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35–577 2007

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING 

MEETING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

MEETING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 16, 2007 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

JUANITA MILLENDER-MCDONALD, California, Chairwoman 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts 

CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas 

SUSAN DAVIS, California 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

Ranking Minority Member 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

KEVIN MCCARTHY, California 

Vacant, Staff Director 

WILL PLASTER, Minority Staff Director 


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ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, D.C. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Juanita MillenderMcDonald (chairwoman of the committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Millender-McDonald, Lofgren, Gonzalez, Ehlers, Lungren, McCarthy and Davis. 

Staff Present: Charles Howell, Chief Counsel; Matt Pinkus, Parliamentarian; Kristin McCowan, Legislative Clerk; Sterling 

Spriggs, Technology Director; Ellen McCarthy, Professional Staff; 

Fred Hay, Minority General Counsel; Paul Vinovich, Minority 

Counsel; and Bryan Dorsey, Minority Professional Staff. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Good morning. It is indeed a pleasure to see 

all of you here this morning as we organize the Committee on 

House Administration for the 110th Congress. I would like to first 

welcome back those members who were here, the current members. 

And so happy to see the Ranking Member as well as all of the 

other members who have come back. 

I would like to welcome the new members who are here. It is indeed a pleasure to see all of you, and I just know we are going to 

work well this year in Congress, and we will have a delightful time 

as much as possible. But it is indeed a pleasure to see all of you 

here this morning. 

Just coming off of the flu, I might be a little hoarse, but all and 

all, I think I will be fine. 

I would like to have a few remarks from our Ranking Member. 

And it is good to see you, Mr. Ehlers, a few remarks from you? 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a fairly lengthy 

opening statement if this is the appropriate time for it. But if you 

wish—— 

The CHAIRWOMAN. I will give you as much time as you want to 

consume on that. 

Mr. EHLERS. I thank you very much. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. But the other members will not have that 

privilege. 

Mr. EHLERS. I suspect they do not care to use it either. 

This is the case of the old man turning things over to the younger woman and saying, this would be nice, this would be what I 

would like to have done had I been here. 


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I certainly want to thank my colleague from California, Ms. 

Millender-McDonald, for her remarks, and I congratulate her on 

her new position as Chair of this committee. 

That is a remarkable change for the Congress, along with many 

other remarkable changes that we have, and I am pleased that 

your staff was kind enough to give you a brand new gavel to celebrate this occasion. I suspect you are the first woman to occupy the 

chairmanship of this committee, and that is another first for our 

Congress. 

For many years we have enjoyed a harmonious professional and 

personal relationship, and our warm personal friendship should 

continue, despite our differing views on some issues. Although our 

roles are now reversed, I welcome the opportunity to continue to 

work with you in the same spirit of cooperation and partnership 

that has characterized our time as the senior members of our respective parties on this committee. 

I would also like to welcome the newest Republican members of 

this committee who both, coincidentally, also hail from the State of 

California, as does our chairwoman and of course other members 

of the committee. That is clearly an attempt by the State of California to take over this committee. Even though we are split on 

partisan lines, I would like to assure the Californians, if they try 

to take advantage of us midwesterners, you have got a battle on 

your hands. 

As a former attorney general of California with a keen interest 

in national security, Congressman Dan Lungren’s experience will 

serve this committee well, given our oversight of the Capitol Police 

and emergency protocols covering the House side of the Capitol 

complex. 

Welcome, Congressman Lungren. 

Also with us is Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who, although he 

is a freshman, is no stranger to the workings of the Committee on 

House Administration, having been a senior aide to former Chairman Bill Thomas. He was elected upon Representative Thomas’s 

retirement to serve the same district represented by his former 

boss. 

Welcome, Congressman McCarthy. 

I know that each of my esteemed Republican colleagues have 

looked forward to this day with some anticipation so that they may 

begin to delve into the many issues under this committee’s purview. I am certain that they will have that opportunity, and I am 

extremely pleased that they are each here today as members of this 

committee. 

Before we adopt the rules for the remainder of the 110th Congress, I will hope you will indulge me to reflect a bit on the 

progress we have made in the past years and the challenges that 

still lay ahead of us as we embark upon a new term. 

Over the last 12 years, we have seen a great deal of change in 

the operations of this institution and, for that matter, this committee. After the Republicans assumed the majority in 1994, we 

knew we had a number of challenges and opportunities before us 

to make the House the professionally run place we knew it could 

be and, fortunately, has become. 


