[House Prints, 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress }
1st Session } HOUSE COMMITTEE PRINT No. 1
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COMMITTEE RULES OF PROCEDURE
FOR THE
119TH CONGRESS
OF THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE
ON
VETERANS' AFFAIRS
January 16, 2025
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
January 16, 2025.--Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the House of Representatives
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
58-320 WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
MIKE BOST, Illinois, Chairman
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, MARK TAKANO, California, Ranking
American Samoa, Vice-Chairwoman Member
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan JULIA BROWNLEY, California
NANCY MACE, South Carolina CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK,
GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina Florida
DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas DELIA RAMIREZ, Illinois
JUAN CISCOMANI, Arizona NIKKI BUDZINSKI, Illinois
KEITH SELF, Texas TIMOTHY M. KENNEDY, New York
JEN KIGGANS, Virginia MAXINE DEXTER, Oregon
ABE HAMADEH, Arizona HERB CONAWAY, New Jersey
KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS, Northern KELLY MORRISON, Minnesota
Mariana Islands
TOM BARRETT, Michigan
Jon Clark, Staff Director
Matt Reel, Democratic Staff Director
RULES OF THE COMMITTEE
ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FOR THE 119TH CONGRESS
RULE 1--GENERAL PROVISIONS
(a) Applicability of the Rules of the U.S. House of
Representatives.--
In General.-- The rules of the U.S. House of
Representatives (the House) are the rules of the Committed on
Veterans' Affairs (Committee) and its subcommittees so far as
applicable.
(b) Rules of the Subcommittees.-- Each subcommittee of the
Committee is a part of the Committee and is subject to the
authority and direction of the Committee and to its rules so
far as applicable. Written rules of the Committee, not
inconsistent with the Rules of the House, shall be binding on
each subcommittee of the Committee.
(c) Incorporation of House Rule on Committee Procedure.--
Clause 2 of House rule XI, which pertains entirely to Committee
procedure, is incorporated, and made part of the rules of the
Committee so far as applicable.
(d) Privileged Motions.-- In the Committee, a motion to recess
from day to day, a motion to recess subject to the call of the
Chair (within 1 day), and a motion to dispense with the first
reading (in full) of a bill or resolution if printed copies are
available, shall be privileged and decided without debate.
(e) Conferences.-- Pursuant to clause 2(a)(3) of House rule XI,
the Chair is authorized to offer a motion under clause 1 of
House rule XXII whenever the Chair considers it appropriate.
(f) Vice Chair.-- Pursuant to clause 2(d) of House rule XI, the
Chair of the Committee shall designate the Vice Chair of the
Committee.
(g) Taking of Depositions.-- Pursuant to section 3(k) of House
Resolution 5 of the 119th Congress, the Chair upon consultation
with the Ranking Minority Member may order the taking of
depositions, including pursuant to subpoena, by a member or
counsel of the Committee. Depositions taken by a member or
counsel of the Committee shall be subject to regulations issued
by the Committee on Rules and printed in the Congressional
Record.
(h) Subpoenas.-- Pursuant to clause 2(m) of House rule XI,
subpoenas may be authorized and issued by the Chair in the
conduct of any investigation or series of investigations or
activities, only when authorized by a majority of the members
voting, a majority being present.
(i) Open Meetings and Hearings.-- Meetings and hearings of the
Committee shall be open to the public unless closed in
accordance with clause 2(g) of House rule XI.
(j) Motions, Reduced to Writing.-- Every motion made to the
Committee and entertained by the Chair shall be reduced to
writing upon demand of any member, and a copy made available to
each member present.
(k) Decorum.--The Chair shall enforce decorum including with
regard to actions that impact the health and safety of Members,
staff, and anyone else present, or impedes the business of the
Committee.
RULE 2--COMMITTEE MEETINGS
(a) Notice Requirements for Meetings. The Chair shall furnish
each member of the Committee with the date, place, and a list
of measures and subjects to be considered at a Committee
meeting, which may not commence earlier than the third calendar
day on which members have notice thereof (excluding Saturdays,
Sundays and legal holidays except when the House is in session
on such a day).
