Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification







Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress



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.................................................................................................1
Scheduling Requirements and Practices...................................................................................1
Notification Requirements and Practices..................................................................................2
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................2





enate 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 S


aspects of planning and preparation. For more information on legislative process, see
http://www.crs .gov/products /guides/guidehome.shtml.
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.
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.



Joint or field hearings often present additional scheduling issues. All Senate committees or
subcommittees may conduct hearings jointly with another committee or subcommittee of the
Senate or House. Panels meeting jointly must agree on common rules of procedure and determine
logistical questions, such as coordinating meeting times. Similarly, a committee or subcommittee
may hold field hearings outside Washington. Scheduling issues include choosing a desirable time
for committee members to travel and securing a meeting room on location.
Each committee (except Appropriations and Budget) must give at least one week’s notice to the
public of the date, place, and subject of a hearing (Rule XXVI, paragraph 4(a)). A committee may
hold a hearing with less than one week’s notice if it determines that there is “good cause.” These
public notices of hearings appear in the Daily Digest section of the Congressional Record and on
the Senate’s Web site.
In practice, committees often include additional information in the public notice, such as the time
and location of the hearing and expected witnesses. And while the one-week notice rule may be
waived, a few committees generally prohibit holding hearings with less than a 24-hour public
notice. Often a committee sends advance announcements of a hearing to all its members. Some
committees also require that specific pre-hearing information be sent to their members or be made
available to the public.
Although the Senate rule requires a one week public notice, a separate standing order of the
Senate requires each Senate committee to notify the Daily Digest Office as soon as a hearing is th
scheduled (S.Res. 4, 95 Congress). When a hearing is scheduled, notification should include the
time, place, and purpose of the hearing; a committee also must notify the Daily Digest Office of
any changes or cancellations as they occur. This information is printed in the Extension of
Remarks section of the Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
Betsy Palmer
Analyst on the Congress and Legislative Process
bpalmer@crs.loc.gov, 7-0381