Skip to content
PoliticalRepoPoliticalRepo

United States · Resolution · SRES

S.Res. 4 (95th)

Committee System Reorganization Amendments

passedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

4 January 1977

Last action

4 February 1977 · Vote

Status

Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #36 (89-1).

Sponsors

Sen. Stevenson, Adlai E., III [D-IL], Sen. Packwood, Bob [R-OR], Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM], Sen. Hansen, Clifford P. [R-WY], Sen. Metcalf, Lee [D-MT], Sen. Nelson, Gaylord [D-WI], Sen. Bellmon, Henry L. [R-OK], Sen. Cranston, Alan [D-CA], Sen. Danforth, John C. [R-MO], Sen. Gravel, Mike [D-AK], Sen. Hatfield, Mark O. [R-OR], Sen. Hathaway, William D. [D-ME], Sen. Hayakawa, Samuel Ichiye [R-CA], Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN], Sen. Schmitt, Harrison H. [R-NM], Sen. Wallop, Malcolm [R-WY], Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA], Sen. Garn, E. J. (Jake) [R-UT]

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

2 September 2025

Summary

Committee System Reorganization Amendments - Title I: Standing Committees: Jurisdictions and Sizes - Establishes and defines, pursuant to the Standing Rules of the Senate, the jurisdictions of the Senate committees on Agriculture and Small Business; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Budget; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Finance; Foreign Relations; Governmental Affairs; Human Resources; the Judiciary; and Rules, Administration, and Standards in lieu of the present standing Senate committees. Title II: Committee Assignments; Chairmanships - States that no Senator may serve on more than two standing and one select, special, or ad hoc committees and no more than two subcommittees of each standing committee and one subcommittee of each select, special, or ad hoc committee of which he is a member. Allows each Senator to serve as chairman of not more than one standing, select, special, or ad hoc committee of the Senate or joint committee of Congress and not more than one subcommittee of any Senate or joint committee of which he is a member. Requires the appropriate Senate committee to report legislation not later than July 1, 1977, terminating specified joint congressional committees and prohibits the referral to or receipt of a report from any joint congressional committee by the Senate. Title III: Multiple Referral of Proposed Legislation; Establishment of Ad Hoc Committees - Requires the presiding officer of the Senate to decide which committee has jurisdiction with respect to any proposed legislation except that such decision shall be subject to appeal. States that upon motion by the Majority and Minority Leaders or their designates, proposed legislation may be referred to two or more committees jointly or sequentially. Sets forth rules for the establishment of ad hoc committees by resolution proposed by the Majority and Minority Leaders or their designates. Title IV: Scheduling of Committee Meetings - Requires the Committee on Rules, Administration, and Standards of the Senate to maintain a computerized schedule of all meetings of the committees and subcommittees of the Senate and all meetings of the joint committees of the Congress and their subcommittees to be available on-line to terminals in the offices of all Senators, committees of the Senate, and permanent joint committees of the Congress to be updated hourly. Prohibits the meeting of a Senate committee or subcommittee, without special leave, after the first two hours after a meeting of the Senate has commenced and in no case after two o'clock p.m. unless the Majority and Minority Leaders have given their consent. Prohibits Senate members of congressional joint committees from meeting at such times without special leave. Declares it the sense of the Senate that, insofar as possible, roll call votes should not be held before two o'clock p.m. on any day without 24 hours' notice. (Amends 2 U.S.C. 190b) Title V: Continuing Review of the Committee System - Requires the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate to review on a continuing basis the committee system of the Senate and to report the results of such review to the Senate during each Congress. Requires such report to include such Leaders' recommendations for change, if they have such recommendations. Title VI: Amendments not within a Committee's Jurisdiction - Makes out of order any proposed committee amendments which contains matter not within the jurisdiction of the committee proposing such amendment. Title VII: Committee Staffs - Provides for the transfer of committee staffs from the committees existing before the effective date of this Resolution to those committees created by this resolution. Specifies severance pay and other compensation for staff members whose jobs are terminated as a result of the provisions of this resolution or any other action which terminates the committee duties of the Senator for whom such staff member worked for the purposes of assisting such Senator in carrying out such committee duties. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - States that all proposed legislation and nominations referred to the standing committees of the Senate before the effective date of this resolution shall be rereferred on such effective date to the appropriate standing committee.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 4 January 1977

    Introduced

    Referred to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 4 January 1977

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 25 January 1977

    Reported

    Reported to Senate from the Committee on Rules and Administration with amendment, S. Rept. 95-2.

    Source: Committee

  4. 25 January 1977

    Reported

    Reported to Senate from the Committee on Rules and Administration with amendment, S. Rept. 95-2.

    Source: Committee

  5. 1 February 1977

    Floor

    Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.

    Source: Floor

  6. 2 February 1977

    Floor

    Measure considered in Senate.

    Source: Floor

  7. 3 February 1977

    Floor

    Measure considered in Senate.

    Source: Floor

  8. 4 February 1977

    Floor

    Measure considered in Senate.

    Source: Floor

  9. 4 February 1977

    Vote

    Passed/agreed to in Senate: Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #36 (89-1).

    Source: Floor

Votes

· Official source

Yes 0 · No 0 · Abstain — · Absent/not voting 0

    Versions

    No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

    Documents

    2 official files

    Leesvertaling

    Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

    Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

    • Passed Senate amended

      summary · EN · 4 February 1977

      Open at official source

    • Introduced in Senate

      summary · EN · 4 January 1977

      Open at official source

      Leesvertaling

      Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

      Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

    Sponsors

    Related records

    No cross-record relationships stored yet.

    Sources

    PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.