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Chairman Steil's full opening statement as prepared for delivery:
Every two years when the House organizes a new Congress, the majority and minority conferences nominate candidates for the Clerk of the House.
This Congress, we were a few days delayed on this, but we did get it done!
The Clerk of the House has a very important role.
The Clerk’s office manages a wide range of responsibilities, with 215 staff members and 9 divisions.
These roles include managing day-to-day operations on the House Floor.
Managing the Office of House Employment Counsel.
And preserving the art and history of the House.
We have the privilege of having Acting Clerk of the House, Kevin F. McCumber joining us today.
Mr. McCumber and I spent a lot of time together this past January when I was tallying votes for Speaker.
I learned more about the great things the Clerk’s office is doing to make our institution more effective and efficient.
Today the Committee on House Administration will have its first oversight hearing of the Clerk since 2019.
Since the start of the 118th Congress, the Clerk’s office has worked with the Subcommittee on Modernization in implementing several useful tools.
These include the new Comparative Print Tool, Collaborative Drafting Tool, and the Lobbyist Disclosure Unique Identifier.
Most recently, the Clerk’s office began the process to create a new committee portal, a one-stop-shop to help publish hearing and markup details and assist our committee clerks.
One of the Clerk’s main responsibilities includes managing what we all refer to as the “Hopper”, where Members of Congress introduce legislation.
Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of bills introduced by Members of Congress.
Over 8,000 bills were introduced during the first session of this Congress.
This is a 10% increase in what we saw from the first session of the last Congress.
Recently, a new e-Hopper feature was created by the Clerk's office in coordination with the Subcommittee on Modernization.
This online portal helps streamline the bill introduction process.
The Clerk’s team processed over 100,000 cosponsorships in the first session of this Congress and recorded over 700 roll call votes.
Now, the e-Hopper tool helps legislative staff and the Clerk’s office collect cosponsorships more easily and efficiently.
The Clerk’s team also posted over 5,500 committee actions on Congress.govand nearly 150,000 committee meetings were transcribed, all during the first session of this Congress.
It’s safe to say we all keep the Clerk’s Office busy!
As we continue to see a higher volume of legislative work, this Committee remains committed to working with the Clerk’s office.
We must ensure we are providing accountability and transparency for the American people in the legislative process.
This hearing will also look at the Clerk’s engagement with the House community, vacant office management, and the capacity to meet modern legislative demands.
From what I have seen, the Clerk’s office is an invaluable part of this institution and works tirelessly on behalf of the American people.
I look forward to hearing Mr. McCumber’s testimony today.
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