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80–287 2013

MARKUP OF H. RES. 115, THE OMNIBUS COMMITTEE FUNDING RESOLUTION; COMMITTEE 

RESOLUTION FOR FRANKED MAIL ALLOWANCES 

FOR CERTAIN COMMITTEES; AND DISPOSITION 

OF ELECTION CONTEST IN THE 28TH DISTRICT 

OF TEXAS 

MEETING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

Held in Washington, DC, March 14, 2013 

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 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, 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 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

KELLY CRAVEN, Staff Director 

JAMIE FLEET, Minority Staff Director 


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MARKUP OF H. RES. 115 THE OMNIBUS COMMITTEE FUNDING RESOLUTION, COMMITTEE RESOLUTION FOR FRANKED MAIL 

ALLOWANCES FOR CERTAIN COMMITTEES, 

AND DISPOSITION OF ELECTION CONTEST 

IN THE 28TH DISTRICT OF TEXAS 

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 3:07 p.m., in room 1310, 

Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller (chairman of the committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Gingrey, Schock, 

Rokita, Nugent, Brady, and Lofgren. 

Staff Present: Kelly Craven, Staff Director; Phil Kiko, General 

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

Assistant Legislative Clerk; Salley Wood, Communications Director; Bob Sensenbrenner, Elections Counsel; Jamie Fleet, Minority 

Staff Director; Teri Morgan, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Matt 

Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy Analyst; Thomas Hicks, Minority 

Elections Counsel; Mike Harrison, Minority Professional Staff 

Member; Greg Abbott, Minority Professional Staff Member; and 

Eddie Flaherty, Minority Professional Staff Member. 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to call to order the Committee on 

House Administration for today’s committee markup. 

The meeting record will remain open for 5 legislative days so 

that Members might submit any materials they wish to be included. 

The CHAIRMAN. And a quorum is present, so we will proceed. 

Today we have three items before the committee: first of all, 

House Resolution 115, which is the omnibus committee funding 

resolution, which will authorize committee budgets for the 113th 

Congress. We also have a committee resolution to approve franked 

mail allowances for committees for the 113th Congress and an 

original resolution relating to an election contest that happened in 

the 28th Congressional District of Texas. 

Every Congress, this committee holds hearings to examine the 

budgetary needs of House committees to help ensure that they 

have adequate resources. This funding process, perhaps one of our 

most important responsibilities of this committee, can significantly 


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impact the legislative process, as committees bear the lion’s share 

of Congress’ workload. 

Last week, we had 2 informative days of hearings where we 

heard from all of the chairs and the ranking members of the 19 

House committees that came before us. And we certainly heard 

some very compelling and thoughtful testimony from each of the 

chairmen and the ranking members about their respective budgets 

and their commitment to uphold the equitable two-thirds/one-third 

allocation between the majority and the minority offices. And, most 

importantly, they talked about how they were going to do more 

with less, which is a very—certainly a topic that we are all very, 

very familiar with. 

Leading by example, the House cut committee budgets by approximately 11 percent in the last Congress—the largest cut to 

committee funding since the 104th Congress. And today we are 

faced with yet another cut, this time obviously triggered by the sequester, sequestration. 

After much deliberation and consultation with each committee, 

we had to make some very difficult, difficult choices. And, of course, 

like all of our MRAs, the committee funding authorizations have to 

be adjusted to reflect the reduced spending levels detailed in the 

sequestration order. 

To match the post-sequestration funding level, the total authorization for House committees must be reduced by 11 percent from 

the 2012 level. Therefore, with few exceptions, each committee authorization has been reduced by 11 percent, or within a percentage 

point or so of 11 percent. And we base this on their anticipated 

workload for the 113th Congress. 

The Budget Committee, the Committee on Ways and Means, and 

the Select Committee on Intelligence have been given slightly 

smaller reductions. Most committees will be faced with tremendous 

oversight responsibilities in 2013. However, given the current state 

of our economy, sequestration, the dire need for tax and entitlement reform, and the increased cyber threats to our digital infrastructure, these three committees have a particularly daunting 

agenda and therefore require some reprieve from the authorized reductions. To accommodate for these exceptions, we have adjusted 

the authorization of the Budget Committee based on their ability 

to absorb a slightly larger reduction in 2013. 

Again, we certainly, all of us, every one of us, understand the 

challenges of trying to stretch our resources. And we just have to 

try to absorb these cuts as best as we can. And I know that every 

committee, including this, will continue to function at a very high 

level, even with reduced resources. 

Our second item for consideration is a committee resolution to 

approve franked mail allowances for the committees for the 113th. 

This resolution limits $5,000 per year for each committee’s franked 

mail. 

And our third and last item on the agenda is an original resolution to dismiss the election contest in the 28th district of Texas. 

And, with that, I would now recognize our ranking member, Mr. 

Brady, for his opening statement. 


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Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Madam Chairman. And thank you for 

convening this markup and for working with us on all the scheduling issues last week with regards to our marathon hearings. 

I do urge this committee to oppose this resolution. We imposed 

the equivalent of a sequester on all House committees in 2011– 

2012, so we are already well ahead of the curve. Those cuts, as we 

heard in detail from chairs and ranking members last week, have 

already created significant hardships in paying the salaries of staff, 

conducting oversight travel, and holding hearings. These are not 

luxuries we can simply wish away. We will have to continue to be 

able to conduct the people’s business. 

