A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor
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Secret Sessions of Congress: a Brief Historical Overview
= *(7*9=*88.438=4+= 43,7*88a==7.*+=.8947.(&1= ;*7;.*<= .1)7*)= 2*7= 5*(.&1.89=43=9-*=43,7*88= &7(-=,1`=,**2= 43,7*88.43&1= *8*&7(-=*7;.(*= 18/1**= <<<_(78_,4;= ,*+./= =*5479=+47=43,7*88 Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress *(7*9=*88.438=4+= 43,7*88a==7.*+=.8947.(&1=;*7;.*<= = :22&7>= “Secret” or “closed door” sessions of the House of Representatives and Senate are held periodically to discuss business, including impeachment deliberations, deemed to require confidentiality and secrecy. Authority for the two chambers to hold these sessions appears in Article I, Section 5, of the Constitution. Both the House and the Senate have supplemented this clause through rules and precedents. Although secret sessions were common in Congress’s early years, they were less frequent through the 20th century. National security is the principal reason for such sessions in recent years. Members and staff who attend these meetings are prohibited from divulging information. Violations are punishable pursuant to each chamber’s disciplinary rules. Members may be expelled and staff dismissed for violations of the rules of secrecy. Transcripts from secret sessions are not published unless the relevant chamber votes to release them during the session or at a later time. The portions released then may be printed in the Congressional Record. This report will be revised when either house holds another secret session or amends its rules for these meetings. For additional information, please refer to CRS Report 98-718, Secret Sessions of the House and Senate, by Mildred Amer. -
The Building As Completed, from Walter's Designs
CHAPTER XVI THE BUILDING AS COMPLETED, FROM WALTER’S DESIGNS DWARD CLARK supervised the completion of the Capitol the old Senate Chamber being devoted to the court room and the west from the designs of Thomas U. Walter, leaving the building as front being used by the court officials for office and robing rooms.1 it stands to-day. The terraces on the west, north, and south are The attic story [Plate 223] is so arranged in each wing that the a part of the general landscape scheme of Frederick Law Olm- public has access from its corridors to the galleries of the House and Ested. The building consists of the central or old building, and two wings, Senate Chambers, with provision for the press and committee rooms or the Capitol extension, with the new Dome on the old building. facing the exterior walls of the building. Document rooms are also pro- The cellar [Plate 220] contained space on the central western vided on this floor. extension available for office and committee rooms. Other portions of Plates 224, 225, 225a show the eastern front of the building as the cellar are given up to the heating and ventilating apparatus, or are completed, the principal new features being the porticoes on the wings, used for storage. Beneath the center of the Dome a vault was built in which are similar to the central portico designed by Latrobe. Although the cellar to contain the remains of George Washington, but because of the original design of Thornton contemplated a central portico he did the objection of the family to his burial in the Capitol his body never not contemplate the broad flight of steps which extends to the ground rested in the contemplated spot. -
Dodd P2 Full Book.Indb
16. Is Advice and Consent Broken? The Contentious Politics of Confirming Federal Judges and Justices Sarah Binder and Forrest Maltzman The Constitution empowers the Senate to offer its advice and consent to the president over the selection of judges and justices for the nation’s federal courts. After three decades of partisan and ideological conflict over choosing federal judges, advice and consent for filling lifetime seats on the federal bench is broken. In this chapter, we explore the impact of intensely polarized and competitive parties on confirming federal judges, paying special attention to the Senate’s treatment of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations. We put recent trends in confirmation outcomes into historical perspective and pinpoint new battles over the makeup of the federal bench, including conflict over filling Supreme Court vacancies in a presidential election year. We conclude that no corner of Capitol Hill is immune to partisan and ideological conflict waging in Washington in recent years. The Senate is surely under no obligation to confirm any particular nominee, but after the necessary time for inquiry, it should vote him up or vote him down. Vacancies cannot remain at such high levels indefinitely without eroding the quality of justice. —Chief Justice William Rehnquist, 19971 Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their chang- ing political fortunes. There remains . an urgent need for the political branches to find a long-term solution to this recurring problem. —Chief Justice John Roberts, 20102 ot even a rebuke by the chief justice of the United States can convince warring DraftN partiesProof inside - and Do outside not the copy,Senate to lay post, down their or arms distribute in a decades- long conflict over who serves on the federal bench. -
