    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 119th Congress]
    [119th Congress]
    [House Document 118-187]
    [House And Congressional Offices]
    [Pages 1061-1065]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                         EARLY ORGANIZATION OF THE HOUSE

                                   __________

                                 [2 U.S.C. 29a]

      (a) Caucus or conference for incumbent Members reelected to and
    Members-elect of ensuing Congress; time and procedure for calling

    Sec. 1126. Organizing caucuses.

      (1) The  majority leader or
    minority leader of the House of Representatives after consultation with
    the Speaker may at any time during any even-numbered year call a caucus
    or conference of all incumbent Members of his or her political party who
    have been reelected to the ensuing Congress and all other Members-elect
    of such party, for the purpose of taking all steps necessary to achieve
    the prompt organization of the Members and Members-elect of such party
    for the ensuing Congress.

      (2) If the majority leader or minority leader calls an organizational
    caucus or conference under paragraph (1), he or she shall file with the
    Clerk of the House a written notice designating the date upon which the
    caucus or conference is to convene. As soon as possible after the
    election of Members to the ensuing Congress, the Clerk shall furnish
    each Member-elect of the party involved with appropriate written
    notification of the caucus or conference.

      (3) If a vacancy occurs in the office of majority leader or minority
    leader during any even-numbered year (and has not been filled), the
    chairman of the caucus or conference of the party involved for the
    current Congress may call an organizational caucus or conference under
    paragraph (1) by filing written notice thereof as provided by paragraph
    (2).

      (b) Payment and reimbursement for travel and per diem expenses for
    Members attending caucus or conference; exceptions; regulations
    governing payments and reimbursements; reimbursement vouchers

    [[Page 1062]]

    section, and each incumbent Member reelected to the ensuing Congress who
    attends any such caucus or conference convening after the adjournment
    sine die of the Congress in the year involved, shall be paid for one
    round trip between his or her place of residence in the district which
    he or she represents and Washington, District of Columbia, for the
    purpose of attending such caucus or conference. Payment shall be made
    through the issuance of a transportation request form to each such
    Member-elect or incumbent Member by the Finance Office of the House
    before such caucus or conference.
      (1)(A) Each Member-elect (other than an incumbent Member reelected to
    the ensuing Congress) who attends a caucus or conference called under
    subsection (a) of this

      (B) Each Member-elect (other than an incumbent Member reelected to the
    ensuing Congress) who attends a caucus or conference called under
    subsection (a) of this section shall in addition be reimbursed on a per
    diem or other basis for expenses incurred in connection with his or her
    attendance at such caucus or conference.

      (2) Payments and reimbursements to Members-elect under paragraph (1)
    shall be made as provided (with respect to Members) in the regulations
    prescribed by the Committee on House Administration with respect to
    travel and other expenses of committees and Members. Reimbursements
    shall be paid on special voucher forms prescribed by the Committee on
    House Administration.

      (c) Availability of applicable accounts of House

      The applicable accounts of the House of Representatives are made
    available to carry out the purposes of this section.

      (d) Orientation programs for new Members

      With the approval of the majority leader (in the case of a Member or
    Member-elect of the majority party) or the minority leader (in the case
    of a Member or Member-elect of the minority party), subsections (b) and
    (c) of this section shall apply with respect to the attendance of a
    Member or Member-elect at a program conducted by the Committee on House
    Administration for the orientation of new Members in the same manner as
    such provisions apply to the attendance of the Member or Member-elect at
    the organizational caucus or conference.

