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40–621 2008

THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER: THE VISITOR 

EXPERIENCE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, OCTOBER 17, 2007 

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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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania, Chairman 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

Vice-Chairwoman 

MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts 

CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas 

SUSAN A. DAVIS, California 

ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

Ranking Minority Member 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

KEVIN MCCARTHY, California 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

S. ELIZABETH BIRNBAUM, Staff Director 

WILL PLASTER, Minority Staff Director 

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THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER: THE VISITOR 

EXPERIENCE 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007 

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

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:08 a.m., in Room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Robert A. Brady 

(chairman of the committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Brady, Capuano, Davis of California, 

Ehlers and McCarthy. 

Staff Present: Liz Birnbaum, Staff Director; Kevin Peterson, Professional Staff; Teri Morgan, Deputy Chief Counsel; Matt Pinkus, 

Professional Staff/Parliamentarian; Kristin McCowan, Chief Legislative Clerk; Matthew DeFreitas, Staff Assistant; Kyle Anderson, 

Press Director; Fred Hay, Minority General Counsel; Bryan T. Dorsey, Minority Professional Staff; and Salley Collins, Minority Press 

Secretary. 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to call this meeting of House Administration to order. And I would like to recognize myself for 5 minutes. Upon its opening in the fall of 2008, the Capitol Visitor Center will provide visitors with a unique, one-of-a-kind educational 

experience. The CVC will offer the only exhibit of its kind in the 

country dedicated exclusively to educating the public about the history of the U.S. Capitol and the United States Congress. Better informed constituents make for a better informed electorate, and the 

anticipated opening the of the CVC promises an exciting future. 

We have with us here today the person who will lead the CVC 

into the future, Ms. Terrie Rouse. Ms. Rouse was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the CVC and has extensive experience in managing museums throughout the country, including 

museums in Kansas City, New York, Maine, and, I am proud to 

say, the great City of Philadelphia. Also with us today is Mr. Tom 

Stevens, U.S. Capitol Director of Visitor Services. Mr. Stevens has 

been working with the guides since 1985 and brings an incredible 

amount of knowledge to the table. Last but certainly not least is 

Chief Phillip Morse with the U.S. Capitol Police. Chief Morse is a 

seasoned veteran, providing security to the Capitol complex since 

1985. Welcome, all of you. 

Let me take this time to say I appreciate all the work that the 

panelists do to ensure the Members and staff and visitors are in 

a safe, secure environment, while having the best visitor experience 

possible. I look forward to hearing your accounts of how we will engage citizens in their visit to the Capitol and where we go from 

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here with regard to the future of the CVC. I would now like to recognize the ranking member, Mr. Ehlers, for any remarks that he 

would like to make. 

[The statement of the Chairman follows:] 

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Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for calling this hearing. It is a very important one, and it certainly has 

generated a lot of Member interest. I really think, Mr. Chairman, 

that most Members of Congress do not appreciate or understand 

what a tremendous experience this is going to be for our citizens 

to visit the Visitor Center. It is the first time in the history of this 

Nation, we will have a good history of our Government and our 

Capitol available for the public to view in a multimedia way and 

to really prepare them for the experience of going through the Capitol. 

My chief of staff was just talking to me this morning. He went 

to Britain last year and took a tour of the House of Commons, the 

entire Parliament. He was vastly impressed with the tour. Of 

course, he had to pay 5 pounds or something like that to get in. 

Nothing is free over there. Even the cathedrals charge you, but we 

will continue to do it for free. We have never done justice to our 

Capitol and to our history in the tours that we have given. This 

Visitor Center finally gives us the opportunity to really improve the 

whole operation. 

The Capitol Visitor Center is the largest extension of the Capitol 

in its 212-year history. It is approximately three-quarters the size 

of the Capitol Building itself. Very few people, even among some 

of my colleagues, I think, realize the extent of it. And I know that 

you have taken the tour through it, but I guess you just took it this 

week, Susan. It is just astonishing. And the great things we are 

going to be able to do, it is really wonderful. I will not give my entire opening statement. 

I will just ask that it be submitted to the record. But one issue 

I do want to mention, because some of our colleagues have made 

an issue about staff-led tours. We have no intention of leaving our 

colleagues or their staffs out of this process, but we have to recognize that it is going to be a totally different situation because their 

visitors are going to be well-prepared for the tour by having gone 

through the Visitor Center first. And we expect their staffs to continue to be involved in pointing out items of interest from their 

particular State. I would regard it instead of staff-led tours, we will 

have staff-hosted tours. Members’ staff will see to the needs of 

their visitors from their State, will make sure that the unique interests of their visitors are accommodated. So we are not doing 

away with staff-involved tours. They are just going to take a different form because of the different situation here. 

With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back and look forward to the 

testimony. Thank you. 

[The statement of Mr. Ehlers follows:] 

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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Ehlers. 

Anybody. 

Mr. Capuano. 

Mr. McCarthy. 

Ms. Davis. 

I welcome the members of the panel, and I ask that they summarize their statements with the initial time allotted to each witness. 

Without objection, all written statements from the witnesses will 

appear in the record of the hearing. None heard, no objection. 

STATEMENTS OF TERRIE S. ROUSE, CEO FOR VISITOR SERVICES, CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER; THOMAS L. STEVENS, DIRECTOR OF VISITOR SERVICES, UNITED STATES CAPITOL; 

AND CHIEF PHILLIP D. MORSE, SR., CHIEF OF POLICE, U.S. 

CAPITOL POLICE 

The CHAIRMAN. We will begin with Ms. Terrie Rouse, and then 

move to Mr. Tom Stevens, and then end with Chief Morse. 

So Ms. Terrie Rouse, you are on. 

STATEMENT OF TERRIE S. ROUSE 

Ms. ROUSE. Thank you. 

Mr. Chairman, Congressman Ehlers, members of the committee, 

thank you for inviting today to talk about the Capitol Visitor Center and the wonderful visitor experience that awaits all who come 

to their United States Capitol next fall. First, I would like to say 

what an honor and a privilege it is for me to be working here. I 

want to thank the Acting Architect of the Capitol, Stephen Ayers; 

CVC Transition Director David Ferguson; the entire AOC staff; the 

House and Senate Oversight Committees; and the congressional 

leadership for their support and assistance over the past few 

weeks. 

I also want to acknowledge and thank the gentlemen who are at 

the table with me today: Tom Stevens, Director of the Capitol Visitor Services, who oversees a first class operation; and Chief Morse 

and Assistant Chief Dan Nichols, for working with us to ensure our 

visitors are safe and secure during their visit. 

And I thank the committee, leadership, and Congress for giving 

me the opportunity to be part of history, opening the doors to the 

largest expansion of the Capitol Building that is devoted to the citizens of the United States. I believe that the CVC is a symbolic door 

to the Nation, a portal that will become an inviting place to remind 

visitors of their role as citizens. As an extension of the Capitol, it 

will provide a fitting welcome and introduction to the People’s 

House so all may witness the workings of our legislative process. 

To provide the committee with a bit of background about myself, 

I am originally from Youngstown, Ohio. I received my bachelor of 

arts degree in intercultural studies from Trinity College, that is in 

Connecticut; a masters of professional studies from Cornell University; and a masters degree in African History from Columbia University. Over the years, I have been an educator serving as an adjunct professor or instructor at a number of universities across the 

country, including New York University, Columbia University and 

Cornell University. 

