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OFFICE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Mr. BENJAMIN.Your next division.

Mr. MOLLOY. Yes, the Office of Photography, under Keith Jewell, operates as two separate functions, the majority and minority. The minority is not under my jurisdiction. That operates under the term the Republicans use similar to our Policy and Steering Conference. There is an on-line study right now to possibly combine the two of these as a service-type organization, and that speaks for itself, whatever conclusion is reached.

Mr. BENJAMIN. They were switched from Policy?

Mr. MOLLOY. They were taken from the Democratic Policy and Steering Committee and put under me.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Has there been any difficulty?

Mr. MOLLOY. None whatsoever, sir. They are an excellent operation.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Let me ask Mr. Jewell if there has been any difficulty.

Mr. MOLLOY. Keith Jewell, who is the chief, is here. There are possibly some administrative problems. Whenever you change something there are growing pains. That is being studied by House Administration, by our office, and by Mr. Rhodes' office, with a possible future change.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Any questions?

Mr. MICHEL. Do I understand then that as far as the Democratic photographers are concerned, they are funded out of your shop? Mr. MOLLOY. Yes, sir.

Mr. MICHEL. And ours are funded out of the Conference?

Mr. MOLLOY. I am not sure of that. Yes, they are. At this point they are, yes, sir, but that is just in the last couple of months. Mr. MICHEL. You know we have had all this flak around here about mixing politics with official government business, and whether or not the congressional committees should be even on Federal property.

Mr. MOLLOY. That is what is behind this, sir, this study.

Mr. MICHEL. And we have come under some criticism with our congressional committee, because we are currently still being housed in Federal property, although trying to get our building done so that we can move, but it is surprising to me. We have got to make up our minds on these photographers, whether or not it is going to be considered strictly official kind of business or whether there is politics involved in it. If it is politics, then it belongs in both the Republican and Democratic congressional committees. If it is strictly official and no politics involved, then I can see where it could be funded out of your shop.

Mr. BENJAMIN. It has been taken out of congressional committees, one placed in Steering and Policy and the other in the Republican counterpart, the Republican Conference. Apparently the mold of the Democrats is that they even more depoliticize it by moving it to the Doorkeeper. You have minority and majority service in your office. I guess the real question is whether you want it transferred. Mr. MICHEL. I know we are drawing these real fine lines. Mr. MOLLOY. The guidelines are very strict.

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OFFICE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Mr. BENJAMIN. Your next division.

Mr. MOLLOY. Yes, the Office of Photography, under Keith Jewell, operates as two separate functions, the majority and minority. The minority is not under my jurisdiction. That operates under the term the Republicans use similar to our Policy and Steering Conference. There is an on-line study right now to possibly combine the two of these as a service-type organization, and that speaks for itself, whatever conclusion is reached.

Mr. BENJAMIN. They were switched from Policy?

Mr. MOLLOY. They were taken from the Democratic Policy and Steering Committee and put under me.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Has there been any difficulty?

Mr. MOLLOY. None whatsoever, sir. They are an excellent operation.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Let me ask Mr. Jewell if there has been any difficulty.

Mr. MOLLOY. Keith Jewell, who is the chief, is here. There are possibly some administrative problems. Whenever you change something there are growing pains. That is being studied by House Administration, by our office, and by Mr. Rhodes' office, with a possible future change.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Any questions?

Mr. MICHEL. Do I understand then that as far as the Democratic photographers are concerned, they are funded out of your shop? Mr. MOLLOY. Yes, sir.

Mr. MICHEL. And ours are funded out of the Conference?

Mr. MOLLOY. I am not sure of that. Yes, they are. At this point they are, yes, sir, but that is just in the last couple of months. Mr. MICHEL. You know we have had all this flak around here about mixing politics with official government business, and whether or not the congressional committees should be even on Federal property.

Mr. MOLLOY. That is what is behind this, sir, this study.

Mr. MICHEL. And we have come under some criticism with our congressional committee, because we are currently still being housed in Federal property, although trying to get our building done so that we can move, but it is surprising to me. We have got to make up our minds on these photographers, whether or not it is going to be considered strictly official kind of business or whether there is politics involved in it. If it is politics, then it belongs in both the Republican and Democratic congressional committees. If it is strictly official and no politics involved, then I can see where it could be funded out of your shop.

Mr. BENJAMIN. It has been taken out of congressional committees, one placed in Steering and Policy and the other in the Republican counterpart, the Republican Conference. Apparently the mold of the Democrats is that they even more depoliticize it by moving it to the Doorkeeper. You have minority and majority service in your office. I guess the real question is whether you want it transferred. Mr. MICHEL. I know we are drawing these real fine lines. Mr. MOLLOY. The guidelines are very strict.

Mr. MICHEL. As a matter of fact the individual we once had at our congressional campaign committee who was doing artistic work by way of letterheads for the newsletters, but because the newsletters are now acceptable for frank, I have that individual from the congressional committee on the Whip payroll

Mr. MOLLOY. Yes, sir.

Mr. MICHEL [continuing]. To make absolutely sure he is not considered to be political in any nature.

Mr. MOLLOY. With the Federal Election Campaign Committee and the various lawsuits that have come out of the frank I think it is getting tied down a lot more tightly. I am not aware of any abuses in this thing at all. The photographers function pretty well, and there are guidelines that are imposed by both sides that take them out of the realm of politics.

Mr. CONTE. I want to say here for the record, Jim, that Keith Jewell and his staff have been very, very kind to me. You get into a position sometimes of a foreign dignitary coming in, and the Republican photographer is not around. They have always taken a picture and made sure we got it.

Mr. BENJAMIN. That is true with both Republicans and Democrats. They have helped out without regard to political nomenclature. They have done an excellent job.

[The digest pertaining to the Office of Photography follows:]

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