(b) Availability of Texts.--At least two days (excluding
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays except when the House is
in session on such a day) prior to the commencement of a
meeting for the markup of legislation, including any amendment
in the nature of a substitute to such bills or resolutions that
shall first be recognized by the Chair, the text of such
legislation shall be made publicly available in electronic
form.
(c) In an emergency that does not reasonably allow for the
notice as required in paragraph (a), the Chair may waive the
notice requirement with the concurrence of the Ranking Minority
Member; or if the Committee so determines by majority vote of
the quorum required under Committee Rule 4(a). An announcement
made under this subparagraph shall be published promptly in the
Daily Digest and made publicly available in electronic form.
(d) Amendments.--To the maximum extent practicable, amendments
to a measure or matter noticed under paragraph (b) shall be
submitted in writing or electronically to the designee of both
the Chair and Ranking Member and made available electronically
to each member of the Committee at least one day (excluding
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays except when the House is
in session on such a day) prior to the consideration of the
measure or matter. The Chair may use his or her discretion to
give priority to amendments submitted in advance.
(e) Transcripts.--Transcripts of markups shall be recorded and
may be published in the same manner as hearings before the
Committee.
(f) Additional Meetings.-- The Chair of the Committee may call
and convene, as the Chair considers necessary, additional
meetings of the Committee for the consideration of any bill or
resolution pending before the Committee or for the conduct of
other Committee business. The Committee shall meet for such
purpose pursuant to the call of the Chair.
(g) Congressional Budget Office Scoring.--The Committee shall
not include any bill or resolution for consideration during a
Committee markup which is not accompanied by an accounting from
the Congressional Budget Office of the mandatory and
discretionary costs or savings associated with such bill or
resolution.
The accounting from the Congressional Budget Office need not be
official and may be a preliminary score but is expected to
provide Committee members with an approximation of the
budgetary impact a bill or resolution may have prior to any
vote to favorably forward or report such bill or resolution. A
majority of Committee members may waive the requirements of
this paragraph with a quorum present.
(h) Notice and Approval of Committee Investigative Reports or
Studies.----A proposed investigative or oversight report shall
be considered as read in committee if it has been available to
the members for at least one day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays,
or legal holidays except when the House is in session on such a
day).
A proposed investigative report or study shall not be
considered in the Committee unless the report has been
available to the members of the Committee for at least seven
calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays
except when the House is in session on such a day) before
consideration of such proposed report or study in the
Committee. All reports or studies must be approved by a
majority vote of the Committee to be considered an official
report of the Committee.
RULE 3--HEARINGS
(a) Notice.-- (1) The Chair, in the case of a hearing to be
conducted by the Committee, shall publicly announce the date,
place, and subject matter of any hearing to be conducted on any
measure or matter at least one week before the commencement of
such hearing, unless in accordance with clause 2(g)(3)(B) of
House rule XI--
(A) the Chair, with the concurrence of the Ranking
Minority Member, determines that there is good cause to
begin the hearing at an earlier date, or
(B) the Committee determines by majority vote of
the quorum required under Committee rule 4(a) that a
hearing may begin earlier than one week after
announcement of the hearing as required under this
subsection. An announcement made under this
subparagraph shall be published promptly in the Daily
Digest and made publicly available in electronic form.
(b) Requirements for Testimony.--
(1) Pursuant to clause 2(g)(5) of House rule XI,
each witness who is to appear before the Committee
shall file with the clerk of the Committee, at least 2
days (exclusive of weekends and holidays) in advance of
his or her appearance, or at such other time as
designated by the Chair after consultation with the
Ranking Minority Member, a written statement of his or
her proposed testimony. Each witness shall, to the
greatest extent practicable, provide a copy of such
written testimony in an electronic format prescribed by
the Chair. Each witness shall limit initial
presentations to a brief summary of the written
statement.
