|
Disclosure Form | Witness letter TRUTH-IN-TESTIMONY RULES
SEC. 10. INFORMATION REQUIRED OF PUBLIC WITNESSES. - In clause 2(g) of rule XI,
amend subparagraph (4) to read as follows:
"(4) Each committee shall, to the greatest extent practicable, require witnesses who appear before it to
submit in advance written statements of proposed testimony and to limit their initial oral presentations to
the committee to brief summaries thereof. In the case of a witness appearing in a nongovernmental
capacity, a written statement of proposed testimony shall include a curriculum vitae and a disclosure of
the amount and source (by agency and program) of any Federal grant (or subgrant thereof) or contract
(or subcontract thereof) received during the current fiscal year or either of the two previous fiscal
years by the witness or by an entity represented by the witness."
Summary of Rule: Sec. 10. Information Required of Public Witnesses -- Each committee shall require, to the greatest extent practicable, witnesses appearing in a non-governmental capacity to include with their advance written testimony a curriculum vitae and disclosure by source and amount of Federal government grants and contracts received by them and any entity they represent for the current and preceding two fiscal years. (Rule XI, clause 2(g)) Analysis of Rule (from Congressional Record, Jan. 7, 1997, p. H-13): Section 10. Information Required of Public Witnesses: Committees shall require, to the greatest extent practicable, that non-governmental witnesses include as part of their written testimony that is already required by House Rules to be submitted in advance, both a curriculum vitae and a disclosure by source and amount of federal grants and contracts received by them and any organizations they represent at that hearing in the current and preceding two fiscal years, to the extent that such information is relevant to the subject matter of, and the witness' representational capacity at, that hearing . The purpose of these new requirements is to give committee members, the public, and the press a more detailed context in which to consider a witness' testimony in terms of their education, experience, and the extent to which they or the organizations being represented have benefited from Federal grants and contracts related to their appearance. It is not the intention of this section, for instance, to require individuals to disclose the amounts of Federal entitlements they have received, such as from Medicare or Social Security or other income support payments or individual benefits, or to require farmers to disclose amounts received in crop or commodity price support payments. Instead, the disclosure requirement is designed to elicit information from those who have received Federal grants or contracts for the purpose of providing the government or other individuals or entities with specified goods, services, or information. While failure to comply fully with this requirement would not give rise to a point of order against the witness' testifying, it could result in an objection to including the witness' written testimony the hearing record in the absence of such disclosure. |