[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                         ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

=======================================================================

                            BUSINESS MEETING

                              BEFORE THE

                           COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
                             ADMINISTRATION

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                            FEBRUARY 2, 2023

                               __________

      Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
      
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                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
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                   Committee on House Administration

                    BRYAN STEIL, WISCONSIN, Chairman

BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia            JOSEPH MORELLE, New York,
H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia              Ranking Member
GREG MURPHY, North Carolina          TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
STEPHANIE BICE, Oklahoma             DEREK KILMER, Washington
MIKE CAREY, Ohio                     NORMA TORRES, California
ANTHONY D'ESPOSITO, New York
LAUREL LEE, Florida
                         
                         C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

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                                                                   Page

                           Opening Statments

The Honorable Bryan Steil, Wisconsin, Chairman...................     1

The Honorable Joseph Morelle, New York, Ranking Member...........     2

                  Letters of Appointment and Contract

Letter of Appointment for Caleb Hays, Acting Parlimentarian......     6

Letter of Appointment for Hillary Lassiter, Majority Chief Clerk.     7

Contract Agreement...............................................     8

 
                         ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

                              ----------                              


                       THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023

         Committee on House Administration,
                          House of Representatives,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The Committee met, pursuant to call, February 2, 2023, at 
9:33 a.m., in room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. 
Bryan Steil [chairman of the Committee] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Steil, Loudermilk, Lee, 
D'Esposito, Carey, Bice, Griffith, Morelle, Sewell, Torres, and 
Kilmer.
    Staff present: Tim Monahan, Majority Staff Director; Caleb 
Hays, General Counsel, Deputy Majority Staff Director, and 
Acting Parliamentarian; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director; 
Hillary Lassiter, Majority Chief Clerk, and Eddie Flaherty, 
Minority Chief Clerk.

  OPENING STATEMEMT OF CHAIRMAN BRYAN STEIL, A U.S. HOUSE OF 
                 REPRESENTATIVE FROM WISCONSIN

    Chairman Steil. I call to order the Committee on House 
Administration for its organizational meeting for the 118th 
Congress. A quorum is present, so we may proceed.
    I would like to begin just by welcoming our ranking member, 
Mr. Morelle of New York, and start by quick introductions of my 
Republican colleagues.
    A few of us spent a couple hours up at the dais counting 
votes, and so unclear, Mr. Morelle, if this is our reward or 
not. In a serious sense, appreciate and look forward to working 
with you.
    I would first like to introduce the gentleman from Georgia, 
Mr. Barry Loudermilk, the only returning member of the 
Committee on House Administration, so a lot of new faces here 
today. Mr. Loudermilk will be the chair of the Oversight 
Subcommittee based on his experience on this committee.
    I also want to introduce the gentleman Mr. Griffith of 
Virginia, an attorney. Energy and Commerce is where he spends a 
lot of his time, and brings a wealth of knowledge of this 
institution. We are going to be relying on that a lot.
    Mr. Greg Murphy is not with us today. He is in another 
hearing. He is a medical doctor and I think will bring great 
medical experience to this table, as one piece of our work will 
be oversight of the Office of House Physician.
    The next member of our committee is Mrs. Stephanie Bice. 
She will be chairing the Subcommittee on Modernization of 
Congress. She is somebody I have had the opportunity to work 
with on a previous select committee last Congress, and I look 
forward very much to working once again with Mrs. Bice.
    Next to her is Mr. Carey of Ohio. Mr. Carey joined us last 
Congress in a special election and from day one upon arrival 
expressed interest in the Committee on House Administration. We 
are excited to have you join us as well.
    One down the dais, the gentleman from New York, Mr. Anthony 
D'Esposito. Mr. D'Esposito is a former law enforcement officer 
and I think will bring a ton of value as we navigate the 
security challenges this institution has faced over the past 
several years and continues to face. We appreciate you being 
here.
    Last on the dais, Ms. Laurel Lee from Florida will chair 
the Elections Subcommittee. Laurel served as the secretary of 
State and chief election official in the State of Florida under 
Governor Ron DeSantis. She worked closely with our committee 
the last 2 years in that role and brings expertise in one of 
the Committee's primary areas of jurisdiction.
    I would now like to yield briefly to the ranking member, 
Mr. Morelle, for purposes of introducing our Democratic 
colleagues.