To pile on further with automatic sequestration cuts devoid of 

any rational basis and to furlough our staff would cause damage 

to the legislative process and to the people who make it possible 

for us to operate. It is cutting off our nose to spite our face. 

We should look for all opportunities to alleviate the impacts of 

the cuts. That is why I will later offer a substitute amendment to 

freeze funding at the level of the 2012 resolution to manage our 

House finances in a more sensible manner. I urge my colleagues to 

oppose this resolution. 

Thank you, Madam Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for his opening statement. 

And I would ask if any other members of the committee have an 

opening statement? 

The chair recognizes Mr. Gingrey. 

Mr. GINGREY. Well, Madam Chairman, I want to thank you for 

calling the markup today on committee funding for the 113th Congress. 

As you know, with the implementation of the sequester on March 

the 1st, across-the-board spending cuts did take effect. Last week, 

this committee had a chance to hear from our colleagues, the chairmen and ranking members of each House committee, about how 

they would handle the impact of the sequester. 

I believe that this committee is acting in a deliberative and a fair 

manner when determining committee budgets for this 113th Congress. Each committee serves an important function, and while all 

will have to continue to produce good work with less, I am confident that they will succeed in doing that. 

Today’s markup gives us an important chance to show that, as 

families across the country struggle to make ends meet, this committee and the House as a whole plan to lead by example. 

So thank you, Madam Chairman. And I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

The CHAIRMAN. The first item on the agenda is consideration of 

the House Resolution 115, the omnibus committee funding resolution for the 113th Congress. 

[The information follows:] 


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llaTII CONGRESS H RES ]] 5 1ST SBSSION 

• • 

Providing for the expenses of eertain ('ommittees of the House of 

Representatives ill the One Hundred 'l'hilit-'enth Congress. 

IN '}'HE HOUSE OP REPRBSEN,}'A'rrVES 

MAHCII 1 :l, 201 a 

!\Irs. l\IILL~,H of Midlignn submitted the following resolution; whieh was 

referred to the Committee on JIOIl8(~ Administr'atiou 

RESOLUTION 

IV 

Providing for the expenses of eertain committees of the 

Hom;c of R('IWcscntativcs in the One Hundred Thirteenth 

CongJ'css. 

Ref;oZ,ved, 

2 SECTION 1. COMMITTEE EXPENSES FOR THE ONE HUN· 

3 DRED mmTEENTH CONGRESS. 

4 (a) IN Gl<~NBHAh-With respect to the One Hundred 

5 Thirteenth Congress, there shall be paid out of the appli6 eahle acconnts of the House of Representatives, in accord7 anee with this primmy expense resolution, not more than 

8 the amonnt spe(~ified in subsection (h) for the expenses 

9 (including the e:q)(mses of all staff salaries) of eaeh corn10 mittee named in sueh snhsedion. 
5 


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(b) COMMI'I"l'ImH AND AMOUN'rR-The committees 

2 and amounts referred to ill subsection (a) are: Committee 

3 Oil Agriculture, $1 O,072,:-n 4; Committee on Armed SCI'\'-

4 ices, $1:J,127,070; Committee Oil the Budget, 

5 $10,277,648; Committee Oil Education and the Workforce, 

6 $1 :3,905,526; Committee 011 Energy and Commerce, 

7 $19,041,O:J2; Committee 011 Ethics, $(1,040,918; Com8 mittee on Financial Services, $14,788,9(14; Committee on 

9 Foreign Affairs, $14,77(J,224; Committee on Homeland 

10 Security, $14,067,176; Committee on House Administra11 tiOll, $9,201,120; Permanent Select Committee on Intel12 ligence, $8, 77~), 51 (1; Committee Oll the Judiciary, 

13 $14,154,0:J2; Committee on Natural Resonrees, 

14 $18,111,658; Committee on Oversight and Government 

15 Heform, $17,880,874; Committee 011 Rules, $5,714,81(i; 

16 Committee on Science, Space, and 'rechnology, 

17 $10,565,510; Committee on Small Business, $5,985,376; 

18 Committee on Transp01tation aud Infrastructure, 

19 $Hi ,:J64, 6 14; Committee OIl Veterans' AffaiJ's, 

20 $6,097,092; and Committee on "Ways and lVleans, 

2] $16,846,822. 

22 SEC. 2. FIRST SESSION LIMITATIONS. 

23 (a) IN (}gNlmAIJ.-Of the amount provided for in 

24 section 1 for eaeh committee named in subsection (b), 1I0t 

25 more than the amount specified in such subsection shall 

.lIRES 11li m 
6 


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:3 

be available for expenses incnrred during the period begiu2 ning at noon 011 JmlUm:v :3, 201:3, ami ending immediately 

3 before noon on January :3,2014. 

4 (b) COl\Il\H'rTgl~8 AND Al\Ioul';'l'K-The committees 

5 ami amounts ,'efen'ed to in subsection (a) are: Committee 

6 on Agriculture, $5,0:36,187; Committee on Al1ned Serv7 ices, $6,563,535; Committee on the Budget, $5,1:38,824; 

8 Committee OIl Education and the Workforce, $6,952,76a; 

9 Committee on Energy and Commerce, $~J,520,516; Com10 mittee on Ethics, $a,020,459j Committee on Financial 

11 Set'Yiees, $7,a94,4H2; Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

12 $7,a88,112j Committee on Homeland Secm'ity, 

13 $7,033,588; Committee on House Administration, 

14 $4,600,560; PemHllJent Select Committee 011 Intelligence, 

15 $4,38B,758; Committee on the .Judieiary, $7,On,01(i; 

16 Committee on Natural Resources, $(j,555,829; Committee 

17 on Oversight and Government Heform, $8,940,437; Com18 mittee on Uules, $2,857,408; Committee on Science, 

19 Space, amI Technology, $5,282,755; Committee on Small 

20 Business, $2,992,(j88j Committee on Transportation and 

21 Illfrastmcture, $8,182,807; Committee OIl Veterans' Af22 fairs, $3,048,54(jj and Committee 011 Ways and l\;ieans, 

23 $8,423,411 . 

