An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 48 Authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 12, 2021 Mr. PETERS, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, reported the following original resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration RESOLUTION Authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Resolved, 1 SECTION 1. GENERAL AUTHORITY. 2 In carrying out its powers, duties, and functions 3 under the Standing Rules of the Senate, in accordance 4 with its jurisdiction under rule XXV of the Standing Rules 5 of the Senate and S. Res. 445 (108th Congress), agreed 6 to October 9, 2004, including holding hearings, reporting 7 such hearings, and making investigations as authorized by 8 paragraphs 1 and 8 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules 9 of the Senate, the Committee on Homeland Security and 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 48 IS Governmental Affairs (in this resolution referred to as the 1 ‘‘committee’’) is authorized from March 1, 2021 through 2 February 28, 2023, in its discretion, to— 3 (1) make expenditures from the contingent fund 4 of the Senate; 5 (2) employ personnel; and 6 (3) with the prior consent of the Government 7 department or agency concerned and the Committee 8 on Rules and Administration, use on a reimbursable 9 or nonreimbursable basis the services of personnel of 10 any such department or agency. 11 SEC. 2. EXPENSES. 12 (a) EXPENSES FOR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 13 2021.—The expenses of the committee for the period 14 March 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021 under this 15 resolution shall not exceed $6,430,401, of which amount— 16 (1) not to exceed $75,000 may be expended for 17 the procurement of the services of individual consult- 18 ants, or organizations thereof (as authorized by sec- 19 tion 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 20 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4301(i))); and 21 (2) not to exceed $20,000 may be expended for 22 the training of the professional staff of the com- 23 mittee (under procedures specified by section 202(j) 24 of that Act). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 48 IS (b) EXPENSES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 PERIOD.— 1 The expenses of the committee for the period October 1, 2 2021 through September 30, 2022 under this resolution 3 shall not exceed $11,023,545, of which amount— 4 (1) not to exceed $75,000 may be expended for 5 the procurement of the services of individual consult- 6 ants, or organizations thereof (as authorized by sec- 7 tion 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 8 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4301(i))); and 9 (2) not to exceed $20,000 may be expended for 10 the training of the professional staff of the com- 11 mittee (under procedures specified by section 202(j) 12 of that Act). 13 (c) EXPENSES FOR PERIOD ENDING FEBRUARY 28, 14 2023.—The expenses of the committee for the period Oc- 15 tober 1, 2022 through February 28, 2023 under this reso- 16 lution shall not exceed $4,593,144, of which amount— 17 (1) not to exceed $75,000 may be expended for 18 the procurement of the services of individual consult- 19 ants, or organizations thereof (as authorized by sec- 20 tion 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 21 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4301(i))); and 22 (2) not to exceed $20,000 may be expended for 23 the training of the professional staff of the com- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 48 IS mittee (under procedures specified by section 202(j) 1 of that Act). 2 SEC. 3. EXPENSES AND AGENCY CONTRIBUTIONS. 3 (a) EXPENSES OF THE COMMITTEE.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para- 5 graph (2), expenses of the committee under this res- 6 olution shall be paid from the contingent fund of the 7 Senate upon vouchers approved by the chairman of 8 the committee. 9 (2) VOUCHERS NOT REQUIRED.—Vouchers shall 10 not be required for— 11 (A) the disbursement of salaries of employ- 12 ees paid at an annual rate; 13 (B) the payment of telecommunications 14 provided by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms 15 and Doorkeeper; 16 (C) the payment of stationery supplies pur- 17 chased through the Keeper of the Stationery; 18 (D) payments to the Postmaster of the 19 Senate; 20 (E) the payment of metered charges on 21 copying equipment provided by the Office of the 22 Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper; 23 (F) the payment of Senate Recording and 24 Photographic Services; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 48 IS (G) the payment of franked and mass mail 1 costs by the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper. 2 (b) AGENCY CONTRIBUTIONS.—There are authorized 3 to be paid from the appropriations account for ‘‘Expenses 4 of Inquiries and Investigations’’ of the Senate such sums 5 as may be necessary for agency contributions related to 6 the compensation of employees of the committee— 7 (1) for the period March 1, 2021 through Sep- 8 tember 30, 2021; 9 (2) for the period October 1, 2021 through Sep- 10 tember 30, 2022; and 11 (3) for the period October 1, 2022 through 12 February 28, 2023. 13 SEC. 4. INVESTIGATIONS. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The committee, or any duly au- 15 thorized subcommittee of the committee, is authorized to 16 study or investigate— 17 (1) the efficiency and economy of operations of 18 all branches of the Government including the pos- 19 sible existence of fraud, misfeasance, malfeasance, 20 collusion, mismanagement, incompetence, corruption, 21 or unethical practices, waste, extravagance, conflicts 22 of interest, and the improper expenditure of Govern- 23 ment funds in transactions, contracts, and activities 24 of the Government or of Government officials and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •SRES 48 IS employees and any and all such improper practices 1 between Government personnel and corporations, in- 2 dividuals, companies, or persons affiliated therewith, 3 doing business with the Government, and the com- 4 pliance or noncompliance of such corporations, com- 5 panies, or individuals or other entities with the rules, 6 regulations, and laws governing the various govern- 7 mental agencies and its