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I spent a number of years in the museum world, most recently 

as executive vice president and director of museums for Kansas 

City’s Union Station, a 900,000-square foot historic landmark. I 

have also provided consultant services to a number of cultural, 

nonprofit organizations, including a joint project between the City 

of Philadelphia, the National Park Service and the Independence 

National Historic Park. I worked with the City of Charleston on 

the development of the International African American Museum. 

I have been on the job now for a month. I am very impressed 

with the planning and the work that has been done before I arrived. Since my arrival in Washington, one of my top priorities is 

to recruit and to hire a staff to prepare the CVC to receive visitors. 

Other operational issues will be working with the congressional 

leadership on the advanced ticketing system, developing a CVC 

Web site, developing a transportation plan and reaching out with 

a public information campaign. 

There is much to do. But it is clear that everyone has the same 

wonderful vision, enhance the visitor experience to the U.S. Capitol. Throughout my career, I have learned one thing. During each 

person’s visit to a museum, an art gallery or an exhibit, there is 

at least one, awe moment, an experience or sight that literally 

takes one’s breath away and inspires. My goal is that every person 

who comes to the CVC will feel welcome and will look up at the 

Capitol Dome through the skylight; will see the model of the Statue 

of Freedom in the Great Hall and experience at least one awe moment. Once they experience that moment, we hope they will become engaged, appreciate what we do at the Capitol, and understand why the House and the Senate operate in the way they do, 

and celebrate their roles in our representative government. 

Mr. Chairman, the Capitol is a unique building. Not only is it a 

working office building; it is a living museum. Over the years, visitors had to stand outside in the cold, rain or extreme heat and humidity while waiting to tour the Capitol. Congress recognized the 

need in 1998 for the construction of a Visitor Center to provide 

greater security for all persons working in or visiting the United 

States Capitol, and a more convenient place in which to learn 

about the work of Congress. 

In keeping with Congress’s intent, along with the increased focus 

on safety and security, the mission of the CVC is to provide a 

seamless visitor experience. This experience is enhanced by the 

ease and comfort by which visitors can move about the CVC, visit 

the exhibits and benefit from the level of service and many amenities provided to them for the first time, such as a restaurant, 

many restrooms and orientation theatres. Most importantly, the exhibits and programs about the working history of the Congress and 

architecture of the Capitol are designed to inspire generations of 

Americans, We, the People, about the legislative process and our 

representational government. 

While there will be a focus on the history of Congress, it is important to remember that the CVC is a new structure, a 21st century facility. Therefore, we are using state-of-the-art technology 

and modern conveniences to vastly improve the level of our visitor 

services. I mentioned this earlier; we provide a number of amenbajohnson on PROD1PC77 with HEARING

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ities to guests to the Capitol for the first time. In addition, a number of other improvements are planned. 

First and foremost will be the implementation of a comprehensive tour program. Our professional, highly trained guides will be 

able to tailor our tours to their audiences, whether it is a large 

group of Philadelphia eighth graders on a class trip, seniors from 

Grand Rapids, Michigan, stopping in Washington as part of a fall 

foliage tour, or architects coming to marvel at the complexity of 

building such a stately underground facility. 

Following the inaugural year of the CVC, additional specialized 

tours will be developed to further interpret the role of Congress 

and integrate the other treasures of Capitol Hill, such as the Library of Congress, the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Capitol 

grounds. While this is a decision that will be made by congressional 

leadership, not by me and not by the AOC, we believe we will serve 

Members of Congress by better integrating, not eliminating, the 

staff-facilitated functions in the tour program. We look forward to 

a continued discussion on the issue with congressional leadership 

to come to a final determination on this and many other operational issues over the next several months. 

During their visits, we intend to help our visitors walk a mile in 

Members’ shoes. This will begin as soon as they enter the CVC, 

view the orientation film, visit the virtual House and Senate 

Chambers and then the Capitol, where they will see their Representatives and Senators in action. 

An invaluable tool in this process will be assisted listening devices, head sets that connect the visitors to their tour guides. The 

advantages of this technology are many. Visitors can move about 

more freely while still hearing their guide clearly, without the distractions of other groups. This will also greatly reduce the noise 

level in the Capitol, as guides will speak in a normal volume and 

will not have to compete with ambient noise and other guides. Most 

importantly, in the event of an emergency, the guides are able to 

manage groups, communicate important information, and quickly 

and effectively lead them to safety if necessary. 

Of course the visitor experience begins long before a guest steps 

foot in the CVC. In that regard, we intend to set the tone of the 

individual’s Capitol tour when they visit the CVC Web site, book 

their tours through an advanced reservation system, or ask a staff 

member for directions to the restaurant or their Member’s office. 

Mr. Chairman, in the Exhibition Hall, carved into the white marble are the words, ‘‘Out of many, one.’’ our Founding Fathers selected these words to describe the coming together of 13 colonies 

into one united country. Today we come together united in our goal 

to make a visit to our Nation’s Capital an incredible patriotic, educational, and inspiring experience. 

I look forward to continuing to work with the committee, our 

oversight committees, the congressional leadership and the AOC to 

make a visit to the Capitol Visitor Center and the United States 

Capitol the experience of a lifetime. This concludes my statement. 

I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have. 

[The statement of Ms. Rouse follows:] 

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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Rouse. 

Mr. Stevens. 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS L. STEVENS 

Mr. STEVENS. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Congressman Ehlers, 

members of the committee, I am honored to be before you today to 

discuss the visitor experience as we transition into the new Capitol 

Visitor Center. 

Before I begin, however, I want to thank the members of committee for their continued support, the men and women of Capitol 

Guide Service and Congressional Special Services Office. It is 

through your efforts that we have helped to ensure that we have 

had an open building for millions of visitors throughout the years 

from around the world, and I appreciate that support very much. 

Thank you. 

A little background about the Guide Service and visiting the 

Capitol. Visitors first began coming to the Capitol in large numbers 

in 1876 during the centennial celebrations. And to help deal with 

that influx of visitation and make sure there was some quality assurance with regard to the type of information that they were 

given, the idea was proffered to have some appointed guides. And 

under the jurisdiction of both Sergeants at Arms, that came to reality. And the Guide Service has grown many times since then. 

But in 1970, the Reorganization Act, Congress looked very closely at the Guide Service and the Congressional Special Services Office and actually brought the Capitol guides under the Federal 

Government in a sense that it created a Capitol Guide Board, 

which not only included both Sergeants at Arms but also incorporated the Architect of the Capitol’s Office. And we still work 

under the jurisdiction of that board today. 

In 1995, the board underwent a review of visitation at the Capitol. As a result of that, in 1996, the Congressional Special Services 

Office was joined with the Capitol Guide Service. And the Congressional Special Services Office has in fact been in existence, or had 

in fact, been in existence since 1983, prior to being merged with the 

Capitol Guide Service. And today, as a combined effort, we provide 

access to a little over a million visitors per year to the Capitol. 

Since 9/11, the challenges to the Capitol have been many. The responsibilities of the Capitol Guide Service have broadened greatly 

and are actually quite tightly married to the Capitol Police and the 

safety demands placed upon them. As a result of these additional 

responsibilities, the number of visitors that we are able to personally take through the building has diminished. We deploy our staffing to staff tunnels and provide access via numerous points of ingress to the Capitol as well as help manage crowd conditions inside 

and around the building as well. The end result of this is, many 

of these large groups, mostly school children, junior-high-school-age 

children simply have little recourse but to call upon their Member’s 

office once my staffing has been depleted. 

The new Capitol Visitor Center and the additional staffing that 

is associated with that will once again enable us to provide a pre9/11 level of service, and that is, simply provide a professional tour 

guide for everyone wishing to visit the Capitol. The much anticipated opening of the Visitor Center will enable us to provide the 

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state-of-the-art experience of those visiting this great institution. It 

has always been our mission to provide an inviting, educational, 

and inspiring experience for the visitors, and the Capitol Visitor 

Center is the cornerstone of taking that goal to the next and very 

highest level. 

Not only will it provide many amenities, but it also is going to 

provide an educational experience second to none. I am sure you 

have all been in the facility and have seen how impressive it is. I 

can assure you that the information provided there will be equally 

impressive. 

And in closing, I want to just point out, we do want to work very 

closely with this committee, continue working with the Architect of 

the Capitol, as we have been for years, Ms. Terrie Rouse and her 

distinguished team. And frankly, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for the visitor to the Capitol. We look forward to it. I would 

be happy to answer any questions that you have. 

[The statement of Mr. Stevens follows:] 

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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Stevens. 

Chief Morse. 

STATEMENT OF PHILLIP D. MORSE, SR. 

Chief MORSE. Good morning, Chairman Brady, Congressman 

Ehlers and the members of the committee. I want to thank you for 

the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the security 

aspect of the visitor experience at the Capitol Visitor Center. The 

opening of the Capitol Visitor Center next year will make the 

achievement of a long-time held goal of the United States Capitol 

Police. 

Back in 1998, after the fatal shootings of Officer Jacob Chestnut 

and Detective John Gibson in the Capitol Building, planning for 

the Capitol Visitor Center began in earnest. Since that time, the 

Capitol Police has worked in partnership with the Architect of the 

Capitol to help design the CVC in such a manner as to not only 

enhance and enrich the visitor experience but also enhance security 

of the United States Capitol. 

As the construction of the facility progresses and we are prepared for its opening, it is clear that both goals will be achieved. 

The main advantage that the CVC presents from a security perspective is the ability for the Capitol Police to conduct security 

screening of visitors in a state-of-the-art facility that was designed 

for that purpose. 

As we saw in 1998, the historic and ceremonial entrances of the 

Capitol were never intended to support the security screening that 

is necessary in today’s threat environment. The opening of the 

CVC, with its entryways, custom designed to support security 

equipment, police officer positioning, and technology to detect and 

contain threats, all in a seamless, welcoming environment, will 

serve to enhance the visitor experience, while mitigating current 

and emerging threats. 

A key issue that remains for discussion is the manner in which 

tours will be conducted. The Capitol Police will yield to the expertise of Ms. Terrie Rouse and her team to formulate the best possible visitor experience. Our interest is in the area of response to 

emergencies that affect tour groups. The events of September 11th, 

2001, and subsequent evacuations, lockdowns and other security 

events at the Capitol have demonstrated a need for the Capitol Police to limit the number of people in the Capitol at any given time 

and also have a means to give instructions to building occupants, 

including tour groups, in an emergency situation. 

When the Capitol Visitor Center opens in November, we will 

have the opportunity to merge the constituent service of the staffled tours with the professional presentation provided by the Capitol’s Guide Service. The concept of staff-integrated tours led by a 

member of the Capitol Guide Service will allow the Capitol Police 

to better regulate the flow of visitors into the Capitol, thereby 

eliminating overcrowding and congestion in the hallways. Further, 

since we will be able to maintain positive communications contact 

with the tour guides as they move through their groups—move 

with their groups throughout the building, we can provide realtime direction during an emergency, such as evacuating a certain 

route or relocating to a safe location, depending upon the threat. 

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The Capitol Police will provide training to tour guides that include evacuation routes and procedures, assembly areas outside of 

the Capitol, familiarization with building lockdown procedures and 

areas within the building to relocate groups in response to various 

threats. This training, combined with the concept of staff-integrated tours, will ensure those who lead tour groups within the 

Capitol can offer an informative, safe experience for our guests and 

your constituents. 

Again, I want to thank you for the invitation to appear before 

you today. As you know, one of my responsibilities is to provide advice and guidance on security-related matters so that the committees of jurisdiction can make decisions and set policy based upon 

totality of circumstances. The Capitol Police is committed to providing the highest level of security and law enforcement services 

while exercising the will of Congress to balance visitor access and 

security within the Capitol Complex. That concludes my testimony, 

Mr. Chairman, and I would be happy to answer any questions at 

this time. 

[The statement of Chief Morse follows:] 

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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Chief. 

I do have some common questions and concerns. It is a visible 

building, and a lot of things have been said about it. I would just 

like to say I did receive a letter with 100 plus Member signatures 

on it concerning the tours. But rather than me ask the questions, 

I would rather have our committee participate. And instead of me 

dominating the questions that are right on the top of the list, and 

let them participate and ask their questions, and I will come back 

with some questions. 

So, with that, I would like to recognize Mr. Ehlers. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you. First, thank you all for being here. I 

look forward very, very much to the opening of the Visitor Center. 

And if I have the time, which I doubt that I will, I would love to 

just stand there and watch the looks on the faces of the visitors as 

they go through. It will be a totally new and different experience 

to them. 

The one issue that of course is troubling to our colleagues, at 

least to my colleagues, and I suspect on your side as well, is the 

issue of staff-led tours and what is going to happen there. And perhaps, Mr. Chairman, we should have some open meetings to discuss with our colleagues what is happening and bring in the Chief 

particularly to talk about the safety and security aspect of what 

will happen. 

I would also—I have here the list that has been circulated of the 

misinformation that has been handed out by some of the guides. 

But I certainly don’t want to condemn all the staff-led tour guides, 

because some offices work very hard at educating their staff members well to give decent tours. But I think the real idea is to coordinate this whole operation of staff-led tours, or maybe we have to 

call them staff-hosted tours, and coordinate that with the Guide 

Service so that we have professional guides handling the majority 

of the tour. Then the staff members can simply give the tours to 

the particular areas of interest to the State that their Representative represents. So I just wanted to get that comment on the 

record. 

I would appreciate any comments that Mr. Stevens or Chief 

Morse would have about that proposal of somehow trying to work 

to coordinate these with the professional tour guides taking most 

of the responsibility but with the staff members along to add hometown flavor to various parts of the Capitol. 

Any comments on that? 

Mr. STEVENS. Congressman Ehlers, thank you. The concept of 

staff-led tours—and that term itself has kind of gained a life form 

of its own. But it has always existed. I can remember it 22 years 

ago, giving tours at the Capitol. Staff would bring family members 

over, special guests and give tours of the Capitol. And that certainly is not and should not ever be eliminated or made difficult. 

The staff-led tours of today not only include those special guests 

but, as I mentioned in my testimony, what was taken away essentially following 9/11 was the ability for one to come to the Capitol 

and simply walk into the Capitol as a general admission venue. Everyone must now be with a staff person on a staff-led tour or with 

a professional guide. And doing that of course is quite necessary. 

But as a result, it is very taxing on manpower. And as a result, 

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the people that would otherwise be walking around looking on their 

own are looking to the Members’ offices to bring them in to do that 

self-guided tour. 