  OPENING STATEMEMT OF RANKING MEMBER JOSEPH MORELLE, A U.S. 
             HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW YORK

    Mr. Morelle. Good morning all. I am grateful to be here and 
grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to serve 
with you.
    I do want to introduce my colleagues. I will say, I note, I 
think you and I are carrying all the wishes of the class of 
2018. We are colleagues in that regard. I am delighted to 
introduce the members on our side of the aisle on this 
committee and grateful for the opportunity for their 
leadership.
    Terri Sewell, who is immediately to my left, from Alabama, 
has been a longtime congressional leader in a number of areas. 
She and I worked together on regional innovation and innovation 
policy, and she has, of course, led the fight to expand voting 
rights for all Americans, and she will be the ranking member on 
the Elections Subcommittee.
    To her left, Mr. Derek Kilmer, who has twice chaired the 
Select Committee on Modernization of Congress, who has worked 
in a bipartisan way on so many different issues and is one of 
the smartest and funniest guys in the House. He would, 
naturally, on our side, be the ranking member on the 
Modernization Subcommittee.
    Finally, I am excited to work with, on my far left, a 
friend who I had the privilege of serving with on the Rules 
Committee in the 116th and 117th Congress. Those of you who 
know about the Rules Committee know that Mrs. Torres and I have 
spent countless hours together, and I am grateful for her 
leadership. She will lead the Subcommittee as the ranking 
member on the Oversight Subcommittee.
    Chairman Steil. Thank you. Thank you very much.
    Although our committee is small in number, I think we are 
significant in impact, and for those who have been on the Hill 
prior to the ranking member and my arrival just over 4 years 
ago, sometimes this committee was known for the smaller 
things--parking lots, et cetera. As we have worked now on a 
wide range of issues, we have seen some big shifts in that, and 
I think we are really at the center stage. Axios said it best 
last year when they published an article with the headline 
``Capitol Hill's Smallest Committee Takes Center Stage.''
    This is, in part, I think, why we have grown in size on the 
Committee this year from 9 members to 12; and I look forward to 
working together over the next 2 years and am hopeful we will 
have a productive Congress.
    While there are times that we may disagree over certain 
policies--and I welcome those debates--there are actions we can 
take to ensure this institution best serves every Member, 
staffer, and every American. As chairman, my top priorities are 
to ensure the people's House is open, accountable, transparent, 
professional, modern, and resilient.
    That is why I am excited to consider and adopt our 
committee's rules today. These rules focus the Committee on 
transparent and open operations and establish three 
subcommittees. This will allow us to conduct robust oversight 
work of all entities under our committee's jurisdiction and 
consider thoughtful legislation.
    These include the Subcommittee on Elections to provide 
oversight over matters relating to Federal elections; the 
Subcommittee on Oversight to provide oversight on matters 
relating to congressional security, accountability of the 
legislative branch security and safety apparatus, and the 
legislation branch operations. Last, the Subcommittee on 
Modernization to continue the important work that the select 
committee carried out over the last two Congresses, with a 
focus on implementing many of those bipartisan ideas.
    I encourage each of you to engage with these subcommittees 
so that we can be a more effective full committee that delivers 
results to the American people and ultimately work to restore 
trust in Congress.
    We have the honor and privilege to serve in the best 
institution in the world. At the Committee on House 
Administration, we have a unique opportunity to make the House 
even better. While the task before us is great, through proper 
oversight and collaboration on these new initiatives, I have no 
doubt we will succeed.
    I looked forward to working with everyone and look forward 
to getting to work.
    I now will recognize the ranking member, Mr. Morelle, for 5 
minutes to make any opening remarks.
    Mr. Morelle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am really grateful 
for the opportunity to be with you and all of our colleagues.
    I am grateful for the members on my side of the aisle, each 
of whom brings unrivaled qualifications to this room and to the 
work that we are about to begin doing.
    I agree with you that the House Administration Committee 
may be small in numbers but it tackles a number of important 
issues essential to a functioning government. Our wide-ranging 
jurisdiction includes the totality of House operations; 
oversight of the country's beloved institutions like the 
Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institutes; a 
constitutional authority over the Nation's Federal elections; 
and security of the Capitol complex.
    Ultimately, we are the stewards of the House of 
Representatives on behalf of the American people, with a 
responsibility to leave the institution a little bit better 
than how we found it when we arrived here. We have a 
responsibility to make sure the House is a safe and inclusive 
place to work for all employees.
    We have a responsibility to ensure our Federal elections 
