[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 105th Congress]
[105th Congress]
[House Document 104-272]
[Rules of the House of Representatives]
[Pages 351-353]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 

                                 Rule V.


                      chief administrative officer.



Sec. 651a. Duties.

  1.  The Chief Administrative Officer of 
the House shall have operational and financial responsibility for 
functions as assigned by the Committee on House Oversight, and shall be 
subject to the policy direction and oversight of the Committee on House 
Oversight.-



[[Page 352]]

mittee on House Oversight not later than forty-five 
days following the close of each semiannual period ending on June 30 or 
December 31 on the financial and operational status of each function 
under the jurisdiction of the Chief. Each report shall include financial 
statements, a description or explanation of current operations, the 
implementation of new policies and procedures, and future plans for each 
function.


Sec. 651b. Semiannual reports.

  2.  In addition to any other 
reports required by the Committee on House Oversight, the Chief shall 
report to the Com-





Sec. 651c. Cooperation with others.

  3.  The Chief shall fully 
cooperate with the appropriate offices and persons in the performance of 
reviews and audits of financial records and administrative operations.


  This form of rule V was adopted in the 104th Congress (sec. 201(c), H. 
Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. ----). It was amended in the 105th Congress to 
eliminate the supervisory role of the Speaker over the Chief 
Administrative Officer (H. Res. 5, Jan. 7, 1997, p. ----). The earlier 
form of the rule enumerated the duties of the Doorkeeper, which were 
transferred to the Sergeant-at-Arms incident to the abolishment of the 
Office of the Doorkeeper (id.).


[[Page 353]]



Sec. 651d. Former Office of Doorkeeper.

  Before  the 104th 
Congress (sec. 201(c), H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. ----), rule V 
enumerated the duties of the Doorkeeper, who enforced the rules relating 
to the privileges of the Hall of the House. The earlier form of the rule 
was adopted in 1838 and amended in 1869, 1880 (I, 260), and 1890 (V, 
7295). By law the Doorkeeper was assigned certain administrative duties 
(I, 262), including certain housekeeping functions. Through his 
employees and appointees, the Doorkeeper also discharged various duties 
not enumerated in the law or in the rules, such as announcing at the 
door of the Hall of the House all messengers from the President and the 
Senate (V, 6591). The Clerk having died, and the Sergeant-at-Arms having 
been absent, the Doorkeeper of the 79th Congress presided at the 
organization of the 80th Congress (Jan. 3, 1947, p. 33). In the 78th 
Congress, the House adopted a resolution on the death of the Doorkeeper 
and appointed a committee to attend his funeral (Jan. 28, 1943, pp. 421-
22).







Sec. 651e. Former Director of Nonlegislative and 
Financial Services.

  The Chief  Administrative Officer supplanted the Director of 
Non-legislative and Financial Services formerly provided for under 
clause 1 of rule VI in the 103d Congress, which corresponded to an 
erstwhile rule LII of the 102d Congress (see Sec. 654, infra). Certain 
functions and entities formerly within the purview of elected officers 
were transferred to the Director of Non-legislative and Financial 
Services pursuant to section 7 of the House Administrative Reform 
Resolution of 1992 (H. Res. 423, Apr. 9, 1992, p. ----). Section 7(b) of 
that resolution vested the Committee on House Administration (now House 
Oversight) with authority to prescribe regulations providing for the 
orderly transfer of such functions and entities and any other transfers 
necessary for the improvement of non-legislative and financial services 
in the House, so long as not transferring a function or entity within 
the jurisdiction of the Committee under rule X. Section 13 of the 
resolution provided that previous responsibility for a function or 
entity would remain fixed until such function or entity were 
transferred. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule VI of the 103d Congress (then 
still designated as rule LII of the 102d Congress), the Speaker, the 
Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader jointly appointed the first 
Director of Non-legislative and Financial Services of the House on 
October 23, 1992 (Oct. 29, 1992, p. ----).