    [[Page 1063]]

    to ``applicable accounts of the House.'' Further amendments were
    effected at the end of the 108th Congress (to apply beginning in the One
    Hundred Tenth Congress) to permit organizational activity to be
    scheduled for any period after the general election and before the onset
    of the new Congress and to include orientation programs (sec. 107, div.
    G, P.L. 108-447, Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3176).
      These provisions were originated by a resolution of the 93d Congress
    (sec. 202, H. Res. 988, Oct. 8, 1974), which was enacted into permanent
    law (effective Jan. 2, 1975) shortly thereafter (P.L. 93-554, Dec. 27,
    1974, 88 Stat. 1777). Amendments were effected in the 104th Congress
    (sec. 202, P.L. 104-186, Aug. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 1725), when the House
    renamed the committee concerned and converted references to its
    ``contingent fund''

      Under the former form of the statute, contemplating organizational
    activity in the month of December, the House occasionally adopted
    resolutions allowing earlier convening of an organizational caucus or
    conference (e.g., H. Res. 666, 106th Cong., Nov. 3, 2000, p. 25993;
    Precedents (Wickham), ch. 3, Sec. Sec. 2.1, 2.2).

                                 [2 U.S.C. 5343]

      Staff expenses for House Members attending organizational caucus or
    conference

      (a) In general

      Each Member-elect (other than an incumbent Member reelected to the
    ensuing Congress) who attends a caucus or conference called under
    section 29a(a) of this title, and each incumbent Member reelected to the
    ensuing Congress who attends any such caucus or conference convening
    after the adjournment sine die of the Congress in the year involved,
    shall be entitled to designate one staff person to be paid for one round
    trip between that person's place of residence, provided such place of
    residence is in the district which the Member-elect or incumbent Member
    represents, and Washington, District of Columbia, for the purpose of
    accompanying that Member-elect or incumbent Member to such caucus or
    conference.

      (b) Per diem expenses of staff person

      Each Member-elect (other than an incumbent Member reelected to the
    ensuing Congress) who attends a caucus or conference called under such
    section 29a(a) of this title shall be entitled to designate one staff
    person who shall in addition be reimbursed on a per diem or other basis
    for expenses incurred in accompanying the Member-elect at the time of
    such caucus or conference.

      (c) Orientation programs for new Members

    [[Page 1064]]

    Members in the same manner as such provisions apply to the attendance of
    the Member or Member-elect at the organizational caucus or conference.

      With the approval of the majority leader (in the case of a Member or
    Member-elect of the majority party) or the minority leader (in the case
    of a Member or Member-elect of the minority party), subsections (a) and
    (b) of this section shall apply with respect to the attendance of a
    Member or Member-elect at a program conducted by the Committee on House
    Administration for the orientation of new

      These provisions were originated by a resolution of the 94th Congress
    (H. Res. 10, Jan. 14, 1975), which was then enacted into permanent law
    (sec. 201, P.L. 94-59, July 25, 1975, 89 Stat. 282). Amendments were
    effected at the end of the 108th Congress (to apply with respect to the
    One Hundred Tenth Congress and each succeeding Congress) to conform to
    the permissible scheduling of organizational activity for any period
    after the general election and before the onset of the new Congress and
    to include orientation programs (sec. 107, div. G, P.L. 108-447, Dec. 8,
    2004, 118 Stat. 3176).

                                 [2 U.S.C. 5344]

      Payments and reimbursements for certain House staff expenses

      (a) Payments and reimbursements to staff persons under section 5343 of
    this title shall be made as provided (with respect to staff) in the
    regulations prescribed by the Committee on House Administration with
    respect to travel and other expenses of staff. Reimbursements shall be
    paid on special voucher forms prescribed by the Committee on House
    Administration.

      (b) Additional funds, if any, for staff allowances and office space
    for use by Members-elect (other than an incumbent Member reelected to
    the ensuing Congress) shall be authorized by the Committee on House
    Administration.

    [[Page 1065]]

      These provisions were originated by a resolution of the 94th Congress
    (H. Res. 10, Jan. 14, 1975), which was then enacted into permanent law
    (sec. 201, P.L. 94-59, July 25, 1975, 89 Stat. 282). Amendments were
    effected in the 104th Congress (sec. 202, P.L. 104-186, Aug. 20, 1996,
    110 Stat. 1725), when the House renamed the committee concerned as the
    Committee on House Oversight. (The committee has since been returned to
    its earlier name.) end segment .014  deg. segment .015
    -- budget  deg.