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Source: Congress.gov
Summary
The Committee on House Administration convened its organizational meeting for the 119th Congress, welcoming new members including Congresswoman Mary Miller and Julie Johnson. The hearing focused on key issues such as election integrity, legislative modernization, Capitol security, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Ranking Member Joseph Morelle emphasized bipartisan oversight of Capitol Police and workplace protections, while also urging timely witness testimony and bipartisan consideration of subpoenas. The committee approved a package of resolutions covering subcommittee appointments, parking policies, anti-harassment guidelines, employee rights, and the retention program. These efforts reflect a commitment to strengthening democratic processes, ensuring workplace equity, and improving institutional efficiency in the House of Representatives.
Participants
Transcript
Norma, like Stephanie, and like me. All right, the Committee on House Administration will come to order. I note that a quorum is present without objection. The chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Today, I want to welcome all of you to the Committee on House Administration's organizational meeting for the 119th Congress. I'd like to welcome back my friend and colleague, ranking member, Mr. Morelli, and my Democratic colleagues. I'm excited to continue to work with all of you. Also welcome back our Republican colleagues, Mr. Barry Loudermilk, Mr. Morgan Griffith, Congressman Greg Murphy, Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, Congressman Mike Kerry, and Congresswoman Laura Lee. Thank you for all your hard work at the past Congress and look forward to the hard work that is coming ahead during the next two years on the 119th. I would also like to welcome our new members, Congresswoman Mary Miller of Illinois, and Congresswoman Julie Johnson from Texas. Ms. Miller from Illinois has been a friend and a strong supporter of common sense election integrity measures that will strengthen our election laws and increase confidence in our elections. And we're excited, Ms. Miller, that you're able and willing to join our committee and look forward to your work in particular as it relates to election integrity during this Congress. Ms. Julie Johnson from Texas. We just had a conversation about the rivalry between the Texas and Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. And with today's weather, I'm reminded, of course, of the 1967 Ice Bowl, which we both might be reminded that the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17. on a frigid day, but we look forward to your participation in the hearing as well. We welcome both of you to the committee. The committee and House administration was incredibly productive last Congress, during the 118th Congress. We held 39 full committee and subcommittee hearings last Congress.
on issues including legislative oversight, election integrity, legislative branch modernization, artificial intelligence capabilities, and other topics. We passed the COCO Act in a nonpartisan fashion, got it signed into law, ensuring congressional election observers are able to fairly and accurately observe elections across the country. I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish as a committee. However, our work is far from over. We still have more we can do to strengthen our election integrity, and increase Americans' confidence in our elections. We'll continue working to make the legislative branch more cost-effective and efficient. Most importantly, we'll continue to enhance We'll continue to enhance our campus security to ensure the Capitol is safe and accessible for all Americans. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to ensure a successful and productive 119th Congress. As I said, our work is just beginning. I'll now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Morelle, for five minutes for the purpose of offering an opening statement. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. first congratulations on your reappointment as chair of the house administration committee grateful to you for all your work and thanks for calling this meeting so we can formally begin the process and the important work of this committee so today we'll consider a I'm not sure if it's a number of or if we compiled them all into a single resolution but I know that are critical to the operation of the house I guess we're gonna take them all up perhaps as one vote all the resolutions but before we get to that I want to officially thank and welcome all of my colleagues back to the committee miss Miller welcome and it's great to have you join us and I do want to also acknowledge representative Terry Sewell and representative Norma Torres are two members who are served in the past, Ms. Sewell, of course, from Alabama, and Ms. Torres from California, who sadly, I think, as Ms. Bice is at the Appropriations Committee, but is excited to continue and wanna make sure that we particularly keep our thoughts and prayers for the people in California where Ms. Torres represents.
As subcommittee leaders on our side, both Ms. Sewell and Torres serve this committee with integrity and distinction last Congress, and I look forward to working with both of them i also want to welcome on our side day a fellow former state legislator miss johnson who served in the state house in in texas and welcome her both to the house of representatives and certainly to to our committee i think it's It's rare on our side that a first-term member gets appointed to a leadership committee, but I think it speaks to Julie's experience and judgment that Leader Jeffries has asked her to serve with us so early in her tenure. The 118th Congress was productive for this committee, and I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that. While we had our disagreements, some more entrenched perhaps than others, we also delivered bipartisan wins for the House and for the American people. And I'm eager to continue that fruitful relationship in the 119th Congress as we tackle the diverse range of issues we are charged with overseeing. Through the committee's jurisdiction over the administration of all federal elections, we have a solemn duty to preserve, protect, and defend the sanctity of American democracy, and we must ensure that every American is able to cast a free and fair ballot.
Our nation does well only when everyone participates, but will falter if we elevate the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected above our friends, neighbors, and the countless working Americans that have made this country a shining city on the hill. It's also incumbent upon all of us to ensure the House is a safe and inclusive place to work for members and staff. And while we have made considerable strides to this end in recent Congresses as evident in the workplace rights resolution we will consider today, we must still actively work to preserve and to expand on those achievements. The sanctity of this institution is among our most critical missions and I know we all take that very, very seriously. To that end, I again invite the majority to work with us on bipartisan oversight of the Capitol Police, Capitol complex security, and the safety of members and staff. And to a certain extent, we were certainly able to do that at the full committee level during the 118th Congress, and I'm grateful to Chairman Stile.
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