[United States Senate Manual, 110th Congress] [S. Doc. 110-1] [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-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\As amended, S. Res. 459, 100-2, Sept. 14, 1988. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 transmittted 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \2\As amended, S. Res. 431, 100-2, June 7, 1988. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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?''. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.]