426 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Thornton introduced a number of innovations in the fashion he 

 ran the subcommittee. First, being a well-organized individual, he 

 directed that every public hearing be preceded with a published com- 

 mittee print which set the background and framework for the hearing; 

 and that every hearing be followed by a report containing summary, 

 recommendations, and conclusions arrived at during the hearing. The 

 central responsibility for overseeing the preparation for the hearings 

 and reports fell on the shoulders of staff director Dr. John D. Holmfeld. 

 Dr. Holmfeld joined the committee staff in 1971, after receiving his 

 degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and obtaining a Ph. D. in 

 ' 'Science, Technology and Public Policy. ' ' The committee drew heavily 

 on the Science Policy Research Division of the Congressional Research 

 Service for assistance in the preparation of subcommittee reports. 



Second, Thornton always made sure that his subcommittee mem- 

 bers were thoroughly briefed in both a formal and informal fashion. 

 He started a series of breakfasts with subcommittee members for in- 

 formal discussions of issues to come up before the committee. When 

 few members showed up, Thornton contacted them on the House floor 

 instead. Whenever he scheduled an organization meeting or planning 

 session of any sort, Thornton made a point of providing his subcom- 

 mittee members with briefing papers in advance and conclusions after- 

 ward. And if a subcommittee member did not show up for a meeting, 

 you could be sure he would get a written summary of what happened 

 in the next day's mail. 



Third, Thornton fully recognized the tremendous breadth of new 

 jurisdiction which his subcommittee had, as a result of the 1974 reform 

 amendments which gave the Science Committee "special oversight" 

 over all nonmilitary research and development. In order to give his 

 subcommittee members a thorough insight into the meaning of ' ' special 

 oversight," Thornton arranged for Representative Richard Boiling 

 (Democrat of Missouri) to brief the subcommittee. As Chairman of the 

 Select Committee on Committees, Boiling had been a leading force in 

 giving special oversight jurisdiction to the Science Committee. 



Rule X of the House of Representatives now provides: 



The Committee on Science and Technology shall have the function of reviewing 

 and studying, on a continuing basis, all laws, programs and Government activities 

 dealing with or involving non-military research and development. 



INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF EARLY HEARINGS 1975 



June 1975 was a hectic month for the new subcommittee, which 

 plunged ahead with four days of hearings on the Federal research and 

 development program as well as starting hearings on agricultural 

 research and development. The Federal R. & D. hearings were wide- 