(2)(A) Truth in Testimony Disclosure: A witness
before the Committee shall provide the information
required in accordance with Rule XI, clause 2(g)(5) of
the Rules of the House of Representatives. A witness
appearing in a non-governmental capacity, shall provide
a written statement of proposed testimony, which shall
include a curriculum vitae and a disclosure of any
Federal grants or contracts, or contracts, grants, or
payments originating with a foreign government, a
foreign adversary-controlled entity, or an entity or
country of particular concern, received by the witness
or by an entity represented by the witness in the last
36 months, and related to the subject matter of the
hearing, and a disclosure of whether the witnesses is a
fiduciary (including, but not limited to, a director,
officer, advisor, or resident agent) of any
organization or entity that has an interest in the
subject matter of the hearing.
(B) Pursuant to Rule XI, clause 2(g)(5), the
witness is required to disclose the amount and source
of each Federal grant or contract related to the
subject matter of the hearing and the amount and
country of origin of any payment, or contract related
to the subject matter of the hearing originating with a
foreign government, and for purposes of testimony
before this Committee, a foreign adversary-controlled
entity, or an entity or country of particular concern.
(C) The disclosure shall include the amount,
country of origin, and entity originating any payment,
grant, or in-kind contribution required to be
disclosed.
A "foreign adversary-controlled entity" means (i) a
government or political party of a foreign adversary;
(ii) any entity in which an entity identified in
subpart (i) owns a 10% stake or greater; or (iii) any
entity subject to the direction, ownership, control, or
influence of an entity identified in subparts (i) or
(ii).
A "foreign adversary" means the People's Republic
of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of
Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the
Russian Federation, and the Maduro regime of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
An "entity or country of particular concern" means
any country or entity so designated by the Secretary of
State or that is the subject of economic sanctions, to
include Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma, Burundi,
the Central African Republic, Comoros, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Western Balkans, and
Zimbabwe.
(C) Calling and Questioning Witnesses.--
(1)(A) Committee members may question witnesses
only when they have been recognized by the Chair of the
Committee for that purpose, and only for a 5-minute
period until all members present have had an
opportunity to question a witness. The questioning of
witnesses in Committee hearings shall be initiated by
the Chair, followed by the Ranking Minority Member and
all other members alternating between the majority and
minority.
(B) Except as otherwise announced by the Chair at
the beginning of a hearing, members who are present at
the start of the hearing will be recognized before
other members who arrive after the hearing has begun.
In recognizing members to question witnesses in this
fashion, the Chair shall take into consideration the
ratio of the majority to minority members present and
shall establish the order of recognition for
questioning in such a manner as not to disadvantage the
members of the majority.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph
(1)(A) regarding the 5-minute rule, and pursuant to
clause 2(j) of House rule XI, the Chair after
consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, may
permit a specified number of Committee members to
question a witness for longer than 5 minutes. The time
for extended questioning of a witness under this
paragraph shall be equal for the majority party and the
minority party and may not exceed one hour in the
aggregate. In no event shall the Chair allow a member
to question a witness for an extended period under this
rule until all members present have had the opportunity
to ask questions under the 5-minute rule. The Chair,
after consultation with the Ranking Minority Member,
may permit Committee staff for its majority and
minority party members to question a witness for equal
specified periods. The time for extended questioning of
witnesses by staff shall be equal for the majority
party and the minority party and may not exceed one
hour in the aggregate.
(3) Pursuant to clause 2(k) of House rule XI, the
Chair at a hearing shall announce in an opening
statement the subject of the hearing, and a copy of the
committee rules and of clause 2 of House rule XI shall
be made available to each witness on request.
(A) Witnesses at hearings may be accompanied by
their own counsel for the purpose of advising them
concerning their constitutional rights. The Chair may
punish breaches of order and decorum, and of
professional ethics on the part of counsel, by censure
and exclusion from the hearings; and the Committee may
cite the offender to the House for contempt.
