[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 112th Congress]
[112nd Congress]
[House Document 111-157]
[House And Congressional Offices]
[Pages 1009-1012]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1009]]

 

                     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, provides 
advice in connection with franking privileges (sec. 5, P.L. 93-191).





Sec. 1114. House Office Building 
Commission.

  Rooms in the  House Office Buildings are assigned pursuant to the Act of 
May 28, 1908 (2 U.S.C. 2004-2011) 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) (2 U.S.C. 2001).





Sec. 1115. Government Accountability 
Office.

  The preparation,  utilization, and distribution (to committees and Members) of 
reports by the Government Accountability Office, and its authority to 
assign its employees to duty with congressional committees, are 
regulated by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Sec. Sec. 231-
236 (84 Stat. 1140; 31 U.S.C. 711-720). This office was formerly known 
as the General Accounting Office (31 U.S.C. 702 note).




[[Page 1010]]



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. 2439).





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 
Legislative Drafting Service established for the Congress by the Act of 
February 24, 1919 (40 Stat. 1057, 1141). The provisions of law setting 
forth the purpose and functions of the current 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 Appropriations 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, 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 has not received funding since then.



[[Page 1011]]


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. Before 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 preparation of the precedents of the House of 
Representatives were authorized 





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. Office of Interparliamentary 
Affairs.

  This office  is responsible for responding to inquiries from, and 
coordinating visits with, foreign legislative bodies; providing 
assistance to delegations of Members on official visits to foreign 
nations; coordinating the activities and responsibilities of the House 
in connection with participation in various interparliamentary exchanges 
and organizations; and enabling the House to host meetings with senior 
government officials and other dignitaries in order to discuss matters 
relevant to United States relations with other nations (2 U.S.C. 130-2).





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 (2 U.S.C. 123b(c)).





Sec. 1125a. United States Capitol Preservation 
Commission.

  The United  States Capitol Preservation Commission was established in 
1988 (2 U.S.C. 2081) 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-
chairs), the chair and vice chair of the Joint Committee on the Library, 
the chairs 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, three Members of the 
Senate, and three Members of the House.




[[Page 1012]]


Attorney General to notify the General Counsel of various 
decisions and policies (2 U.S.C. 130f(b)).



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 





Sec. 1125c. Office of Emergency Planning, 
Preparedness, and Operations.

  This office  is responsible for mitigation and 
preparedness operations, crisis management and response, resource 
services, and recovery operations (2 U.S.C. 130i). The Speaker, in 
consultation with the Minority Leader, provides policy direction for, 
and oversight of, the office. The Speaker may request the head of any 
Federal department or agency to detail to the office, on a reimbursable 
basis, any of the personnel of the department or agency. The day-to-day 
operations of the office are carried out by the director, under the 
supervision of a House of Representatives Continuity of Operations 
Board, comprising the Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chief 
Administrative Officer. The Clerk chairs the board.





Sec. 1125d. Office of Attending Physician.

  This office  was 
established in the 70th Congress when the House requested the Secretary 
of the Navy to detail a medical officer to be in attendance at the Hall 
of the House during sessions of the House (H. Res. 253, Dec. 5, 1928, p. 
101). Currently, the office provides primary care and emergency, 
environmental, and occupational health services in direct support of 
Members of Congress and the Supreme Court, staff, pages, visiting 
dignitaries, and tourists (Office of Attending Physician in the U.S. 
Congress, CRS, Dec. 12, 2001).





Sec. 1125e. Office of Architect of the 
Capitol.

  This office  , which dates from 1793, operates and maintains the buildings 
and grounds of the Capitol complex. For further information on the 
office, see Architect of the Capitol: Appointment Process and Current 
Legislation, CRS, June 4, 2010. Section 6701 of Public Law 110-28 
established within the office a Chief Executive Officer for Visitor 
Services with responsibility for the operation and management of the 
Capitol Visitor Center.





Sec. 1125f. House Democracy Partnership.

  Established  for the 
109th (H. Res. 135, Mar. 14, 2005, p. 4527), 110th (H. Res. 24, Jan. 30, 
2007, p. 2626), 111th (sec. 4(b), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. _), and 
112th Congresses (which changed its name from the House Democracy 
Assistance Commission) (sec. 4(a), H. Res. 5, Jan. 5, 2011, p. _), the 
partnership provides advice and consultation to selected countries. The 
partnership consists of 20 Members appointed by the Speaker and Minority 
Leader.



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Sec. 1125g. Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission.

  Established  for the 110th Congress (H. Res. 1451, Sept. 24, 2008, p. 
_), and the 111th and 112th Congresses with modifications to its 
authority (sec. 4(c), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. _; sec. 4(b), H. Res. 
5, Jan. 5, 2011, p. _), the commission promotes internationally 
recognized human rights. Any Member may join the commission, which is 
led by co-chairs appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader, 
respectively.




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Sec. 1125h. Office of Congressional 
Ethics.

  Established  for the 110th Congress (H. Res. 895, Mar. 11, 2008, p. 
_), and the 111th and 112th Congresses with a modification of its 
authority to engage consultants (sec. 4(d), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. 
_; sec. 4(c), H. Res. 5, Jan. 5, 2011, p. _), the office investigates 
``self-initiated'' alleged ethics violations and reports its 
recommendations to the Committee on Ethics.