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First, we faced the daunting task of overhauling the House financial systems and processes. When I look back and see that we came 

from an institution whose books were so poorly kept as to be unusable to outside auditors in 1994 when the Republicans took over 

the House, to an organization which has now received its eighth 

consecutive clean financial opinion, I feel an enormous sense of 

pride at what we were able to accomplish. With their return to the 

majority, Democrats now also assume the responsibility of ensuring 

that this institution will continue to maintain that high level of financial stewardship. 

I am certain that you will do that, Madam Chair. I will be 

pleased to offer my assistance and cooperation in any way that I 

can to make certain that happens. 

Another area of focus of this committee has been ensuring that 

our technology infrastructure is in place to enhance productivity for 

Members and staff in the House. In 1995, as chairman of the 

House Computer and Information Services Working Group, I championed the Cyber Congress Plan, commonly referred to as the 

Boonstra report. I put an immense amount of effort into that program, and as a result, we created a new standardized e-mail platform that would replace the 11 separate e-mail systems that were 

then used across the House. 

As challenging a task as it was, today we reap the benefits of 

being on a common e-mail platform as well as other uniform software choices and a unified system that allows for enhanced collaboration and improved technical support. 

That does not mean that we have done enough. In September of 

last year, we held a hearing on a new IT assessment compiled by 

the Congressional Management Foundation and Gartner Consulting which was the product of extensive research with key 

House stakeholders, including detailed interviews with 128 Members, managers and staff throughout the House and the legislative 

branch. 

Reviewing the ‘‘To-Be Visions’’ in their report was an important 

step in implementing a strategic technology plan for the next decade of technology improvements in the House. It is my sincere hope 

that we will be able to build upon those efforts and continue to 

make progress on furthering the use of technology for the betterment of this institution. 

This is the most important piece of unfinished business facing 

this committee. And Madam Chair, just adding a personal note, I 

spent a good deal of my life trying to build the system that we 

have. It was indeed very complex to network 11,000 computers and 

get them all working together to serve the Members well. I am not 

saying that in terms of bragging about what I have done, but just 

that it has been so important to make the institution function well. 

I designed the system so that I would be basically out of it—I 

would not get accolades for what I have done—because I wanted 

it to work so well that it would be seamless and work readily. 

I think that is a very important thing. Technology changes so 

fast. We have not really improved it in 10 years. I believe it is very 

important that we pursue this effort. I also appreciate that we have 

some computer experts on this panel, particularly Ms. Lofgren, who 


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represents Silicon Valley. Ms. Lofgren is certainly going to be an 

asset in any attempts which we make here. 

With the change in leadership that occurred in this Congress, 

new subcommittees are also being formed for this committee on 

elections and Capitol security. I commend you for that. I often wondered whether we should do that last year. 

The Subcommittee on Elections will focus on election reform. We 

also know this committee was instrumental in passing the Help 

America Vote Act in 2002. This historic legislation and the $3 billion in Federal assistance that have been appropriated pursuant to 

it, without question, has improved our election process in this country. 

I know the Chairwoman has written to the Appropriations Com- mittee to express her support for an additional $800 million appropriation for HAVA. I do not object to eventually expending this 

money, but our concern is that already pending before this committee are a number of bills that seek to amend HAVA. I would 

hate to see additional moneys go out now only to see them being 

used for the purpose of equipment that would still be inadequate. 

If we are going to improve these requirements, we should first develop the new standards necessary to implement them before we 

spend more money. 

To be specific, it is worth noting that problems people experienced with paper-based voting machines led many jurisdictions to 

use their HAVA money to buy electronic systems. Now, concerns 

about the security of the electronic systems have caused many to 

call for a return to paper. 

I think we need to take a deep breath and think carefully about 

what systems we need before spending hundreds of millions more 

of the taxpayers’ money. I hope the Subcommittee on Elections will 

allow for the careful attention and thoughtful consideration these 

issues require. 

In addition to the work of the subcommittee, I hope the full committee will remain engaged in these issues as well. HAVA was considered and written in a bipartisan fashion and ultimately passed 

with strong support on both sides of the aisle. If we are going to 

amend it, I hope the process will be handled in the same bipartisan 

fashion that led to HAVA’s passage in the 107th Congress. 

Another subcommittee will focus on security, particularly the 

protection of the Capitol complex and those who work in and visit 

the House each day, including the new Capitol Visitors Center. In 

the past several years, this committee has worked to standardize 

emergency communications protocols and has remained engaged in 

overall crisis preparedness activities. I expect that the full committee will continue these oversight activities, with the Subcommittee on Capitol Security providing more in-depth analysis. 