• DRES 115 m 
7 


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SEC. S. SECOND SESSION LIMITATIONS. 

2 (a) b: (JgNgRAIJ.-Of the amount provided for in 

3 section 1 for each committee named in subsection (b), not 

4 mOl'e than the amount speeifiecl in such subsection shall 

5 be available for e:x.l)enses incmred during the period begin6 llillg at nooll 011 January 8, 2014, and ending immediately 

7 before noon on January ~~, 2015. 

8 (b) COMl\II'l"ml~S AND Al\IouN'I's,-The committees 

9 and amounts referred to in subsection (a) are: Committee 

10 on Agricultm'e, $5,0:36,187; Committee on Armed ServI I ices, $6,563,535; Committee on the BUdget, $5,138,824; 

12 Committee on Education and the \Vorkforce, $6,952,763; 

13 Committee on ~Jnergy and Commerce, $9,520,5] 6; Com14 mittee on Ethics, $:3,020,459; Committee on Financial 

15 Services, $7,394,482; Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

16 $7,388,] 12; Committee on Homeland Security, 

17 $7,Oa3,588; Committee on House Administration, 

18 $4,600,560; Pennanellt Select Committee on Intelligence, 

19 $4,389,758; Committee on the JUdiciary, $7,077,01(1; 

20 Committee on Natural Resources, $6,555,829; Committee 

21 on Oversight and Govel'llment Reform, $8,~)40,487; Com22 mittee on Rules, $2,857,408; Committee on Scienee, 

23 Space, and Technology, $5,282,755; Committee on Small 

24 Business, $2,992,688; Committee on Transportation and 

25 Iufrastructure, $8, 182,a07; Committee on Veterans' Af-

-DRES 116 m 
8 


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fairs, $3,048,546; and Committee on Ways and Means, 

2 $8,423,41]. 

3 (c) Hgvmw (w UHg (w FUNDR IN Fmwl' SgRHION.-

4 (1) Rlwmw.-Nolle of the amounts provided 

5 for ill seetion 1 for a committee named in subseetioll 

6 (b) may be available for expenses of the committee 

7 after uIareh ]5, 2014, unless the chair or ranking 

8 minority member of the committee appears and pre9 sents testimony at a hearing of the Committee 011 

10 House Administration held prior to such date to reI 1 ,;cw the committee's use of the amounts prO\;ded 

12 for in section ] during the first session of the Olle 

13 Hundred Thirteenth COllgl'ess and to determine 

14 whether the amount specified in subsection (b) with 

15 respect to the committee should be updated on the 

16 basis of the rm;ew. 

17 (2) WAIVlm.-The Committee on House Ad18 ministration may wah'e the application of paragraph 

19 (1) to any or all of the committees named ill sub20 section (b). 

21 SEC. 4. VOUCHERS. 

22 Payments under this resolution shall be made on 

23 vouchers authorized by the committee involved, signed by 

24 the chairman of such committee, and approved in the 

.DRES 115 m 
9 


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manner directed by the Committee on House Administm2 tion. 

3 SEC. 5. REGULATIONS. 

4 Amounts made available under this resolution shall 

5 be expended in accordance with regulations prescribed by 

6 the Committee on House Administration. 

7 SEC. 6. RESERVE FUND FOR UNANTICIPATED EXPENSES. 

8 (a) EH1'ABLIHIIMI<;N'r.-There is hereby established a 

9 reserve fund for unanticipated expenses of committees for 

10 the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress. 

11 (b) BAlu\NCE.-The balance of the reSeJTe fund 

12 under this section shall be equal to the sum of the fol13 lowing: 

14 ( 1) The amount by which the amount made 

15 available for "House of Hepreselltatives-Committee 

16 Employees, Standing Committees, Special and Se17 lect" for fiscal year 2013 exceeds the amount that 

18 would be made available for "House of Represellta19 th'es-Committee Employees, Standing Committees, 

20 Special and Select" by di\;sioll C of the Depm1:mellt 

21 of Defense, Military Construction and Vetemns Af22 fairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Aet, 

23 201:3 (II.R. 933, as passed by the House of' Hep24 resentatives on Mareh 6, 2013), as reduced pursuant 

25 to the prO\;siolls of division D of sneh Aet . 

• DRES us m 
10 


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(2) The amount by which the amount made 

2 available for "House of Heprescntatives-Committee 

3 Employees, Stalloing Committees, Special and Se4 lect" for fiscal year 2014 exceeds the amount made 

5 available for "House of Hepresentatives-Committee 

6 Employees, Standing Committees, Special and Se7 lect" for fiscal year 2013. 

8 (c) AI,LOCA'I'ION '1'0 CmlMI'I''I'ggs.-Amounts in the 

9 reserve fund under this section shall be paid to a com10 mittel' pursuant to an allocation approved by the Com11 mittee on House Administration. 