(B) Whenever it is asserted by a member of the
Committee that the evidence or testimony at a hearing
may tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person,
or it is asserted by a witness that the evidence or
testimony that the witness would give at a hearing may
tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate the witness--
(i) notwithstanding clause 2(g)(2) of House
rule XI, such testimony or evidence shall be presented
in executive session if, in the presence of the number
of members required under Committee rule 4(a), the
Committee determines by vote of a majority of those
present that such evidence or testimony may tend to
defame, degrade, or incriminate any person; and
(ii) the Committee shall proceed to receive
such testimony in open session only if the Committee, a
majority being present, determines that such evidence
or testimony will not tend to defame, degrade, or
incriminate any person.
In either case the Committee shall afford such person an
opportunity voluntarily to appear as a witness and receive and
dispose of requests from such person to subpoena additional
witnesses.
(C) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the
Chair shall receive, and the Committee shall dispose of
requests to subpoena additional witnesses.
(D) Evidence or testimony taken in executive
session, and proceedings conducted in executive
session, may be released or used in public sessions
only when authorized by the Committee, a majority being
present.
(E) In the discretion of the Committee, witnesses
may submit brief and pertinent sworn statements in
writing for inclusion in the record. The Committee is
the sole judge of the pertinence of testimony and
evidence adduced at its hearing.
(F) A witness may obtain a transcript copy of the
testimony of such witness given at a public session or,
if given at an executive session, when authorized by
the Committee.
(4) Any witness appearing before the Committee
shall remain available for questioning by the Committee
unless excused by the Chair.
(5) Non-Committee members may be invited to sit at
the dais for and participate in Committee hearings with
the unanimous consent of the members present. Further,
non-Committee members may be recognized for questioning
of witnesses but only after all Committee members have
first been recognized.
(6) Pursuant to House rule XI clause 2(j)(1), when
a hearing is conducted by the Committee on any measure
or matter, the minority members of the Committee shall
be entitled, upon request to the Chair of a majority of
those minority members before the completion of the
hearing, to call witnesses selected by the minority to
testify with respect to that measure or matter during
at least one day of the hearing thereon.
(7) At the discretion of the chair and in
accordance with regulations submitted for printing in
the congressional Record by the chair of the Committee
on Rules--
(A) witnesses at committee or subcommittee
proceedings may appear remotely;
(B) counsel shall be permitted to accompany
witnesses appearing remotely; and
(C) an oath may be administered to a witness
remotely for purposes of clause 2(m)(2) of rule XI.
(8) Member Day Hearing: During the first session of
the 119th Congress, the Chair shall hold a hearing at
which it receives testimony from Members, Delegates,
and the Resident Commissioner on proposed legislation
within its jurisdiction.
RULE 4--QUORUM AND RECORD VOTES; POSTPONEMENT OF PROCEEDINGS
(a) Working Quorum.-- A majority of the members of the
Committee shall constitute a quorum for business, except that
two members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of taking
testimony and receiving evidence.
(b) Quorum for Reporting.-- No measure, or recommendation shall
be reported unless a majority of the members of the Committee
or Subcommittee are present.
(c) Record Votes.-- A record vote may be demanded by one-fifth
of the members present or, in the apparent absence of a quorum,
by any one member. With respect to any record vote on any
motion to amend or report, the total number of votes cast for
and against, and the names of those members voting for and
against, shall be included in the report of the Committee on
the bill or resolution.
(d) Prohibition Against Proxy Voting.-- No vote by any member
of the Committee with respect to any measure or matter may be
cast by proxy.
(e) Postponing Proceedings.-- The Chair may postpone further
proceedings when a record vote is ordered on the question of
approving a measure or matter or on adopting an amendment; and
may resume proceedings on a postponed question after reasonable
notice during a proceeding of the Full Committee or any
Subcommittee. When proceedings resume on a postponed question,
notwithstanding any intervening order for the previous
question, an underlying proposition shall remain subject to
further debate or amendment to the same extent as when the
question was postponed.
