congress and nine citizen regents 
nominated by the Board and approved by a joint resolution of 
Congress. In 2015, the Smithsonian Board of Regents nominated 
David Rubenstein for reappointment to a second term as a 
citizen regent. Legislation providing for this appointment was 
introduced and referred to the Committee. In March 2015, 
Committee Members met with Mr. Rubenstein to discuss 
Smithsonian governance and assess the nominees' views and 
qualifications. Subsequently, the House approved the 
legislation by unanimous consent. (H.J. Res. 10 on March 26, 
2015)
    On June 17, 2015, the Committee held an oversight hearing 
on ``The State of the Smithsonian.'' The Committee received 
testimony from Albert G. Horvath, Acting Secretary of the 
Smithsonian. The hearing provided an overview of the challenges 
and opportunities confronting the new Secretary who assumed 
office on July 1, 2015 and updated on the Committee the 
Smithsonian's progress regarding collections stewardship. The 
Committee received testimony from Acting Secretary Horvath on 
the Smithsonian's ongoing effort to reduce their deferred 
maintenance backlog and on their Collections Space Framework 
Plan which documents the need for more than one million square 
feet of new collection space over the next 30 years. Acting 
Secretary Horvath also updated the Committee on the National 
Museum of African American History and Culture construction 
project and on efforts to satisfy several Smithsonian Inspector 
General recommendations in the area of collection stewardship, 
most of which were closed out or nearly closed out.
    On June 22, 2016, the Committee held an oversight hearing 
on ``Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 
Revitalization.'' The Committee received testimony from David 
J. Skorton, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and Albert 
G. Horvath, Undersecretary for Finance and Administration. The 
purpose of the hearing was to conduct congressional oversight 
of a federally-funded facilities revitalization project at one 
of the most-visited museums in the world and to explore the 
need for renovation, alternatives considered, cost and funding, 
impact on visitor experience during the renovation, and the 
need for new collections storage facilities. Smithsonian 
officials assured the Committee that the proposed phased 
revitalization plan, rather than construction of a new 
facility, is the most cost-effective option with the least 
impact on visitors, as half of the museum would remain open 
during the renovation. The Smithsonian informed the Committee 
that construction of a new collections storage module at the 
Udvar-Hazy facility is an integral component of the Air and 
Space Museum project, serving as temporary swing space for 
items moved out of the Mall museum during the renovation.
    On April 29, 2016, H.R. 5160, a bill to include as part of 
the National Gallery of Art all buildings, service roads, 
walks, and other areas within the exterior boundaries of any 
real estate or interest in land that the Gallery acquires was 
introduced and referred to the Committee. This expansion 
provides the National Gallery policing authority required to 
protect their property and the visiting public in any buildings 
or spaces it acquires, including temporary space. On May 17, 
2016, the Committee ordered H.R. 5160 to be favorably reported 
by voice vote. On June 16, 2016, the Committee filed H. Rept. 
114-626 and the same day H.R. 5160 was placed on the Union 
Calendar, Calendar No. 485. On November 29, 2016, the House 
agreed to passage of H.R. 5160 without objection.
    Committee staff conducted several site visits to various 
Smithsonian facilities. Three site visits (May 27, 2015, July 
13, 2016, and September 23, 2016) were conducted to view 
progress on the construction of the National Museum of African 
American History and Culture which opened to the public on 
September 24, 2016. On June 5, 2015, Committee staff visited 
the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland to 
view the condition of storage facilities and ongoing efforts to 
preserve existing artifacts. On October 14, 2015, Committee 
staff visited the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in 
Edgewater, Maryland, to review ongoing long-term research 
projects and the Center's outreach and engagement initiatives. 
On November 12, 2015, Committee staff visited the Smithsonian's 
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia to review 
and discuss plans for constructing a new storage module, the 
NASM Master Plan, and the Center's outreach and engagement 
programs with senior Center staff. On May 24, 2016, Committee 
staff visited the National Air and Space Museum on the National 
Mall to inspect the outer envelope and support systems of the 
building in anticipation of a Committee hearing on the subject 
that was held on June 22, 2016.
    Committee staff also conducted an oversight visit to the 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in the Republic 
of Panama from February 14, 2016 through February 19, 2016. The 
purpose of the oversight trip was to meet the new STRI 
leadership team and to follow up on a 2013 Inspector General 
report detailing some weaknesses in financial management at 
STRI and to discuss corrective actions taken to address them. 
The Committee also reviewed construction and facilities 
maintenance projects including the new Gamboa Laboratory 
facility at STRI.
    Throughout the 114th Congress, 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 Regents 
meetings; the impact of reduced federal appropriations on 
Smithsonian activities; and budgetary matters.