12 SEC. 7. ADJUSTMENT AUTHORITY. 

13 The Committee on House Administration shall have 

14 authOl'ity to make u<1justments in amounts under section 

15 1, if necessary to comply with an order of the President 

16 issued under section 251A OJ' 254 of the Balanced Budget 

17 and Emergency Deficit Control Aet of 1 ~)85 or to COnf0I111 

18 to allY ehunge in appropl'iations for the PUI1)OSf'S of such 

19 section 1 . 

• 1lRES 115 m 
11 

The CHAIRMAN. Again, as I said in my opening statement, we 

have talked to every chairman, every ranking member. We recognize the cuts are difficult, but it is flat-lined in the CR and there 

simply is a finite pot of money to go around. And I would hope that 

the committee would support the resolution. 

I would recognize the ranking member, Mr. Brady, if he has any 

comment. 

Mr. BRADY. Yes, Madam Chair. If it is appropriate, I would like 

offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. 

My amendment is very simple. I propose we freeze each committee’s authorization for this year and next year at last year’s level. 

Under my approach, House committees’ funding will have been the 

same for 3 years, unchanged since we last reduced funding at the 

beginning of 2012. I don’t believe there is a Member of this House 

who couldn’t defend a 3-year freeze on continuing funding. 

As the former chairman of this committee, it appeals to me because it offers every committee chairman and ranking minority 

member certainty. Every committee knows it can work with this 

figure and accomplish what it needs to accomplish to fulfill its responsibility to the House of the American people because it has already done so. 

Second, it makes sense. During our hearings, the chairman of the 

Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mr. Issa, took great 

pride in ascertaining that, through the work of his committee, he 

has saved the government 1,000 times what the committee had 

spent last year. This is a handsome return on the investment. I am 

certain that other committees could legitimately make the same 

boast, and, that being the case, why should we not invest this year 

or next in any committee that we invested in last year? 

Third, it bears pointing out that no committee is required to 

spend every dollar it is authorized to spend. In fact, several committees, including this one, last year returned hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Treasury after judging they had accomplished their work, and no doubt would do it again this year and 

next. No chairman and ranking member is required to spend everything authorized. But my approach gives effective chairmen resources to earn the kind of return that Mr. Issa boasts of. 

My amendment would do one other thing along these lines; it 

would require each committee at the end of this year to report back 

on how much the agency it oversees has saved. This will give each 

chairman and ranking minority member the opportunity to demonstrate how much they helped to save. 

I urge the support of my amendment and yield back the balance 

of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman for that. 

I should have called up the resolution and said that the first 

reading of the resolution is dispensed with and the resolution is 

considered read and open for amendment, at which time you 

amended it, and I certainly appreciate that. And I appreciate the 

amendment, which will be considered as read. 

[The information follows:] 


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AMENDMENT TO H. RES. 115 

OFFERED BY Mr. Brady 

Strike all after the resohing clause and insert the 

following: 

1 SECTION 1. COMMITTEE EXPENSES FOR THE ONE HUN2 DRED THffiTEENTH CONGRESS. 

3 (a) Ix GEKERAL.-\Vith respect to the One Hundred 

4 Thirteenth CongTess, there shall be paid out of the appli5 eable accounts of the House of Representatives, in aecorc1-

6 ance with this primary expense resolution, not more than 

7 the amount speeified in subsection (b) for the e:'q)enses 

8 (including the expenses of all staff salaries) of each com9 mittee named in such subsection. 

10 (b) CO:U:\IITTEES AXD A:\IOCXTs.-'rhe committees 

11 and amounts referred to in subsection (a) are: Committee 

12 on AgTicultnre, $11,317,276; Committee on Armed Set\,-

13 ices, $14,749,518; Committee on the Budget, 

14 $11,294,122; Committee on Education and the \Yorkforce, 

15 $15,624,188; Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

16 $21,394,418; Committee on Ethics, $6,787,550; Com17 mittee on Financial Ser:ices, $16,769,410; Committee on 

18 I~10reig11 Affairs, $16,759,024; Committee on Homeland 

19 Secnrity, $15,806,652; Committee 011 House Aclministra-
13 


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1 tion, $10,338,338; Permanent Select Committee on Intel2 ligence, $9,647,820; Committee on the ,Judiciary, 

3 $15,727,432; Committee on Natural Resources, 

4 $14,732,202; Committee on Oversight and Government 

5 Reform, $19,867,638; Committee on Rules, $6,349,796; 

6 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

7 $11,972,046; Committee on Small Business, $6,767,072; 

8 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

9 $18,561,298; Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 

10 $6,893,660; and Committee on Ways and Means, 

11 $18,348,158. 

12 SEC. 2. FIRST SESSION LIMITATIONS. 

13 (a) Il\' GEl\'ERAh-Of the amount provided for in 

14 section 1 for each committee named in subsection (b), not 

15 more than the amount specified in such subsection shall 

16 be available for expenses incurred during' the period beg'in17 ning at noon on January 3,2013, and ending' immediately 

18 before noon on January 3,2014. 

