[42] RULEMAKING PROVISIONS OF THE LEGISLATIVE PRIVATE BILLS BANNED SEC. 131. No private bill or resolution (including so-called [42] omnibus claims or pension bills), and no amendment to any bill or resolution, authorizing or directing (1) the payment of money for property damages, for personal injuries or death for which suit may be instituted under chapter 171 of the Judicial Code,' or for a pension (other than to carry out a provision of law or treaty stipulation); (2) the construction of a bridge across a navigable stream; or (3) the correction of a military or naval record, shall be received or considered in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. CONGRESSIONAL ADJOURNMENT SEC. 132. Except in time of war or during a national emer- [43] gency proclaimed by the President, the two Houses shall adjourn sine die not later than the last day (Sundays excepted) in the month of July in each year unless otherwise provided by the Congress. 1 August 2, 1946, ch. 753, 60 Stat. 831. The Federal Tort Claims Act, originally cited in this section, was repealed by the act of June 25, 1948 (62 Stat. 1008). Its provisions were incorporated into ch. 171 of the Judicial Code (62 Stat. 982–985; 28 U. 8. C. 2671-2680) as amended by the act of April 25, 1949 (63 Stat. 62), the act of May 24, 1949 (63 Stat. 106), and the act of July 16, 1949 (63 Stat. 444). 59 [44] [44.1] [44.2] [44.3] [44.4] [44.5] [44.6] COMMITTEE PROCEDURE SEC. 133. (a) Each standing committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives (except the Committees on Appropriations) shall fix regular weekly, biweekly, or monthly meeting days for the transaction of business before the committee, and additional meetings may be called by the chairman as he may deem necessary. (b) Each such committee shall keep a complete record of all committee action. Such record shall include a record of the votes on any question on which a record vote is demanded. (c) It shall be the duty of the chairman of each such committee to report or cause to be reported promptly to the Senate or House of Representatives, as the case may be, any measure approved by his committee and to take or cause to be taken necessary steps to bring the matter to a vote. (d) No measure or recommendation shall be reported from any such committee unless a majority of the committee were actually present. (e) Each such standing committee shall, so far as practicable, require all witnesses appearing before it to file in advance written statements of their proposed testimony, and to limit their oral presentations to brief summaries of their argument. The staff of each committee shall prepare digests of such statements for the use of committee members. (f) All hearings conducted by standing committees or their subcommittees shall be open to the public, except executive sessions for marking up bills or for voting or where the committee by a majority vote orders an executive session. COMMITTEE POWERS [45] SEC. 134. (a)1 Each standing committee of the Senate, [45.1] including any subcommittee of any such committee, is authorized to hold such hearings, to sit and act at such times and places during the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the Senate, to require by subpena or otherwise the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such correspondence, books, papers, and documents, to take such testimony and to make such expenditures (not in excess of $10,000 for each committee during any Congress) as it deems advisable. Each such committee may make investigations into any matter within its jurisdiction, may report such hearings as may be had by it, and may employ stenographic assistance at a cost not exceeding 25 cents per hundred words. The expenses of the committee shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate upon vouchers approved by the chairman. NOTE.-The Act of June 27, 1956 (70 Stat. 360; 2 U.S.C. [45.2] 68c) contained the following provision: Compensation for stenographic assistance of committees paid out of the foregoing items under "Contingent Expenses of the Senate" hereafter shall be computed at such rates and in accordance with such regulations as may be prescribed by the Committee on Rules and Administration, notwithstanding, and without regard to any other provision of law. This subsection was made applicable to the Select Committee on Small Business by the act of September 6, 1950 (64 Stat. 595). * Obsolete. [46] [47] CONFERENCE RULES ON AMENDMENTS IN NATURE OF SEC. 135. * **2 SUBSTITUTE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT BY STANDING COMMITTEES SEC. 136. To assist the Congress in appraising the administration of the laws and in developing such amendments or related legislation as it may deem necessary, each standing committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall exercise continuous watchfulness of the execution by the administrative agencies concerned of any laws, the subject matter of which is within the jurisdiction of such committee; and, for that purpose, shall study all pertinent reports and data submitted to the Congress by the agencies in the executive branch of the Government. DECISIONS ON QUESTIONS OF COMMITTEE JURISDICTION SEC. 137. In any case in which a controversy arises as to the jurisdiction of any standing committee of the Senate with respect to any proposed legislation, the question of jurisdiction shall be decided by the Presiding Officer of the Senate, without debate, in favor of that committee which has jurisdiction over the subject matter which predominates in such proposed legislation; but such decision shall be subject to an appeal. 1 This subsection, which related to the sitting of standing committees while their respective Houses were in session, has been superseded in the Senate by par. 5 of rule XXV (Senate Manual Section [25.5]), agreed to Jan. 30, 1964, and in the House by par. 30 of rule XI, agreed to Jan. 3, 1953. This section, in its entirety, now constitutes clause 3 of rule XXVII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, Senate Manual Section [27.3]. |