COMMITTEE RESOLUTION AMENDING 

COMMITTEE REGULATIONS TO PERMIT 

OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED COMPETITIONS 

BUSINESS MEETING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

COMMITTEE RESOLUTION AMENDING 

COMMITTEE REGULATIONS TO PERMIT 

OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED COMPETITIONS 

OCTOBER 27, 2015 

( 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

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COMMITTEE RESOLUTION AMENDING COMMITTEE REGULATIONS TO 

PERMIT OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED COMPETITIONS 

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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

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97–427 2015

COMMITTEE RESOLUTION AMENDING 

COMMITTEE REGULATIONS TO PERMIT 

OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED COMPETITIONS 

BUSINESS MEETING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

OCTOBER 27, 2015 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 

Available on the Internet: 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/administration/index.html 

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(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Chairman 

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi 

RICHARD NUGENT, Florida 

RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois 

BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia 

MARK WALKER, North Carolina 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

Ranking Minority Member 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

SEAN MORAN, Staff Director 

JAMIE FLEET, Minority Staff Director 

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(1) 

COMMITTEE RESOLUTION AMENDING COMMITTEE REGULATIONS TO PERMIT OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED COMPETITIONS 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:01 a.m., in Room 

1310, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller 

[chairman of the Committee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Nugent, Davis, Comstock, Walker, and Vargas. 

Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; John Clocker, Deputy 

Staff Director; Bob Sensenbrenner, Deputy General Counsel; Cole 

Felder, Counsel; Nick Hawatmeh, Counsel; John L. Dickhaus, Legislative Clerk; Erin McCracken, Communications Director; Jamie 

Fleet, Minority Staff Director; Matt Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy 

Advisor; Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director/Director of 

Legislative Operations; Mike Harrison, Minority Chief Counsel; 

and Eddie Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk. 

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

so we may proceed. The meeting record will remain open for 5 legislative days so that members might submit any materials that 

they wish to be included herein. 

The resolution before the Committee today is to authorize officially-sanctioned academic competitions aimed at students in each 

Members’ congressional district. This resolution would modify the 

Members’ Congressional Handbook to permit offices, in conjunction 

with other organizations, to conduct academic or civic competitions 

similar to the art competition. More specifically, the resolution 

would also allow offices to use specific official congressional resources to assist those competitions. 

Having just concluded my office’s official annual art competition, 

which included hundreds of high school students from across my 

district, I can certainly attest to the value of these academic competitions. 

First, these competitions give Members of Congress an opportunity to highlight the achievements and talents of young students 

in their districts. Every year, I am absolutely amazed by the artwork created by the students in my district and so many others, 

and I look forward to seeing each year’s artwork display in the 

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Cannon tunnel. It is certainly a great testament to the talent and 

diversity of young artists in this country. 

As well, the Congressional app competition, which just started 

last year, brought in a wide array of submissions that demonstrated a high level of skill as well as promise for participating 

students seeking careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields—which are in high demand and very 

important to today’s global economy. Equally important is the inspiration these types of academic challenges provide young men 

and women our future leaders. 

Whether it is art or science or technology, these competitions are 

beneficial for students and help spark an interest in various fields 

that help them with their own professional development. They also 

facilitate greater community engagement, pulling the academic 

community together with parents and professionals, who together 

help students hone their talents and realize their full potential. 

These are great competitions that I know so many Members are 

proud to host. 

As I mentioned, the resolution the Committee is considering 

today will help facilitate the continuation and expansion of these 

competitions by allowing Member offices, in conjunction with other 

organizations, to use their resources to host them in their districts. 

With that, I would recognize Mr. Vargas, who is here for our 

ranking member this morning, if he has any opening statement. 

Mr. VARGAS. I do. And thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman. Thank you, again, for considering this Committee resolution and for holding this markup this morning. I am filling in for 

our ranking member, who was unavoidably detained. So I ask 

unanimous consent to have his statement entered into the record. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

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Mr. VARGAS. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

I urge the Committee to adopt this resolution. After last year’s 

inaugural STEM competition, we decided that we wanted to make 

changes to improve the contest, making it more meaningful for the 

contestants and enabling more Members’ offices to participate. In 

approving these regulations, we have done just that. Because of 

this work, this year’s competition is poised to even be better, as we 

have included provisions allowing for technical support and advice 

that might otherwise be unavailable to some Members. 

We have worked with the Ethics Committee to make the rules 

around officially-sanctioned competitions compliant with all rules of 

the House. This work will create a path forward for others who 

have similar ideas about how to engage constituents. 

Madam Chairman, I would like to thank you and your staff for 

your hard work on this, and I urge adoption of the resolution. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

Are there any other members of the Committee that wish to be 

recognized for a statement? 

Therefore, I will now call before the Committee our first agenda 

item, Committee Resolution 114, which is the Committee resolution 

amending the Committee’s regulations to permit officially-sanctioned competitions. 

Without objection, the first reading of the resolution is dispensed 

with and the resolution is considered read and open for amendment 

at any point. 

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The CHAIRMAN. This resolution, as we have discussed, would 

modify the Members’ Congressional Handbook to permit offices, in 

conjunction with other organizations, to conduct academic or civic 

competitions similar to the art competition. 

Mr. Vargas, do you have any comment on the resolution? 

Mr. VARGAS. I do not. 

The CHAIRMAN. Any other member? 

Then I would move that the Committee adopt the Committee resolution. And the question is on the motion to adopt the resolution. 

I would ask all the members who are in favor of the motion, signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, say nay. 

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

The motion is agreed to. 

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

I would also ask unanimous consent to enter into the record an 

advisory opinion that Mr. Brady and I have received from the Committee on Ethics concerning these regulations. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

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The CHAIRMAN. And I would ask unanimous consent as well that 

the staff be authorized to make technical and conforming changes 

to the measure the Committee just considered and to make other 

modifications with the concurrence of the ranking minority member 

of the Committee and notification to all members of the Committee. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

Any other comments from any members? If not, this concludes 

the fastest markup in this Committee’s history, I think. 

Without objection, the meeting is adjourned. Thank you. And 

thank you all for coming. 

[Whereupon, at 11:06 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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