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

    On March 4, 2015, the Committee met to mark up H.R. 195, 
the ``Election Assistance Commission Termination Act,'' and 
H.R. 412, ``To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by 
terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election 
campaigns.'' Both bills were reported favorably by the 
Committee.
    Following the November 8, 2016 federal elections, the 
Committee sent Democratic and Republican staff to 3 
congressional contests to serve as observers and to collect 
evidence regarding the conduct of the election on behalf of the 
Committee. The Committee sent observers to the Seventh, Tenth, 
and Forty-Ninth Districts of California.

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 legislative 
modernization projects. One goal of the LRC is to maintain a 
complete, authoritative, accurate, and consolidated version of 
the U.S. Code. Since the original release of the U.S. Code in 
XML in July of 2013, the LRC has continued to update the U.S. 
Code on a timely basis and make it available for downloads in 
XML. This has been enthusiastically received by the Hill 
community and the public at large. The Committee also supported 
continued modernization of the LRC's codification tools, 
including the development of a side-by-side comparison tool to 
show changes in existing law being proposed by the LRC's bills.
    The Committee continues to work with these offices to 
implement other aspects of the Legislative Modernization 
Initiative including the Amendment Impact Program (`AIP') which 
provides Members and staff rapid access to the impacts that 
proposed amendments have to the underlying bill or resolution 
and a new tool (legislative look up and link, or ``LLL'') to 
enable a user to readily look up and link to a law that is 
being referenced in a bill or other document. HOLC is now using 
AIP internally for quality control in its drafting of 
amendments and Rules Committee has begun testing the use of AIP 
in connection with amendments offered at the Committee.

                  EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Outreach and Communications

    Training: The Committee launched a professional development 
training series for Members' DC and District staffs. Committee 
staff initially focused on the basics of individual job 
responsibilities, learning about other positions in the office, 
and working with Committee and Leadership staff. Additionally, 
Committee staff offered training on all the services the 
Committee and the House Officers provide to Members and their 
staff. The Committee expanded the professional development 
training in 2016, cohosting with the Speaker's office, to 
launch the first Committee training series specifically focused 
on Oversight Best Practices for Committees. This is the first 
training series of its kind and staff will look to host future 
series on additional topics for Committee staff.
    The Committee on House Administration is helping to educate 
Financial Administrators as well as other house staffers on the 
new voucher documentation standards through a series of 
briefings as well as webinars. The educational briefings and 
webinars emphasize the importance of documentation standards, 
increase awareness on documentation submission practices and 
prepare Financial Administrators for the implementation of the 
new changes.
    The Committee has increased one-on-one educational outreach 
on rules and regulations on franking/official communication 
rules with a strong focus on rules surrounding evolving social 
media platforms.
    The Committee designed and put on a new Designated Aide 
program for staff attending with the New Members for 
orientation. This program helps aides prepare for their 
Member's swearing in and their first two years in office.
    New Joint Guidance Document for House Staff: Straight to 
the Source is a joint guidance document regularly produced by 
the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on 
Ethics designed to address pressing and important questions in 
congressional offices. The topics we will address have 
overlapping jurisdiction with House Administration & Ethics, 
and this document is intended to provide clarity on those 
items.
    Helping Departing Members: The Committee has been working 
to ensure a smooth congressional transition with increased 
outreach to departing member offices. This has included not 
only training/helping incoming members via NMO but providing 
increased personal assistance to departing offices.

New Member Orientation

    The Committee is responsible for coordinating the 
orientation program and associated travel and logistics for 
newly elected Members of Congress and their designated aides. 
The program was held during the week of November 14-18, 2016, 
and continued during the week of November 28-December 2, 2016.
    Over the course of the two-week bipartisan New Member 
Orientation, the Committee facilitated training on the Members' 
Congressional Handbook, the Franking Commission, practical 
guidance on setting up a congressional office, an overview of 
procedures on the House Floor, an introduction to the 
legislative process, and several Member-led panels on relevant 
topics. The Members-elect were also given presentations from 
the House Officers, the Committee on Ethics, the Office of the 
General Counsel, the Office of Compliance, the Office of House 
Employment Counsel, and the Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer. The Committee utilized a digital binder system to 
disseminate all materials associated with the Orientation.