And much to the credit of staffers who previously did not give 

tours, as you point out many did their homework and provide very 

good tours. It becomes problematic, in my opinion, when offices get 

deluged with extremely large groups. And it is not uncommon for 

2,000 to 3,000 in number to call upon a Member’s office to give a 

tour on a particular day or a particular afternoon. And it sends 

staffers scrambling to find additional staffers to bring those people 

in. Each staffer is permitted to bring up to 15 guests in with them. 

So, oftentimes, they are simply trying to find enough staffers to get 

the numbers through screening, abide by the rules and enter the 

Capitol Building. And some of those interns are called out on short 

order and simply aren’t well prepared. 

So I think it is by default, they are simply not engaged regularly 

on giving tours and well enough equipped to do that. But, again, 

I think the foundation of staffers who give tours do a very good job, 

frankly. 

Now, as far as the Visitor Center is concerned, what we want to 

do is get back to that level of service where everyone coming to the 

Capitol who would like to have a tour of the Capitol is going to get 

a tour of the Capitol with a professionally trained guide if that is 

their choosing. If a Member’s office wishes to show those individuals around, that also will be an option. We are going to do that 

by providing them access right up to the orientation theatres. And 

we can incorporate them into the guided tour through the Capitol. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. 

Chief, you have any comments? 

Chief MORSE. Yes. Thank you, sir. The only interest certainly I 

have is that it is an opportunity with staff-led integrated tours for 

us to be able to communicate with the tour guides in an emergency 

situation, and certainly that that information be able to be passed 

along to the constituents and the staff in order to either evacuate 

or relocate to a safe area. So it is positive communication, and it 

allows us to direct people in the building more efficiently in a critical incident. 

Mr. EHLERS. So you will be in radio contact with the professional 

guide at all times? 

Chief MORSE. Right. And that is an extension of what we currently do. So, that is sort of a seamless transition, if you will, in 

security that we currently do. And certainly it has been tested 

many times since 9/11 with some of the evacuations that have occurred. So, it works very well, and we think it would work in this 

situation and still also offer the staff-led tour flavor with the visitor 

experience as well. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you. I see my time is up. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Massachusetts. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Gentlemen, I am just not clear on some things. 

Are you talking about ending—I mean, let me start from the beginning. We talk about pre-9/11 as if staff-led tours didn’t start until 

after that. I will tell you unequivocally that in my office I had staffled tours before 9/11, and I have had them since 9/11. So 9/11, 

though it did change some procedures and all that, the ability to 

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have my staff bring my constituents at my choosing to tour the 

Capitol led by them, it really hasn’t changed. The procedure, the 

safety, the security has, and that is good. 

Is the suggestion on the table that my staff will no longer be allowed somehow to provide a personalized tour, even just walking 

through the Capitol, without being part of an integrated tour? Or 

is it that an integrated tour will be added to that option as a better 

and improved, more substantial option? Which is it? 

Mr. STEVENS. Congressman, if I may, it is the latter. We are actually adding that component, so it is an additional option for 

Members’ offices. And I fully agree, staff-led tours have been a staple since, again, I started in 1985, and there were staffers giving 

tours back then. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Right. 

Mr. STEVENS. I think the component that has changed is the fact 

people cannot wander the building on their own and take a tour. 

And so these large groups are——

Mr. CAPUANO. And I just want to make sure we are on the same 

page. 

Ms. Rouse and Chief Morse, do you agree that it is an additional 

option as opposed to a choice? 

Ms. ROUSE. It is indeed an additional option. By joining a guided 

tour, the staffers will be able to avail themselves of all the amenities of the CVC. They won’t miss the film, which is absolutely 

magnificent and sort of sets the pace for what people will see on 

the Capitol tour. And also, as people return from the Capitol tour 

and have had the experience with the headphones on, the devices, 

they will hear the guides talking. 

Mr. CAPUANO. I understand, but it is an option. It is not——

Ms. ROUSE. It is an option. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Chief, do you agree with that? 

Chief MORSE. I concur. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Okay. If that is the case, then most of my concerns are just settled, to be perfectly honest. Look, I love the tours 

that are given by the professionals. They are thorough. They are 

thoughtful. They are fun in my opinion. And I encourage my constituents when they come to take them, if you want the truth. They 

have been more difficult since 9/11, and I think it is a great idea 

to enhance them. At the same time, not all my constituents want 

to avail themselves of that. They want options. I want options. And 

I will tell you that most of my staff has taken the training that has 

been offered to make their experience or the experience they give 

to my constituents more useful and more fun. And I actually applaud you for, you know, helping staff do a better job. 

Now, as long as it is an option in addition, I will tell you that 

all of my concerns just went away. Because my next question was 

going to be, if you are going to try to stop them, what are you going 

to do, arrest my staff? You know, good luck. I think that might 

upset a few Members of Congress. But if that is not going to happen, it is not a big deal. With that, then all the rest of my questions have pretty much been answered. 

I thank you for adding to the possibilities, and I will tell you that 

I look forward to the CVC. I have been through it twice already. 

I look forward to going through it again. And I will simply tell you 

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that I think you are doing a great job, and keep it up, and I look 

forward to having an even more pleasant experience for my constituents who choose to take it. Thank you. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

Mr. McCarthy. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. Well, first, let me thank you, Mr. Chairman, for 

having this hearing. 

My question is, Ms. Rouse, you said in your comment about the 

Web site that they would go to the Web site and book their tickets 

by themselves. I was wondering, is there a way we can work with 

our staff, because a lot of people call my staff, and then they say 

everything they want to do in Washington, and we would go 

through the process of trying to get them tickets for all the different items. How would that work, the Web site itself? 

Ms. ROUSE. Well, first of all, we are still working on the advanced ticketing system. We just started that process a week or so 

ago. But our goal is to have Members’ offices be able to arrange the 

tickets, the reservation, if you will, and also sort of customize it. 

And the goal may be that your office would have your name and 

your photo there perhaps, a little information about the State and 

that you are affording them the opportunity to have the tour. So 

that is basically our goal. 

But we also want the public, particularly groups, to avail themselves of the advanced ticketing system, which allows us to have 

a greater control over who is coming, certainly helps our life-safety 

issues so we don’t hit high impact times, and those are the elements of the advanced ticketing system we are hoping to work 

through over the next 5 to 6 months. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. And then my only other question would be 

maybe to the Chief and Ms. Rouse. We are going to start feeding 

so many people into one certain place, and I mean, I guess I am 

just assuming the House has so many more visitors than the Senate side, because every time I walk through, it looks that way, and 

there are more Members of the House. Are there any concerns you 

have from the standpoint of people loitering when they are done 

with the tour with one side of the Capitol or anything? 

Chief MORSE. Well, with respect to the CVC itself, it is a public— it will be a public access building. So there will be people who come 

into the building and use the CVC but not take a guided tour. So 

the possibility exists, and this is something that we have talked 

about very openly, is that people will come into the building and 

remain and may not have any business other than they just want 

to seek shelter, perhaps, or have a cool place to sit. So there will 

be and can be folks there who have no business other than that. 

But certainly, in our operational planning, we have considered that 

and are prepared for that. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. Okay. And I guess my only question—I will wait 

for Ms. Rouse. How do you view the CVC? I mean, do you see it 

as a tourist destination or just enhancing the visitors’ experience? 

Yes. Because I almost think, at the very beginning, when it first 

opens, it is going to be a destination point. 

