Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification Page: 4 of 5
This report is part of the collection entitled: Congressional Research Service Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification
Senate standing committees have authority to hold hearings whether the Senate is in session,
has recessed, or has adjourned (Rule XXVI, paragraph 1). Regardless of the type of
hearing, or whether a hearing is held in or outside of Washington, hearings share common
aspects of planning and preparation. For more information on legislative process, see
http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml.
Whether to Schedule a Hearing
Senate committees consider a variety of issues in deciding whether to schedule a hearing. A
committee must define the information it needs, and determine the points it wishes to
communicate, then evaluate whether a hearing is the best method of achieving these ends.
Deciding whether to schedule a hearing is influenced by factors including the salience of issues to
the nation, presidential initiatives, matters of significance to particular committee members, and
the importance of policies to constituents and interest groups. Programs requiring reauthorization
generally require committee hearings, as do allegations of waste, fraud, or abuse in agency
activities.
Each committee receives dozens or even hundreds of legislative proposals for possible
examination, and has other responsibilities such as oversight. In the context of this overall
workload, a committee must decide whether holding a particular hearing is the best use of staff
resources and funds. A committee also considers whether and how a hearing would fit into its
overall schedule of planned activities.
Scheduling Requirements and Practices
The committee chair exercises control over the hearing schedule and determines the agenda.
However, a variety of rules and other factors affect the scheduling of a hearing. Many of these
rules and related practices aim to coordinate committee hearings with other committee meetings
or Senate sessions to minimize interruptions of deliberations and scheduling conflicts for
Senators, in order to maximize their participation.
Committee sessions (except of Appropriations and Budget) are restricted when the Senate also is
meeting (Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a)). A committee may not meet on any day after the Senate has
been in session for two hours, or after 2:00 p.m. when the Senate is in session, whichever is
earlier. In practice the rule is routinely waived, usually by unanimous consent, but it also may be
waived by joint agreement of the party leaders. Senate rules also restrict committees to meeting
during specified time periods. Committees, however, do not always adhere rigorously to these
restrictions (Rule XXVI, paragraph 6).
The computerized scheduling service of the Senate allows a committee to coordinate its schedule
with that of other committees. Further, the rules of some committees contain provisions requiring
subcommittee coordination in scheduling hearings.
Paramount in scheduling a hearing is choosing a date and time convenient for committee leaders.
A committee also must check the availability of its hearing rooms before scheduling a hearing. If
a committee's own rooms are unavailable, it may be possible to borrow a room from another
committee or Senate leader or officer.Congressional Research Servicee
1
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification, report, February 22, 2007; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806454/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.