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. The bipartisan program had 56 House and 
Senate offices participate in the program since Fall 2015. Over 
the life of the program more than 150 unique 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 33 lectures over the two-month period 
between June 1, 2016 and July 26, 2016, with a lecture nearly 
every day during that time. Notable speakers from this year's 
series included the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
General Paul Selva; Speaker of the House, Paul D. Ryan; House 
Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi; Secretary of the Department of 
Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson; Secretary of the Department of 
Transportation, Anthony Foxx; and NASA Administrator, Major 
General Charles Bolden (USMC-Ret.).

Parking Policy

    Committee staff conducted regular oversight of House 
Parking Security to ensure compliance with the parking policy.

 MINORITY VIEWS OF RANKING MEMBER ROBERT A. BRADY, REPRESENTATIVE ZOE 
                 LOFGREN AND REPRESENTATIVE JUAN VARGAS

    MASSIVE RENOVATION OF SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

    The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collects, 
preserves, studies, and exhibits artifacts, archival materials, 
and works of art related to the history, culture, and science 
of aviation and spaceflight and the study of the universe. It 
holds the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in 
the world. Its two landmark facilities--on the National Mall, 
and in Chantilly, Virginia--together welcome more than eight 
million visitors a year, making it the most visited museum in 
the United States and the second most visited in the world, 
behind only the Louvre in Paris. It was designed for 2 million 
visitors, but current annual attendance is 7-8 million, 
increasing wear and tear on the building and its 
infrastructure.
    At a Committee oversight hearing on June 22, 2016, which 
introduced Secretary David Skorton to the Committee, we were 
surprised by the funding estimated to be needed for renovations 
of the Museum on Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C. The 
Museum had been built by the General Services Administration 
(GSA) ``on the cheap'' for the 1976 Bicentennial, but its 
design and construction materials proved wholly inadequate for 
the succeeding decades of massive public use and proper 
maintenance of the collections. Construction in that era used 
techniques, including very thin marble sheeting on the outside, 
which the Smithsonian does not employ on its modern 
construction projects. This has resulted in a structure with a 
shorter lifespan than would have been the case had it been 
constructed with a larger initial funding commitment and modern 
technologies.
    As a result, the building suffers from serious structural 
problems 40 years later, including a deteriorating marble 
facade with stone falling off the building, inadequate heating 
and cooling systems, and water infiltration. The exterior 
marble ``cladding'' does not provide sufficient support for a 
proper interior environment. The mechanical systems are at the 
end of their useful life due to construction materials and 
methods which left the thin (1\1/2\ inches) stone facade 
without adequate support and the museum without a proper 
heating and air conditioning system for the long-term.
    In 2009, our Committee had previously focused on the Air 
and Space Museum in a hearing called by then-Chairman Brady 
about issues of asbestos abatement and the maintenance of 
public safety during that process.
Costs
    Significant structural deterioration of the building 
threatens public safety and the integrity of the priceless 
artifacts housed there, and has necessitated planning for a 
massive revitalization/renovation project. The revitalization 
will require use of Federal appropriated funds for exterior and 
structural repairs at the main museum building. The most-recent 
estimated cost presented to the Board of Regents on June 13, 
2016, including removing and reinstalling collections where 
needed, would tentatively be $676,035,000, but could ultimately 
be significantly more expensive: $43 million through fiscal 
2016; $5 million in FY 2017; $127 million in each of FY 2018 
and 2019; $125 million in each of FY 2020 and 2021; and $124 
million (est.) in FY 2022.
    This does not include additional amounts needed for 
construction of two new, smaller support buildings. Separate 
from the $676 million will be funding for construction of two 
storage facilities: at the Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy 
building in Chantilly, and ``Pod 6'' at the Museum Support 
Center at the Suitland Collections Center in Suitland, 
Maryland. Funds to renovate the interior exhibition spaces in 
D.C. will be privately raised.
    This is the highest cost for a renovation in the history of 
the Institution and exceeds the total cost of construction for 
the newly opened Smithsonian National Museum of African-
American History and Culture. But it must be appropriated and 
spent in a timely and cost-effective manner. The American 
people will quickly notice the absence of, or loss of access 
to, its most popular national museum. The Regents had even 
considered, but rejected, an option of tearing down the Museum 
and starting from scratch.
    The Smithsonian constantly engages in necessary maintenance 
throughout all of its facilities. What is unusual here is the 
size and expense of the project, the need to take drastic 
measures to protect the public and retain a functional museum, 
the need to either ``shelter in place'' or remove most of the 
building's collections, and the impact to the public in being 
potentially cut off from access to portions of one of the 
nation's foremost tourist attractions during four years of 
renovation.
Keeping the Museum Open
    In light of the Air and Space Museum's status as a 
principal Washington destination, public interest in the 
progress of the revitalization will be substantial, since over 
a period estimated to be six or seven years the entire museum 
will be shut down and reopened incrementally to allow removal 
or protection-in-place of exhibits while renovation in each of 
seven ``zones'' of the Museum is occurring. There will be no 
access to areas of the Museum while they are undergoing 
renovation, but during this period the rest of the Museum will 
be open to the public.
    The Museum building has been divided into seven zones to 
ensure that some portions remain open at all times. The 
Smithsonian has erected a temporary covered walkway around 
vulnerable portions of the building, to remain in place until 
facade replacement is completed. The revitalization will 
replace the Museum's existing Tennessee Pink Marble facade with 
a similar but thicker stone (3 inches), improve blast and 
earthquake resistance, upgrade energy efficiency of the 
exterior envelope, replace mechanical systems and provide more 
secure access and egress. The method chosen for revitalization 
includes recladding the entire exterior of the museum, closing 
some areas completely for a period of time while moving 
artifacts, then reopening them and moving repairs to another 
sector.
    The Democratic Members of the Committee on House 
Administration want to ensure that the Museum revitalization 
will be cost-effective, structurally sound and safe, utilize 
the proper technologies to safely house its exhibits, and 
retain public access to the most-visited museum in the country 
to the greatest extent feasible while the work proceeds. In 
order to facilitate the renovation, which requires moving 
exhibits out of the D.C. site and relocating them for several 
years, legislation was introduced authorizing funding for the 
Dulles storage module expansion space at the Udvar-Hazy 
building and construction of new facilities at the Museum 
Support Center in Suitland (``Pod 6'') which would serve the 
Institution's broader needs in phasing out decaying facilities 
in Suitland and protecting the Institution's collections for 
the long-term. The Udvar-Hazy ``expansion space'' must be ready 
in time to receive collection items being removed from the D.C. 
building.
    A side-issue, not addressed directly in the legislation but 
representing a continuing problem for the Committee, is the 
Republican Leadership's destructive practice of applying ``cut-
go'' principles to authorization bills, which would require 
reductions of funding in other projects prior to consideration 
of legislation in the House, to pay for the new construction 
costs. Authorization bills do not actually provide funding; 
they authorize subsequent appropriations. Yet the Republican 
leadership believes that cutting them as well could have an 
impact on overall spending levels. The effects of any such 
authorization cuts, if directed at the Smithsonian, would 
likely be substantial and disruptive.

