    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 107th Congress]
    [107th Congress]
    [House Document 106-320]
    [House And Congressional Offices]
    [Pages 927-929]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 927]]

                         HOUSE AND CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES

                                   __________

    Sec. 1113. House Commission on Congressional
    Mailing Standards.

      Members may  send through the mails, under their frank, certain
    documents and materials as provided by 39 U.S.C. 3210, subject to the
    limitations prescribed in rule XXIV, supra. The House Commission on
    Congressional Mailing Standards, composed of six Members of the House,
    provides advice in connection with the mailing of franked mail (sec. 5,
    P.L. 93-191).

    Sec. 1114. House Office Building
    Commission.

      Rooms in the  House Office Buildings are assigned to Members pursuant to
    the law of May 28, 1908 (40 U.S.C. 177-184) and pursuant to regulations
    of the House Office Building Commission (see regulations promulgated
    Oct. 7, 1996). The commission also issues regulations governing the
    House Office Buildings, House garages, and the Capitol Power Plant (see
    regulations promulgated December, 1995). The commission is composed of
    the Speaker and two Members of the House (traditionally the Majority and
    Minority Leaders) (40 U.S.C. 175).

    Sec. 1115. General Accounting
    Office.

      The preparation,  utilization, and distribution (to committees and Members) of
    reports by the General Accounting Office, and its authority to assign
    its employees to duty with congressional committees, are regulated by
    the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, sections 231-236 (84 Stat.
    1140; 31 U.S.C. 1172-1176).

    [[Page 928]]

    Sec. 1116. Office of Compliance.

      The Office  of Compliance
    was established by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2
    U.S.C. 1381). The office is composed of five individuals appointed
    jointly by the Speaker, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the
    Minority Leaders of the House and the Senate. The office has regulatory,
    enforcement, and educational responsibilities under the Act. The office
    replaced the Review Panel of the Office of Fair Employment Practices at
    the beginning of the 105th Congress (see Sec. 1101, supra). However, the
    review panel was reconstituted in the same form as at the end of the
    104th Congress to provide for the completion of ongoing proceedings in
    the 105th Congress (Feb. 25, 1997, p. ----). Section 1382 provides for a
    General Counsel to be appointed by the Chair of the Compliance Board to
    exercise the authorities of the Office of Compliance.

    Sec. 1117. Congressional Research
    Service.

      The organization  of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of
    Congress and its responsibilities to assist Members and committees were
    provided in the Legislative Reorganization Acts of 1946 and 1970 (60
    Stat. 836; 84 Stat. 1140; 2 U.S.C. 166).

    Sec. 1118. Legislative Counsel.

      The Office of  the
    Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives evolved from a
    single Legislative Drafting Service established for the Congress by the
    Act of February 24, 1919 (40 Stat. 1057, 1141). The currently applicable
    provisions of law setting forth the purpose and functions of the Office
    and providing for its administration are contained in title V of the
    Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-510; 2 U.S.C. 281) as
    amended by the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1972 (P.L. 92-51).
    As stated in section 502 of such title V, the purpose of the Office is
    to advise and assist the House of Representatives, and its committees
    and Members, in the achievement of a clear, faithful, and coherent
    expression of legislative policies.

    Sec. 1119. Congressional Budget
    Office.

      The Congressional  Budget Office was established by the Congressional Budget Act
    of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 601). The office is headed by a director, who is
    appointed by the Speaker and the President pro tempore. Section 202 of
    the Act (2 U.S.C. 602) outlines the functions of the office, which
    include providing assistance to the House and Senate Committees on the
    Budget and Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance in the
    discharge of matters within their jurisdiction and to other committees
    to assist them in complying with the provisions of the Act.

    Sec. 1120. Law Revision Counsel.

      The Office  of the Law
    Revision Counsel, to develop a codification of the laws of the United
    States, was authorized in the 93d Congress by the Committee Reform
    Amendments of 1974 (sec. 205, H. Res. 988, Oct. 8, 1974, p. 34470, made
    permanent law by P.L. 93-544 (2 U.S.C. 285)).

