[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MARKUP OF: COMMITTEE RESOLUTION NUMBERS 115-10 TO 115-18
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MARKUP
before the
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
ADMINISTRATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
APRIL 25, 2018
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Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
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Available on the Internet:
www.govinfo.gov
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
32-659 WASHINGTON : 2018
Committee on House Administration
GREGG HARPER, Mississippi, Chairman
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois, Vice ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania,
Chairman Ranking Member
BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia ZOE LOFGREN, California
MARK WALKER, North Carolina JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland
ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia
MARKUP OF: COMMITTEE RESOLUTION NUMBERS 115-10 TO 115-18
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
House of Representatives,,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 12:04 p.m., in Room
1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Gregg Harper
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Harper, Davis, Comstock,
Loudermilk, Brady, and Raskin.
Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Kim Betz, Deputy
Staff Director/General Counsel; Cole Felder, Deputy General
Counsel; Dan Jarrell, Legislative Clerk; Erin McCracken,
Communications Director; Elizabeth Joseph, Professional Staff
Member; Max Engling, Staff Director of the Commission on
Congressional Mailing Standards; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff
Director; Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Eddie
Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk; and Teri Morgan, Minority
Counsel.
The Chairman. I call to order the Committee on House
Administration for purposes of today's Committee meeting. A
quorum is present, so we may proceed. The meeting record will
remain open for 5 legislative days, so that Members may submit
any materials they wish to be included therein.
There are several items on the docket today. First on the
agenda are two Committee resolutions amending the Committee's
and Members' Congressional Handbooks, respectively. Committee
Resolution 115-10 updates the advertisement regulations found
in the Members' Congressional Handbook, and Resolution 115-11
updates the advertisement regulations found in the Committee's
Congressional Handbook. To place an advertisement with official
resources, Representatives of the House are required to follow
the regulations found in the Members' Congressional Handbook
and submit the advertisement to the Franking Commission for an
advisory opinion. Committee Resolution 115-10 updates the
regulation to add additional categories for which Members may
advertise.
This update will offer additional flexibility to Members
when communicating with their constituents while ensuring that
the Franking Commission has clear direction on which
advertisements are permissible. Committee Resolution 115-11
simply updates the Committee's Congressional Handbook to codify
the current practice of allowing committee offices to advertise
for followers on social media, using their subcommittee titles
in addition to the full committee name.
Next on the agenda is Committee Resolution 115-12. This
past February, the House passed H. Res. 724, which, among other
things, required each House office to establish a universal
antiharassment and antidiscrimination policy. H. Res. 724 also
charged this Committee with establishing the regulations to
assist House offices in developing their respective policies.
Committee Resolution 115-12 sets out these regulations.
These regulations should not be construed to limit a House
office if it would like to add to the policy. The regulations
contained in Committee Resolution 115-12 will be the minimum
requirements for an office's policy.
The last item on the agenda is a package of Committee
Resolutions that will strengthen the regulations associated
with individuals known as shared employees who are employed by
three or more offices. I would like to thank the Vice Chairman,
Mr. Davis, for his work on this issue through the task force,
as well as the Ranking Member, who provided insight. I
appreciate your good work, the products of which we are marking
up today.
Committee Resolutions 115-13 through 115-18 set forth
policies the Committee has identified as essential to
mitigating the risk posed by shared administrative employees
and directing the House chief administrative officer, the House
Sergeant at Arms, and the Clerk of the House to report back to
the Committee within 30 days on the plans to implement these
policies.
In addition, Committee Resolution 115-17 reiterates the
responsibilities of a shared IT or finance employee as well as
sets forth the new regulations and requirements of undergoing a
background check and adhering to best practices.
I would now like to recognize the Ranking Member, Mr.
Brady, for the purpose of providing an opening statement.
Mr. Brady.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I support all the resolutions on our agenda
this afternoon. I appreciate the work of Representative Davis
in always thinking of ways we can better communicate with our
constituents. And those two resolutions are good steps in
giving our colleagues more tools to do that.
We continue our work improving the congressional workplace
with our resolutions on the antiharassment and
antidiscrimination policies. Once again, Jackie Speier and
Bradley Byrne have been helping in making sure that we get this
right.
With the training schedule we start next week, the timing
is now for offices to start developing their own policies, and
this regulation will give them a roadmap to just to do that. I
would also like to mention that the Senate needs to act on our
bill. We had a unanimous vote out of the House. The delay in
the Senate is unacceptable, and they are further embarrassing
themselves, which is pretty hard to do. They need to pass our
bill.
I will be submitting a longer statement for the record on
the shared employees reforms we are considering. I support
them, but I hope they are just a start.
There are five different resolutions dealing with this
issue, and I understand we are considering them altogether,
which we should. But I want to make the point that there are so
many resolutions, because everyone plays a part in making
management--in managing this risk to the House.
I look forward to seeing what the CAO and the other offices
report back to us.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields back.
I would ask if any other Member of the Committee wishes to
be recognized for the purpose of providing an opening
statement.