In view of my earlier comments about new technology and computer systems needed in the House, I also ask the Chair to consider 

the formation of a technology subcommittee. This is one of the biggest expenditures of the House, following only salaries, benefits 

and maintenance, and it deserves more attention. 

Finally, I would like to say that each of us on this committee, 

regardless of party, wants to see this institution and all agencies 

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gress and beyond that time. Madam Chairwoman, I know you will 

agree with me when I say that the ties that bind us are far greater 

than the divisions that separate us. It is with that spirit in mind 

that we will each approach the legislative and oversight matters 

before this committee. I thank you for this time, and I yield back. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Indeed, I thank you so much, Mr. Ranking 

Member. You should be given the accolades that you deserve on all 

of the accomplishments that you made in the 109th Congress. It 

was a joy serving with you as Ranking Member. I will now enjoy 

serving with you as the Ranking Member. I thank you so much. I 

know your technological background, and I certainly hope that you 

help us in making sure that this House becomes even more efficient in that manner. 

California is not trying to take over. California has taken over. 

No, no, no, we do graciously accept those who want to come into 

California’s den. 

Let me just say, thank you very much for introducing both our 

former Lieutenant Governor and the newly elected gentleman from 

California, Mr. McCarthy. It is indeed a pleasure to have both of 

you here. I would like to just introduce the current member who 

comes back to us. She is not a stranger here. She served admirably 

during the impeachment and was one of the main attorneys in the 

forefront of that: Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, an attorney in her 

own right and also a technological expert. 

It is indeed a pleasure to have you back, Congresswoman 

Lofgren. 

We have with us Congresswoman Susan Davis, one of our new 

additions. She is a former educator and director of a Mentor for 

Youth program. She was the chair of the San Diego League of 

Women Voters. It is so great to have you here. 

We also have Congressman Charlie Gonzalez. I kid with him 

often because, when I was in the State legislature, I would prepare 

to go to the State House and look at his absolutely outstanding and 

extraordinary father, Congressman Henry Gonzalez. And when he 

came to Congress, I told him that he had really big shoes to fill. 

But, you know, Charlie Gonzalez has come, and he has exceeded 

filling those shoes. He is a former judge and, of course, an attorney. 

And so we are so pleased to have you here, too, as an addition. 

All of you who are new here, we are very pleased to have you 

here because you will bring your talent and the great spirit that 

we have already seen displayed by the former chair of this committee. 

I would like to stop to say that when I gaveled myself this morning, I should have said to you that this outstanding gavel was 

given to me by this outstanding majority staff. And they have written on the card: With a grand and graceful gesture to the Chairwoman. 

I think this is so great. So extraordinary. I thank you so much. 

I am just going to gavel again. This is really great. 

Now, we will proceed with the three resolutions that we have 

here. I have observed that there are seven members here, so we do 

have a quorum, and we can proceed. 

I would like to announce, pursuant to the House rules, that we 

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vania, Representative Bob Brady, to be the Vice Chair of the Committee for the 110th Congress. Mr. Brady is still snowed in and 

snowed under in Pennsylvania, but he will do well in that position. 

The first item of business will be the adoption of the Rules of the 

Committee on House Administration for the 110th Congress. Copies are in the members’ packets. The rules are very similar to the 

rules we used for the Committee in the 109th Congress which 

served as a starting point for these rules. 

Those are number 1 in your packet or however, Mr. Ranking 

Member, you set yours up. If there are no objections, we will dispense with the reading of the Committee Resolution 1 and begin 

discussion. 

[The information follows:] 


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The CHAIRWOMAN. I will note that the only significant change in 

the rules is the creation, as the Ranking Member has outlined, of 

the two subcommittees. The subcommittees allow extra focus on 

very important areas and expand the opportunity for committee 

members to be exposed to and influenced by policy formation and 

conduct oversight. 

Now, we are a small committee. So for the 110th Congress, we 

are proposing two subcommittees, each will be active during the 

entire Congress. The subcommittees are named Capitol Security, 

and Elections. 

It is important that we recognize the safety and security of the 

Capitol. Over the last two congresses, we have had to evacuate at 

a moment’s notice, and we have seen that there have been some 

impediments to getting our disabled Members out as quickly as we 

could. This is one reason why we have established this subcommittee, so that we can look into Capitol security, not only for 

the Members but for our guests and all others who will be in the 

Capitol at the time that we have to evacuate. 

