III. PROXIES When a record vote is taken in the committee on any bill, resolution, amendment, or any other question, a quorum being present, a Member who is unable to attend the meeting may vote by proxy if the absent Member has been informed of the matter on which the vote is being recorded and has affirmatively requested to be so recorded; except that no Member may vote by proxy during the deliberations on Budget Resolutions. IV. HEARINGS AND HEARING PROCEDURES (1) The committee shall make public announcement of the date, place, time, and subject matter of any hearing to be conducted on any measure or matter at least 1 week in advance of such hearing, unless the Chair and Ranking Minority Member determine that there is good cause to begin such hearing at an earlier date. (2) A witness appearing before the committee shall file a written statement of proposed testimony at least 1 day prior to appearance, unless the requirement is waived by the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member, following their determination that there is good cause for the failure of compliance. V. COMMITTEE REPORTS (1) When the committee has ordered a measure or recommendation reported, following final action, the report thereon shall be filed in the Senate at the earliest practicable time. (2) A Member of the committee who gives notice of an intention to file supplemental, minority, or additional views at the time of final committee approval of a measure or matter, shall be entitled to not less than 3 calendar days in which to file such views, in writing, with the chief clerk of the committee. Such views shall then be included in the committee report and printed in the same volume, as a part thereof, and their inclusions shall be noted on the cover of the report. In the absence of timely notice, the committee report may be filed and printed immediately without such views. COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION Jurisdiction Rule XXV, Standing Rules of the Senate 1. The following standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each Congress, and shall continue and have the power to act until their successors are appointed, with leave to report by bill or otherwise on matters within their respective jurisdictions: (f)(1) Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects: 1. Coast Guard. 2. Coastal zone management. 3. Communications. 4. Highway safety. 5. Inland waterways, except construction. 6. Interstate commerce. 7. Marine and ocean navigation, safety, and transportation, including navigational aspects of deepwater ports. 8. Marine fisheries. 9. Merchant marine and navigation. 10. Nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences. 11. Oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities. 12. Panama Canal and interoceanic canals generally, except as provided in subparagraph (c). 13. Regulation of consumer products and services, including testing related to toxic substances, other than pesticides, and except for credit, financial services, and housing. 14. Regulation of interstate common carriers, including railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil aviation. 15. Science, engineering, and technology research and development and policy. 16. Sports. 17. Standards and measurement. 18. Transportation. 19. Transportation and commerce aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands. (2) Such committee shall also study and review, on a comprehensive basis, all matters relating to science and technology, oceans policy, transportation, communications, and consumer affairs, and report thereon from time to time. Rules of Procedure 141 Cong. Rec. S1140 (daily ed. Jan. 19, 1995) I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE 1. The regular meeting dates of the Committee shall be the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Additional meetings may be called by the Chairman as he or she may deem necessary or pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 3 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 2. Meetings of the Committee, or any subcommittee, including meetings to conduct hearings, shall be open to the public, except that a meeting or series of meetings by the Committee, or any subcommittee, on the same subject for a period of no more than 14 calendar days may be closed to the public on a motion made and seconded to go into closed session to discuss only whether the matters enumerated in subparagraphs (A) through (F) would require the meeting to be closed followed immediately by a record vote in open session by a majority of the members of the Committee, or any subcommittee, when it is determined that the matters to be discussed or the testimony to be taken at such meeting or meetings (A) will disclose matters necessary to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or the confidential conduct of the foreign relations of the United States; (B) will relate solely to matters of Committee staff personnel or internal staff management or procedure; (C) will tend to charge an individual with crime or misconduct, to disgrace or injure the professional standing of an individual, or otherwise to expose an individual to public contempt or obloquy, or will represent a clearly unwarranted invasion of the privacy of an individual; (D) will disclose the identity of any informer or law enforcement agent or will disclose any information relating to the investigation or prosecution of a criminal offense that is required to be kept secret in the interests of effective law enforcement; (E) will disclose information relating to the trade secrets of financial or commercial information pertaining specifically to a given person if— (1) an Act of Congress requires the information to be kept confidential by Government officers and employees; or (2) the information has been obtained by the Government on a confidential basis, other than through an application by such person for a specific Government financial or other benefit, and is required to be kept secret in order to prevent undue injury to the competitive position of such person; or (F) may divulge matters required to be kept confidential under other provisions of law or Government regulations. 3. Each witness who is to appear before the Committee or any subcommittee shall file with the Committee, at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing, a written statement of his or her testimony in as many copies as the Chairman of the Committee or subcommittee prescribes. 4. Field hearings of the full Committee, and any subcommittee thereof, shall be scheduled only when authorized by the Chairman and ranking minority member of the full Committee. II. QUORUMS 1. Ten members shall constitute a quorum for official action of the Committee when reporting a bill or nomination; provided that proxies shall not be counted in making a quorum. 2. Seven members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business as may be considered by the Committee, except for the reporting of a bill or nomination; provided that proxies shall not be counted in making a quorum. 3. For the purpose of taking sworn testimony a quorum of the Committee and each subcommittee thereof, now or hereafter appointed, shall consist of one Senator. III. PROXIES When a record vote is taken in the Committee on any bill, resolution, amendment, or any other question, a majority of the members being present, a member who is unable to attend the meeting may submit his or her vote by proxy, in writing or by telephone, or through personal instructions. IV. BROADCASTING OF HEARINGS Public hearings of the full Committee, or any subcommittee thereof, shall be televised or broadcast only when authorized by the Chairman and the ranking minority member of the full Committee. V. SUBCOMMITTEES 1. Any member of the Committee may sit with any subcommittee during its hearings or any other meeting but shall not have the authority to vote on any matter before the subcommittee unless he or she is a member of such subcommittee. 2. Subcommittees shall be considered de novo whenever there is a change in the chairmanship, and seniority on the particular subcommittee shall not necessarily apply. |