The Chair will now recognize the Vice President of the--
Vice Chairman, excuse me, new promotion for you, the Vice
Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Vice President was cornered leaving the President of
France's speech by Virginia Foxx, so I think he is probably
still on the House floor.
The Chairman. It is a matter of education.
Mr. Davis. Yes.
I would like to associate myself with the comments from
Ranking Member Brady in regards to our colleagues over in the
Senate too. But I really want to thank Chairman Harper and
Ranking Member Brady for their help in helping us craft the
policies that we are addressing in today's markup.
Over the past year, the Franking Commission has been
working in a bipartisan manner to make improvements in the
Franking regulations. I want to thank the Ranking Member, Susan
Davis, and our fellow colleagues. And most importantly, I want
to thank of the Franking Commission staff for their hard work
throughout this process. They held listening sessions and
following feedback with Member office--from Member offices. The
Franking Commission decided to update several areas in the
Franking regs to increase efficiency, flexibility, and
transparency.
Last fall, we passed a Committee Resolution that now allows
Members to link directly to government websites, making it
easier for them to connect their constituents with important
information. And today, we are making it easier for Members to
share their legislative priorities with their constituents
also.
For the shared employee Resolution, thank you, Chairman
Harper, for the opportunity to work with my colleagues on this
very important issue. Following a series of breaches to the
House system, the Chairman hosted several meetings where we
discussed shared employees. He then asked me to lead the task
force to reform the shared employee program.
The task force held numerous meetings and bipartisan Member
listening sessions that were attended by both the Chairman and
the Ranking Member. I do want to thank the Members who were not
on this Committee who attended the listening sessions. Their
input directly impacted the policies in the Resolution before
us today. This carefully crafted Resolution balances the
autonomy of Member offices while working to ensure the security
of the House network. It is important and imperative--it is
important and imperative that Jamie Raskin come back.
The Chairman. The Vice Chairman is recognized.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to my colleague, Ms. Comstock, too.
It is important that we actually get this right when it
comes to shared employees.
This Resolution instructs the CAO and the Sergeant at Arms
to report back to this Committee on how they will implement
various new policies, such as establishing technical and
financial standards for shared employees, terminating network
access for shared employees who violate House policies,
developing new badges for shared employees, and implementing a
much-needed background check system.
During my tenure on House Administration, I have worked
towards the goal of professionalizing the House's operations
and offices under the guidance of Chairman Harper and Former
Chairlady Miller. I am disappointed in the events that led to
this markup today.
Throughout this process, we were able to work with Members
on both sides of the aisle to develop these policies that will
better protect the House network from bad actors in the future.
And I yield back.
The Chairman. The Vice Chairman yields back.
I now call up and lay before the Committee, Committee
Resolution 151-10 to approve the updates to the Members'
Congressional Handbook.
[The Resolution follows:]
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The Chairman. Without objection, the first reading of the
Resolution is dispensed with, and the Resolution is considered
read and open for amendment at any point.
Is there any debate?
Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the
Resolution?
If not, I move the Committee adopt the Resolution. The
question is on the motion. All those in favor, signify by
saying aye. Opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chairman, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon
the table. I now call up and lay before the Committee,
Committee Resolution 115-11 to approve the update to the
Committee's Congressional Handbook.
[The Resolution follows:]
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The Chairman. Without objection, the first reading of the
Resolution is dispensed with, and the Resolution is considered
read and open for amendment at any point.
Is there any debate?
Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the
Resolution?
If not, I move the Committee adopt the Resolution. The
question is on the motion. All those in favor, signify by
saying aye. Opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to. Without objection, the motion to
reconsider is laid upon the table.
I now call up Committee Resolution 115-12, a regulation
adopting the regulations for the universal policy on
antiharassment and antidiscrimination pursuant to H. Res. 724.
[The Resolution follows:]
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The Chairman. Without objection, the first reading of the
Resolution is dispensed with, and the Resolution is considered
read and open for amendment at any point.
Is there any debate?
Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the
Resolution?
If not, I move the Committee adopt the Resolution. The
question is on the motion. All those in favor, signify by
saying aye. Opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to. Without objection, the motion to
reconsider is laid upon the table.
With the cooperation of Ranking Member Brady and other
Members of this Committee, it appears that we have worked out
an agreement on the remaining six Committee Resolutions
scheduled for markup today.
Before we begin, does any Member seek time to speak on any
of the Committee resolutions in this unanimous consent motion?
Now, I ask unanimous consent that the following Committee
Resolutions be adopted as described. Committee Resolution 13,
Committee Resolution 14, Committee Resolution 15, Committee
Resolution 16, Committee Resolution 17, and Committee
Resolution 18.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
[The Resolutions follow:]
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The Chairman. Without objection, the motions to reconsider
are laid upon the table. I ask unanimous consent that the staff
be allowed to make necessary technical and conforming changes
to the bills ordered, report it today, subject to the approval
of the minority.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
Without objection, the markup is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]