The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that has existed in various forms since 1816.
The Government's Oversight and Reform Committee is the main investigative committee of the US House of Representatives. After the Republicans took control of the House in 1995, the committee was reorganized to include only seven subcommittees. The reorganization consolidated jurisdictions previously covered by 3 full committees and 14 subcommittees, and resulted in 50 percent staff cuts. In 2007, Henry Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the committee, proposed an additional reorganization that combined the tasks of the previous seven subcommittees into five. This reorganization was adopted by a full committee of 18 January 2007.
At the 115th Congress, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Government Reform Committee is the Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina and Member Ranking are members of the Maryland Congress of Elijah Cummings.
The jurisdiction of widespread government oversight and expanded legislative authority makes it one of the most powerful and influential committees in the House. The Committee serves as the principal investigative and supervisory committee of the Congress, and is granted wide jurisdiction. The chairman of the committee is one of only three chairmen of the committee in the DPR with the authority to issue a summons from a court without a committee vote or consultation with ranking members. However, in recent history, it has become a practice to refrain from unilateral court calls.
Video United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Establishment and predecessors of the Committee
It first appeared as the Expenditure Committee at the Executive Department , created in 1927 by consolidating 11 Expenditure Committees that had previously spread among various departments of the federal government to oversee how taxpayers' money was spent. The Committee's immediate predecessor, the Government Operations Committee , was established in 1952. The name change is intended to communicate the main function of the committee: to study "the operation of Government activities at all levels with a view to determining their economy and efficiency." the vast jurisdiction of government oversight that sets it apart from other House committees. The committee was renamed in the 106th Congress as a Government Reform Committee . While maintaining the agenda of the former Government Operations Committee, the Committee also has the responsibility of former Committees at the Post Office and Civil Service and Committees in the District of Columbia. . On January 4, 2007, the 110th Congress changed its name to its current name.
Maps United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
1997-2009
The committee is very active during the term of President Bill Clinton; it issued 1,052 summons from the court to investigate alleged violations by the Clinton Administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002, at a cost of more than $ 35 million. Under this period, a subpoena can only be issued by the chairman of the Committee, a change of rules during the Clinton administration to facilitate an investigation without delay caused by objections from minority members. By contrast, in the period between 1998 and 2007, chairman Thomas M. Davis and the Republican majority had permitted three summons from the courts for the Bush administration, including one for the Department of Defense regarding Hurricane Katrina documents. The Boston Globe reports that "an examination of the committee's own report found that the House Government Reform Committee only held 37 hearings described as" surveillance "or investigations in nature during the last Congress, down from 135 such hearings which was held by its predecessor, the Government Government Operations Committee, in 1993-94, last year the Democrats controlled the room. "
There is a high interest in the priority of the newly installed Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) who told reporters after the November election that "The hardest thing is choosing and choosing" what to investigate. The congressional leaders also renamed the Committee and its five sub-committees to emphasize its new commitment to oversee responsibility, and added a subcommittee on transparency.
Between 2000 and 2006, various scandals were on the news that resulted in one or none of the subpoenas for testimony or documents. These incidents include the September 11, 2001, leak of confidential or confidential information calling Valerie Plame's Central Intelligence Agency agency, war crimes and offenses traced to the CIA in Abu Ghraib prison, evidence that allegations that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction that consciously contribute fake and illegal campaigns by lobbyists including Jack Abramoff, billions of dollars in preventable damage and thousands of deaths from an incompetent response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its contractors during Hurricane Katrina on the US Gulf Coast, and the suppression of scientific data received such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration that supports the theory of global warming by Philip Cooney. After the disclosure in the Downing Street memo, a document containing incriminating information about the buildup to the Iraq War, Democrats in a minority were denied even the courtroom and forced to meet in the basement of the US Capitol Building on the issue.
Since the November 2006 election, The Washington Post has published a series of investigative articles on Congressional oversight of government contracts.
The committee, under the leadership of Davis, launched two important investigations deemed controversial. One is the investigation of the decision to remove life support from Terri Schiavo. The committee issued a court order, without any objection from the Democratic Party, which requires Schiavo to "appear" so that members can "check the nutrition and hydration that the paralyzed patient receives as part of their care." The real purpose of this, beyond providing the opportunity to learn to committee members, is to delay the pending suspension of Schiavo's life, which he desires in disputes, while Congress considers federal laws specifically targeted at Schiavo's mortality order. Minor members opposed the action. Chairman Davis said it was "legitimate legislative inquiry." Davis issued a joint statement with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) Council Chair who declared: "This question should give Terri hope, parents and friends, and millions of people. a world that prays for its salvation.This fight is not over yet. "
Another controversial investigation is one of the uses of anabolic steroids by players in Major League Baseball. Triggers for audience are the publication of a memoir, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & amp; How Big Baseball Got Big , by Jose Canseco.
