[United States Senate Manual, 112th Congress]
[S. Doc. 112-1]
[Non-statutory Standing Orders and Regulations Affecting the Business of the Senate]
[Pages 123-127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


        69  TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCAST OF SENATE CHAMBER PROCEEDINGS

                Resolved, That (a) the Senate hereby authorizes and 
            directs that there be both television and radio broadcast 
            coverage (together with videotape and audio recordings) of 
            proceedings in the Senate Chamber.
                (b) Such broadcast coverage shall be--
                        (1) provided in accordance with provisions of 
                    this resolution;
                        (2) provided continuously, except for any time 
                    when the Senate is conducting a quorum call, or when 
                    a meeting with closed doors is ordered; and
                        (3) provided subject to the provisions 
                    pertaining to the Senate gallery contained in the 
                    following Standing Rules of the Senate: rule XIX, 
                    paragraphs 6 and 7; rule XXV, paragraph 1(n); and 
                    rule XXXIII, paragraph 2.
                Sec. 2. The radio and television broadcast of Senate 
            proceedings shall be supervised and operated by the Senate.
                Sec. 3. The television broadcast of Senate proceedings 
            shall follow the Presiding Officer and Senators who are 
            speaking, clerks, and the chaplain except during rollcall 
            votes when the television cameras shall show the entire 
            Chamber.

[[Page 124]]

                Sec. 4. (a) The broadcast coverage by radio and 
            television of the proceedings of the Senate shall be 
            implemented as provided in this section.
                (b) The Architect of the Capitol, in consultation with 
            the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, shall--
                        (1) construct necessary broadcasting facilities 
                    for both radio and television (including a control 
                    room and the modification of Senate sound and 
                    lighting fixtures);
                        (2) employ necessary expert consultants; and
                        (3) acquire and install all necessary equipment 
                    and facilities to (A) produce a broadcast-quality 
                    ``live'' audio and color video signal of such 
                    proceedings, and (B) provide an archive-quality 
                    audio and color video tape recording of such 
                    proceedings:
            Provided, That the Architect of the Capitol, in carrying out 
            the duties specified in clauses (1) through (3) of this 
            subsection, shall not enter into any contract for the 
            purchase or installation of equipment, for employment of any 
            consultant, or for the provision of training to any person, 
            unless the same shall first have been approved by the 
            Committee on Rules and Administration.
                (c)(1) \1\ The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the 
            Senate shall--
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                \1\ As amended, S. Res. 459, 100-2, Sept. 14, 1988.
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                        (A) employ such staff as may be necessary, 
                    working in conjunction with the Senate Recording and 
                    Photographic Studios, to operate and maintain all 
                    broadcast audio and color video equipment installed 
                    pursuant to this resolution;
                        (B) make audio and video tape recordings, and 
                    copies thereof as requested by the Secretary under 
                    paragraph (2) of Senate proceedings; and
                        (C) retain for 30 session-days after the day any 
                    Senate proceedings took place, such recordings 
                    thereof, and as soon thereafter as possible, 
                    transmit to the Secretary of the Senate copies of 
                    such recordings.
            The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, in 
            carrying out the duties specified in subparagraphs (A) and 
            (B), shall comply with appropriate Senate procurement and 
            other regulations.
                (2) The Secretary of the Senate is authorized to obtain 
            from the Sergeant at Arms archival quality video recordings 
            of Senate proceedings and, as soon thereafter as pos

[[Page 125]]