        ``SELECT INVESTIGATIVE PANEL'' TO ATTACK WOMEN'S HEALTH

    This subunit of the Energy and Commerce Committee was 
created as a partisan witch hunt solely to smear Planned 
Parenthood with discredited allegations related to use of fetal 
tissue. The Ranking Member, Rep. Schakowsky, has branded it a 
``pack of lies.'' The House Administration Committee's 
jurisdiction relates to its funding, which has been handled 
irregularly, to say the least.
    On October 7, 2015, the House passed House Resolution 461 
and created the Select Investigative Panel to investigate 
inflammatory videos created by David Daleiden and the Center 
for Medical Progress (CMP), anti-abortion activists who spent 
more than two years secretly recording Planned Parenthood and 
other reproductive health services. After Daleiden and CMP 
released deceptively edited video footage in July 2015, three 
Republican-led House committees immediately launched 
investigations into Planned Parenthood and others.
Background
    Starting in July 2015, anti-abortion activists, through the 
Center for Medical Progress, began releasing footage alleging 
that Planned Parenthood clinics were selling tissue from 
aborted fetuses for profit. For example, a number of highly 
edited online videos showed a Planned Parenthood official in 
California discussing over lunch the price of providing fetal 
parts to a man and woman who are never shown on camera, but who 
are posing as buyers from a firm that procures tissue for 
medical researchers.
    Despite massive media coverage and a rush by Republicans to 
investigate, CMP's videos contain no evidence that Planned 
Parenthood has done anything illegal. A 1993 law states that 
clinics can't profit when women donate fetal tissue, and in the 
first video Planned Parenthood official Deborah Nucatola says 
repeatedly that the group does not. It is, however, standard 
practice for clinics to be compensated for staff time, 
resources, and transportation involved in providing tissue, 
which is what Planned Parenthood says Nucatola is seen 
discussing. These donations are crucial for ongoing medical 
research.
    Forensics analysts, mainstream media outlets and the 
creator of the videos himself, David Daleiden, have proven and 
confirmed that the smear campaign was highly edited. The five 
videos of Planned Parenthood staff have at least 42 splices 
where content is cut and edited to create the appearance of 
seamless conversation. In an interview with CNN, Daleiden not 
only conceded to editing the videos but also acknowledged that 
video and images he used have nothing to do with Planned 
Parenthood. As CMP continues to refuse to release the unedited 
source footage, experts have concluded that the clips cannot be 
authenticated.
    Despite the fact that none of these three Committees 
uncovered any evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood or 
other providers, the House Majority nonetheless created the 
select panel to mollify members who were threatening to shut 
down the government if Planned Parenthood were not defunded.