Ms. ROUSE. I would agree with you. I think it is going to have 

a destination quality about it. The exhibition, which is 16,500 

square feet, is really a remarkable accomplishment in terms of tellbajohnson on PROD1PC77 with HEARING

31 

ing the history of the Capitol building and the history of the Congress. So I think that that alone will be an opportunity for people. 

If we do what we want to do with the Web site and making it an 

extension tool, not only can you get a reservation, but we will have, 

hopefully, curriculum tie-in material so someone who has a visit 

with us can have a pre- and a post-experience on their own that 

reinforces what we are doing. 

I think there will be quality. We know in the first 18 to 24 

months, we will see a lot of people coming into the Capitol and 

through the CVC, which is why the coordination with the Visitor 

Services Department and the Capitol Police will be so important, 

so we can maintain the proper number of people in the space, hold 

them if we need to. We know we have 90 days typically in a year 

when we are at high capacity, and that is usually when the eighth 

graders are all studying civics across the country, and they are 

coming to us as part of their Washington or Smithsonian experience. So, yes, it is going to be an extension, and we hope to have 

it be a very good experience for people when they come to the Capitol. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. If I could have just one last one to follow up on 

Mr. Capuano’s question, are the hours going to be the same like 

within the Capitol? Say I am, late hours, we are still open, and I 

am taking some constituents around that had dinner, could I go 

into the CVC then? I wouldn’t see the movie, I would understand 

that, because I don’t have the ticket, but——

Chief MORSE. It is my understanding the building hours are the 

same as the Capitol are currently. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. So if the lights are on in the Capitol, the CVC 

is the same, an extension of it. 

Chief MORSE. Right. It is an extension of the Capitol Building in 

that regards. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. Okay. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Ms. Davis. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Thank you. Thank you very much. And 

thank you, Mr. Stevens, for helping us out yesterday and taking us 

around. 

One thing I want to clarify in terms of the tours, and part of it 

is getting from A to B. Constituents arrive at Longworth, and the 

staff member is with them. Do they still come through the basement, and can they enter the Capitol and then go onto the CVC? 

Or are they basically asked to come around the other way? Obviously, I am thinking of bad weather, inclement weather. How do 

they get from one place to the other? Will there be any changes? 

Mr. STEVENS. If I may, that is a decision certainly that is beyond 

the scope of this panel. That is a leadership and committee level 

decisionmaking process for both the House and Senate. And I 

might also point out, with regard to some of the previous questions 

about the staff-led tours and integration and hosting, and you get 

into a lot of different verbiage to describe these staff-hosted tours, 

which is a very good explanation I think, those decisions, and it 

was asked if it was on the table to prohibit staff-led tours, not by 

this panel. Again, those are decisions made on a leadership level. 

So that is beyond our scope. So that is a question I really couldn’t 

answer for you. I know the Chief would have some input as to 

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routes and so forth because of staffing concerns there. And I will 

let him speak to that. I think I answered your question. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Yeah. Chief, could you speak to that? 

Because that really does make a difference. I think that it is a 

magnificent entrance, and I understand why the hope would be 

that visitors would be entering from that side, but the reality is 

they come to our offices first. And what are we going to be doing 

to change that? 

Chief MORSE. Well, the recommendation is that the design and 

construction of the main entrance of the CVC is exactly for this 

type of screening and level of people entering a building. And the 

technology is there, the design is there, and it is the optimum environment to——

Mrs. DAVIS of California. I understand that, Chief, but will people still have access through the basement? 

Chief MORSE. Well, it is our recommendation that all visitors go 

through the CVC main entrance. All visitors, official business, go 

through the screening at the main entrance of the CVC, because 

that is the optimum security screening design for the threat environment that we face. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Given, though, that they are in a different place when they start, and it is raining cats and dogs, I am 

just wondering, are people not going to be able to go through the 

basement if they are trying to access the Capitol? 

Chief MORSE. It is only my recommendation that the optimum 

security screening take place at the front of the CVC. And the reason I give you that information is so that you have all the information you need for the committees of jurisdiction to make that decision. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Okay. 

Chief MORSE. But the number of people, the level of security 

screening, the threats that we face, the main entrance of the CVC 

provides an environment that we can do that very safely. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. I appreciate that. It sounds like that, 

and I guess, Mr. Chairman, I would suggest, I mean that may be 

something that we still need to take a look at. 

Mr. EHLERS. Would the gentlewoman yield? 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Sure. 

Mr. EHLERS. Just a question. When we go through the Cannon 

tunnel, there is going to be a new entrance to the CVC off the Cannon tunnel. Are you going to have any security screening at that 

location or not? 

Chief MORSE. Well, we will still have a level of security there, because it is an access point to the Capitol. 

Mr. EHLERS. Right. 

Chief MORSE. And we certainly have business and staff and so 

forth who traverse back and forth. But if you have ever been down 

to that particular area during a heightened tourist season, it is 

not—from the environment, the lighting, the conditions there are 

very overwhelming from a heat and crowding standpoint, and people cannot traverse. So it is just not construction-wise designed to 

facilitate those numbers of people with that level of screening. So 

that is why it backs up. 

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Mr. EHLERS. No, I am talking about the location of the entrance 

to the CVC within the Cannon tunnel, not the entrance to the tunnel. They go into the CVC from there. Is there anything in the CVC 

to provide security for that portal? 

Chief MORSE. There would be officers and, you know, systems to 

control access there. But as far as people actually being screened, 

that would still take place at the entering point that it currently 

does on the House Office Building side. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. I had a question about the greening of 

the CVC. And I also—it is extraordinary. It really is. I think it is 

going to provide an amazing experience for people. I have some 

concerns about whether there is—you know, there are obviously 

Member spaces as well as visitor spaces. I don’t know proportionally what that is. It looked to me like a lot of the space down there 

is for Members’ meetings and other places to congregate. But how 

extensive is the greening of the CVC? Clearly, retrofitting the Capitol is difficult as we green it. But what about the CVC, and how 

much energy will be saved there by the actions that have been 

taken? 

Ms. ROUSE. Actually, I am really not sure. I would be happy to 

get back to you with the information for the record on the greening 

of the Capitol. I know it has been an aggressive part of the thinking of the architects and the engineers over the last 5 or 6 years, 

so we will get back to you for that. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Okay. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. We have a vote. And I know that Chief Morse 

has to leave and that Assistant Chief Nichols may be able to stay. 

I would like to ask you if we can come back. There are two issues 

I think we need to clear up that are not quite clear right now. They 

are the entrances that we can take, our staff people, and can we 

take staff people by themselves? I think we need to clear that up 

and be concrete about that. So does everybody agree we can come 

back? We will recess until the vote is over, which is probably about 

45 minutes. And I thank you, and we will be in recess. 

[11:55 a.m.] 

[Recess.] 

[Information follows:] 

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35 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to call our hearing back to order. I 

want to thank the distinguished panelists for staying around. And 

we live our life by bells, so we are sorry we had to run for the bell 

and answer the bell and run back again. 

There were—what I understand—and, again, please, anybody 

that needs to ask a question or clarify an answer that you might 

not be happy with, you can be recognized. But there are two issues 

I would like to clarify. 

It was my understanding that our staff, when they bring a tour 

into the Capitol, into the new Visitor Center, that a staff member 

can take 20 people from a Member’s office or 10 people, whatever 

the amount may be. And if they go there, a couple of things will 

happen. They will be shown priority and be moved up. And it was 

my understanding that—I thought that a staff from the CVC would 

then join us, for security reasons, because if they have to evacuate, 

they know where to evacuate, they know where to go. But it is also 

my understanding that a staff member from a Member’s office 

wouldn’t be able to take the group by themselves. 

