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


 MARKUP OF H. RES.___, PROVIDING FOR THE EXPENSES OF CERTAIN COMMITTEES 
 OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

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

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                           COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
                             ADMINISTRATION

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION
                               __________

                             MARCH 8, 2023
                               __________

      Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
      
      
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                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                    
53-952                   WASHINGTON : 2023   


                   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

                      Tim Monahan,  Staff Director 
                 Jamie Fleet,  Minority Staff Director 

                         C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

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                                                                   Page

                           Opening Statements

The Honorable Bryan Steil, Representative from the state of 
  Wisconsin......................................................     1
The Honorable Joseph Morelle, Representative from the state of 
  New York.......................................................     2

                       Submissions for the Record

H. Res. 197......................................................     4
Amendment In The Nature of a Substitute..........................    11
Committee Resolutions 118-11.....................................    18
Committee Resolutions 118-12.....................................    19
Committee Resolutions 118-13.....................................    21
Committee Resolutions 118-14.....................................    23

 
    MARKUP OF H. RES.------, PROVIDING FOR THE EXPENSES OF CERTAIN 
     COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE ONE HUNDRED 
                          EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023

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

    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:53 a.m., in 
room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Bryan Steil 
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Steil, Loudermilk, Griffith, 
Murphy, Lee, Carey, D'Esposito, Morelle, Sewell, Kilmer, and 
Torres.
    Staff present: Tim Monahan, Staff Director; Caleb Hays, 
Deputy Staff Director, General Counsel, Acting Parliamentarian; 
Hillary Lassiter, Chief Clerk; Janet Schwalb, Deputy Staff 
Director of Advice & Guidance and Operations; Cade Alcock, 
Assistant Clerk; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director; Khalil 
Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Matthew Schlesinger, 
Minority Oversight Counsel; Owen Reilly, Minority Professional 
Staff Member; Eddie Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk; and Andrew 
Garcia, Minority Staff Assistant.
    The Chairman. The Committee on House Administration will 
come to order. My attempt to scare Mr. Murphy, I think, was 
successful.
    We can't let you pass in our presence, because otherwise a 
quorum would not be present. I do note that a quorum is 
present, and, without objection, the Chair may declare a recess 
at any time.
    The meeting record will remain open for 5 legislative days 
so members may submit any material they wish to be included 
there.
    I thank the Ranking Member, Mr. Morelle, and all members of 
the Committee for participating in last week's two-part hearing 
on committee funding. It took a lot of coordination over the 
course of 2 days, spanning nearly 7 hours. In the end, we heard 
from almost every Committee Chair and Ranking Member on their 
proposed budgets and goals for the 118th Congress.
    This is one of our core committee responsibilities, and I 
thought it was a huge success. Yet prior to last week, the last 
time committee funding went through regular order was during 
the 115th Congress.
    I find that unacceptable. Transparency and accountability 
should be the standard, not the exception. As Chairman, it is 
my priority to restore regular order as part of our commitment 
to making the People's House open and accessible.
    Now that we have provided each committee with the 
opportunity to justify their budget requests, our next 
responsibility is to set the funding levels. This is no easy 
task.
    As we learned last week, each committee plays a vital role 
in Congress and collectively touches every aspect of American 
life. From our national security and the border to our nation's 
schools and workforce, each committee is tasked with serving 
the American people.
    As we are considering each budget, we have a responsibility 
to ensure every committee has the necessary resources to 
succeed and effectively execute their mission. However, 
taxpayers have also entrusted us the responsibility of being 
good stewards of their hard-earned dollars. That is why today's 
markup is vital.
    I anticipate that after today, additional resources will be 
needed by the Judiciary Committee, which will be handled 
through the committee reserve allocation process.
    With the majority of the House's work conducted in 
committees, this process ensures that committees are 
accountable to the American people. In turn, we can restore the 
American people's trust in this institution while making the 
House more open, accessible, and transparent.
    I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Morelle, for the 
purpose of providing an opening statement if he wishes.
    Mr. Morelle. Thank you. I do want to thank you, Mr. 
Chairman, for calling this business meeting of the Committee on 
House Administration as it continues to do the important 
organizational work necessary on behalf of the House.
    Today, the committee will consider a variety of things, 
most of which we have reached agreement on, and I am grateful 
for that, namely committee resolutions to provide allowances 
for committees to send official mail, hire paid interns, and a 
new formula to determine the Members' Representational 
Allowance that considers the unique makeup of each 
congressional district.
    These measures are critically important to the 
institutional capacity and representational duties of the 
House, and I support them.
    We will also report a primary expense resolution that will 
fund committees. This resolution was informed by the series of 
hearings which you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, in this Committee 
last week.
    I again want to thank the Chairs and the Ranking Members 
that appeared before us in this committee room to talk about 
the work of their committees, the importance of the work, and 
to justify their requests.
    As I said in my opening statement last week, committee 
funding is historically a bipartisan and collaborative 
enterprise, and I am grateful and happy to see that continues 
with this resolution.
    We will also formally consider House Administration's views 
and estimates for Fiscal Year 2024, which, somewhat curiously, 
we will be doing without the benefit of having yet seen the 
President's budget, which will be released, as I understand, 
tomorrow.
    Nevertheless, my colleagues on this side of the aisle and 
on this side of the dais continue to support the historic and 
worthwhile investments the Administration has made in America's 
present and future, particularly in those agencies within this 
committee's jurisdiction. That support is reflected in our 
minority views which we have submitted.
    Like the Authorization Oversight Plan the Committee adopted 
last week, views and estimates are an important memorialization 
of our priorities. I appreciate the opportunity to provide 
House Administration Democrats' perspective. I am grateful to 
you for that and certainly happy that we have reached, I think, 
agreement. We hopefully will receive support for the 
resolutions before us.
    With that, I want to thank you, and I will yield back.
    The Chairman. I thank the Ranking Member.
    I will note that I share the frustration that we are being 
forced to act before the President's budget is released. It is 
frustrating, I think, to many of us in the House that the 
President's budget is over a month late and counting. We look 
forward to receiving the President's budget. I share your 
frustration that we are forced to act prior to the President's 
budget being released.
    I now call up and lay before the Committee H. Res. 197, the 
Committee Funding Resolution.
    Without objection, the first reading of the resolution is 
dispensed with.
    [The Resolution follows:]

