[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 109th Congress]
[109th Congress]
[House Document 108-241]
[Rules of the House of Representatives]
[Pages 385-387]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 




                                 Rule V


                         broadcasting the house



Sec. 684. Broadcasting of House proceedings.

  1.  The Speaker 
shall administer a system subject to his direction and control for 
closed-circuit viewing of floor proceedings of the House in the offices 
of all Members, Delegates, the Resident Commissioner, and committees and 
in such other places in the Capitol and the House Office Buildings as he 
considers appropriate. Such system may include other telecommunications 
functions as the Speaker considers appropriate. Any such 
telecommunications shall be subject to rules and regulations issued by 
the Speaker.


  2. (a) The Speaker shall administer a system subject to his direction 
and control for complete and unedited audio and visual broadcasting and 
recording of the proceedings of the House. The Speaker shall provide for 
the distribution of such broadcasts and recordings to news media, for 
the storage of audio and video recordings of the proceedings, and for 
the closed-captioning of the proceedings for hearing-impaired persons.


[[Page 386]]

Radio and Television Correspondents' Galleries, and all radio and 
television correspondents who are so accredited, shall be provided 
access to the live coverage of the House.
  (b) All television and radio broadcasting stations, networks, 
services, and systems (including cable systems) that are accredited to 
the House

  (c) Coverage made available under this clause, including any recording 
thereof--

      (1) may not be used for any political purpose;

      (2) may not be used in any commercial advertisement; and

      (3) may not be broadcast with commercial sponsorship except as 
part of a bona fide news program or public affairs documentary program.


  3. The Speaker may delegate any of his responsibilities under this 
rule to such legislative entity as he considers appropriate.

  Before the House recodified its rules in the 106th Congress, this 
provision was found in former clause 9 of rule I (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 
1999, p. 47). It was adopted initially in the 96th Congress (H. Res. 5, 
Jan. 15, 1979, p. 7). The requirement that the televised broadcasts of 
the proceedings of the House be closed captioned for hearing-impaired 
individuals was added in the 101st Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan. 3, 1989, p. 
72). The authority of the Speaker to make rules governing 
telecommunications functions within the House was added in the 102d 
Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan. 3, 1991, p. 39).


[[Page 387]]

casting of House proceedings and to report to the House thereon; and (3) 
directed the Speaker after receipt of the committee's report to 
establish a system subject to his direction and control for audio and 
visual broadcast and recording of House proceedings and to provide for 
distribution and access to the news media (H. Res. 866, Oct. 27, 1977, 
pp. 35425-37). The Speaker, after receipt of that report (H. Rept. 95-
881, Feb. 15, 1978), directed implementation of full audio coverage, 
with distribution to the media, on June 8, 1978 (p. 16746). Public Law 
95-391 (Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1979) contained the 
following proviso in section 306 relating to the broadcasting of House 
proceedings: ``No funds in this bill may be used to implement a system 
for televising and broadcasting the proceedings of the House pursuant to 
House Resolution 866, Ninety-Fifth Congress, under which the TV cameras 
in the Chamber purchased by the House are controlled and operated by 
persons not in the employ of the House.''
  In the 95th Congress the House considered as a question of the 
privileges of the House and adopted a resolution directing the Committee 
on Rules to investigate the impact on the safety, dignity, and integrity 
of House proceedings, of a test authorized by the Speaker under his 
general control over the Hall of the House for the audiovisual broadcast 
of House proceedings within the Capitol and House Office Buildings (H. 
Res. 404, Mar. 15, 1977, p. 7608). The resolution directed the Committee 
on Rules to report to the House at the earliest practicable date its 
findings and recommendations, including whether such coverage should be 
made available to the public. The committee reported and the House 
adopted another resolution that: (1) authorized the Speaker to establish 
a closed-circuit system for in-House broadcasting of House proceedings; 
(2) directed the Committee on Rules to study methods for providing 
complete audio and visual broad




  Pursuant to his authority under this rule, the Speaker directed the 
Clerk in the 98th Congress to immediately implement periodic wide-angle 
television coverage of all ``special-order'' speeches at the end of 
legislative business (with captions at the bottom of the screen 
indicating that legislative business has been completed) (May 10, 1984, 
p. 11894) but not during ``interim'' special orders (Dec. 19, 1985, p. 
38106). However, in the 103d and 104th Congresses, the Speaker 
prohibited wide-angle coverage but continued the caption at the bottom 
of the screen not only during special-order speeches but also during 
morning-hour debates (Speaker Foley, Feb. 11, 1994, p. 2244; Speaker 
Gingrich, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 551). In the 99th Congress, the House adopted 
a resolution, raised as a question of the privileges of the House, 
authorizing and directing the Speaker to provide for the audio and 
visual broadcast coverage of the Chamber while Members are voting (H. 
Res. 150, Apr. 30, 1985, p. 9821). Although paragraph (a) requires 
complete and unedited broadcast coverage of House proceedings, the House 
held (by tabling an appeal of a ruling of the Chair) that it does not 
require in-House microphone amplification of disorderly conduct by a 
Member following expiration of his recognition for debate (Mar. 16, 
1988, p. 4081).