{
  "id": "RL30539",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30539",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "id": 315745,
      "date": "2006-06-13",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:00:22.816029",
      "title": "Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure",
      "summary": "Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze\ninformation in the early stages of policy making. Whether legislative, oversight, investigative, or\na combination of these, all hearings share common elements of preparation and conduct.\n House Rule XI sets down many of the regulations to which committee hearings must conform,\nincluding the quorum requirement, advance submission of witness statements, the opportunity for\nminority party members to call witnesses of their choosing, the five-minute rule for questioning\nwitnesses, witness rights, the process for issuing a subpoena, the procedure for closing a hearing to\nthe public, and the broadcast of hearings and media behavior. Committees have broad latitude in\nhow they hold hearings, in part because they adopt their own rules of procedure. These rules may\namplify and supplement House rules, but cannot contravene them. Customs of committees not\nembodied in rules also vary considerably among committees.\n Committees usually plan extensively for hearings. Early planning activities commonly include\ncollecting background information from sources within and outside the House, preparing a\npreliminary hearing memorandum for the chair and members discussing the scope of the hearings\nand the expected outcome, and scheduling and giving public notice of hearings. Carefully selecting\nwitnesses, determining the order and format of their testimony, and preparing questions or talking\npoints for committee members to use in questioning are all important considerations. Other\narrangements include preparing briefing books; determining if, and how, the hearings will be\nbroadcast; and attending to the many administrative matters, such as scheduling an official reporter.\n On the day of a hearing, a committee needs a quorum to conduct business. While most hearings\nare open to the public, a committee may vote to close a hearing for a reason specifically stated in\nHouse rules. Representatives typically make opening statements at the beginning of a hearing; then\nwitnesses are introduced and may be sworn by the chair. Witnesses present oral testimony in\naccordance with the arranged format; this verbal testimony generally is a summary of the written\ntestimony submitted in advance. The question and answer period that follows is an opportunity for\na committee to build a public record on a matter and gather needed information to support future\nactions. House rules give each committee member five minutes to question each witness, but\nindividual committees determine the order in which their members will question witnesses and may\nallow extended questioning by committee members or staff. \n Following a hearing, committee staff may prepare a summary of testimony, draft additional\nquestions for the day's witnesses, and begin to ready the hearing transcripts for printing and\npublishing to the Web. Transcripts generally are printed, along with supplemental materials\napproved by the committee, although printing is not required.",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc814996/",
      "id": "RL30539_2004Jul28",
      "date": "2004-07-28",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1115/",
      "id": "RL30539_2000May01",
      "date": "2000-05-01",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T23:25:31",
      "title": "Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure",
      "summary": "The report describes provisions of House rules that pertain to hearings, and citations to these rules are included for reference.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Congress",
          "name": "Congress"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "House rules and procedure",
          "name": "House rules and procedure"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Congressional hearings - House of Representatives",
          "name": "Congressional hearings - House of Representatives"
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  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law",
    "Economic Policy"
  ]
}