(f) The chair may conduct any record vote by electronic device
in accordance with clause 2(n) of House rule XI.
RULE 5--SUBCOMMITTEES
(a) Establishment and Jurisdiction--
(1) There shall be five subcommittees of the
Committee with jurisdictions as follows:
(A) Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, which shall have legislative,
oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over
compensation; general and special pensions of all the
wars of the United States; life insurance issued by the
Government on account of service in the Armed Forces;
cemeteries of the United States in which veterans of
any war or conflict are or may be buried, whether in
the United States or abroad, except cemeteries
administered by the Secretary of the Interior; burial
benefits; the Board of Veterans' Appeals; and the
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
(B) Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, which
shall have legislative, oversight, and investigative
jurisdiction over education of veterans, employment and
training of veterans, vocational rehabilitation,
veterans' home loan and housing programs, transition of
servicemembers to civilian life, veteran-owned business
concerns, and servicemembers civil relief.
(C) Subcommittee on Health, which shall have
legislative, oversight, and investigative jurisdiction
over the Veterans Health Administration including
medical care, medical services, community care, medical
support and compliance, medical and prosthetic
research, health care for homeless veterans, medical
education, major and minor construction, medical
facilities including leases and recurring and non-
recurring maintenance, and the Fourth Mission of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(D) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,
which shall have oversight and investigative
jurisdiction over veterans' matters generally. The
subcommittee shall have legislative jurisdiction over
VA Central Office organizations and overall management
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, enterprise human
capital management, information technology,
cybersecurity, data management, financial management,
supply chain and procurement, whistleblower matters,
the Office of Inspector General, and over such matters
as may be referred to the Subcommittee by the Chair of
the full Committee.
(E) Subcommittee on Technology Modernization,
which shall have oversight and investigative
jurisdiction over the Department of Veterans Affairs'
enterprise technology modernization programs and
projects, including the Electronic Health Record
Modernization program, the Office of Information and
Technology, information technology, enterprise
information technology governance, cybersecurity, and
data management.
(2) Each subcommittee shall have responsibility for
such other measures or matters as the Chair refers to
it.
(b) Vacancies.-- Any vacancy in the membership of a
subcommittee shall not affect the power of the remaining
members to execute the functions of that subcommittee.
(c) Ratios.-- On each subcommittee, there shall be a ratio of
majority party members to minority party members, which shall
be consistent with the ratio on the full Committee.
(d) Referral to Subcommittees.-- The Chair of the Committee may
refer a measure or matter, which is within the general
responsibility of more than one of the subcommittees of the
Committee, as the Chair deems appropriate. In referring any
measure or matter to a subcommittee, the Chair of the Committee
may specify a date by which the subcommittee shall report
thereon to the Committee.
(e) Powers and Duties--
(1) Each subcommittee is authorized to meet, hold
hearings, receive evidence, and report to the full
Committee on all matters referred to it or under its
jurisdiction. Subcommittee Chairs shall set dates for
hearings and meetings of their respective subcommittees
after consultation with the Chair of the Committee and
other subcommittee chairs with a view toward avoiding
simultaneous scheduling of Committee and subcommittee
meetings or hearings whenever possible.
(2) Whenever a subcommittee has ordered a bill,
resolution, or other matter to be reported to the
Committee, the Chair of the subcommittee reporting the
bill, resolution, or matter to the full Committee, or
any member authorized by the subcommittee to do so,
shall notify the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member
of the Committee of the subcommittee's action.
(3) A member of the Committee who is not a member
of a subcommittee may sit with the subcommittee during
any of its meetings and hearings, but shall not have
authority to vote, cannot be counted for a quorum, and
cannot raise a point of order or any other procedural
motion at the meeting or hearing.
(4) The Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the
Committee shall be ex-officio members of each standing
subcommittee to which the Chair or Ranking Minority
Member have not been assigned. Ex-officio members shall
have the right to fully participate in subcommittee
activities but may not vote and may not be counted in
establishing a quorum.