19 (b) CmDIITTEI~S AXl) Al\IOUl\'Ts.-The committees 

20 and amounts referred to in subsection (a) are: Committee 

21 on AgTiculture, $5,658,638; Committee on Armed Ser,,-

22 ices, $7,374,759; COlllmittee on the Budg'et, $5,647,061; 

23 Committee on Education and the \Vorkforce, $7,812,094; 

24 Committee on Energy and Commerce, $10,697,209; Com25 mittee on Ethics, $3,393,775; Committee on Financial 
14 


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1 Services, $8,384,705; Committee on :F'oreign Affairs, 

2 $8,379,512; Committee on Homeland Security, 

3 $7,903,326; Committee on House Administration, 

4 $5,169,169; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 

5 $4,823,910; Committee on the ,Judiciary, $7,863,716; 

6 Committee on Natural Resources, $7,366,101; Committee 

7 on Oversight and Goyernment Reform, $9,933,819; Com8 mittee on Rules, $3,174,898; Committee on Science, 

9 Space, and Technology, $5,986,023; Committee on Small 

10 Business, $3,383,536; Committee on Transportation and 

11 Infrastructure, $9,280,649; Committee on Veterans' M12 fairs, $3,446,830; and Committee on Vlays and Means, 

13 $9,174,079. 

14 SEC. 3. SECOND SESSION LIMITATIONS. 

15 (a) IK GEKERAL.-Of the amount provided for in 

16 section 1 for each committee named in subsection (b), not 

17 more than the amount specified in such subsection shall 

18 be available for expenses incurred during the period begin19 ning at noon on January 3, 2014, and ending immediately 

20 before 1100n on January 3,2015. 

21 (b) CmDII'l"rEES Ai,\D MIOUNTS.-The committees 

22 and amounts referred to in subsection (a) are: Committee 

23 on AgTiculture, $5,658,638; Committee on Armed Sel'\'-

24 ices, $7,374,759; Committee 011 the Budget, $5,647,061; 

25 Committee 011 Education and the "Workforce, $7,812,094; 
15 


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1 Committee on Energy and Commerce, $10,697,209; Com2 mittee on Ethics, $3,393,775; Committee on Financial 

3 Services, $8,384,705; Committee on Foreig'n Mfairs, 

4 $8,379,512; Committee on Homeland Security, 

5 $7,903,326; Committee on House Administration, 

6 $5,169,169; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 

7 $4,823,910; Committee on the Judiciary, $7,863,716; 

8 Committee on Natural Resources, $7,366,101; Committee 

9 on Oversight and Government Reform, $9,933,819; Com10 mittee on Rules, $3,174,898; Committee on Science, 

11 Space, and Technology, $5,986,023; Committee on Small 

12 Business, $3,383,536; Committee on Transportation and 

13 Infrastructure, $9,280,649; Committee on Veterans' M14 fairs, $3,446,830; and Committee on Ways and Means, 

15 $9,174,079. 

16 (c) CmmI'l'IOXS Fon RECEIPT OF Fmms Ii\" SECOXD 

17 SI~SSIOx.-None of the amounts provided for in section 

18 1 for a committee named in subsection (b) may be avail19 able for mq)enses of the committee after March 15, 2014, 

20 unless the chair or ranking minority member of the com21 mittee appears and presents testimony at a hearing of the 

22 Committee on House Administration held prior to such 

23 c1ate24 (1) to l'eVleW the committee's use of the 

25 amounts provided for in section 1 during' the first 
16 


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1 seSSIOn of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress 

2 and to determine whether the amount specified in 

3 subsection (b) "ith respect to the committee should 

4 be updated on the basis of the review; and 

5 (2) to anal?ze whether the amount provided to 

6 the committee under section 1 during the first ses7 sion of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress was 

8 sufficient to enable the committee to encourage and 

9 achieve reductions in spending by the agencies and 

10 offices of the Government over which the committee 

11 has legislative or oversig'ht jurisdiction, 

12 SEC. 4. VOUCHERS. 

13 Pa:yments under this resolution shall he made on 

14 vouchers authorized by the committee involved, sig11ed by 

15 the chairman of such committee, and approved in the 

16 manner directed by the Committee on House Administra17 tion. 

18 SEC. 5. REGULATIONS. 

19 Amounts made available under this resolution shal1 

20 be e).l)endec1 in accordance with reglliatiolls prescribed by 

21 the Committee on House Administration. 

22 SEC. 6. RESERVE FUND FOR UNANTICIPATED EXPENSES. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHl\IExT.-There is hereby established a 

24 reserve fund for unanticipated e).l)enses of committees for 

25 the One Hundred Thirteenth CongTess. 
17 


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6 

1 (b) B.tU;AXcE.-The balance of the reserve fund 

2 under this section shall be equal to the sum of the fol3 loyving: 

4 (1) The amount by which the amount made 

5 available for "House of Representatives-Committee 

6 Employees, Standing' Committees, Special and Se7 leet" for fiscal year 2013 exceeds the amount that 

8 would be made available for "House of Representa9 tives-Committee Employees, Standing Committees, 

10 Special and Select" by division C of the Department 

11 of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans M12 fairs, and Pull-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 

13 2013 (H.ll. 933, as passed by the House of Rep14 resentatives on March 6, 2013), as reduced pursuant 

15 to the provisions of division D of such Act. 

16 (2) The amount by "which the amount made 

17 available for "House of Representatives-Committee 

18 Employees, Standing Committees, Special and Se19 lect" for fiscal year 2014 exceeds the amount made 

20 available for "House of Representatives-Committee 

21 Employees, Standing Committees, Special and Se22 lect" for fiscal year 2013. 

23 (c) ALLOCA'l'IOX '1'0 CC);\DIl1"l'EES.-Amounts in the 

24 reserve fund under this section shall be paid to a COl1l-
18 


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7 

1 mittee pursuant to an allocation made under a resolution 

2 adopted by the Committee on House Administration. 

