    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 112th Congress]
    [112nd Congress]
    [House Document 111-157]
    [Rules of the House of Representatives]
    [Pages 387-389]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 387]]

                                     Rule V

                             broadcasting the house

    Sec. 684. Broadcasting of House proceedings.

      1.  The Speaker
    shall administer, direct, and control a system 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 the Speaker
    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, direct, and control a system 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.

      (b) All television and radio broadcasting stations, networks,
    services, and systems (including cable systems) that are accredited to
    the House 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.

    [[Page 388]]

      (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 the responsibilities under this
    rule to such legislative entity as the Speaker 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). Gender-based references were eliminated in the
    111th Congress (sec. 2(l), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. _). The
    requirement that televised broadcasts of 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 389]]

    (Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1979) contained the
    following proviso: ``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 the
    Speaker's 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 broadcasting 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

      Pursuant to 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 debate
    (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 recognition
    for debate (Mar. 16, 1988, p. 4081).