The Old Capitol As Completed
CHAPTER VI THE OLD CAPITOL AS COMPLETED 1 HE old Capitol was situated in a park of 22 ⁄2 acres [Plate 87], The eastern entrance, according to Mills, had spacious gravel inclosed by an iron railing.1 There were nine entrances to the walks, through a “dense verdant inclosure of beautiful shrubs and trees, grounds, two each from the north and south for carriages, two circumscribed by an iron palisade.” 3 An old print, made from a draw- on the east and three on the west for pedestrians. The western ing by Wm. A. Pratt, a rural architect and surveyor in 1839, gives a Tentrances at the foot of the hill were flanked by two ornamental gate or clear idea of the eastern front of the building and its surroundings at watch houses [Plate 81]. The fence was of iron, taller than the head of this period [Plate 90]. an ordinary man, firmly set in an Aquia Creek sandstone coping, which The old Capitol building covered 67,220 square feet of ground. covered a low wall [Plate 82]. The front was 351 feet 4 inches long. The depth of the wings was 131 On entering the grounds by the western gates, passing by a foun- feet 6 inches; the central eastern projection, including the steps, 86 feet; tain, one ascended two flights of steps to the “Grand Terrace” [Plate 88]. the western projection, 83 feet; the height of wings to the top of Upon the first terrace was the Naval Monument, erected to those balustrade, 70 feet; to top of Dome in center, 145 feet. -
Capitol Buildings and Grounds
CAPITOL BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS UNITED STATES CAPITOL OVERVIEW OF THE BUILDING AND ITS FUNCTION The United States Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. It has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for almost two centuries. Begun in 1793, the Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored; today, it stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government. As the focal point of the government's Legislative Branch, the Capitol is the centerpiece of the Capitol Complex, which includes the six principal Congressional office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings constructed on Capitol Hill in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to its active use by Congress, the Capitol is a museum of American art and history. Each year, it is visited by an estimated seven to ten million people from around the world. A fine example of 19th-century neoclassical architecture, the Capitol combines function with aesthetics. Its designs derived from ancient Greece and Rome evoke the ideals that guided the Nation's founders as they framed their new republic. As the building was expanded from its original design, harmony with the existing portions was carefully maintained. Today, the Capitol covers a ground area of 175,170 square feet, or about 4 acres, and has a floor area of approximately 161¤2 acres. Its length, from north to south, is 751 feet 4 inches; its greatest width, including approaches, is 350 feet. Its height above the base line on the east front to the top of the Statue of Freedom is 287 feet 51¤2 inches; from the basement floor to the top of the dome is an ascent of 365 steps. -
Traditions of the United States Senate Cover: the Senator from Massachusetts Interrupts, William A
TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE Cover: The Senator from Massachusetts Interrupts, William A. Rogers, Harper’s Weekly, April 10, 1897. The author extends his deepest appreciation to Emily J. Reynolds, Mary Suit Jones, Diane K. Skvarla, and David J. Tinsley for their careful reading and experience-based suggestions. Thanks also to Senate Historical Editor Beth Hahn, Senate Photo Historian Heather Moore, and Printing and Document Services Director Karen Moore. Additional copies available through the Senate Office of Printing and Document Services, Room SH–B04. TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE Richard A. Baker Senate Historian Prepared under the direction of Nancy Erickson Secretary of the Senate Contents BECOMING A SENATOR . 2 • Orientation programs • Oath taking • Members’ order-of-service numbers • “Father of the Senate” • Seniority • Senate Bean Soup ON THE SENATE FLOOR . 6 • Senate officers • Senate desks • Maiden speeches • Senate pages • Official photograph • Candy desk • Seersucker Thursday SENATE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS . 14 • Chaplain’s prayer • Pledge of Allegiance • Senate gavels • Decorum • “Golden Gavel” Award • Floor leaders’ right of priority recognition • Honoring distinguished visitors • Presentation of messages SENATE LEGACIES . 20 • Naming of buildings and rooms • Vice-presidential busts • Senate Reception Room’s “Famous Nine” • Old Senate Chamber • Washington’s Farewell Address • Senate spouses’ organization • End-of-session valedictories and eulogies • Funerals and memorial services “CITADEL OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND DEMOCRATIC LIBERTIES” . 28 TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE At a few yards’ distance [from the Chamber early years of the Senate’s “Golden Age,” of the House of Representatives] is the door helped to promote that notion. -