(5) Non-Committee members may be invited to sit at
the dais for and participate in subcommittee hearings
with the unanimous consent of all Members present.
Further, non-Committee members may be recognized for
questioning of witnesses but only after all
subcommittee members have first been recognized for
questioning.
(6) Each subcommittee shall provide the full
Committee with copies of such record votes taken in
subcommittee and such other records with respect to the
subcommittee as the Chair of the Committee deems
necessary for the Committee to comply with the House
rules.
RULE 6--TASK FORCE
(a) Establishment.-- The Committee may establish a task force
to perform specific oversight functions for time limited
purposes. A task force does not have legislative or hearing
jurisdiction.
(b) Authorization.-- The Committee shall adopt a resolution
authorizing a task force. The resolution shall set forth the
specific purpose and objectives of the task force.
(c) Membership and Ratios.-- The Task Force shall be led by a
Chair and Co-Chair. It shall include committee majority and
minority members, on a volunteer basis.
(d) Duration. No task force shall exist for a cumulative period
longer than six months from the date of the first official
meeting in a Congress.
(e) Powers and Duties.--
(1) A task force is authorized to meet, hold
roundtables, and report to the full Committee on all
matters set forth in the resolution authorizing the
task force.
(2) The task force shall submit the findings and
recommendations of the task force to the full Committee
within 30 business days of completion of the task
force.
(3) The rules of the Committee are the rules of a
task force.
RULE 7--GENERAL OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY
(a) Purpose.-- Pursuant to House Rule X clause 2, the Committee
shall carry out oversight responsibilities consistent with
clause 1(s) of House rule X and Committee rule 5.
(b) Oversight Plan.-- Not later than March 1 of the first
session of a Congress, the Chair shall prepare, in a meeting
that is open to the public, adopt its authorization and
oversight plan for that Congress. The plan shall be submitted
simultaneously to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability
and the Committee on House Administration.
(c) Each such plan shall include, with respect to programs and
agencies within the committees's jurisdiction, and to the
maximum extent practicable--
(A) a list of such programs or agencies with lapsed
authorizations that received funding in the prior
fiscal year or, in the case of a program or agency with
a permanent authorization, which has not been subject
to a comprehensive review by the committee in the prior
three Congresses;
(B) a description of each such program or agency to
be authorized in the current Congress;
(C) a description of each such program or agency to
be authorized in the next Congress, if applicable;
(D) a description of any oversight to support the
authorization of each such program or agency in the
current Congress; and
(E) recommendations for changes to existing law for
moving such programs or agencies from mandatory funding
to discretionary appropriations, where appropriate.
(d) Each such plan may include, with respect to the programs
and agencies within the committee's jurisdiction--
(A) recommendations for the consolidation or
termination of such programs or agencies that are
duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent with the
appropriate roles and responsibilities of the Federal
Government;
(B) recommendations for changes to existing law
related to Federal rules, regulations, statutes, and
court decisions affecting such programs and agencies
that are inconsistent with the authorities of the
Congress under Article I of the Constitution;
(C) a description of such other oversight
activities as the committee may consider necessary.
(e) In the development of such plan, the chair of each
committee shall coordinate with other committees of
jurisdiction to ensure that programs and agencies are subject
to routine, comprehensive authorization efforts.
(f) Oversight by Subcommittees.-- The existence and activities
of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations shall in no
way limit the responsibility of the other subcommittees of the
Committee for carrying out oversight or investigative duties.
(g) Pursuant to House rule XI clause 1(b), the Committee may
conduct at any time such investigations and studies as it
considers necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its
responsibilities under rule X. Prior to initiating an
investigation or study, the Chair shall, in consultation with
the Ranking Member, set forth the objectives and scope of the
investigation. Upon initiating an investigation or study, the
Chair shall inform members in writing of the objectives and
scope of the investigation or study. No changes to objectives
or scope shall be made unless the consultation and notice
requirements are met. All witness interviews--formal and
informal--conducted in connection with a report or study shall
be open to majority and minority staff.
