Title: A resolution to establish a special committee of the Senate to address sexual abuse within United States Olympic Gymnastics.
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Establishes the Senate Special Committee to Investigate Sexual Abuse Within United States Olympic Gymnastics.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 396 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 396

To establish a special committee of the Senate to address sexual abuse 
                within United States Olympic Gymnastics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 7, 2018

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mrs. Ernst, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Stabenow, 
Mr. Sanders, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Baldwin, 
  Ms. Warren, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Isakson, Mr. 
  Scott, Mr. Daines, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Burr) submitted the following 
     resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
To establish a special committee of the Senate to address sexual abuse 
                within United States Olympic Gymnastics.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a special committee of the 
Senate to be known as the Special Committee to Investigate Sexual Abuse 
Within United States Olympic Gymnastics (hereafter in this resolution 
referred to as the ``special committee'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the special committee is--
            (1) to investigate the United States Olympic Committee and 
        national sports governing bodies, including USA Gymnastics, and 
        determine the extent to which these organizations were 
        complicit in the criminal or negligent behavior of their 
        employees relating to sexual abuse;
            (2) to identify and recommend solutions to the systemic 
        failures at the United States Olympic Committee and national 
        sports governing bodies, including USA Gymnastics, that allowed 
        for pervasive sexual abuse to continue for decades;
            (3) to identify actions that must be taken by the United 
        States Olympic Committee and national sports governing bodies, 
        including USA Gymnastics, to ensure increased transparency and 
        protections for children, athletes, and their families;
            (4) to make such findings of fact as are warranted and 
        appropriate; and
            (5) to make such recommendations, including recommendations 
        for new legislation and amendments to existing laws and any 
        administrative or other actions, as the special committee may 
        determine to be necessary or desirable.
    (c) Limitation.--No proposed legislation shall be referred to the 
special committee, and the special committee shall not have power to 
report by bill or otherwise have legislative jurisdiction.
    (d) Treatment as Standing Committee.--For purposes of paragraphs 1, 
2, 7(a)(1), 7(a)(2), and 10(a) of rule XXVI and rule XXVII of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, and subsections (i) and (j) of section 
202 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4301), the 
special committee shall be treated as a standing committee of the 
Senate.

SEC. 2. MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE.

    (a) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The special committee shall consist of 8 
        members of the Senate, of whom--
                    (A) 4 shall be appointed by the President pro 
                tempore of the Senate from the majority party of the 
                Senate upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader 
                of the Senate; and
                    (B) 4 shall be appointed by the President pro 
                tempore of the Senate from the minority party of the 
                Senate upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Composition.--Not less than 4 of the members appointed 
        under paragraph (1) shall be women.
            (3) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of the 
        special committee shall--
                    (A) not affect the authority of the remaining 
                members to execute the functions of the special 
                committee; and
                    (B) be filled in the same manner as original 
                appointments to the special committee are made.
            (4) Service.--For the purpose of paragraph 4 of rule XXV of 
        the Standing Rules of the Senate, service of a Senator as a 
        member, chair, or vice chair of the special committee shall not 
        be taken into account.
    (b) Chair and Vice Chair.--
            (1) In general.--The chair of the special committee shall 
        be selected by the Majority Leader of the Senate and the vice 
        chair of the special committee shall be selected by the 
        Minority Leader of the Senate.
            (2) Vice chair duties.--The vice chair shall discharge such 
        responsibilities as the special committee or the chair may 
        assign.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE.

    (a) In General.--For the purposes of this resolution, the special 
committee may--
            (1) make expenditures from the contingent fund of the 
        Senate;
            (2) employ personnel;
            (3) hold hearings;
            (4) sit and act at any time or place during the sessions, 
        recesses, and adjourned periods of the Senate;
            (5) require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance of 
        witnesses and the production of correspondence, books, papers, 
        and documents;
            (6) take depositions and other testimony;
            (7) issue interim reports, as necessary;
            (8) procure the services of individual consultations or 
        organizations thereof in accordance with the provisions of 
        section 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 
        U.S.C. 4301(i)); and
            (9) with the prior consent of the Federal department or 
        agency concerned and the Committee on Rules and Administration, 
        use on a nonreimbursable basis the services of personnel of the 
        Federal department or agency.
    (b) Oaths for Witnesses.--The chair or any member of the special 
committee may administer oaths to witnesses.
    (c) Subpoenas.--A subpoena authorized by the special committee may 
be--
            (1) issued over the signature of--
                    (A) the chair after consultation with the vice 
                chair; or
                    (B) any member of the special committee designated 
                by the chair after consultation with the vice chair; 
                and
            (2) served by any person designated by the chair or the 
        member signing the subpoena.
    (d) Access of Members to Information.--Each member of the special 
committee shall have equal and unimpeded access to information 
collected or otherwise obtained by the special committee.

SEC. 4. REPORT AND TERMINATION.

    (a) Report.--The special committee shall report the findings of the 
special committee, together with such recommendations as the special 
committee deems advisable, to the Senate not later than the last day of 
the first session of the 116th Congress.
    (b) Records.--Upon termination of the special committee, all 
records, files, documents, and other materials in the possession, 
custody, or control of the special committee shall be transferred to 
the Secretary of the Senate under appropriate conditions established by 
the special committee, including conditions to protect information 
under the HIPAA privacy and security law, as defined in section 3009(a) 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj-19(a)).

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    From the date on which this resolution is agreed to through the 
termination of the special committee, the special committee shall use 
such funds as necessary to carry out the duties of the special 
committee.
                                 <all>