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72–283 2012

MARKUP OF H. RES. 496, THE COMMITTEE FUNDING RESOLUTION; COMMITTEE RESOLUTION 

112–9, STANDARDS FOR THE ELECTRONIC 

POSTING OF HOUSE AND COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS AND DATA; AND COMMITTEE RESOLUTION 112–10, MEMBERS’ CONGRESSIONAL 

HANDBOOK 

MEETING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

Held in Washington, DC, December 16, 2011 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 

Available on the Internet: 

www.fdsys.gov 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California, Chairman 

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi 

PHIL GINGREY, M.D., Georgia 

AARON SCHOCK, Illinois 

TODD ROKITA, Indiana 

RICHARD B. NUGENT, Florida 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania, 

Ranking Minority Member 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

PHILIP KIKO, Staff Director & General Counsel 

JAMIE FLEET, Minority Staff Director 


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MARKUP OF H. RES. 496, THE COMMITTEE 

FUNDING RESOLUTION; COMMITTEE RESOLUTION 112–9, STANDARDS FOR THE ELECTRONIC POSTING OF HOUSE AND COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS AND DATA; AND COMMITTEE RESOLUTION 112–10, MEMBERS’ 

CONGRESSIONAL HANDBOOK 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:40 a.m., in room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Daniel E. Lungren 

(chairman of the committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Lungren, Harper, Gingrey, Rokita, 

Nugent, Brady, and Gonzalez. 

Staff Present: Phil Kiko, Staff Director and General Counsel; 

Peter Schalestock, Deputy General Counsel; Kimani Little, Parliamentarian; Joe Wallace, Legislative Clerk; Yael Barash, Assistant 

Legislative Clerk; Salley Wood, Communications Director; Linda 

Ulrich, Director of Oversight; Dominic Storelli, Oversight Staff; Bob 

Sensenbrenner, Elections Counsel; Karin Moore, Elections Counsel; 

George Hadjiski, Director of Member Services; Richard Cappetto, 

Professional Staff; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director; Matt 

Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy Analyst; Matt Defreitas, Minority 

Professional Staff; and Greg Abbott, Minority Professional Staff. 

The CHAIRMAN. I now call to order the Committee on House Administration for today’s committee markup. A quorum is present, 

so we may proceed. 

Today we will consider two items—actually, three items. The 

first will be H. Res. 496, the House Committee Funding Resolution; 

secondly, a committee resolution on the new House-wide electronic 

posting standards; and, third, consideration of the revised Members’ Congressional Handbook. 

H. Res. 496 is a resolution authorizing committee funding levels 

for the second session of the 112th Congress. Last month, this committee held a full-day hearing at which we heard from nearly every 

chair and ranking member. As some may recall, with the agreement of Mr. Brady when he was chairman, we started a process by 

which committee chairmen and ranking members appeared before 

our committee on an annual basis to talk about their budgets, rather than just once every 2 years. 


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During the hearing that we had this year, we discussed how each 

committee absorbed the 5 percent budget reduction implemented at 

the beginning of the 112th Congress and how, as we continue to 

reduce government spending, they will manage additional reductions for this next year. Listening to the 19 House committees that 

testified provided important insight into their needs in serving this 

institution and in its role of oversight. 

As I have mentioned before, as chairman of the Committee on 

House Administration, I certainly understand the challenges of 

stretching committee resources. However, as the representative of 

California’s Third District, where constituents are continuing to 

struggle to make ends meet, where we have a 12.4 percent unemployment rate, I appreciate every committee’s willingness to do 

more with less. 

This resolution, matching authorization levels with the reduced 

funding levels, required us to make extremely difficult decisions. 

Most committees will be faced with tremendous oversight responsibilities in the year 2012. Particularly daunting will be Armed 

Services’ charge of managing the automatic sequestration of $600 

billion in defense funding triggered by the Budget Control Act superimposed over the already-existing cuts that were mandated by 

previous votes. 

In addition to Armed Services, the Ethics Committee, tasked 

with the thankless job, I would say, of holding Members and staff 

to the highest ethical standards, has requested, and will receive 

under this resolution, a reprieve from authorization reductions. 

To offset these exceptions, we have identified and reduced the 

authorization of budget committees that we feel are able, even 

though it is difficult, to absorb a slightly larger reduction in 2012. 

In addition to ourselves, that is the Committee on House Administration; the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; and the 

Committee on Small Business, who will receive slightly higher reductions than the 6.4 percent cut applied to the remaining House 

committees. Provided that their needs may change throughout the 

year, we can always consider future funding resolutions. 

