The House : Congressional Record

The House voted, 245 for and 184 against, in favor of the softer of two proposed investigations into the accuracy of the Congressional Record, the publication that is supposed to chronicle all that happens on the House and Senate floors.

Democrats prevailed as the vote referred the matter to the Administration Committee, rather than to the Rules Committee as House Republicans had requested.

If a member does not deliver a speech but inserts written comments into the Record, his remarks are supposed to be typographically distinguished from words actually uttered.

Partly at issue on this vote was the fact that written material recently inserted by two Democratic members was incorrectly identified as speeches actually delivered.

Republicans wanted the Rules Committee to look into that discrepancy as well as into the overall integrity of the Congressional Record.

Thomas Foley (D-Wash.), who favored sending the matter to the Administration Committee for a less exhaustive probe, attributed the misidentification of the Democrats’ written comments to clerical error.

Charles Pashayan (R-Fresno) said the Record must be made a more accurate chronicle of floor proceedings because judges and historians rely on it to determine legislative intent.

Members voting no favored the tougher of two proposed investigations of the Congressional Record.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Dreier (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Hawkins (D) x Rep. Martinez (D) x Rep. Torres (D) x