RULE 8--BUDGET ACT RESPONSIBILITIES
(a) Budget Act Responsibilities.-- Pursuant to clause 4(f)(1)
of Rule X of the Rules of the House, the Committee shall submit
to the Committee on the Budget not later than six weeks after
submission of the budget by the President, or at such time as
the Committee on the Budget may request--
(1) Its views and estimates with respect to all
matters to be set forth in the concurrent resolution on
the budget for the ensuing fiscal year that are within
its jurisdiction or functions; and
(2) An estimate of the total amounts of new budget
authority, and budget outlays resulting therefrom, to
be provided or authorized in all bills and resolutions
within its jurisdiction that it intends to be effective
during that fiscal year.
RULE 9--RECORDS AND OTHER MATTERS
(a) Transcripts.-- There shall be a transcript made of each
meeting and hearing of the Committee. Any such transcript shall
be a substantially verbatim account of remarks actually made
during the proceedings, subject only to technical, grammatical,
and typographical corrections authorized by the person making
the remarks involved. These transcripts shall be maintained in
electronic format on a repository operated by the House Clerk.
(b) Records.-- (1) The Committee shall keep a record of all
Committee action. The record shall contain all information
required by clause 2(e)(1) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House
and shall be available for public inspection at reasonable
times in the offices of the Committee.
(2) There shall be kept in writing a record of the
proceedings of the Committee, including a record of the
votes on any question on which a record vote is taken.
The result of each such record vote shall be made
publicly available by the Committee in electronic form
within 2 days of such record vote. Information so
available shall include a description of the amendment,
motion, order, or other proposition, the name of each
member voting for and each member voting against such
amendment, motion, order, or proposition, and the names
of those members present but not voting.
(c) Availability of Archived Records.-- The records of the
Committee at the National Archives and Records Administration
shall be made available for public use in accordance with House
rule VII. The Chair shall notify the Ranking Minority Member of
any decision made by the Clerk of the House, pursuant to clause
4 of House rule VII, to withhold a record otherwise available,
and the matter shall be presented to the Committee for a vote
on written request of any member of the Committee.
(d) Availability of Amendments.-- Not later than 1 day after
the adoption of any amendment, or 2 days after the disposition
or withdrawal of any other amendment, to a measure or matter
considered by the Committee, the Chair shall cause the text of
each such amendment to be made publicly available in electronic
form on a repository operated by the House Clerk.
(e) Availability of Publications.-- Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4)
of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, the Committee shall make
its publications available in electronic form to the maximum
extent feasible.
RULE 10--TRAVEL
(a) Requirements for Travel.-- All requests for travel, funded
by the Committee, for members and staff in connection with
activities or subject matters under the general jurisdiction of
the Committee, shall be submitted to the Chair for approval or
disapproval. All travel requests should be submitted to the
Chair at least five working days in advance of the proposed
travel. For all travel funded by any other source, notice shall
be given to the Chair at least five working days in advance of
the proposed travel. All travel requests shall be submitted to
the Chair in writing and include--
(1) The purpose of the travel.
(2) The dates during which the travel is to occur.
(3) The names of the locations to be visited and
the length of time to be spent in each.
(4) The names of members and staff of the Committee
for whom the authorization is sought. Travel by the
minority shall be submitted to the Chair via the
Ranking Member.
(b) Trip Reports.-- Members and staff shall make a written
report to the Chair within 15 working days on all travel
approved under this subsection. Reports shall include a
description of their itinerary, expenses, and activities, and
pertinent information gained as a result of such travel.
When travel involves majority and minority members or staff,
the majority shall submit the report to the Chair on behalf of
the majority and minority. The minority may append additional
remarks to the report at their discretion.
(c) Applicability of House Rules.-- Members and staff of the
Committee performing authorized travel on official business
shall be governed by applicable laws, resolutions, and rules of
the House and of the Committee on House Administration.