are secure, accurate, and accessible; a responsibility to 
preserve those institutions that I mentioned, like the 
Smithsonian and their treasures, the Library of Congress, for 
future generations; and have a tremendous responsibility for 
the safety and security of Members, staff, and those who visit 
Capitol Hill.
    Today we take the first step toward fulfilling these 
obligations and I am pleased that we are off to a good start. I 
want to thank you, Chairman Steil, for working with us on the 
resolutions that we are going to take up before us, and 
recommend that the Democratic members of the Committee support 
these measures.
    To echo what you said, there won't always be unanimity on 
the issues before the Congress, and there may be places where 
we may even fundamentally disagree, but I believe the chair--
and it has been great working with him just in the last few 
weeks as we have led up to this meeting here. We hope to find 
as much common ground--I know I do--and to work in as closely a 
bipartisan manner as is possible and that suits the best 
interests of the House and the American people.
    In that spirit, I look forward to working with you and 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
    With that, I yield back.
    Chairman Steil. Thank you very much.
    Before we begin the formal order of business, does anyone 
have any other comments they would like to make before we take 
up the matters before us?
    Seeing none, I now call up Resolutions 118-01 through 118-
07 to be considered en bloc.
    Resolution 118-01 establishes the rules of the Committee on 
House Administration for the 118th Congress.
    118-02 appoints majority members to subcommittees. 
Representative Laurel Lee will chair the Subcommittee on 
Elections. Representative Barry Loudermilk will chair the 
Subcommittee on Oversight. Representative Stephanie Bice will 
chair the Subcommittee on Modernization.
    Resolution 118-03 appoints minority members to 
subcommittees. Representative Terri Sewell will serve as 
ranking member on the Subcommittee on Elections. Representative 
Norma Torres will serve as ranking member on the Subcommittee 
on Oversight. Representative Derek Kilmer will serve as the 
ranking member on the Subcommittee on Modernization.
    Resolution 118-04 adopts the parking policy for the 118th 
Congress. See? We still do parking. That is important for 
everyone to know.
    Resolution 118-05 requires offices to establish anti-
harassment and anti-discrimination policies.
    Resolution 118-06 promulgates regulations regarding 
displaying a statement of rights and protections provided to 
House employees.
    Finally, Resolution 118-07 renews a committee consultant 
contract with former EAC Commissioner Gineen Bresso, which 
expired at the end of last Congress.
    Without objection, the reading is dispensed with, and the 
resolutions are considered read and open for amendment at any 
point.
    Chairman Steil. I will now recognize the ranking member, 
Mr. Morelle, if you would like to give a statement on the 
resolution.
    Mr. Morelle. Simply that I am grateful to you and your 
staff for working with our staff. We support the resolution and 
look forward to the work that lies ahead.
    I yield back.
    Chairman Steil. Thank you, Mr. Morelle.
    Does anyone else wish to be heard regarding the 
resolutions?
    Seeing none, I now ask unanimous consent that these 
resolutions be considered en bloc.
    Hearing no objection, the Committee will consider the 
resolution en bloc.
    The question is now on the en bloc resolution. I ask 
unanimous consent that the Committee adopt the en bloc 
resolutions.
    Hearing no objection, the resolutions are adopted.
    Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the 
table.
    Now, pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c) of Rule 14 of the 
rules of the Committee, I hereby appoint Hillary Lassiter as 
clerk of the Committee and Caleb Hays as acting parliamentarian 
of the Committee.
    I request unanimous consent that these two letters 
appointing the members of my staff as clerk and as acting 
parliamentarian be entered into the official record.
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    Chairman  Steil. A copy of these letters will be made 
available to all Committee members.
    This concludes all of the matters before the Committee, 
unless any member has comments or statements.
    Mr. Loudermilk.
    Mr. Loudermilk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to 
congratulate you on taking the reins of this committee, and the 
ranking member.
    I just want to also congratulate everyone. The chairman and 
I spent 6 hours doing this same thing in another committee 
yesterday, so congratulations on starting off with unanimity.
    I yield back.
    Chairman Steil. Thank you very much. The true nonpartisan 
spirit of this committee is shown in full force today. It does 
stand in contrast with the 6-hour markup that we worked our way 
through yesterday.
    Without objection, the staff is authorized to make any 
necessary technical and conforming changes. Without objection, 
each member will have 5 legislative days to insert additional 
materials into the record or to revise and extend their 
remarks.
    Chairman Steil. I would like to thank the members for their 
participation and look forward to working with each of you 
during this Congress.
    The meeting stands adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 9:46 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]

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