They also investigated World Wrestling Entertainment on their health/pharmaceutical talent policy, after speculation about possible links between steroid use and the death of WWE player Chris Benoit.
On July 8, 2009, the Republican Committee released a report of investigative staff discussing the financial collapse of 2008-2009. The report alleges that the government is the cause of the collapse, because what is described as government interference in the housing and lending markets of the United States on behalf of "affordable housing".
Hearing and Investigation
The committee held hearings and conduct investigations as part of its supervisory duties.
Freedom of Religion and Health Care, February 16, 2012
March 23, 2010, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are passed that will "require all employers to cover birth control free of charge for women". In January 2012, the Ministry of Health and Human Services released a regulation governing religious institutions that needed a Conscience clause. The new rules were widely criticized for violating the Free Exercise Clause.
In February 2012, the committee held a hearing entitled, "Crossing Line: Separation of Church and State, Is the Obama Administration Stamped on Religious Freedom and Freedom of Conscience?"
The hearing "should be about the freedom of religion and mandate provided by health insurance providers for contraception in the United States," according to ABC News, who also reported that "Issa said the hearing was intended to broaden the freedom of religion and not specifically about the contraceptive mandate in the Act Health Reform. "
The agenda, list of speakers, and topics are completed and published Monday, February 13, and divided into two panels, first, in the morning, to become pastors/religious leaders/theologians, who can authoritatively speak for various religious denominations of needs or deficiencies them to the clause of conscience, to hear testimony from different religious leaders who "are concerned that the government, under this Government, violate their First Amendment rights."
The second panel meets in the afternoon, and consists of lay or religious leaders of religious affiliated institutions who will be influenced by the words of the clause of conscience. Democrats were offered two places in each of the two panels, but failed to nominate any speakers on the 13th. Rep. Issa verbally affirms that Democrats have asked Rev. Barry Lynn, a leading theologian, to speak, and his name was added to the list of speakers, albeit without topics, or assignments to the panel, since no complete written nomination has been received by the deadline.
On the day of the trial, Democrats demanding the committee also added Sandra Fluke, a woman registered in Georgetown, to the panel (pastor) who had just sat down, and that she was allowed to speak "now", but the committee chairman Issa said Democrats could not add to their testimony because he is not a member of the clergy.
As accommodation, Ms.'s speech Fluke in the media event of the previous week (substantially the same as the speech he wanted to give), added to the hearing note, Criticism of views contained in the speech (which was also delivered again a week later in place outside the Committee), mainly by Rush Limbaugh, launched the controversy of Rush Limbaugh-Sandra Fluke.
Prosecution of Aaron Swartz
Issa, who heads the House Supervisory Committee, announces that he is investigating the Justice Department's actions in prosecuting the Swartz case. In a statement to Huffington Post, Issa praised Swartz's work on "open government and free access to the people." Issa's investigation has garnered bipartisan support.
On January 28, the House Committee on Oversight and Chairman of Issa Government Reform and member of Elijah Cummings ranking issued a letter to the Attorney General of the Holder, questioning whether the prosecutor intentionally added the number of crimes to increase the amount of time Swartz faces in prison. Indeed, the former 4 criminal counts counted on July 14, 2011, jumping to 13 counts on September 12, 2012. Their letters read, in part:
It appears that the prosecutor increased the number of crimes by giving specific dates for each action, altering each of the marked dates to criminal charges, and significantly increasing the maximum criminal exposure. Swartz up to 50 years in prison and a $ 1 million fine.
Boston's WBUR has reported that the US Attorney responsible for the prosecution of Swartz, Carmen Ortiz, is expected to testify before the committee's inquiry into the handling of Aaron Swartz's case.
Members
115th Congress
Sumber: H.Res. 6 (Kursi), H.Res. 7 (Anggota Peringkat), H.Res. 45 (D) H.Res. 51 (R), H.Res. 52, H.Res. 95 dan H.Res. 127 (D)
Subkomite
Source:
Chair
See also
- List of current United States House committees
References
- Information on Member List of Member Committee Members
- The Editorial Hill: The Shays Snub
External links
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Democrat) (Archive)
- Committee on Supervision and Reform of the Government (Republic) (Archive)
- House Oversight Committee and Government Reform. Activities and legislation report, Congress.gov.
- House Surveillance and Government House Hearing and Video Meetings Hearings. Congress.gov.
- OMB Watch the government's ethics and nonprofit bureau form
- Plums, United States Government Policies Key Personnel and Supporting Position: About Government Reform Committee
- Records of the Government Operations Committee and its Predecessor in the National Archives and Archive Administration
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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