Again, this process did require difficult decisions, and I want to 

thank each member of the committee for their cooperation and 

each of the committees for their cooperation. 

Our second item for consideration is the committee resolution on 

House-wide electronic posting standards that will vastly improve 

public access to House and committee documents. 

Effective January 1, 2012, these standards require the Clerk of 

the House to establish and maintain a centralized Web site where 

the public can access all House bills, amendments, and resolutions 

for floor consideration in XML, an open, searchable format. These 

standards also instruct the Clerk to establish additional 

functionality on the centralized site to support committee documents posted in XML. 

With the adoption of these standards, for the first time the public 

will have easy access to searchable information on pending and 

adopted legislation. It is our hope that this enhanced access will increase constituent feedback on legislative initiatives and ultimately 

improve the legislative process. 


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We would certainly like to thank the Clerk of the House and 

each committee for their assistance and cooperation throughout 

this process. And I look forward to identifying ways to further increase transparency. 

And then the third matter that we will bring up is the Members’ 

Congressional Handbook. This has been a project of some duration, 

in which we have received active participation by the minority side. 

We have incorporated a number of their suggestions in the changes 

that have been made in the handbook. We think we make it much 

more understandable to Members. There is greater specificity. It is 

consistent with the statutes and House rules. It updates all references to those, the offices and phone numbers. 

Substantive changes: We didn’t think the franking regulation 

should be in the handbook, that it ought to be in a separate handbook. The town hall section has been updated to reflect technological changes. The Web site section has been updated to reflect 

technological changes. To make it very specific so that Members 

know, food is permitted for two legislative planning sessions for 

Members’ offices. The security portion has been rewritten in light 

of the new security concerns. Representational programs have been 

identified and added. 

We clear up the question about whether Members or their staff, 

under extraordinary circumstances, like a bad snowstorm that 

would not allow people to return to their residences in this area, 

whether those kinds of costs could be reimbursed. Under extraordinary circumstances, that would be allowed with written authorization from the committee. And then we specifically identify the 

categories where advance payments can be made, payments from 

one year to the next. 

We think these are all good changes that will allow easier understanding of what the rules are, allow Members to ensure that they 

abide by the rules, and to give direction both to committees and 

staff when future questions come up. 

And so I would like to thank my colleagues for being here today. 

And I would now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Brady, for 

any opening statement he may wish to give. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I oppose this unprecedented committee defunding 

resolution, which will reduce committee budgets by an average of 

6.4 percent during the second session. The cut comes 9 months 

after committees had already received their budgets for the entire 

112th Congress in House Resolution 147, following the 5 percent 

cut in total House fundings. 

As we heard testimony during our recent follow-up on oversight 

hearings, additional sudden budget cuts undermine the House’s 

basic legislative and oversight functions. We should listen to the 

testimony from our colleagues where many of them said they cannot afford these cuts. 

We should also recognize that the original 5 percent cut was sufficient. Staff now will have to be dismissed on some committees, if 

this resolution passes, without any rationale or notice. And the 

Democratic minority will bear the brunt of this cut. As you know, 

when you took over control of the House, you now have two-thirds 

of all the committee staff and we went from two-thirds down to 


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one-third. We had to make our cuts, and that is the way it works, 

and we understand that. But now they will have to take another 

additional cut after a cut before. 

And that is why I am going to offer an amendment. I am just 

hoping that some of our committees can be resourceful enough to 

try to make do with these cuts without having to lay off any additional staff. It is not their fault. I think and I am sure that you 

agree with me and everybody else here agrees that we have great 

staff here. I know I could not function without my staff. 

And we do have a barebones staff now. I do recognize and understand the fact that—it is not underestimated that we have to do 

some kind of cutting somewhere. We have already shown that. And 

I just hope that we don’t do it to the detriment of how we can function in this House. 

So, Mr. Chairman, with that, I urge my colleagues to defeat this 

resolution. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for his comments, although I may disagree with him. 

And I do just want to say for the record that the ranking member 

has been very open about his positions on this but also very cooperative in tough decisions that we have had to make. 

All Members are reminded that they have an opportunity to put 

a statement in the record, if they wish. 

The CHAIRMAN. And I would now call up and lay before the committee House Resolution 496 to adjust the amount provided for the 

expenses of certain committees. 

Without objection, the bill will be considered as read and open 

for amendment at any point. 

[The bill follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to the resolution? 

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Chairman? 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes? 

Mr. BRADY. I would like to offer an amendment to the resolution. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for that. 