MSA Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016
MSA Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016 MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report of State Archivist to Governor & General Assembly (State Government Article, § 9-1007(d)) February 2017 Maryland State Archives 350 Rowe Boulevard · Annapolis, MD 21401 410-260-6400 · http://msa.maryland.gov MSA Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016 This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents A gency Organization & Overview of Activities . 4 Ha ll of Records Commission Meeting of November 16, 2015 Agenda . 23 Minutes . 36 Attendees . 50 Chronology of Staff Events . 51 Baltimore City Archives Report . 66 Records Retention Schedules . 71 Disposal Certificate Approvals . 74 Records Received . 80 Special Collections Received . 94 Hall of Records Commission Meeting of June 14, 2016 Agenda . 95 Minutes . 109 Attendees . .. .. 120 Chronology of Staff Activities . 121 Baltimore City Archives Report . 129 Records Retention Schedules . 133 Disposal Certificate Approvals . 137 Records Received . .. 145 Special Collections Received . 164 Maryland Commission on Artistic Property Meeting of May 19, 2016 Minutes . .165 This page intentionally left blank MSA Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016 STATE ARCHIVES ANNUAL REPORT FY 2016 OVERVIEW Hall of Records Commission Agenda, Nov 16, 2015 Hall of Records Commission Agenda, Jun 14, 2016 The State Archives was created in 1935 as the Hall of Records and reorganized under its present name in 1984 (Chapter 286, Acts of 1984). Upon that reorganization the Commission on Artistic Property was made part of the State Archives. Edward C. Papenfuse State Archives Building, 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis, Maryland, May 2009. As Maryland's historical agency, the State Archives is the central depository for government records of permanent value. -
State House Brochure
The 20th & 21st Centuries The Maryland State House Maryland State House Facts You will know you have left the 18th century part of the Four Centuries of History ♦ Capitol of the United States, November 1783– State House when you cross the black line in the floor. August 1784 The Maryland State House was the first peacetime capitol Notice the fossils embedded in the black limestone. Once ♦ America’s first peacetime capitol of the United States and is the only state house ever to you cross that line, you are in the “new” section of the ♦ Oldest state house in America still in continuous Welcome have served as the nation’s capitol. Congress met in the building, built between 1902–05, often called the “Annex.” legislative use to the Old Senate Chamber from November 26, 1783 to ♦ Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, the th August 13, 1784. During that time, General George As you cross into the 20 century part of the State House, first state house in the nation to win such designation Maryland State House be sure to look up the grand staircase at the monumental Washington came before Congress to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental painting of Washington Resigning His Commission by 18th Century Building Army and the Treaty of Paris was ratified, marking the A Self-Guided Tour for Visitors Edwin White, painted for the Maryland General Date of construction: 1769–79 official end of the Revolutionary War. In May 1784, Assembly in 1858. Architect: Joseph Horatio Anderson Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson minister to France, Builder: Charles Wallace It is in this section of the State House that the Maryland the first diplomatic appointment by the new nation. -
Statuary and Paintings in the Old Capitol
CHAPTER VII STATUARY AND PAINTINGS IN THE OLD CAPITOL HE need of ornamentation for the Capitol Building was appre- the eagle on the frieze in the House of Representatives. This piece of ciated by its designers from the beginning of the work.1 work met with the hearty approval of Latrobe and others who were Thornton indicated sculptural work on his earliest drawings, familiar with its appearance. August, 1807, a model of the Statue of Lib- and advocated finishing or decorating the interior of the erty by Franzoni was placed between two columns in the colonnade, Tbuilding with foreign marbles. Such treatment was beyond the pecu- over the Speaker’s chair.3 niary capacity of the Government at that period, but as the wings Andrei’s first work was on the capitals in the House of Represent- neared completion under Latrobe we find that he sought the assistance atives. All of the above-mentioned sculptural work was destroyed when of sculptors to do the decorative carving and model the statuary which the British burned the Capitol. When work was again commenced and he thought appropriate to accentuate and ornament the building. the repairs of the building begun, Andrei was sent to Italy, in August, Artists of this character had found no inducement to establish them- 1815, to secure capitals for the Halls of Congress, and at the same time selves in the United States, therefore it was necessary to obtain them he was authorized to engage sculptors who were proficient in modeling from abroad. As the House of Representatives neared completion figures. -