But I think that what is important, as Mr. Capuano pointed out, 

and I think other Members pointed out when they sent myself and 

Mr. Ehlers a letter, a lot of times they may want to see things that 

they want to see pertaining to the city, the State that they are 

from. And maybe they don’t want to or need to see other things, 

not that they are not important, but they are not that important 

to that group and their time may be limited, rather than go 

through the whole process. 

So is it my understanding that if I send or anybody sends a 

group of people over with a member of our staff, that we do appreciate and I appreciate the training you provide our staff. I am sure 

that they will learn more as they give more tours, because we have 

members on my staff that take the tours, and they know almost 

as much as I do. 

It is my understanding that they could come with a group, that 

they would get shown priority, not have to wait. Then you would 

put a tour guide with our person to assist them in where they 

would want to go, and then maybe to add to some information that 

they may have. But they wouldn’t go by themselves, for security 

reasons, because if there is an evacuation, God forbid, the tour 

guide would know exactly where to go. 

That is what my understanding is, that we were going to achieve 

increased security by having our staff people come with our own 

groups? 

And then a next question would be—and I agree with Mrs. 

Davis. Maybe we can figure out another entranceway. And I don’t 

want to put more burden on you than you have. But there are 

other entrances in there that maybe when the staff members come, 

they get preference to go into the Capitol with a group. One option 

is entrance through Cannon. I know it is not well-lit, maybe not 

big enough, but if we could figure that out, instead of going out and 

around. Because they are in the Longworth, they are in the Cannon, they are in the Rayburn. They have to come back out, go 

around and get in. 

I get, and I think other Members do, too, I get raves from people 

that come and visit me, you know, ‘‘Your staff member was great. 

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They showed us A, B or C.’’ And that is a pretty nice thing for us 

to have for our constituents. So if you can, any or all three, could 

help me clarify. 

And if I am not stating this properly or correctly, anybody, Mr. 

Capuano, Mr. Ehlers, Mrs. Davis, if you need to add anything to 

that question, those are the two matters that I think we need to 

have some clarification on. 

Ms. ROUSE. Chairman Brady, your understanding concurs with 

that of the leadership with the tours. The intention is to have staff 

members from Members’ offices be able to have the option of dropping their guests off at the welcome theater. There is a special 

door, incidentally, for members. So you will be able to have your 

guest get preferential treatment into that room. 

The tours are time-based. So there will be a cycle back and forth 

between each of the two welcome auditoriums. So a staff member 

can host their guest throughout the entire tour or they can drop 

them off and rejoin with them after they come off of the tour. 

I might add that the experience within the Capitol Visitor Center, given the exhibitions, the other amenities, could take up to 2, 

21⁄2 hours for a Member’s staff person to be away from their duties 

and their offices. So we are trying to help them as staff members 

by having the guide service be able to provide that expertise for the 

tour and then allow the staff person to join as needed. 

As for training, our goal of the CVC is to have top-level training 

for all 318 staff people. And a component that we are going to develop is to be able to have not only guest services but to have an 

educational-based tour system where we can add in what we need 

to add in. And Tom Stevens’s staff, as guides, will be able to personalize a tour. However, a staff person on a tour will have every 

option at any moment to simply take off their listening device and 

add whatever they would like into the tour. 

But even better, if a staff person can tell the guide, ‘‘I have 

guests from Pennsylvania,’’ ‘‘I have guests from Michigan,’’ they 

can add those little bits into the tour as well. So we are trying to 

have the ultimate level of flexibility to aid the staffer and to aid 

the Member in making that experience better. 

And as we move forward in developing our gift shop items, we 

are also trying to make sure we reflect that type of diversity of 

States within our gift shop items as well. 

The CHAIRMAN. Two quick things. 

You would have the adequate staff that, if we sent people over 

there from our office—because they will be coming sporadically. 

You will have adequate staff to be able to do that? 

Ms. ROUSE. It is proposed that we would have adequate staff. 

The CHAIRMAN. Because the last thing you would want to have 

happen, if we are coming unannounced, is for our groups to be 

waiting there. As you can understand, then it is a poor reflection 

on the Members. 

And the second thing is, could the tours be customized? If I send 

a staff member over and they only have an hour, they want to see 

like six or seven things that pertain to their particular interest 

that they have, whatever State they are from, our staff person can 

tell your guide, ‘‘We want to customize and just go here, there and 

there.’’ That could be arranged? 

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Ms. ROUSE. That could happen. We are hoping to have, at the 

CVC, very, very good relationships with all the Members’ offices, 

building on the relationships that Tom Stevens has. The more notice we have, the better we will be able to customize the tours. 

The CHAIRMAN. Sure. But it can be customized to the staff member that comes with the Member’s group? 

Ms. ROUSE. Absolutely. 

The CHAIRMAN. Any——

Mr. CAPUANO. I want to follow up. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Capuano. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

That is a significantly different answer than what I got before, 

so I need to make sure I understand it again. 

Last time I asked, I asked, is this in addition to staff-led tours? 

I was told, yes. That is a fine answer. Now I am being told that 

it is not. 

Which is it? Can my staff bring people over and do tours like 

they do now, or can they not? 

Mr. STEVENS. I think—let me clarify. What staff are doing now 

is they are bringing people to the Cannon tunnel. There they are 

screened and regulated, as they are ingressed to the Capitol Building. And at that point, they can mingle the building without a 

guide. The concept being offered—

Mr. CAPUANO. It is not without a guide. It is with a staff guide. 

It may not be with an official guide, but they do have a guide, my 

staff. 

Mr. STEVENS. That is correct. That is correct. 

So the process of coming over is going to be, as you bring them 

into the Visitor Center, the additional part would be the staffer 

then may, which they cannot now, put them with the—they would 

be put with one of the groups with a professional guide——

Mr. CAPUANO. So no choice? 

Mr. STEVENS [continuing]. And be brought through the building. 

Mr. CAPUANO. There is not an option to the issue. 

Mr. STEVENS. It is not an option of going on one’s own. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Yes, as they do now. Can they continue to do what 

they do now? 

Mr. STEVENS. Well, the recommendation, I believe, by all the 

workgroups is that they should not be on their own. They should 

be with a professional guide. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Well, then let me ask, what is the punishment 

when my staff decides to do that? When I direct my staff to do that 

or to pull somebody out of a tour because they don’t have 2 hours 

or they don’t want to do to 2 hours or they don’t want to stand on 

their feet for 2 hours or they are just tired or they are bored, or 

whatever the reason is, what are you going to do? Are you going 

to arrest my staff? 

Chief, maybe you can answer that. 

Chief MORSE. No, sir. I wouldn’t arrest your staff. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Thank you. I appreciate that. 

Well, then, if that is the case, then I am going to tell you very 

clearly, as clearly as I can: Expect, on occasion, my staff to have 

separate, individual, identifiable tours on their own. 

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Now, I like the option. I understand fully well. But I will tell you 

unequivocally that if I have no option, you are trying to get between me and my constituents. And that will not be allowed by me. 

Very simply put, I won’t allow it. 

Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to encourage them, it 

doesn’t mean I won’t try to cooperate, doesn’t mean that I won’t 

continue to encourage. I don’t have any problem if you want to require staff to take these trainings, have them know all the safety 

exits, all the safety tours. 