3 SEC. 7. ADJUSTMENT AUTHORITY. 

4 The Committee on House Administration shall have 

5 authority to make adjustments in amounts under section 

6 1, if necessary to comply with an order of the President 

7 issned under section 251A or 254 of the Balanced Budget 

8 and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or to conform 

9 to any change in appropriations for the purposes of such 

10 section 1. 
19 

The CHAIRMAN. I would only say this. Again, it certainly is a difficult time to be involved at the Federal level, as far as our budgeting, but no more difficult than what is being recognized, certainly, by the American people, having come to a very difficult economic transition here. 

And I think the House certainly has led by example. We did have 

a 5 percent cut in the 112th and followed by a in-the-sixth-percentile cut, now an 8 percent cut to our own individual MRAs, 

which happened just a week ago. And these are very difficult 

choices for us all to be making as Members of Congress within our 

own MRAs. 

And now, as we look at what is happening with the committees, 

particularly when we think about, during the time that the House 

has really been leading by example, the executive branch for nondiscretionary defense is—for nondefense discretionary spending has 

gone up I think 16.7 percent during the same time. And yet we are 

challenged, all of our committees are challenged with exercising the 

appropriate oversight. 

So it is a difficult time. And I appreciate the gentleman’s sentiments not to cut the committees’ budgets, but the money has to 

come from somewhere else then. If there is an offset—I am not 

sure if you have an offset in mind. But, at any rate, I will be opposing the gentleman’s amendment, but I certainly appreciate the 

spirit in which it is offered. 

And I would ask if there are any other Members that want to 

speak to the amendment. 

Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady from California. 

Ms. LOFGREN. I would just like to briefly speak in support of Mr. 

Brady’s amendment. 

It is true that this is a difficult environment, and, certainly, each 

one of our personal offices has received reductions, and I haven’t 

heard any Members coming in and asking for relief from that. And 

I think that that is appropriate. We know that is where we live, 

and we have to manage that. 

But some of these committees, as the ranking member said, are 

going to save us a lot of money. And I know that this isn’t the position you wish to be in either, but I really would hope that we might 

at least keep flat-line funding and see how many savings can be 

accomplished by the committees within those budget limits. Because I know in the last Congress there were committees that said, 

you know, that they didn’t have enough and yet, through prudent 

management, they were able to give money back. And I give credit 

for that. But some committees, given the workload they had, it is 

just not going to be possible for them to do that and to fulfill the 

duties that we have asked them to do. 

So I would hope that we could do this on a sort of salary-savings 

basis and maybe revisit where we are in a couple of months and 

see how the spending levels are down and see what maneuvering 

we might be able to make. I would recommend that as an alternative to the offset that is not included into the amendment. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentlelady for her comments. 

Are there any other comments? 

If not, the question is on the amendment to the resolution. 


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All those in favor of the amendment, signify by saying yea. 

Those opposed, signify by saying nay. 

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

The amendment is not agreed to. 

Are there any other amendments? 

The gentlelady from California. 

Ms. LOFGREN. I have an amendment—— 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. 

Ms. LOFGREN [continuing]. Which I would offer now. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady is recognized for 5 minutes to 

speak on the amendment. 

Ms. LOFGREN. Thank you. And I don’t know that I will take the 

full amount. 

But I have served on a variety of different committees in this 

House—on the Judiciary Committee, the Science Committee, the 

Homeland Security Committee, the Ethics Committee, this committee. And I am mindful that the Judiciary Committee is about 

to engage in a level of activity that I don’t think the funding is 

going to help them meet that obligation. 

As you know, there has been tremendous discussion about gun 

violence, and, in talking to Mr. Goodlatte just a few hours ago, our 

efforts relative to the Second Amendment are going to be very 

time-consuming. And I know that on both sides of the aisle we 

want that to be done properly. I don’t doubt that you feel the same 

way. 

I would add also that there has been tremendous speculation, 

and I think accurate, that we may finally be able to work in a bipartisan basis on immigration reform. I can assure you, as the 

ranking member of that subcommittee and former chairperson of 

the Immigration Subcommittee, that Mr. Gowdy and I will work together very collaboratively. But the job is a massive one. 

And my amendment would allow the Judiciary Committee just to 

maintain its current funding. That will mean reductions in staff, in 

some cases. But at least if we were to do that for the remainder 

of this fiscal year, we might have an opportunity to actually accomplish those two weighty goals and be able to take the reduction in 

the following year. 

So that would be my amendment, Madam Chair. And I thank 

you for allowing me to offer it with these brief comments. 

[The information follows:] 


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smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with HEARINGInsert graphic folio 35 80287A.015

AMENDMENT TO H. RES. 115 

OFFERED BY Ms. Lofgren 

Page 2, begi.nning on line 14, strike "Committee on 

the Judiciary, $14,154,032;" and insert "Committee on 

the Judiciary, $15,727,432;". 

Page 3, line 19, strike "Committee on the Judiciary, 

$7,077,016;" and insert "Committee on the Judiciary, 

$7,863,716;" . 