Funding

    The resolution authorizing the Select Investigative Panel 
set no expiration date or budget for the Panel's work. It also 
placed no requirement on the Panel to establish an 
investigative plan or rules to govern its work and, despite 
repeated requests by the Panel's Democratic Members, Chairwoman 
Marsha Blackburn has refused to discuss or adopt rules or a 
plan. As a result, Panel Republicans have conducted a viciously 
partisan investigation that has excluded Democrats at every 
turn, and resulted in an abuse of congressional authority that 
has put health care providers, researchers, and their life-
saving work at risk.
    The primary method for funding the Panel--through polls of 
the House Administration Committee--has allowed the Panel to 
operate without the transparency and accountability that the 
House committee funding process usually provides. For example, 
in November 2015, Republicans used a reserve fund created by 
the House's primary expense resolution funding committees for 
the 114th Congress to transfer $300,000 for use by the Select 
Panel through the end of that year. The Democratic Members of 
the Committee on House Administration opposed the transfer of 
funds as ``wasteful'' and ``unnecessary'' and called for a 
public meeting to ``ensure the opportunity for amendments and 
thorough debate.'' The request was not granted and the money 
was transferred for use by the Select Panel.
    On June 16, 2016, Republicans repeated this closed-door 
process to transfer an additional $490,000 to the Select Panel. 
The Democratic members of the Committee on House Administration 
requested a special meeting of the Committee to consider the 
Majority's proposal. The request was not granted and the money 
was transferred for use by the Select Panel without any public 
debate or accountability.
    To date, the Select Panel is on track to spend well over 
$1.5 million by the end of 2016, including up to $800,000 which 
the House voted to approve on December 1 (H. Res. 933) 
following a public markup in the Committee on House 
Administration and votes on the House floor which the Majority 
could no longer avoid.

Use of ``Polls'' and lack of transparency

    Much of the funding for the Select Investigative Panel was 
accomplished using ``polls'' of Members of the House 
Administration Committee circulated by the Chairman, a practice 
which doesn't exist under the rules of the House and has no 
legal effect. But it has long been tolerated by our Committee 
members and chairmen of both parties as a convenience on minor, 
noncontroversial administrative matters requiring committee 
action, such as approval of committee consultant contracts. 
Members often did not wish to take the time to convene formally 
to consider such matters individually in the absence of a more 
substantial meeting agenda to act upon when there was no real 
disagreement, or where proposed actions are directives to 
personnel of the House subject to the Committee's control. 
These actions usually took the form of internal ``committee 
resolutions'' and were not reported to the House. However, the 
use of polling to fund the Select Investigative Panel went far 
beyond any previous practice as a matter of convenience, 
careening instead into conducting a controversial investigation 
which violated the rules of the House under a veil of secrecy.
    The House Rules and Manual (sec. 407-8, Jefferson's Manual) 
states clearly that Members of a committee ``. . . can only act 
when together, and not by separate consultation and consent--
nothing being the report of the committee but what has been 
agreed to in committee actually assembled'' and ``The House has 
adhered to the principle that a report must be authorized by a 
committee acting together, and a paper signed by a majority of 
the committee acting separately has been ruled out . . . . No 
measure or recommendation shall be reported from any committee 
unless a majority of the committee were actually present 
(clause 2 (b) of rule XI).''
    By informal agreement, until the 113th Congress, any CHA 
member could object to any proposed poll, demand to enforce the 
rules of the House and assert their own rights to vote as 
representatives of their districts by requiring the Chairman to 
convene the Committee to consider these matters. However, in 
the 113th and 114th Congresses the rules and the former 
practice were disregarded when the chairman asserted the 
unilateral right to approve controversial internal committee 
resolutions by poll regardless of objection, and refused 
demands by Ranking Member Brady that the Committee meet and 
vote publicly. This was the procedure used to dispense money 
from the reserve fund to the Select Investigative Panel. Using 
this tactic, the Majority was able to avoid committee meetings, 
quorums, public votes, transcripts, press coverage and any 
other semblance of public accountability.
    The Committee also needs to insist upon its jurisdiction by 
requiring entities which operated outside the checks and 
balances of House rules and committee funding mechanisms, such 
as the now-defunct Benghazi Select Committee and any 
misbegotten successors, to appear before us to request funding 
directly, rather than allowing the leadership to hide funding 
in resolutions adopting House rules with no ceiling on ultimate 
expenditures.

