[United States Senate Manual, 113th Congress]
[S. Doc. 113-1]
[Non-statutory Standing Orders and Regulations Affecting the Business of the Senate]
[Pages 129-133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
69 TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCAST OF SENATE CHAMBER PROCEEDINGS
Resolved, That (a) the Senate hereby authorizes and
directs that there be both television and radio broadcast
coverage (together with videotape and audio recordings) of
proceedings in the Senate Chamber.
(b) Such broadcast coverage shall be--
(1) provided in accordance with provisions of
this resolution;
(2) provided continuously, except for any time
when the Senate is conducting a quorum call, or when
a meeting with closed doors is ordered; and
(3) provided subject to the provisions
pertaining to the Senate gallery contained in the
following Standing Rules of the Senate: rule XIX,
paragraphs 6 and 7; rule XXV, paragraph 1(n); and
rule XXXIII, paragraph 2.
Sec. 2. The radio and television broadcast of Senate
proceedings shall be supervised and operated by the Senate.
Sec. 3. The television broadcast of Senate proceedings
shall follow the Presiding Officer and Senators who are
speaking, clerks, and the chaplain except during rollcall
votes when the television cameras shall show the entire
Chamber.
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Sec. 4. (a) The broadcast coverage by radio and
television of the proceedings of the Senate shall be
implemented as provided in this section.
(b) The Architect of the Capitol, in consultation with
the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, shall--
(1) construct necessary broadcasting facilities
for both radio and television (including a control
room and the modification of Senate sound and
lighting fixtures);
(2) employ necessary expert consultants; and
(3) acquire and install all necessary equipment
and facilities to (A) produce a broadcast-quality
``live'' audio and color video signal of such
proceedings, and (B) provide an archive-quality
audio and color video tape recording of such
proceedings:
Provided, That the Architect of the Capitol, in carrying out
the duties specified in clauses (1) through (3) of this
subsection, shall not enter into any contract for the
purchase or installation of equipment, for employment of any
consultant, or for the provision of training to any person,
unless the same shall first have been approved by the
Committee on Rules and Administration.
(c)(1) \1\ The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the
Senate shall--
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\1\ As amended, S. Res. 459, 100-2, Sept. 14, 1988.
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(A) employ such staff as may be necessary,
working in conjunction with the Senate Recording and
Photographic Studios, to operate and maintain all
broadcast audio and color video equipment installed
pursuant to this resolution;
(B) make audio and video tape recordings, and
copies thereof as requested by the Secretary under
paragraph (2) of Senate proceedings; and
(C) retain for 30 session-days after the day any
Senate proceedings took place, such recordings
thereof, and as soon thereafter as possible,
transmit to the Secretary of the Senate copies of
such recordings.
The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, in
carrying out the duties specified in subparagraphs (A) and
(B), shall comply with appropriate Senate procurement and
other regulations.
(2) The Secretary of the Senate is authorized to obtain
from the Sergeant at Arms archival quality video recordings
of Senate proceedings and, as soon thereafter as pos
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sible, transmit such recordings to the Librarian of Congress
and to the Archivist of the United States.
Sec. 5. (a) Radio coverage of Senate proceedings shall--
(1) begin as soon as the necessary equipment has
been installed; and
(2) be provided continuously at all times when
the Senate is in session (or is meeting in Committee
of the Whole), except for any time when a meeting
with closed doors is ordered.
(b) As soon as practicable but no later than May 1,
there shall begin a test period during which tests of radio
and television coverage of Senate proceedings shall be
conducted by the staffs of the Committee on Rules and
Administration and of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and
Doorkeeper of the Senate. Television coverage of Senate
proceedings shall go live June 1, 1986. The test period
aforementioned shall end on July 15, 1986.
(c) During such test period--
(1) final procedures for camera direction
control shall be established;
(2) television coverage of Senate proceedings
shall not be transmitted between May 1st and June
1st, except that, at the direction of the chairman
of the Committee on Rules and Administration, such
coverage may be transmitted over the coaxial cable
system of the Architect of the Capitol; and
(3) recording of Senate proceedings shall be
retained by the Secretary of the Senate.
Sec. 6.\2\ (a) The use of any tape duplication of radio
or television coverage of the proceedings of the Senate for
political campaign purposes is strictly prohibited.
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\2\ As amended, S. Res. 431, 100-2, June 7, 1988.
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(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any tape
duplication of radio or television coverage of the
proceedings of the Senate furnished to any person or
organization shall be made on the condition, agreed to in
writing, that the tape duplication shall not be used for
political campaign purposes.
(2) Any public or commercial news organization furnished
a tape duplication described in paragraph (1) shall be
subject to the provisions of paragraph (1) but shall not be
required to enter into a written agreement.
Sec. 7. Any changes in the regulations made by this
resolution shall be made only by Senate resolution. However,
[[Page 132]]
the Committee on Rules and Administration may adopt such
procedures and such regulations, which do not contravene the
regulations made by this resolution, as it deems necessary
to assure the proper implementation of the purposes of this
resolution.
Sec. 8. Such funds as may be necessary (but not in
excess of $3,500,000) to carry out this resolution shall be
expended from the contingent fund of the Senate.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 14. Provided, that if the Senate authorizes the
permanent televising of the Senate pursuant to section 15,
that radio and television coverage of the Senate shall be
made available on a ``live'' basis and free of charge to (1)
any accredited member of the Senate Radio and Television
Correspondents Gallery, (2) the coaxial cable system of the
Architect of the Capitol, and (3) such other news gathering,
educational, or information distributing entity as may be
authorized by the Committee on Rules and Administration to
receive such broadcasts.
Sec. 15. Television coverage of the Senate shall cease
at the close of business July 15, 1986, and television
coverage of the Senate and the rules changes contained
herein shall continue, if the Senate agrees to the question,
which shall be put one hour after the Senate convenes on
July 29, 1986, ``Shall radio and television coverage
continue after this date, and shall the rules changes
contained herein continue?''.\3\ There shall be twelve hours
of debate on this question, to be equally divided and
controlled in the usual form, at the end of which any
Senator may propose as an alternative the question, ``Shall
the test period continue for thirty days?''. On this
question there shall be one hour of debate, equally divided
and controlled in the usual form. If this question is
decided in the affirmative, then thirty days hence, one hour
after the Senate convenes, the Senate shall proceed to vote
without intervening action on the question, ``Shall radio
and television coverage continue after this date and shall
the rules changes contained herein continue?''.
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\3\ Pursuant to this provision, the question was
considered and decided in the affirmative by a vote of 78-
21. See Daily Cong. Rec., 99th Cong., 2d sess., July 29,
1986, pp. 9750-9775.
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Sec. 16. Provided, that official noting of a Senator's
absence from committees while the Senate is on television is
prohibited.
[S. Res. 28, 99-2, Feb. 27, 1986.]
[[Page 133]]
Sec. 17. The Secretary of the Senate shall, subject to
the approval of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration, contract with the Secretary of Education to
provide closed captioning of the Senate floor proceedings.
The Senate authorizes the Secretary of Education to have
access to the audio and video broadcast of the Senate floor
proceedings for the purpose of captioning. Such funds as may
be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section are
authorized to be paid from the contingent fund of the
Senate.
[S. Res. 13, 101-1, June 21, 1989.]
Resolved, That, notwithstanding any other provision of
S. Res. 28, agreed to February 27, 1986, television coverage
of the Senate shall resume July 21, 1986 under the same
basis as provided during the live test period under section
5 of S. Res. 28 unless the Senate votes pursuant to section
15 of S. Res. 28 to end coverage.
[S. Res. 444, 99-2, July 15, 1986.]