Page 4, line 21, strike "Committee on the .Judieiary, 

$7,077,016;" and insert "Committee on the JudiciaQ', 

$7,863,716;". 
22 

The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate the amendment of the gentlelady 

from California, and, again, I appreciate sincerely the spirit in 

which it was offered. 

In fact, in regards to the Judiciary, you are absolutely right, and 

we did hear that testimony from both the chairman and the ranking member about step-by-step immigration reform, as we go forward, as a distinct possibility of that happening during this session, perhaps this year, and certainly in regards to the Second 

Amendment, as well, and some of the various proposals that are 

floating around here on both sides. 

I think there is going to be quite a workload by the Judiciary. 

And really, as a consideration of that—that is, you see that Judiciary’s percentage cut is lower than some of the other committees. 

Again, I recognize the tremendous workload that Judiciary, and the 

other committees as well, are absorbing, or will have in absorbing 

these cuts. And it is just a difficult time, as well. 

So I will be opposing the gentlelady’s amendment. Again, I appreciate the spirit in which it has been offered. 

Any other Members have comments in regards to the amendment? 

Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Chairman, I would just—— 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Schock. 

Mr. SCHOCK. Thank you. 

I would just add that, with regards to both the amendments that 

my friends on the other side of the aisle have offered, it is frustrating that these cuts are having to take effect across the board, 

really in essence of how they are happening, because of the sequestration. And I would just say that, you know, the House has done 

its work in passing an alternative to sequestration. Unfortunately, 

the Senate did not reciprocate, and so we are having to move forward with these cuts. 

I do think it is a discussion we need to have moving forward with 

any other further deficit-reduction measures that the House and 

Senate agree to because of the point that was raised by the chairwoman, which is: When I came to Congress 5 years ago, discretionary spending from 2008 to 2010 went up by 40 percent. The executive branch received 16 percent increases in their spending, and 

certainly our MRAs and committee staff salaries and budgets did 

not increase by those amounts. 

So I think when we look at reducing the size of government and 

making cuts in future deficit-reduction measures, we need to look 

historically at how fast certain agencies have grown when we go 

about our cutting. 

Because I think the point that the minority is making is a relevant one, which is the work that we do in the House is an important one to accountability within these agencies and accountability 

of the Federal Government and also in good law-making. And the 

reality is no other agency or unit of government can do that which 

these committees are charged with or us as elected representatives 

with our MRA do. The casework that we do, the accountability that 

we administer to these agencies on behalf of our constituents is an 

important function, and there is no one else that can do that. 

And so I certainly share these concerns, am equally frustrated by 

the kind of across-the-board cuts that are having to happen. But 


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23 

we are where we are today, I would simply say, by, in my view, 

the inaction of the Senate to give us a scalpel as opposed to a 

hatchet. And so now we will, moving forward, I think have to hopefully include these thoughts in our next efforts to right-size our 

budget. 

With that, I will yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Any other Member wish to speak to the amendment? 

Mr. BRADY. Yes. Madam Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Brady. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. And I speak in favor of the gentlelady 

from California’s amendment. 

And I sat here with these hearings, and I asked every chairman 

and ranking member about their staff. And I find myself a little 

perplexed here. Because if we would do flat-line or we would do 

some other way other than cutting some budgets, we are probably—I am sitting here helping the other party getting two-thirds 

more, then my party would get one-third more. 

And I tell you that to say this: I do that not because I want people to get an increase or be able to hire more people. I worry about 

the people that they attract, especially Judiciary. I worry about 

every staff member on all these committees, especially Judiciary 

because most of them need a legal background, and I wonder how 

we attract them. And then we attract them, and when we do, how 

do we keep them? Not only how do we attract them or try to bring 

them in—I know they are all dedicated, but when you have to pay 

a mortgage, you can’t pay it with dedication. You can’t pay car payments, you can’t pay schooling with dedication. And I wonder and 

I worry about—and every chairman and ranking member agreed 

that they are having a hard time, A, attracting them; B, keeping 

them, with their institutional knowledge. 

And I understand that we have to do cuts. We are going to do 

it with no complaints for doing our own MRA, and it is what it is. 

But I wonder about the effectiveness of this House and how we can 

truly do the people’s business when we can’t get qualified people 

and, more so, we can’t keep qualified people. 

So that is why I would support this amendment. And I appreciate your time, and I yield back mine. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman’s comments. 

Any other Members? 

All those in favor of the amendment will signify by saying yea. 

Those opposed will signify by saying nay. 

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

The amendment is not agreed to. 

Are there any other amendments? 

If not, I move that the committee favorably report House Resolution 115 to the House. And the question is on the motion. 

All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying yea. 

Opposed, say nay. 

In the opinion of the chair, the yeas have it. The yeas have it. 

The motion is agreed to. 

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

Does any Member—— 

Mr. BRADY. Excuse me, Madam Chair. 


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The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Brady. 

Mr. BRADY. I would like to ask that the minority Members request 2 additional calendar days provided by clause 2 of Rule XI 

of the Rules of the House in order to file reviews. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. We will move to the next item. Very 

well. 

The next item on the agenda is consideration of Committee Resolution 113–5, which is the committee franking resolution. 

Again, this committee resolution essentially caps the amount of 

franked mail that all the respective committees can utilize at 

$5,000, I believe is the number. And I will be supporting the resolution and hope that the committee sees fit to pass the resolution. 

And I ask the ranking member if he has any comment. 

Mr. BRADY. No. 