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    The Chairman. I now recognize myself for the purpose of 
offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
    Without objection, the reading of the amendment is 
dispensed with and the substitute will be considered as 
original text for the purposes of further amendments.
    [The amendment follows:]

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    The Chairman. Are there any members who wish to speak on H. 
Res. 197?
    Are there any members who wish to offer an amendment?
    If not, the question now occurs on the amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
    All those in favor, say aye.
    All those opposed, nay.
    The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to.
    Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the 
table.
    Hearing no objection, I move that the Committee Report H. 
Res. 197, as amended, to the House favorably.
    The question is now on the motion.
    All those in favor, say aye.
    All those opposed, no.
    In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the 
motion is agreed to.
    I now call up Committee Resolutions 118-11, 118-12, 118-13, 
118-14, to be considered en bloc.
    Without objection, the reading is dispensed with and the 
resolutions are considered read and open for amendment at any 
point.
    [The resolutions offered en bloc follow:]

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    The Chairman. Resolution 118-11 distributes the 2023 
legislative year allowance of $2.6 million among each committee 
for the compensation of interns.
    Resolution 118-12 allocates the Official Mail Allowance to 
each committee.
    Resolution 118-13 adopts a revised formula to calculate the 
Members' Representational Allowance.
    I would like to thank Omar Awan, Enrique Bouchot, and John 
Clocker at the CAO for their hard work on this revised formula.
    Resolution 118-14 approves the Committee's budget views and 
estimates.
    I will now recognize Ranking Member Mr. Morelle if he would 
like to give a statement regarding these resolutions.
    Mr. Morelle. I am fine, Mr. Chairman. I will yield back.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Morelle.
    Does any other member wish to be heard regarding the 
resolutions?
    Seeing none, I ask unanimous consent that these resolutions 
be considered en bloc.
    Hearing no objection, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee adopt the en bloc resolution.
    Hearing no objection again, the resolutions are adopted.
    Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon 
the table.
    Pursuant to House Rule XI, clause 2(l), I ask that the 
committee members have the right to file supplemental, 
additional, minority, and dissenting views, without objection.
    Also without objection, staff is authorized to make any 
necessary technical and conforming changes.
    No other business before us, this meeting is adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 12:01 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
  

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