Mr. BRADY. I would like to offer an amendment to provide the 

opportunity for committee staff to receive their salaries for up to 

60 days if they are dismissed as a result of passage of this resolution. 

This is a common practice in the private sector and a lot of 

other—and all sectors of people that, when they do get laid off, especially at city, State, Federal, that they do provide this. 

The amendment is a modified version of House Resolution 1104, 

brought to the floor at the end of the 109th Congress by our former 

chairman, Vern Ehlers. 

The CHAIRMAN. If the gentleman will yield for just—— 

Mr. BRADY. Sure. 

The CHAIRMAN [continuing]. A moment, without objection, the 

amendment will be considered as read. 

[The amendment by Mr. Brady follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. And the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes 

to speak on behalf of it. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. 

Unfortunately, it was withdrawn prior to a final vote. That resolution, unlike this one, also included transition funding for departing leadership staff. 

Again, not to reiterate, but I just feel badly for the people that 

do work—and all of them work extremely hard. I love when they 

pull my BlackBerry up and they tell us our schedule and they put 

the question mark behind when we are going to be leaving here. 

And, as you all know, our staff stay right with us. They don’t get 

any overtime, they don’t get any compensation time. And if we 

could just give them a little something to give them a little bit of 

time, because this is coming on them quickly too. 

And, hopefully, it doesn’t have to happen. Hopefully, we can be 

creative through our committees and the rest of the committees can 

be creative, where we don’t have to hurt the little people and the 

people that are here supporting us 24–7. 

So, with that, Mr. Chairman, I just appreciate you taking my 

amendment and ask for its adoption. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

Are there other Members who wish to speak to the amendment? 

Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Chairman? 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Texas. 

Mr. GONZALEZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

I, of course, would be supportive of the amendment. 

This is not a new idea, and it actually has been argued from 

Members on the other side of the aisle. We all recall 2006 and the 

debate then, and it was appropriate. Taking into consideration that 

individuals will be losing their jobs as a result of more austere 

times, our belt-tightening on the Hill, which is the appropriate 

thing to do, but, still, this is a hardship that is going to befall many 

families at a more difficult time than when this was debated previously, let’s say in 2006, when the Democrats took the House and 

we knew that there would be a reduction of staff members on the 

Republican side. But I think the same rule would apply and the 

same consideration as to the families that are going to be impacted. 

It is a more difficult time today. All of us have to acknowledge 

the difference between 2006, even though we were on the road to 

the recession, no doubt, but the full impact of it has been felt. And 

not to make things harder or more dire for those that may not be 

employed on the Hill anymore or in the committees and the wonderful work they provide us, it is going to be a tough job market. 

We all know that. 

So that a severance package, which, obviously, is commonly an 

industry standard in the private sector, shouldn’t be something so 

foreign to us, when we think in terms of fairness, when individuals 

lose jobs through no fault of their own, not as a result of underperformance, but actually they are valued members of what we try 

to do up here. And if we are going to do any budget cutting, I think 

we have to do it in a fair and equitable manner. 

So I am glad that Mr. Brady is introducing the amendment, and 

I am hoping that we can act accordingly and in a fair fashion. 

And I would yield back. 


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The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for his comments. 

I might just recognize myself to oppose this amendment. I do not 

do that with any great joy. We are in very difficult times. Individual Members, in terms of the impact of the cutbacks in our own 

offices, have had to make some very, very difficult decisions. In my 

own office, I am down two of my staffers as a direct result of the 

budget constraints that we have had to impose. 

While a couple of chairmen said they might have to lay off, most 

indicated—chairmen or ranking members—most indicated that 

they would do everything they could to ensure that that did not 

occur. 

And this is different than the times when there is a change in 

leadership from one party to the other. And I know we have had 

attempts to try and have severance packages in those particular 

circumstances. Frankly, we just don’t have the money to do that at 

this time. 

And so I would reluctantly oppose the gentleman’s amendment. 

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman? 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Georgia. 

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I know that this amendment, as I 

read through it and listened to Mr. Brady and Mr. Gonzalez, is 

coming from the heart and an act of compassion on their part, and 

I commend them for that. 

And, you know, we could quibble, you know, about the number 

of days that a person had been employed during the year and 

whether it was continuous or not continuous service and all that. 

But I, too, while initially I felt that I would support this amendment, I am going to be opposed to it because of two points. 

And the chairman addressed maybe at least one of those points, 

in regard to if we made this a part of the resolution, then it would 

be an entitlement that would have to be done. And we would have 

to get budget authority and appropriations to do that. 