The CHAIRMAN. So I call up and lay before the committee Committee Resolution 113–5. Without objection, the first reading of the 

resolution is dispensed with, and the resolution is considered read 

and open for amendment at any point. 

[The information follows:] 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

113T11 CONGRESS 

COMMITTEE RESOLUTION 113-5 

MARCH 14,2013 

Resolution to Approve Franked Mail Allowances for Committees for the 113th Congress 

Resolved, pursuant to Public Law 101-520 § 311 (e) (codified at 2 U.s.C. 5ge (e», that effective 

January 3, 2013, and during the first session of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, the 

allocation ofthe Official Mail Allowance for the following conunittees of the House of 

Representatives is: 

Conunittee on Agriculture $5000 

Committee on Armed Services $5000 

Committee on the Budget $5000 

Committee on Education and the Workforce $5000 

Committee on Energy and Commerce $5000 

Committee on Ethics $5000 

Committee on Financial Services $5000 

Committee on Foreign Affairs $5000 

Committee on Homeland Security $5000 

Committee on House Administration $5000 

Committee on the Judiciary $5000 

Committee on Natural Resources $5000 

Committee on Oversight and Government $5000 

Reform 

Committee on Rules $5000 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology $5000 

Committee on Small Business $5000 

Committee on Transportation and $5000 

Infrastructure 

Committee on Veterans' Affairs $5000 

Committee on Ways and Means $5000 

House Permanent Select Conunittee on $5000 

Intelligence 

Resolvedfurther, pursuant to Public Law 101-520 § 311 (e) (codified at 2 U.S.C. 5ge (e», that 

effective January 3, 2014, and during the second session of the One Hundred Thirteenth 

Congress, the allocation of the Official Mail Allowance for the following conunittees of the 

House of Representatives is: 
26 


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Committee on Agriculture $5000 

Committee on Anned Services $5000 

Committee on the Budget $5000 

Committee on Education and the Workforce $5000 

Committee on Energy and Commerce $5000 

Committee on Ethics $5000 

Committee on Financial Services $5000 

Committee on Foreign Affairs $5000 

Committee on Homeland Security $5000 

Committee on House Administration $5000 

Committee on the Judiciary $5000 

Committee on Natural Resources $5000 

Committee on Oversight and Government $5000 

Refonn 

Committee on Rules $5000 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology $5000 

Committee on Small Business $5000 

Committee on Transportation and $5000 

Infrastructure 

Committee on Veterans' Affairs $5000 

Committee on Ways and Means $5000 

House Pennanent Select Committee on $5000 

Intelligence 
27 

The CHAIRMAN. Is there any amendment to the resolution? 

If there are no amendments, I move the committee agree to the 

committee resolution. And the question is on the motion to agree 

to the resolution. 

All in favor, signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, say nay. 

The motion carried. In the opinion of the chairman, the motion 

is agreed to. 

And, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the 

table. 

And the last item that we have before the committee is an original resolution to dismiss an election contest which happened in the 

28th district of Texas. 

I think this is a very simple resolution. I would ask the ranking 

member if he has any statement on the resolution. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Madam Chairman. I join you in recommending dismissal of this frivolous election contest. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate that. 

I will now call up and lay before the committee the original resolution. And, without objection, the first reading of the resolution is 

dispensed with, and the resolution is considered read and open for 

amendment at any point. 

[The information follows:] 


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IV 

House Calendar No. ] 3 

113 ... 11 CONGRBSS 

1ST SgSSION H. RES. ] 27 

[Report No. 113-22] 

Dismissing thn election eOlltnst relating to the oftien of RHpresentatiw from 

the Twenty Eil-,rilth COIlI-,'TeSSiOllul Distri(~t of Toxas. 

MAHCII 1 !I, 201:! 

Mrs. MILLlm of Mi(~higal\, thHll the Committee on House Administration, submitted the following resolution; whieh wa." refl'lTnd to the House Calendar 

and ordered to he prillt~~d 

RESOLUTION 

Dismissing the cleetion eont(':;;t relating to the offiee of Representative from the 'l\venty I~ighth Congl'es:;;ional Distriet of rrexaS. 

Re:wlIJ(',li, 'rhat the eleetion eon test relating to the of· 

2 Dec of Repmsentative from the 'l'-wenty gighth COl1gJ'cs3 :;;ional Distriet of'l'exas i:;; dismissed. 

Insert graphic folio 48 80287A.019smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with HEARING

113'1'11 COXOUESS 

1 ST 

House Calendar No. ] 3 

H. RES. ] 27 

(Report No. ]] 3-22] 

RESOLUTION 

Dismissing the election contest relating to the office 

of Representative from the 'Twenty Eighth Congressional District of Texas 

)IARCII )9, 2013 

Heferrcd to tlie Housc CalcJltlar lind to bc 

printed 
30 

The CHAIRMAN. So are there any Members that want to offer an 

amendment to the resolution? 

If not, I move the committee favorably report the original resolution to the House. The question is on the motion. 

All those in favor, signify by saying yea. 

Opposed, say nay. 

In the opinion of the chairman, the yeas have it, and the motion 

is agreed to. 

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

And for all of the matters that the committee has considered 

today, I ask unanimous consent that the staff be authorized to 

make technical and conforming changes if necessary. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

And this concludes all the matters before the committee. I certainly want to thank all the Members for their participation, their 

thoughtful amendments, thoughtful conversation. 

And, with that, the meeting is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:31 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] 


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