to lodge authority for agreeing to have a committee's hearings broad

cast in the committee rather than in the chairman, although the committee

might subsequently delegate that authority to its chairman,

During discussion of this amendment it was pointed out that under

it "a majority vote would not have to be obtained prior to each hearing

broadcast.

In other words .., the committee itself can adopt rules in

advance, for a month or for the whole session, if it wishes.

Each

committee could adopt rules for the broadcast of proceedings of those

committees, without the necessity of obtaining a majority vote before each broadcast."

During the same discussion, the floor manager of the bill declared

it to be the intent of the provision as amended that "the decision as

to whether the rights (to have hearings broadcast) were granted for

a day or a week or for the session should be within the province of the committee; and the decision as to whether it will be delegated to the chairman by the committee or left to the majority of the committee to work its will, should be a part of the internal operation of the

committee, and not one of the areas in which the Senate itself should

prescribe hard and fast rules."

Senate Committee Rules Governing the Broadcast of Hearings, 93d Congress

For the 93d Congress the published rules of nine Senate committees contain provisions relating to the broadcasting of their hearings: Appropriations, Commerce, Finance, Government Operations, Interior and Insular Affairs, Post Office and Civil Service, Public Works, Select

Presidential Campaign Activities, and Select Standards and Conduct.

Those of the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct flatly prohibit

broadcasting. Those of Appropriations and Coverancut Operations cor

tain essentially no more than is provided for in subsection 116(a),

although Appropriations provides that any objection to broadcast be

referred to the full committee for a decision.

The Committees of

Finance, Commerce, Public Works, Post Office and Civil Service, and

Presidential Campaign Activities have delegated the decision on broadcasting to their respective chairmen, although Finance also permits broadcasting upon written request of a member. The Committee on Commerce has delegated the decision to the chairman and ranking minority member. One committee in the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary, has no written rules, while thirteen committees have no broadcasting provisions in their rules (Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry, Armed Services, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, District of Columbia, Foreign Relations, Labor and Public Welfare, Rules and Administration, Veterans' Affairs, Select

on Nutrition and Human Needs, Select on Small Business, Special on

Aging, and Special on Termination of the National Emergency).

The following are the rules of Senate committees for the 93rd

Congress regarding broadcast of hearings:

CRS-5
SEMATE COMMITTEE RULES FOR THE 938D CONGRESS

REGARDING BROADCAST OF KLARINGS

SENATE COMPATTEE RULES FOR THE 93RD CONGRESS

REGARDING BROADCAST OF HEARINGS

Broadcasting of Hearings. -- (a) Broadcasting
of open hearings by television or radio coverage
shall be allowed upon approval by the chairman of
a request filed with the chief counsel not later
than noon of the day before the day on which such
coverage is desired.

(b) If such approval is granted, broadcasting
coverage of the hearing shall be conducted unob-
trusively and in accordance with the standards of
dignity, propriety, courtesy and decorum tradition-
ally observed by the Senate.

(c) Equipment necessary for coverage by tele-
vision and radio media shall not be installed in,
or removed from, the hearing room while the committee
is in session.

(d) Additional lighting may be installed in the
hearing room by the media in order to raise the
ambient lighting level to the lowest level necessary
to provide adequate television coverage of the
hearing at the then current state of the art of
television coverage.

(e) The additional lighting authorized by sub-
section (d) of this rule shall not be directed into
the eyes of any member of the committee or of any
witness, and at the request of any such member or
witness, offending lighting shall be extinguished.

SZUATE COMMITTEE RULES FOR THL 9310 QONGRESS

REGARDING BROADCAST OF HEARIICS

MITTEE

RULE NUMBER

DATE ADOPTED

RILE