                   GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)

    March 4, 2016, marked the GPO's 155th anniversary and 
Congress needs the GPO today as much as ever to facilitate our 
legislative and oversight activities. The GPO constitutes the 
linchpin of Congress' efforts to keep America informed, and 
from our perspective, GPO employees are doing a great job under 
the leadership of Director Davita Vance-Cooks.
    Since our last activities report, the GPO has continued its 
work disseminating public information and guaranteeing its 
permanent preservation. For example, the GPO has replaced its 
former digital information platform, ``FDsys,'' with its latest 
generation system, ``govinfo,'' which provides greater access 
to public documents than ever before. The new, more robust 
system is easier to use and provides better service to 
researchers, students, federal employees and others.
    Along those lines, this year the GPO has worked with the 
Library of Congress to make legislative data available to users 
in bulk format. While this move did not generate banner 
headlines across the country, it expands the ability of 
interested parties to monitor congressional action. GPO is also 
working with the Library to digitize the bound Congressional 
Record back to 1873; it is already digitized and available back 
to 1981, with the 1970's scheduled for release in February 
2017. Other historic documents will follow.
    In addition to its improving preservation and access work, 
GPO continues to deliver millions of dollars' worth of work 
ordered by its many federal-agency customers. Because GPO 
procures the majority of its printing through contracts with 
private-sector printers nationwide, it is working to modernize 
its print-procurement program and seeing results. For 
congressional work, GPO has installed new equipment that is 
reducing the cost of producing the hearing transcripts that we 
all use.
    GPO has been a key partner in the formal program to design 
and produce a new generation U.S. electronic passport for the 
U.S. Department of State. GPO has made significant capital 
investments in new and improved facilities, custom designed 
equipment, and digital manufacturing and quality control 
systems for this product known to millions of Americans and 
around the world. Since 2011, GPO has invested more than $100 
million in the passport project and is prepared to begin 
delivering the new documents when the State Department directs. 
GPO continues to deliver security documents to the Department 
of Homeland Security and others. GPO is also working with other 
Legislative-branch agencies on key ways to improve information-
technology performance and enhance cybersecurity.
    On the financial front, for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, 
Director Vance-Cooks sent Congress a flat budget request. She 
has reduced overhead costs in various ways, including through a 
voluntary buy-out, and thus lowered the budget requests for 
congressional printing. In addition, as the nature of printing 
has changed, GPO has managed to consolidate production within 
its North Capitol Street plant and accommodates other federal 
agencies in need of offices.

                          LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

    The Committee continued to exercise its jurisdictional 
oversight of the Library of Congress, particularly with respect 
to the Copyright Office and the Library's continuing efforts to 
modernize its information technology infrastructure.
    We trust that the installation of the 14th Librarian of 
Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, will hasten the pace of innovation 
at the Library of Congress and we look forward to working with 
Dr. Hayden and the Library's Chief Information Officer to 
improve the institution's IT systems, as recently recommended 
by the Government Accountability Office.
    Of particular interest to us is further improvement of the 
services provided by the Copyright Office, which needs a bold, 
forward-thinking, creative new Register to fill the vacancy 
there as soon as possible. Throughout the 114th Congress, and 
before, House Administration exercised vigorous oversight of 
the Copyright Office to ensure the office's leadership was 
making the necessary progress within the framework of the 
Library-wide IT modernization plan. We recognize the need for a 
modern and efficient Copyright Office given its important role 
to a large and varied group of stakeholders. We do not expect 
the abrupt resignation of former Register Maria Pallante to 
hinder any efforts of IT modernization and we will work with 
Acting Register of Copyrights Karyn Temple Claggett and the 
eventual permanent Register to ensure full implementation.
    We are delighted that the Congress managed to reauthorize 
the sound and film preservation programs at the Library of 
Congress and expanded the scope of the Books for the Blind 
Program to authorize distribution of reading devices to program 
clients in any format. Unfortunately, the Congress did not 
enact sundry proposals approved by this Committee to facilitate 
construction of long-planned storage modules at Fort Meade, 
Maryland, and expand opportunities for the Library to earn 
money and thus lessen its dependence on appropriations. We hope 
the Committee will resume its efforts to enact these and other 
reasonable proposals early in the 115th Congress.

