Congressional committees play a critical role in the legislative process, conducting in-depth investigations and evaluating proposals before they reach the floor for debate and voting. GovInfo has a wealth of resources for those interested in following this important work, including hearings and committee reports. Our Committee News article highlights the latest information from House and Senate committees.
A committee is a group of people who meet regularly to explore ideas and discuss matters that are too big or complex for the board to tackle as a whole. It can be a subset of the board or an entirely separate body. Productive committees provide insight, data and advice that can help the board achieve its goals. They are also an efficient way to streamline and organize board business.
The Committee on the Environment is looking into how to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. It is taking submissions on the Environment (Parent-Teacher Interview Leave) Amendment Bill until 17 December.
In addition to the public hearings, the committee is holding a series of briefings with experts and stakeholders on its consideration of the bill. The first briefing was with the Department of Energy on 23 November, and the next will be with the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry on 4 December.
The panel will consider whether to refer the five GOP lawmakers who refused to testify before the panel on the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill shooting to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson has said he expects to recommend the referrals for obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States, among other potential charges. The decision will be up to federal prosecutors, but the committee’s report will likely include a list of the names of those it would like to see prosecuted.
A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint or special committee, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or implement/enforce a Federal law. GovInfo has select House and Senate hearings from the 104th Congress (1995-1996) forward. These are available as text and PDF files.
After the committee has completed its deliberation, it votes to report a proposal back to the chamber. The committee may decide to report a referred bill, or it may choose to “report out” an original or clean bill that incorporates all of the amendments approved during the markup process. For more on the process, see How Our Laws Are Made. You can filter by collection to limit your search results and find committee publications, meetings, executive communications, nominations, treaty documents, and more. Use the filters on the left side of the page to narrow your selections. The results will update automatically.