By the way, just as a point of information, I don’t know where 

all the exits are in the current Capitol, never mind the CVC. Who 

is going to be walking around with me with a little walkie-talkie, 

telling me what to do? And my staff that are not on a tour, my staff 

that are over there working, different issue. 

I have no problem at all trying to enhance the experience, trying 

to make it a better one and giving people options. And I have no 

problem at all trying to encourage it and push it along. I have a 

real serious problem about living in a bunker. And I understand 

fully well that maybe that is a risk. I know all that. If you want 

to have my people sign a document saying, ‘‘I will take the risk to 

walk around the Capitol on our own,’’ fine. Those are reasonable 

things. 

But I will tell you, unequivocally, from my office—now, maybe it 

is because my constituents live so close. I won’t speak for anyone 

else. I have a lot of people who visit me from Boston. And they are 

not all on big tours. They are not all school groups. We have that, 

too. Occasionally it is just a family. That is the regular course of 

business in my office, a family. Or somebody here that is showing 

their kids usually is what it is. 

I will tell you now that if you think you are going to be able to 

stop it, you had better have some contingency plans, because you 

are not going to be able to stop it. And, again, you know, if you 

are not going to arrest them, Chief, you are really not going to be 

able to stop it. That is number one. 

Number two, I want to make sure that I clearly understand. Is 

the idea to have every single person who comes to visit my office 

go through the CVC for security purposes? Is that the proposal? Or 

just tours? 

Chief MORSE. Sir, at the Capitol Building itself, the level of security screening is different than it is on the House and Senate Office 

Buildings. So the level of screening is enhanced once you come to 

the Capitol itself. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Good. So people can still come into the Longworth? Okay, good. I got it. I just wanted to make sure I understood that. 

Thank you, Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you for your clarification. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Was I unclear? 

Mr. EHLERS. No, you are never unclear. You may get arrested, 

but you are never unclear. 

Just two items, Mr. Chairman. First of all, just getting back to 

the issue we raised before and Congresswoman Davis’s question 

about the entrance of the tunnel and my attempt to clarify it. 

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You are going to have officers there all the time, right, for staff 

members and so forth, going through that entrance into the CVC? 

Chief MORSE. Not on the CVC side. The current security screening process that takes place on the Cannon side of the tunnel 

would still be in place, because there is a level of security that we 

have to maintain. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. So staff members will just walk in; they won’t 

be screened at all when they go in the CVC, or anyone who is in 

the Cannon tunnel. Is that correct? 

Chief MORSE. Right. Anyone who is authorized would be able to 

traverse the Capitol as they do today. 

Mr. EHLERS. Yes. Okay. But, I mean, from the Cannon tunnel 

into the CVC, whether it is Members or staff, they can just go 

through? There will be no screening point there? 

Chief MORSE. There will be—there wouldn’t be the type of 

screening that there is today. But at all access points to the Capitol 

that are monitored by police officers, there is either screening that 

takes place, physical screening, or there is identification of the person who is traversing the building to ensure that they are authorized. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. 

Finally, Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to relate an anecdote. Some 

years ago, I came to the Capitol with a group of county commissioners, of which I was one. And we stopped by to see our Congressman, and he took us on a personal tour of the Capitol, and 

I thought that was grand. I didn’t know where he had the time, 

but he spent a couple of hours taking us all around the Capitol, explaining it. It took great delight in it. 

A few years, about a decade later, when I was elected to the Congress, I made it a point of having lunch with each of my predecessors who were living. And when I spoke to him, I said, ‘‘Do you 

have any advice for me?’’ he says, ‘‘Yes. Don’t ever take anyone on 

a tour of the Capitol.’’ I said, ‘‘Really?’’ I said, ‘‘You did it for me, 

and you seemed to enjoy it.’’ he said, ‘‘Never, ever take anyone on 

a tour of the Capitol.’’ I said, ‘‘Why not?’’ he said, ‘‘Because they 

go back home and they tell their neighbors, ‘Oh, it was so great. 

We went to the Capitol and Congressman X took us on a beautiful 

tour.’ ’’ he said, ‘‘I was so inundated with requests for tours, I 

couldn’t handle it. Because their buddy got it, why couldn’t they get 

it?’’

So when I came here, I have never given a tour of the Capitol 

for that reason, even though I enjoy touring it myself. 

I think the comments we have heard from Mr. Capuano represent the concerns of a number of Members. And I think we will 

have to make certain that all of the Members know what we are 

talking about, because quite a few Members that have talked to 

me, Mr. Chairman, don’t really understand the new arrangement. 

They have the idea that their staff members are not going to be 

allowed to give tours at all. 

I keep telling them, there is a distinction between a staff-led tour 

and a staff-hosted tour. A staff-led tour is what we have now, 

where a staff member leads the tour now. A staff-hosted tour is 

what we are talking about, where the tour guides and the staff 

member will travel together through the Capitol. 

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40 

The perks, if you want to call them that, that the visitors receive 

from the Member’s office is not having to wait in lines, to proceed 

to the head of the line, and also to divert the tour anytime they 

wish to show them items of interest to that particular city or State 

that they come from. 

So that was a plan that goes from staff-led to staff-hosted, but 

the staff member is still there and still in charge of making sure 

that their constituents see all the items of interest from their particular area. And I don’t think most Members understand that. 

And I think that partly led to the confusion here. Now you understand it clearly, at this point. 

Mr. CAPUANO. If the gentleman would yield, I understand it now 

and——

Mr. EHLERS. And you are still objecting. And I understand that. 

But I think a lot of Members probably don’t understand it at all 

and are objecting without understanding what we are proposing. 

When I have described this to a number of Members individually, 

they are okay with it. 

With that, I will yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. Davis. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Thank you to all of you. 

I still would like to talk for a second about the logistics of this. 

And it may be that you haven’t really, in the planning and the vision of how people are going to enter, the fact that you might have 

people coming from the Cannon tunnel into the Capitol—I know 

that there is a door for staff members to enter right near the theater, and that is great. So that they could come around through the 

Capitol and join a group. And with cell phones today, that is pretty 

easy to do. 

But, for example, we might have a family of eight, and, again, 

it is a cold, rainy day. Will they be prevented, in any way, from 

going through Cannon tunnel, walking through the Capitol and 

going through that door to come back around the CVC, if they are 

accompanied by a staff member? 

Chief MORSE. Based on my security recommendations, which I 

have testified to, and the fact that the optimum security screening 

is at the entrance to the CVC, it is my position that that is the optimum security screening point. 

I know that that is not a—that answer means that people may 

have to traverse in climates that are, you know, sometimes cold 

and wet and hot. But that is what that recommendation means. 

And I am only providing that recommendation so that you have 

totality of circumstances when you make your decision on where 

visitors will enter. And it is our recommendation that—— Mrs. DAVIS of California. You know, I appreciate the optimum 

situation. But if people are trying—again, we have eight people for 

a family, you know, maybe somebody who is elderly, somebody who 

is young. And will they be stopped and unable to move beyond the 

Cannon screening area and told there is no option but to go outside 

and to go back around? 

Chief MORSE. Our officers are certainly fully prepared to assist 

those with infirmities or special circumstances. And they always 

have, and they always will. But in talking about this in large numbajohnson on PROD1PC77 with HEARING

41 

bers and the concept itself, you know, the front entrance of the 

CVC is the optimum security screening point. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Do you think that there would be accommodations made, though, again, for a day that that is necessary, that they would be able to actually do that? Is there some—

I guess what I am asking is, is there some thinking that is going 

on that would allow for that situation? 

