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89–053 2003

RESOLUTION DISMISSING THE ELECTION CONTEST

RELATING TO THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL

DISTRICT, STATE OF HAWAII

MEETING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 9, 2003

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration

(

(II)

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

BOB NEY, Chairman

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

JOHN L. MICA, Florida 

JOHN LINDER, Georgia 

JOHN T. DOOLITTLE, California 

THOMAS M. REYNOLDS, New York 

JOHN B. LARSON, Connecticut, 

Ranking Minority Member

JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD, 

California 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

PAUL VINOVICH, Staff Director

GEORGE SHEVIN, Minority Staff Director

(1)

RESOLUTION DISMISSING ELECTION CONTEST RELATING TO SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, STATE OF HAWAII 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2003

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:30 p.m., in Room 1310, 

Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Robert W. Ney (chairman 

of the committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Ney, Ehlers, Mica, Linder, Doolittle, 

Larson, and Brady. 

Staff Present: Paul Vinovich, Staff Director; Jeff Janas, Clerk; 

Jennifer Hing, Assistant Clerk; Fred Hay, Counsel; George Shevlin, 

Minority Staff Director; Charles Howell, Minority Chief Counsel; 

Matt Pinkus, Minority Professional Staff; and Catherine Tran, Minority Staff Assistant. 

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. There is a single item before the committee which we will address before we 

commence into our hearing, a resolution dismissing an election contest arising from the Second Congressional District of Hawaii. 

The clerk will read the motion. 

The CLERK. Resolved that the election contest relating to the office of the Representative from the Second Congressional District 

of Hawaii is dismissed. 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to recognize the gentleman from 

Connecticut, our ranking member, Mr. Larson. 

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

Mr. Chairman, the committee has determined on a bipartisan 

basis that this election contest is without merit. Therefore, I move 

that the committee report the resolution dismissing this contest favorably to the House. 

The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the motion. Those in favor of 

the motion will say aye. 

Those opposed will say no. 

The motion is agreed to. A motion dismissing the election contest 

will be reported favorably to the House. 

The gentleman from Michigan. 

Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Chairman, may I have a point of personal privilege for a few moments? 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you. Before we get into this very important 

hearing, I first have to apologize. I have to speak on the bill that 

2

is on the floor right now, so I will be leaving shortly; I will attempt 

to get back later. 

I just wanted to raise an issue of concern to me that is under 

the jurisdiction of this committee, and that is the tours of the Capitol. I believe that the tour service is not working as well as it 

should. I realize we are waiting for the new Visitors Center, but 

what we have done in the meantime is, Members have filled the 

gap by providing the staff-led tours. That is simply getting out of 

hand. This morning as I walked through the hallway, there were 

over 200 people lined up just to get their little sticker to take a 

staff-led tour. 

Plus I listened to some staff members talking to each other. One 

said he was doing one or more tours a day for people from his district. The intent of the tour service, which incidentally does a very 

good job, I suspect a better job than most members of the staff because they know the history of the building, they should be giving 

these tours. We should be making provision for that and meeting 

the needs of our constituents in that way instead of using our staff 

time to do it. 

I just wanted to get that statement on the record. I hope that you 

and other members of this committee can address that with the appropriate individuals involved and expand the Capitol tour service. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for his comments. Just for 

those who aren’t familiar, we have a give-and-take on this issue. 

There is a board; it has certain votes. This committee has oversight. 

We try to work together. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we 

don’t. If we don’t agree, we can have an oversight hearing. 

We have had a fairly harmonious give-and-take on this issue. I 

have been insistent, I know, and I will let our ranking member 

speak for himself, but we have had conversations, and he has been 

insistent on keeping this Capitol open. The Speaker of the House, 

Speaker Hastert, has said many, many times that we are going to 

enhance the security, but keep the People’s House open. We are 

going to be calm but cautious. That is the approach we have tried 

to take. 

I have struggled actually to get it to the 15-per-staff-member 

tour. There was a move to take it to eight. I think it ought to be 

expanded. 

I think we have stabilized a lot of security issues. We have always got to watch; nothing is ever perfect. But I take your comments to heart. We will proceed to have another give-and-take on 

doing it. 

I am happy to say, we have kept the building open. Only when 

we went to war with Iraq for a momentary, small period of time 

did we stop the public tours so the Capitol Hill police, because we 

were short, could focus more on the police beat issues, on the street 

and more visibility. 

Having said that, we still kept the tours open by the staff because at no point in time did we say, we’re going to just shut this 

down. I am proud of the fact we have been able to do that, but I 

think there is room to grow on keeping more entry and ability for 

people to enjoy the building. Thank you. 

3

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to associate myself 

with the remarks from the gentleman from Michigan and concur 

with the concerns that he has raised. We have heard from several 

Members who have the very same concerns that you do, while at 

the same time acknowledging the very delicate balance that we 

share here, providing both security and access at the same time. 

Obviously, with the great hope of the Visitors Center that will 

be in place in 2005, we will alleviate a lot of the concerns that we 

have. But I concur with the chairman, I think there is room to 

grow. It certainly is worthy of further contemplation and work on 

our part to enhance the ability to get people through here in a 

timely, orderly, and in your words and in the Speaker’s words, 

calm and cautious manner. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank both the gentlemen. 

Concluding—back to the regular order, concluding some unfinished business, I ask unanimous consent that members have 7 legislative days for statements and materials to be added into the appropriate place in the record. Without objection, the material will 

be so entered. 

I also ask unanimous consent that staff be authorized to make 

technical and conforming changes on all matters considered by the 

committee at this meeting. Without objection, so ordered. 

Having completed this item of business, the committee will momentarily recess as we prepare to begin our hearing. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 2:35 p.m., the committee meeting was adjourned.]