RULE 11-- FACILITY OR PROPERTY NAMING
(a) Facility or property Naming.-- No Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) facility or property shall be named after any
individual by the Committee unless--
(1) Such individual is deceased and was--
(A) A veteran who (i) was instrumental in the
construction or the operation of the facility or
property to be named, or (ii) was a recipient of the
Medal of Honor or, as determined by the Chair and
Ranking Minority Member, otherwise performed military
service of an extraordinarily distinguished character;
(B) A member of the United States House of
Representatives or Senate who had a direct association
with such facility or property;
(C) An Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, a
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a Secretary of Defense
or of a service branch, or a military or other Federal
civilian official of comparable or higher rank; or
(D) An individual who, as determined by the Chair
and Ranking Minority Member, performed outstanding
service for veterans.
(2) Each member of the Congressional delegation
representing the State in which the designated facility
or property is located must indicate in writing such
member's support of the proposal to name such facility
or property after such individual. Evidence of a
member's support in writing must be in the form of a
letter to the Chair and Ranking Member proposing to
name the particular VA facility or property in
question.
(3) The pertinent State department or chapter of
each Congressionally chartered veterans' organization
having a national membership of at least 500,000 must
indicate in writing its support of such proposal. Under
certain circumstances, the Committee may grant a waiver
to accept written support from pertinent chapters or
posts of chartered veterans' organizations in lieu of
the State department.
(b) The above criteria for naming a VA facility or property may
be waived by unanimous consent.
RULE 12--MEDIA COVERAGE
(a) Media Coverage.-- Any meeting of the Committee that is open
to the public shall be open to coverage by radio, television,
and still photography in accordance with the provisions of
clause 4(f) of House rule XI as follows:
(1) If audio or visual coverage of the hearing or
meeting is to be presented to the public as live
coverage, that coverage shall be conducted and
presented without commercial sponsorship.
(2) The allocation among the television media of
the positions or the number of television cameras
permitted by a Committee Chair in a hearing or meeting
room shall be in accordance with fair and equitable
procedures devised by the Executive Committee of the
Radio and Television Correspondents' Galleries.
(3) Television cameras shall be placed so as not to
obstruct in any way the space between a witness giving
evidence or testimony and any member of the Committee
or the visibility of that witness and that member to
each other.
(4) Television cameras shall operate from fixed
positions but may not be placed in positions that
obstruct unnecessarily the coverage of the hearing or
meeting by the other media.
(5) Equipment necessary for coverage by the
television and radio media may not be installed in, or
removed from, the hearing or meeting room while the
Committee is in session.
(6)(A) Except as provided in subdivision (B),
floodlights, spotlights, strobe lights, and flashguns
may not be used in providing any method of coverage of
the hearing or meeting.
(B) The television media may install additional
lighting in a hearing or meeting room, without cost to
the Government, in order to raise the ambient lighting
level in a hearing or meeting room to the lowest level
necessary to provide adequate television coverage of a
hearing or meeting at the current state of the art of
television coverage.
(7) If requests are made by more of the media than
will be permitted by the Committee Chair for coverage
of a hearing or meeting by still photography, that
coverage shall be permitted on the basis of a fair and
equitable pool arrangement devised by the Standing
Committee of Press Photographers.
(8) Photographers may not position themselves
between the witness table and the members of the
Committee at any time during the course of a hearing or
meeting.
(9) Photographers may not place themselves in
positions that obstruct unnecessarily the coverage of
the hearing by the other media.
(10) Personnel providing coverage by the television
and radio media shall be currently accredited to the
Radio and Television Correspondents' Galleries.
(11) Personnel providing coverage by still
photography shall be currently accredited to the Press
Photographers' Gallery.
(12) Personnel providing coverage by the television
and radio media and by still photography shall conduct
themselves and their coverage activities in an orderly
and unobtrusive manner.
(13) Majority Committee staff shall be required to
notify the Minority Committee staff if a herein will be
streamed by an outside media outlet in addition to the
House Recording Studio.
(14) Personal providing coverage by the television
and radio media shall be currently accredited to the
Radio and Television Correspondents Galleries.
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