            sible, transmit such recordings to the Librarian of Congress 
            and to the Archivist of the United States.
                Sec. 5. (a) Radio coverage of Senate proceedings shall--
                        (1) begin as soon as the necessary equipment has 
                    been installed; and
                        (2) be provided continuously at all times when 
                    the Senate is in session (or is meeting in Committee 
                    of the Whole), except for any time when a meeting 
                    with closed doors is ordered.
                (b) As soon as practicable but no later than May 1, 
            there shall begin a test period during which tests of radio 
            and television coverage of Senate proceedings shall be 
            conducted by the staffs of the Committee on Rules and 
            Administration and of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and 
            Doorkeeper of the Senate. Television coverage of Senate 
            proceedings shall go live June 1, 1986. The test period 
            aforementioned shall end on July 15, 1986.
                (c) During such test period--
                        (1) final procedures for camera direction 
                    control shall be established;
                        (2) television coverage of Senate proceedings 
                    shall not be transmitted between May 1st and June 
                    1st, except that, at the direction of the chairman 
                    of the Committee on Rules and Administration, such 
                    coverage may be transmitted over the coaxial cable 
                    system of the Architect of the Capitol; and
                        (3) recording of Senate proceedings shall be 
                    retained by the Secretary of the Senate.
                Sec. 6.\2\ (a) The use of any tape duplication of radio 
            or television coverage of the proceedings of the Senate for 
            political campaign purposes is strictly prohibited.
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                \2\ As amended, S. Res. 431, 100-2, June 7, 1988.
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                (b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any tape 
            duplication of radio or television coverage of the 
            proceedings of the Senate furnished to any person or 
            organization shall be made on the condition, agreed to in 
            writing, that the tape duplication shall not be used for 
            political campaign purposes.
                (2) Any public or commercial news organization furnished 
            a tape duplication described in paragraph (1) shall be 
            subject to the provisions of paragraph (1) but shall not be 
            required to enter into a written agreement.
                Sec. 7. Any changes in the regulations made by this 
            resolution shall be made only by Senate resolution. However,

[[Page 126]]

            the Committee on Rules and Administration may adopt such 
            procedures and such regulations, which do not contravene the 
            regulations made by this resolution, as it deems necessary 
            to assure the proper implementation of the purposes of this 
            resolution.
                Sec. 8. Such funds as may be necessary (but not in 
            excess of $3,500,000) to carry out this resolution shall be 
            expended from the contingent fund of the Senate.

                                    * * * * * * *

                Sec. 14. Provided, that if the Senate authorizes the 
            permanent televising of the Senate pursuant to section 15, 
            that radio and television coverage of the Senate shall be 
            made available on a ``live'' basis and free of charge to (1) 
            any accredited member of the Senate Radio and Television 
            Correspondents Gallery, (2) the coaxial cable system of the 
            Architect of the Capitol, and (3) such other news gathering, 
            educational, or information distributing entity as may be 
            authorized by the Committee on Rules and Administration to 
            receive such broadcasts.
                Sec. 15. Television coverage of the Senate shall cease 
            at the close of business July 15, 1986, and television 
            coverage of the Senate and the rules changes contained 
            herein shall continue, if the Senate agrees to the question, 
            which shall be put one hour after the Senate convenes on 
            July 29, 1986, ``Shall radio and television coverage 
            continue after this date, and shall the rules changes 
            contained herein continue?''.\3\ There shall be twelve hours 
            of debate on this question, to be equally divided and 
            controlled in the usual form, at the end of which any 
            Senator may propose as an alternative the question, ``Shall 
            the test period continue for thirty days?''. On this 
            question there shall be one hour of debate, equally divided 
            and controlled in the usual form. If this question is 
            decided in the affirmative, then thirty days hence, one hour 
            after the Senate convenes, the Senate shall proceed to vote 
            without intervening action on the question, ``Shall radio 
            and television coverage continue after this date and shall 
            the rules changes contained herein continue?''.
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                \3\ Pursuant to this provision, the question was 
            considered and decided in the affirmative by a vote of 78-
            21. See Daily Cong. Rec., 99th Cong., 2d sess., July 29, 
            1986, pp. 9750-9775.
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                Sec. 16. Provided, that official noting of a Senator's 
            absence from committees while the Senate is on television is 
            prohibited.

            [S. Res. 28, 99-2, Feb. 27, 1986.]

[[Page 127]]

                Sec. 17. The Secretary of the Senate shall, subject to 
            the approval of the Senate Committee on Rules and 
            Administration, contract with the Secretary of Education to 
            provide closed captioning of the Senate floor proceedings. 
            The Senate authorizes the Secretary of Education to have 
            access to the audio and video broadcast of the Senate floor 
            proceedings for the purpose of captioning. Such funds as may 
            be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section are 
            authorized to be paid from the contingent fund of the 
            Senate.

            [S. Res. 13, 101-1, June 21, 1989.]

                Resolved, That, notwithstanding any other provision of 
            S. Res. 28, agreed to February 27, 1986, television coverage 
            of the Senate shall resume July 21, 1986 under the same 
            basis as provided during the live test period under section 
            5 of S. Res. 28 unless the Senate votes pursuant to section 
            15 of S. Res. 28 to end coverage.

            [S. Res. 444, 99-2, July 15, 1986.]