Chief MORSE. Those types of planning are not something that I 

have been involved in, as far as the moving of people. Simply the 

security recommendations that allow them to make those decisions 

and plan those things and make options. But as far as other alternatives of moving people, I am not involved in that directly. Only 

when it involves the security aspect and recommendations that we 

provide. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Uh-huh. Is the screening going to be 

substantially different? If a person is screened in the Cannon tunnel, will they not get as thorough a screening as they would at the 

CVC? 

Chief MORSE. They would, but the conditions—the same type of 

technology is used. The problem with the Cannon tunnel is that, 

certainly, it is obvious that it is not designed for that type of security screening. It is also quite cramped, and there is a lot of daily 

business that traverses through there. At times, it gets extremely 

hot. We have had people have medical conditions at that location. 

We have had situations where we have had to evacuate the building. Large numbers of people down there. It becomes very crowded. 

People get very frantic, claustrophobic, et cetera. So it is just not 

an environment that you want to stage that many people. And that 

is really what it is all about for me, as far as, is their safety and 

comfort there, and our ability to protect them and provide them 

with the services that they deserve. 

So, with the CVC, the main entry points to the CVC have all 

those optimum conditions and environment——

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Right. Yes. 

Chief MORSE [continuing]. That make it more conducive to the 

visitor experience that these folks are trying to——

MRS. DAVIS of California. I thoroughly understand that. But I 

just think that we are all human beings, and as a matter of convenience—and I think the tendency of staff members is going to 

want to be to bring people through the tunnel, especially in inclement weather. And so, I just think we need to be prepared and think 

how to do that, and certainly on those days that we can anticipate 

that is going to be a problem, so you don’t have to send people outside in order to get to the CVC. 

You know, we are telling them that we are tying to prevent you 

from being in inclement weather by not having to stand the way 

they do today, and then we are saying, but, you know, we want you 

to go out there in the snowstorm. You know, that is just not going 

to work. So we just need to be prepared and thinking about that, 

or else it is not going to be a pleasant experience for people, because they are going to think, ‘‘What were those people thinking?’’

and that is going to be important. 

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Just quickly, too, about the security arrangements. And if people 

are going to be evacuated from the building, are they likely to be 

out in the plaza? Is that what we are thinking would happen? 

Maybe these are questions you can’t necessarily answer. But I 

know, as Members, you know, we sometimes think, ‘‘Gee, here we 

are outside. Doesn’t make a lot of sense?’’ And there will have to 

be specific arrangements made for each kind of threat. But is that 

generally thought, that you would just evacuate up into the plaza? 

Chief MORSE. Well, without getting into too much detail, what I 

can say is that the same security precautions for various types of 

incidents will have the same special operating procedures for those 

events with the CVC. And that is built around our perimeter security. And it will be a seamless transition and a safe environment. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Thank you. Thank you for the work 

that you do. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Ehlers. 

Mr. EHLERS. One more question. 

Mr. Stevens, on the tour groups that you have taken through so 

far, do you limit each group to a certain number of people? 

Mr. STEVENS. We currently are taking 40 visitors with each professional guide; staff, 15. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. So 40 is the norm. 

Mr. STEVENS. Right. 

Mr. EHLERS. I don’t know if anyone here can answer the question 

of the current staff-led tours. What are the size variations of those? 

Some I have seen have seemed very large. 

Mr. STEVENS. They are actually limited to 15 per staff member. 

Occasionally what will happen, the larger groups will make a request. A staffer who does tours will arrange with other staff members to actually break them down into those small components to 

get them in the building and then regroup, if you will, and give a 

tour to——

Mr. EHLERS. So your vision in the future any staff-led or staffhosted tours would also be that small, right? 

Mr. STEVENS. Well, actually, the advantage to coming to the Visitor Center is, when you bring that group over, we can handle 

groups—each theater can handle up to 250. So, in essence, we 

could handle all 250 simultaneously and start their tours within 90 

seconds of each other in 40-person increments. 

Mr. EHLERS. Okay. All right. 

And I believe I may have a solution for your problem, Congresswoman Davis. I will talk to you about it afterwards. 

Thank you very much. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Capuano. 

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Stevens, again, I am the one who seems to 

have the most concern with this. I have no problem at all with reducing the size. When you get to 15 people, that is a school. And 

I have no problem putting them in a different category than I do 

the small family groups, whatever size, four, six. And I think treating them differently or having exceptions for smaller groups will 

handle most of my concerns. 

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Chief, here is the practical thing of what is going to happen if 

you don’t have some normal procedure for us to use on occasion, 

again, with these smaller groups. I am accepting the larger groups; 

that is fine. We have had this discussion before on the bus tours. 

I have no problem with these. And where the magic number is, I 

don’t know. 

But if I have a family of four and it is raining out, I am going 

to tell it you what is going to happen. The Member of Congress will 

be called out of his office or out of a hearing to walk this family 

through the Cannon checkpoint. And my presumption is that won’t 

change. If I am walking in with a family, they are not going to stop 

me. And I know that. And your staff is very good and very professional. It is not a problem. 

But I am simply saying, that is the pragmatic result of an absolute ban. And all I am suggesting is, again, maybe it is a size—

and I fully understand—you know, I am not looking for school 

classes, for classrooms. That is different. I am talking about, for 

me, my concern is the individual family unit or a few senior citizens, whoever it might be, the smaller groups, four to six people, 

something like that. 

And I am just begging you not to do to us what the White House 

has done to us, that we can only get people in if we show up at 

8 o’clock in the morning and walk them through the line. We can’t 

even check them in; we have to walk them through the line. I have 

always thought that was a way overreaction. Fine right after 9/11, 

but now it is ridiculous. 

And I am just begging you to come up with certain normal, 

standard procedures to just accept whatever the reality of the fact 

is probably going to be. I am probably not going to walk down a 

classroom of 30 kids, and I wouldn’t have a hard them telling them 

no. I would have a very hard time, and I wouldn’t do it, telling, you 

know, some mother pushing a baby carriage or somebody with 

their mother who is in a wheelchair or whatever, saying, ‘‘Sorry, 

you have to go over to the CVC.’’

So I am just asking that, you know, at some point, to come up 

with—again, I am not looking for exceptions. I am looking for 

standard operating procedure. I am not looking for your offices to 

make judgments. Just, here are the rules, here is what they are, 

and let us know what they are and just accept, understand the reality of the situation. 

Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

I just have two quick thoughts. 

When this opens, there will be a grand opening. Prior to that, 

think about having an opening for the workers that are there, 

thanking them. It is always good PR for that to happen. This way, 

let them know that we all appreciate them, all the work that they 

have done for the years that they have been there. 

And maybe also think about the neighbors that were probably inconvenienced with the construction sites too. Maybe have a little 

something for them too, by themselves. They don’t need us to be 

there; probably don’t want us to be there. 

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But if you could do that, that would be nice for the workers that 

work there and for the neighbors that were inconvenienced with 

the trucks and the noise and the traffic and whatever. 

And for the record, Chief, I will not be accompanying any tours 

that Mr. Capuano has sent over there. 

Chief MORSE. That is why I have an assistant chief. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

Any other questions? 

Thank you all. I would like to thank all the witnesses for your 

time and for your testimony. 

This hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 1:00 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

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