                      CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

    The Honorable Phil Kiko was sworn in as the Chief 
Administrative Officer (CAO) on August 1, 2016. We are 
cautiously optimistic about the direction of the CAO's 
organization and are prepared to continue to work with the 
majority where we can share progress. We urge the CAO to focus 
on the following Democratic priorities.

Cybersecurity

    We support dramatic and historic investments in our 
cybersecurity infrastructure, staffing, planning and support 
for Member offices. This is the CAO's top responsibility. We 
intend to hold the CAO accountable for the cybersecurity 
posture of the House of Representatives.

District office operations

    The CAO needs to have deeper engagement with our more than 
900 district offices. The general lack of understanding of 
district office operations is a persistent gap in our service 
delivery. The CAO should consider implementing a team to work 
directly on district office issues.

Financial operations

    The investigation and indictment of former Representative 
Aaron Schock, a member of the Committee on House 
Administration, engendered a Member Expense Review led by 
Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Rodney Davis. The review 
resulted in substantial bipartisan changes and strengthening of 
the Voucher Document Standards and other Committee regulations 
designed to provide more accountability and transparency to the 
taxpayer. The minority supports the current finance office 
strategic planning process. We also urge the CAO to immediately 
and aggressively push House-wide adoption of the electronic 
voucher program. The program uses best business practices to 
process vouchers. An electronic voucher submission process is 
now standard in the executive branch and would be the best way 
for the House to expeditiously process financial matters and 
protect taxpayers.

Training

    The CAO training program needs comprehensive reform. We 
look forward to working with the CAO, the majority, and the 
House Inspector General to implement changes to the program to 
meet the evolving business needs of the CAO and the 
congressional community.

Shared employees

    The CAO must continue working with the Inspector General's 
office on recommendations to improve shared employees 
performance. The status quo is an enormous risk to the House. 
In addition to being inefficient, it is possible there are 
serious threats to our cybersecurity as a result of the shared 
employee arrangements.

Potential merger of CAO and Architect of the Capitol (AOC) operations

    The Democrats asked the Inspector General (IG) to explore 
merging the blue collar operations of the CAO and AOC. The 
Democrats urge a serious discussion of the options once the 
final IG report is presented.

Ongoing Oversight

    The minority appreciate the collaboration between the 
Committee Republican and Democratic staffs on the oversight of 
all of the House officers. This collaboration has resulted in 
direct improvement to the CAO's operation. Specifically, 
updating voucher document standards and Committee handbook 
regulations, improving district office connectivity and 
updating transition policies are among the highlights of this 
work.
    We look forward to continuing these collaborative efforts 
in the 115th Congress.

                         HACKING THE PRESIDENCY

    During the 2016 election campaign, the principal American 
intelligence agencies announced that there had been significant 
activities, led by Russia, to attempt to influence and corrupt 
the results of our presidential election. President Obama, just 
before the end of the 114th Congress, promised to publicly 
release information in mid-January on the extent of these 
activities and what the American response would be. President-
elect Donald Trump has refused to acknowledge either the 
Russian involvement or the seriousness of these incursions and 
has instead attacked the intelligence agencies.
    The integrity of our election system should be a major 
issue for the 115th Congress. If a Republican-led Congress can 
launch and fund ridiculous investigations of Benghazi and 
Planned Parenthood which spend millions and amount to nothing, 
it can finally start to do its job in defending our country 
against one of the most insidious attacks it had ever faced.