    Sec. 1121. Technology Assessment.

      The Office  of Technology
    Assessment, to assist the Congress in indicating the beneficial and
    adverse impacts of the application of technology, was authorized by the
    Technology Assessment Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 472). The office received
    funding for 1996 to conduct an orderly shutdown (tit. I, P.L. 104-53)
    and received no funding for 1997 (P.L. 104-197).

    [[Page 929]]

    tion of the precedents of the House of Representatives were authorized
    in the 93d Congress by the Committee Reform Amendments of 1974 (sec.
    208, H. Res. 988, Oct. 8, 1974, p. 34470, made permanent law by P.L. 93-
    554, 2 U.S.C. 28a), and the printing and distribution of the precedents
    were authorized by Public Law 94-551 (2 U.S.C. 28b-e). See also 2 U.S.C.
    28, 29.

    Sec. 1122. Office of the
    Parliamentarian.

      A Parliamentarian  has been appointed by the Speaker in every Congress
    since 1927. Prior to 1927 the ``Clerk at the Speaker's Table'' performed
    the function of the Parliamentarian. In the 95th Congress the House
    formally and permanently established an Office of the Parliamentarian to
    be managed, supervised, and administered by a nonpartisan
    Parliamentarian appointed by the Speaker (H. Res. 502, Apr. 20, 1977, p.
    11415, made permanent law by sec. 115 of P.L. 95-94; see 2 U.S.C. 287).
    The compilation and prepara

    Sec. 1123. Office of Floor
    Assistants.

      At its organization  the 104th Congress established an office to assist the
    Speaker in the management of legislative activity on the floor of the
    House (Sec. 223(b), H. Res. 6, 104th Cong., Jan. 4, 1995, p. 469,
    enacted into permanent law by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
    1996 (sec. 103, P.L. 104-53)).

    Sec. 1124. Corrections Calendar Office.

      In the  105th
    Congress the House established a Corrections Calendar Office to assist
    the Speaker in his management of the Calendar (H. Res. 7, 105th Cong.,
    Jan. 7, 1997, as enacted into permanent law by sec. 101 of the
    Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1998 (2 U.S.C. 74d)).

    Sec. 1125. House Recording Studio.

      The House  Recording
    Studio was established by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
    1957 (2 U.S.C. 123b) and provides Members with audio and video recording
    services. The studio is under the direction and control of the Committee
    on the House Recording Studio, which consists of three members appointed
    by the Speaker.

    Sec. 1125a. United States Capitol Preservation
    Commission.

      The United  States Capitol Preservation Commission was established in
    1988 (40 U.S.C. 188a) to provide improvements in, preservation of, and
    acquisitions for the Capitol and to provide works of fine art and other
    property for display in the Capitol. In the 106th Congress the
    Commission was given responsibility for the planning, engineering,
    design, and construction of the Capitol Visitor Center (sec. 310,
    Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2000). Membership on the
    Commission consists of the Speaker, the President pro tempore (co-
    chairmen), the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Committee on the
    Library, the chairmen and ranking minority members of the Committee on
    Rules and Administration and the Committee on House Administration, the
    Majority and Minority Leaders of the House and Senate, the chairmen of
    the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Senate and the Commission of
    the House of Representatives Bicentenary, two Members of the Senate, and
    two Members of the House.

    Sec. 1125b. Office of General Counsel.

      The General  Counsel
    appointed under clause 8 of rule II is authorized by law to appear in
    any proceeding before a State or Federal court (except the United States
    Supreme Court) without compliance with admission requirements of such
    court (2 U.S.C. 130f(a)). Furthermore, the law requires the Attorney
    General to notify the General Counsel of its determination not to appeal
    a court decision affecting the constitutionality of an Act (2 U.S.C
    130f(b)).