The other subcommittee is the Subcommittee on Elections. I 

think all of us recognize that there is a need to review election law 

and look at the various election machines that are being used 

throughout the country. The one thing that we must remember, we 

must have election integrity at all times. The voters of this country 

must feel that when they vote, their vote is counted and they feel 

good about voting. 

If there is no discussion on the resolution of the adoption of the 

Rules, Mr. Ranking Member? 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. 

I have no objection to the rules. As I said earlier, I commend you 

for the creation of the subcommittees. I think these particular 

areas were badly needed. I would urge you to consider also a subcommittee on technology. The two you named are ones we probably 

want forever. The technology one could be a shorter one of 2 years, 

perhaps. I appreciate that. 

I also want to commend your staff for working with us. We had 

some concerns about parts of the rules. We were able to work out 

very harmoniously an agreement on them. So it is my pleasure to 

say that we are quite willing to support the current rules as you 

have presented them to us. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Thank you so much, Mr. Ranking Member. 

I did hear that there were some, but they were not significant, 

if you will. 

Mr. EHLERS. No. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. We thank you for working with the staff to 

get that. 

If there are no other concerns or thoughts or comments, then the 

question is on the adoption of the committee rules. 

All those in favor signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, no. 

The rules are adopted, and the motion to reconsider is laid on the 

table. 

The Chair will have the committee rules printed in the Congressional Record as required by the House. 


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The second item of business is electing members to subcommittees. I offer for consideration Resolution Number 2 that is in your 

binder for electing the members to the two subcommittees. 

[The information follows:] 


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The CHAIRWOMAN. I have been told that the names have been 

given now for the Republican members, and I will just read those 

off. 

The Subcommittee on Capitol Security: Robert Brady is the 

Chair. Michael Capuano and Daniel Lungren are the two members 

on that committee. 

The Subcommittee on Elections: Zoe Lofgren is the Chair, Charlie Gonzalez, Susan Davis, Kevin McCarthy, Vern Ehlers and yours 

truly are on that subcommittee. 

Are there any comments on the establishment of those two subcommittees? 

Mr. EHLERS. I am pleased to move the approval of the resolution. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Thank you so much. 

All those in favor signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, no. 

The ayes have it, and Resolution Number 2 electing the two subcommittees is in order. 

The third resolution that we have here is the Oversight Plan, 

Resolution Number 3. 

This is the last item on the agenda as required by House Rules 

X. The plan is in the members’ packet, and without objection, the 

reading will be dispensed with. 

[The information follows:] 


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The CHAIRWOMAN. The Oversight Plan consists of matters within 

the standing jurisdiction of the committee with additional emphasis 

on subjects to which we may devote special attention either 

through oversight or legislation. It is, in essence, a broad menu to 

aid the committee in focusing its work. The Chair recognizes the 

Ranking Member if he is so inclined to speak. 

Mr. EHLERS. I am pleased to move approval of the Oversight 

Plan. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Thank you so much. 

The approval of the committee, the question is on the approval 

of the resolution. 

All those in favor signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, no. 

The ayes have it. The Committee Resolution Number 3 relating 

to the Oversight Plan is agreed to. 

If there is nothing else coming before the committee, I must say 

that I am sorry I did not say that Congressman Lungren is the 

former attorney general for the State of California. I don’t know 

why I forgot that. 

Mr. LUNGREN. You said lieutenant governor. I tried for another 

position—— 

The CHAIRWOMAN. I was trying to up you one or two, but that 

is okay. We were very pleased to have you for that. 

Prior to this meeting, I took several actions on behalf of the committee. I will report them to you shortly with associated documents. Mr. Ranking Member, you will get that, and hopefully, you 

can pass it on to your members as I will pass it on to mine. 

If there are no other comments from any of the members, Mr. 

Ehlers, any closing? 

Mr. EHLERS. No, I just want to congratulate you once again. I 

look forward to a productive and harmonious Congress. Even 

though I know we will tangle occasionally on some of the deeply 

divisive political issues that we face occasionally, most of the time, 

we are simply concerned about making this institution run well together. I hope that we can do that with grace and good-heartedness 

and really achieve what is best for this institution and for the people of the country. 

The CHAIRWOMAN. Thank you so much. 

This committee does run pretty well and pretty smoothly, and 

there should not be many bumps in the road. If so, I am sure you 

and I can smooth those out. Thank you again. 

To all of the other members and the new members, thank you 

for coming today and making this meeting a showcase of cooperation. 

If there is no objection, the staff is authorized to make technical 

and conforming changes to the materials and matters considered 

today. 

No other questions, no other business, this committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 10:29 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

Æ 


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