                          ELECTION ACTIVITIES

    On July 14th, House Administration Ranking Member Robert A, 
Brady introduced H.R. 5799, a bill to automatically register 
willing eligible voters for federal elections. Our current 
registration systems are aging and an in desperate need of 
modernization. Notably, two states' registration systems--
Arizona and Illinois--were the target of foreign cyber 
intrusions while the threat and possibility of foreign 
interference with our election was ever-present in 2016.
    In addition to bolstering the security and privacy and 
voter registration records, H.R. 5779 ensures that no eligible 
voter that wants to participate in their democracy will be 
denied that opportunity due to arbitrary and restrictive voting 
laws. Registering to vote should easy, efficient, and secure 
and H.R. 5799 would accomplish these aims.
    For each federal election, the House Administration 
Committee trains House employees who have volunteered to serve 
as election observers. If requested by a campaign, the 
Committee sends out bipartisan teams of observers to monitor 
vote canvassing surrounding close.
    Congressional races in the event that a race ends up before 
the Committee as an election contest The Committee received 
three requests for election observers, each from the Republican 
challenger in the district. We sent observers to the following 
districts: California's 7th Congressional District, 
California's 10th Congressional District, and California's 49th 
Congressional District. The House did not ultimately receive a 
formal notice of election contest from any of the unsuccessful 
candidates in these districts.

                     ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

    House Administration Democrats still support the mission of 
the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and believe in its 
usefulness and effectiveness in carrying out this mission. The 
majority tried again in the 114th Congress, and again failed, 
to abolish the EAC. But we expect them to try again.
    In 2016, the EAC dedicated itself to helping election 
administrators and officials prepare for the 2016 general 
election. There are more than 8,000 independently operating 
election jurisdictions in the country. So, helping 
administrators prepare is a large undertaking.
    The EAC acts as a clearinghouse and facilitator between 
states. In 2016, the EAC produced 22 instructional and 
facilitative videos, nearly 100 blog posts, held 10 public 
meetings, summits, and round tables, and testified before 
Congress.
    In addition to helping the more than 8,000 election 
jurisdictions prepare for the general election, the EAC also 
furthered its other primary objectives of testing and 
certifying voting machine--certifying five machines--and 
conducted the federally mandated Election Administration Voting 
Survey.
    Operating with a quorum of Commissioners, the EAC has 
demonstrated its usefulness to local and state election 
officials, among whom it enjoys broad support. We look forward 
to equipping the EAC with the resources and support necessary 
to make it even stronger.

        House Administration Democratic Forum on Military Voting

    On May 6, 2016, the Democratic Members of the Committee on 
House Administration conducted a public forum on issues 
relating to military voting, in San Diego County, California, 
with Rep. Juan Vargas presiding. The meeting was an open 
dialogue where top government officials and military voting 
experts provided attendees with information on the state of 
military voting and provided best methods for protecting the 
rights of service members. All Members of the Committee on 
House Administration were invited to attend. Attending the 
forum was Rep. Vargas, Matt Boehmer, Director of the Federal 
Voting Assistance Program, and Michael Vu, Registrar of Voters, 
County of San Diego.
    We discussed how Congress can do more to ensure that no 
valid ballot goes uncounted from active duty service members 
abroad. Registrar Vu spoke about the challenges service members 
face abroad and the tools that the Election Assistance 
Commission provides local governments. Director Boehmer 
discussed the pilot projects underway and his efforts to reach 
out to all active duty service members abroad. Additionally, 
our panelists discussed issues regarding the military postal 
infrastructure, the various voting rights per each individual 
states, the security of the internet for overseas voting and 
the effectiveness the MOVE Act. Recommends also included (1) 
establishing partnerships between state and local election 
officials and local military installations; (2) that all 
Federal Post Card Applications be treated as a permanent voter 
registration form; and (3) providing user-friendly information 
on what is on the ballot and when the ballot applications has 
been accepted. Participants, including local members of the 
Armed Services, interacted with the panelists with their 
questions and insights into how to improve military and 
overseas voting.
    As the Republican Congress have failed to address key 
issues, such as a lack of accessibility to the ballot, we have 
spearheaded efforts to get feedback from the community on 
potential improvements. The right to vote is the bedrock of a 
democratic process and it is imperative to foster this right. 
Participating in the political process while deployed abroad 
presents an entirely new set of challenges, often times 
preventable.
    A transcript of the Forum follows:


    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
                                   Robert A. Brady,
                                           Ranking Member.
                                   Zoe Lofgren,
                                           Member.
                                   Juan Vargas,
                                           Member.

                                  [all]