And it is within the prerogative of each and every committee to 

decide in their own budget, even though I know the budgets are 

getting skimpier and skimpier and more difficult to find the resources to give severance pay, whether one committee does it for 

a month, another committee does it for 2 months, and they set the 

parameters upon which a severed employee would be eligible for 

that pay, if any. 

I think that is really what goes on in the private sector, as well. 

Mr. Brady referenced, you know, the private sector, and that is absolutely true. But there are many companies that, you know, you 

get 2 weeks’ notice that your job is going to be eliminated and you 

get paid up to the last day you work, and that is it. Others are 

more generous, if they can afford to be. 

So I understand where Mr. Brady is coming from in regard to the 

amendment, but for those reasons I will also oppose it. 

The CHAIRMAN. If there is no further discussion, I will call a 

vote. 

All those in favor of the amendment offered by the ranking member, say, ‘‘aye.’’ 

And those opposed, ‘‘nay.’’ 

In the opinion of the chair, the nays have it. 

Are there any other amendments? 


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If not, I move that the committee favorably report House Resolution 496 to the House. 

And the question is on the motion. 

All those in favor, signify by saying, ‘‘aye.’’ 

And those opposed, ‘‘no.’’ 

In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the motion is 

agreed to. 

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Chairman? 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes? 

Mr. BRADY. Could I announce that the minority requests 2 additional calendar days, provided by Clause 2 of Rule XI of the rules 

of the House, to file views. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is 

laid on the table. 

Pursuant to Clause 2 of Rule XI, Members are entitled to 2 additional calendar days to file such views in writing and signed by the 

Member with the clerk of the committee. 

I ask unanimous consent the staff be authorized to make any 

necessary technical and conforming changes to the measure that 

the committee just considered. 

Without objection, it is so ordered. 

I now call up and lay before the committee Committee Resolution 

112–9 to adopt online posting standards. 

Without objection, the resolution will be considered as read and 

open for amendment at any point. 

[The resolution follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to the resolution? 

If not, I move that the committee adopt the resolution. The question is on the motion. 

All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying, ‘‘aye.’’ 

All opposed, signify by saying, ‘‘nay.’’ 

In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the motion is 

agreed to. 

Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. 

I ask unanimous consent that the staff be authorized to make 

any necessary technical and conforming changes to the measure 

that the committee just considered. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

The last matter that we have would be for us to consider a committee resolution to adopt a revised version of the Members’ Congressional Handbook. This version, which has been made available 

to the members of the committee, is the one before us. 

[The handbook follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. The last time the committee overhauled this document was over a decade ago. Our offices have worked extensively 

on a bipartisan basis this year, reaching out to Members and staff, 

to determine the best changes and necessary updates. I am pleased 

to say that we now have a finished product that provides greater 

clarity and reflects technical advances, such as Members’ ever-increasing Web presence, encompassing everything from official Web 

sites to tele-town halls. 

I appreciate the ranking member’s support in pursuing this bipartisan effort to provide clear, up-to-date regulations for the use 

of our Members through their Members’ representational allowances. 

And I would ask unanimous consent that the consideration of the 

committee resolution to adopt the Members’ Congressional Handbook be added to the agenda for today’s markup. 

And, without objection, it is so ordered. 

So I would call up and lay before the committee the Committee 

Resolution 112–10 to adopt the Members’ Congressional Handbook. 

Without objection, the resolution will be considered as read and 

open for amendment at any point. 

[The resolution follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. Well, before I do that, I just might ask if the 

ranking member has any comments on this. 

Mr. BRADY. Just, Mr. Chairman, I am very appreciative of the 

majority’s consideration of the minority’s suggestions and the effort 

to include my staff throughout this process. And I thank you and 

thank your staff. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for his comments. 

Are there any amendments to the resolution? 

If not, I move the committee adopt the resolution. 

The question is on the motion. 

All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying, ‘‘aye.’’ 

All opposed, ‘‘nay.’’ 

In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the motion is 

agreed to. 

Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. 

I want to thank all the Members for their attendance, for their 

cooperation, and for their work on this. Also, your staffs have been 

very, very helpful. They have been directly involved in this, and 

without their help we couldn’t have gotten it done. We are getting 

it done under the wire. 

I think my hope is that I might be able to bring it to the floor 

later, if we worked it out for a UC on the Members’ Handbook. We 

would not be able to do that if we hadn’t been able to get this done 

at this moment. 

So I thank everybody here, and Merry Christmas. 

[Whereupon, at 11:05 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] 


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