relationships with the public; 8 (2) the extent to which criminal or other im- 9 proper practices or activities are, or have been, en- 10 gaged in the field of labor-management relations or 11 in groups or organizations of employees or employ- 12 ers, to the detriment of interests of the public, em- 13 ployers, or employees, and to determine whether any 14 changes are required in the laws of the United 15 States in order to protect such interests against the 16 occurrence of such practices or activities; 17 (3) organized criminal activity which may oper- 18 ate in or otherwise utilize the facilities of interstate 19 or international commerce in furtherance of any 20 transactions and the manner and extent to which, 21 and the identity of the persons, firms, or corpora- 22 tions, or other entities by whom such utilization is 23 being made, and further, to study and investigate 24 the manner in which and the extent to which per- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •SRES 48 IS sons engaged in organized criminal activity have in- 1 filtrated lawful business enterprise, and to study the 2 adequacy of Federal laws to prevent the operations 3 of organized crime in interstate or international 4 commerce, and to determine whether any changes 5 are required in the laws of the United States in 6 order to protect the public against such practices or 7 activities; 8 (4) all other aspects of crime and lawlessness 9 within the United States which have an impact upon 10 or affect the national health, welfare, and safety, in- 11 cluding but not limited to investment fraud schemes, 12 commodity and security fraud, computer fraud, and 13 the use of offshore banking and corporate facilities 14 to carry out criminal objectives; 15 (5) the efficiency and economy of operations of 16 all branches and functions of the Government with 17 particular reference to— 18 (A) the effectiveness of present national se- 19 curity methods, staffing, and processes as test- 20 ed against the requirements imposed by the 21 rapidly mounting complexity of national secu- 22 rity problems; 23 (B) the capacity of present national secu- 24 rity staffing, methods, and processes to make 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •SRES 48 IS full use of the Nation’s resources of knowledge 1 and talents; 2 (C) the adequacy of present intergovern- 3 mental relations between the United States and 4 international organizations principally con- 5 cerned with national security of which the 6 United States is a member; and 7 (D) legislative and other proposals to im- 8 prove these methods, processes, and relation- 9 ships; 10 (6) the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of 11 all agencies and departments of the Government in- 12 volved in the control and management of energy 13 shortages including, but not limited to, their per- 14 formance with respect to— 15 (A) the collection and dissemination of ac- 16 curate statistics on fuel demand and supply; 17 (B) the implementation of effective energy 18 conservation measures; 19 (C) the pricing of energy in all forms; 20 (D) coordination of energy programs with 21 State and local government; 22 (E) control of exports of scarce fuels; 23 (F) the management of tax, import, pric- 24 ing, and other policies affecting energy supplies; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •SRES 48 IS (G) maintenance of the independent sector 1 of the petroleum industry as a strong competi- 2 tive force; 3 (H) the allocation of fuels in short supply 4 by public and private entities; 5 (I) the management of energy supplies 6 owned or controlled by the Government; 7 (J) relations with other oil producing and 8 consuming countries; 9 (K) the monitoring of compliance by gov- 10 ernments, corporations, or individuals with the 11 laws and regulations governing the allocation, 12 conservation, or pricing of energy supplies; and 13 (L) research into the discovery and devel- 14 opment of alternative energy supplies; and 15 (7) the efficiency and economy of all branches 16 and functions of Government with particular ref- 17 erences to the operations and management of Fed- 18 eral regulatory policies and programs. 19 (b) EXTENT OF INQUIRIES.—In carrying out the du- 20 ties provided in subsection (a), the inquiries of this com- 21 mittee or any subcommittee of the committee shall not be 22 construed to be limited to the records, functions, and oper- 23 ations of any particular branch of the Government and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •SRES 48 IS may extend to the records and activities of any persons, 1 corporation, or other entity. 2 (c) SPECIAL COMMITTEE AUTHORITY.—For the pur- 3 poses of this section, the committee, or any duly author- 4 ized subcommittee of the committee, or its chairman, or 5 any other member of the committee or subcommittee des- 6 ignated by the chairman is authorized, in its, his, her, or 7 their discretion— 8 (1) to require by subpoena or otherwise the at- 9 tendance of witnesses and production of correspond- 10 ence, books, papers, and documents; 11 (2) to hold hearings; 12 (3) to sit and act at any time or place during 13 the sessions, recess, and adjournment periods of the 14 Senate; 15 (4) to administer oaths; and 16 (5) to take testimony, either orally or by sworn 17 statement, or, in the case of staff members of the 18 Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on In- 19 vestigations, by deposition in accordance with the 20 Committee Rules of Procedure. 21 (d) AUTHORITY OF OTHER COMMITTEES.—Nothing 22 contained in this section shall affect or impair the exercise 23 of any other standing committee of the Senate of any 24 power, or the discharge by such committee of any duty, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •SRES 48 IS conferred or imposed upon it by the Standing Rules of 1 the Senate or by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 2 1946. 3 (e) SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.—All subpoenas and re- 4 lated legal processes of the committee and any duly au- 5 thorized subcommittee of the committee authorized under 6 S. Res. 70 (116th Congress), agreed to February 27, 7 2019, are authorized to continue. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 16:05 Feb 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR48.IS SR48 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS