IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 190

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reform the House,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 9, 1993

Mr. ALLARD (for himself, Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr.

HOBSON, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. EWING, Mr. CUNNINGHAM,

Mr. ZELIFF, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. ZIMMER, and Mr.

RAMSTAD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly

to the Committees on Rules and House Administration

RESOLUTION

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to

reform the House, and for other purposes.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT COMMITTEE STAFF RE3 DUCTION.

4 (a) Clause 5 of rule XI of the Rules of the House

5 of Representatives is amended by redesignating para6 graphs (a) through (f) as paragraphs (b) through (g), re7 spectively, and by inserting at the beginning the following

8 new paragraph:
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1 ‘‘(a)(1) It shall not be in order in the House to con2 sider any primary expense resolution for the second ses3 sion of this Congress until the Committee on House Ad4 ministration has reported, and the House has adopted, a

5 resolution establishing an overall ceiling for House com6 mittee staff personnel for that year, and any such resolu7 tion shall be privileged.

8 ‘‘(2) In developing any primary expense resolution,

9 the Committee on House Administration shall specify in

10 the resolution the number of staff positions authorized by

11 the resolution. The committee shall verify in the report

12 accompanying any such primary expense resolution that

13 the number of staff positions authorized by such resolution

14 is in conformity with the overall ceiling on such positions

15 established by the House.

16 ‘‘(3) In no event shall the total number of additional

17 staff positions authorized by all such primary expense res18 olutions, taken together with the number of staff positions

19 authorized by clause 6 of this rule (providing for profes20 sional and clerical staff), exceed the ceiling established by

21 the House for that year.

22 ‘‘(4) In allocating staff positions pursuant to the

23 overall ceiling established by the House, the committee

24 shall take into account the past and anticipated legislative

25 and oversight activities of each committee.
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1 ‘‘(5) In any supplemental expense resolution, and in

2 any amendment thereto, the committee shall specify the

3 number of additional staff positions, if any, authorized by

4 such resolution, and shall indicate in the report accom5 panying any such resolution whether the additional staff

6 positions are in conformity with or exceed the overall ceil7 ing established by the House.

8 ‘‘(6) For the purposes of the second session of this

9 Congress, the overall ceiling for committee staff in a reso10 lution reported by the committee pursuant to subpara11 graph (1), or contained in any amendment thereto, shall

12 not exceed 75 percent of the total committee staff person13 nel employed at the end of the One Hundred Second

14 Congress.’’.

15 (b) The Committee on House Administration shall

16 have the authority to prescribe regulations to carry out

17 the amendment made by subsection (a).

18 SEC. 2. EQUITABLE PARTY RATIOS IN COMMITTEES.

19 (a) Clause 6(a) of rule X of the Rules of the House

20 of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the

21 following new subparagraph:

22 ‘‘(3) Except for the Committee on Standards of Offi23 cial Conduct and the bipartisan Subcommittee on Admin24 istrative Oversight of the Committee on House Adminis25 tration, the membership of each committee and each sub-
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1 committee thereof shall reflect the ratio of the majority

2 to minority party Members of the House at the beginning

3 of the Congress.’’.

4 (b) Clause 6(f) of rule X of the Rules of the House

5 of Representatives is amended by inserting after the first

6 sentence the following new sentence: ‘‘The membership of

7 each such select committee (and of any subcommittee

8 thereof) and of each such conference committee shall re9 flect the ratio of the majority to minority party Members

10 of the House at the time of its appointment.’’.

11 (c) Clause 6 of rule XI of the Rules of the House

12 of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the

13 following new paragraph:

14 ‘‘(j) The ratio of the majority staff to minority staff

15 of each committee shall be the same as the ratio of major16 ity party members to minority party members on that

17 committee.’’.

18 SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF PROXY VOTING IN COMMITTEES.

19 Clause 2(f) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of

20 Representatives is amended to read as follows:

21 ‘‘(f) No vote by any member of any committee or sub22 committee with respect to any measure or matter may be

23 cast by proxy.’’.
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1 SEC. 4. MULTIPLE REFERRAL OF LEGISLATION.

2 Clause 5(c) of rule X of the Rules of the House of

3 Representatives is amended to read as follows:

4 ‘‘(c) In carrying out paragraphs (a) and (b) with re5 spect to any matter, the Speaker shall initially refer the

6 matter to one committee which he shall designate as the

7 committee of principal jurisdiction; but he may also refer

8 the matter to one or more additional committees for con9 sideration in sequence (subject to appropriate time limita10 tions), either on its initial referral or after the matter has

11 been reported by the committee of principal jurisdiction;

12 or refer portions of the matter to one or more additional

13 committees (reflecting different subjects and jurisdic14 tions) for the exclusive consideration of such portion or

15 portions.’’.

16 SEC. 5. QUORUM REQUIREMENT FOR MARK-UPS.

17 (a) Clause 2(h)(2) of rule XI of the Rules of the

18 House of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘one19 third’’ and inserting ‘‘one-half’’.

20 (b) Clause 2(l)(2)(A) of rule XI of the Rules of the

21 House of Representatives is amended—

22 (1) by striking ‘‘present,’’ and all that follows

23 through the period at the end and inserting

24 ‘‘present.’’; and

25 (2) by adding at the end the following new

26 sentence: ‘‘Upon the request of any member of the
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1 committee, the chair shall order a rollcall vote on a

2 motion to report any bill or resolution of a public

3 character.’’.

4 SEC. 6. LIMITATION ON LENGTH OF SERVICE ON ANY COM5 MITTEE.

6 Clause 6 of rule X of the Rules of the House of Rep7 resentatives is amended by inserting at the end the follow8 ing new paragraph:

9 ‘‘(i)(1) No Member shall serve as chairman of any

10 committee for more than 3 Congresses.

11 ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1)—

12 ‘‘(A) any service performed as chairman of any

13 committee for less than a full session in any Con14 gress shall be disregarded; and

15 ‘‘(B) previous service on any committee before

16 the One Hundred Fourth Congress shall be dis17 regarded.’’.

18 SEC. 7. OPEN COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

19 The first sentence of clause 2(g)(1) of rule XI of the

20 Rules of the House of Representatives is amended—

21 (1) by inserting ‘‘, with at least two-thirds of

22 the members voting in the affirmative,’’ after ‘‘roll23 call vote’’; and

24 (2) by inserting ‘‘because disclosure of matters

25 to be considered involves the national security, per-
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1 sonnel information, or a criminal investigation’’ after

2 ‘‘closed to the public’’.

3 SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT THAT BILLS AND CONFERENCE RE4 PORTS BE AVAILABLE BEFORE VOTES ON

5 FINAL PASSAGE.

6 The last sentence of clause 4(b) of rule XI of the

7 Rules of the House of Representatives is further amended

8 by inserting before the period at the end the following:

9 ‘‘; nor shall it waive the applicability of clause 2(l)(6) (re10 specting the three-day layover rule) or clause 2 of rule

11 XVIII (respecting the printing of conference reports and

12 statements and their availability) unless so determined by

13 the Committee on Rules by a vote of at least two-thirds

14 of its members voting’’.

15 SEC. 9. STRENGTHENING OF GERMANENESS REQUIRE16 MENT.

17 The last sentence of clause 4(b) of rule XI of the

18 Rules of the House of Representatives is further amended

19 by inserting before the period at the end the following:

20 ‘‘; nor shall it waive the applicability of clause 7 of rule

21 XVI (respecting germane amendments) unless so deter22 mined by the Committee on Rules by a vote of at least

23 two-thirds of its members voting’’.
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1 SEC. 10. MODIFIED OPEN RULES.

2 The last sentence of clause 4(b) of rule XI of the

3 Rules of the House of Representatives (as amended by sec4 tion 7) is further amended by inserting before the period

5 the following: ‘‘; nor shall it report any rule or order which

6 does not allow minority party members to offer at least

7 4 amendments to any bill or resolution making appropria8 tions or to a concurrent resolution on the budget’’.

9 SEC. 11. PROHIBITION OF UNAUTHORIZED APPROPRIA10 TIONS.

11 The last sentence of clause 4(b) of rule XI of the

12 Rules of the House of Representatives (as amended by sec13 tions 7 and 8) is amended by inserting before the period

14 the following: ‘‘; nor shall it report any rule or order which

15 waives the requirement of clause 2(a) of rule XXI (re16 specting unauthorized appropriations) unless so deter17 mined by the Committee on Rules by a vote of at least

18 two-thirds of its members voting’’.

19 SEC. 12. PROHIBITION OF COMMEMORATIVE BILLS.

20 Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representa21 tives is amended by adding at the end the following new

22 clause:

23 ‘‘8. It shall not be in order in the House to consider

24 any bill or resolution providing for the designation of a

25 commemorative day or other commemorative period.’’.
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1 SEC. 13. PERIODIC REAUTHORIZATION OF CONGRES2 SIONAL AGENCIES.

3 (a) Not later than the end of the first session of the

4 One Hundred Third Congress, the appropriate committees

5 of the House shall report legislation requiring periodic re6 authorization of the entities listed in subsection (b) over

7 which they have jurisdiction. The period for reauthoriza8 tion may not in any case exceed 5 years.

9 (b) The following entities are subject to periodic reau10 thorization under this section: Architect of the Capitol,

11 United States Botanical Garden, Congressional Budget

12 Office, Government Printing Office, General Accounting

13 Office, Library of Congress, Copyright Royalty Tribunal,

14 and Office of Technology Assessment.

15 SEC. 14. TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR PUBLIC IN16 QUIRES RELATING TO BILL STATUS.

17 The Committee on House Administration shall take

18 such action as may be necessary to establish a toll-free

19 (800) telephone number to provide public access to infor20 mation on the substance and present status of each bill

21 and resolution that is before the House of Representatives.

22 SEC. 15. COMPUTER ACCESS FOR PUBLIC INQUIRES RELAT23 ING TO BILL STATUS.

24 The Committee on House Administration shall take

25 such action as may be necessary to establish a computer

26 accessible data base to provide public access to informa-
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1 tion on the substance and present status of each bill and

2 resolution that is before the House of Representatives.

3 The data base shall be (1) supported solely by fees charged

4 for the access provided, and (2) made available to the pub5 lic at cost, on a fee-for-service basis, with all revenues

6 dedicated to the establishment, maintenance, and oper7 ation of the data base.

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