Keim's Capitol Interior and Diagrams
OL INTE DIAGRAMS: A CO?JPLETE GUIDE TO ALL TBllT3 OF TIIE CA\I'ITOI,. LIST OF DIAGRAMS. J:nte~.cil nccor11;ng to Act of ('or~r.~.css,in the ylwr IS:-%, 131- IIl21~ I< \~ll~.)I,I'lIKEIX 111 llle O!fivc of the T,il,r:iri:lu of (:i,!~prC$q. nt \Vil~I11n~(tn11. KEIM'S CAPITOL INTERIOR AND DIAGRAMS. collq~iclro~isa part. Tllc statn- (bee psea 68, GO ) elti's and relieu03 are n rol~glit i1-i tlic, Iriql~ectstyle of art. In lSP2, contr:n-y to the ~icwsof >h.Valter, tlie Architect of the Capitol, the door mas placed THE CAPI'I'OL OF TI112 USITED STATES OF AMEIIICA. 6 CAPITOL INTERIOR. I. Alexander VI, Rodcrigo Lcnzoli Borgia, a native of Spain, Popc of Rome 1412-1coz. i. ~k&oGonzales dc Mendoza, Archbishop of Tolcdo and Grand Cardinal of spain, a man of great influence at court, and early patron o)f ~olumbus. 3. Ferdinand, King of Spain, royal patron of the undertaking of Columbus. 4. Isabclla, ueen of Spain, and royal patroness of Columbus. I.Charlcs V%, King of France, an enlightened monarch and friend to thc causc afdiscovcry. 6. Lady Brafriz de Bobadilla, Marchioness of Maya, and friend of Columbus. It is said that the likencss is ofMrs. Rogers, wit? to the sculptor. 7. John 11, King of Portugal, the monarch who rejectcd the proposals of Colum- bus. S. Henry V11, King of England, appcalcd to by Bartholomew Columbusoi~behalf of his brother; mcantimc the discovery was accomplished under the auspices of Snain-r ---. -
Senate the Senate Met at 2:00 P.M
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 156 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2010 No. 98 Senate The Senate met at 2:00 p.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY REMEMBERING SENATOR ROBERT called to order by Nancy Erickson, Sec- LEADER C. BYRD retary of the Senate. The SECRETARY OF THE SENATE. Mr. REID. Mr. President, our Senate The majority leader is recognized. family grieves today with the Byrd PRAYER f family over the loss of one of the most The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- dedicated Americans ever to serve this fered the following prayer: MOMENT OF SILENCE country; one of the most devoted men Let us pray. Mr. REID. I ask that the Senate ob- ever to serve his State; one of the most Immortal, invisible God only wise, serve a moment of silence for Senator distinguished Senators ever to serve in the fountain of every blessing, we BYRD. the Senate. thank You for the life and legacy of (Moment of silence.) ROBERT BYRD’s mind was among the Senator ROBERT C. BYRD, our friend f greatest the world has ever seen. As a and colleague whose death we grieve boy, he was called upon, when he was today. We praise You for his more than ELECTING SENATOR DANIEL K. in elementary school, to stand before five decades of exemplary service to INOUYE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE the class and recite not paragraphs our Nation and the citizens of West Mr. -
Inauguration Ceremonies Program
~vy uo~ Q/Vwwteen luunc/4ced ~ -tkcee QYn~~ o/tlw PA~amdoP°ice f!JJ~ o/tlw ~ted6lf~o/~ al tlie wt,uond 7/?r-rjuiol ofi,//1/u,cMo/ {w,em,!ieth 0'10lie!eM't lul/nctJr-ed nvNety -tkrep QYn~~ o/tlw PA~amdoP°ice f!JJ~ o/tlw ~ted6lf~o/~ al tlie wt,uond 7/?r-rjuiol ofi,//1/u,cMo/ {w,em,!ieth 0'10lie!eM't lul/nctJr-ed nvNety -tkrep PROGRAM PRELUDE THE U ITED STATES MARINE BAND COLONEL]OHN R. BOU RGEOIS, Conductor ince the time o_if Thomas Jeffe.rso n, Pres idents have come to this Capitol for formal inauguratwns. As the President tah es the oath of office ancl C ALL TO ORDER AND THE H ONORABLE W ENDELL H. FORD cleli ve Is the inqugural aclclress, he sees thou sa nds of Americans S W ELCOMI G R EMARKS United States Senato,: Kentucky gathered to witness the ceremony, ancl beyond them, the majestic Mall with its monuments to previous Presidents. I NVOCATION THE REVEREND BILLY GRAHAM The inaugural platform on the West front of the Capitol is framed against a bachclrop of reel, white, ancl blue bunling ancl features five flags. M US ICAL S ELECTION PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE CHOIR The official flag of the United States is clisplayecl in the cente r. On either side Little Roch, Arkansas are earlier flags; the flag popularly known as the "Betsy Ross flag" with stars STEPHEN L. H AYES, Director arranged in a circle, appeared in the early 1790s; the flag with twenty-five stars flew for a year from July 4, 1836 to July 4, 1837, in recognition of the entrance of Arhansas into the Union.