A NEW NAM1 AND EXPANDED M rHORITY FOR TH1 COMMITTE] 725 



I have a very strong devotion to our former colleague, George Miller. He vigor- 

 ouslv resisted appointing or allowing any minority start because he felt it would be a 

 divisive influence in the committee and in the starting. I believe that now, after only 

 very brief experience, that has not proved to be so and I am glad that it has not. 



Mosher also added: 



Based on my own personal experience and observations, I can testify that even 

 the minimun of minority staffing we now have in the Science and Astronautics and 

 Merchant Marine Committees has produced very positive, valuable results. Those two 

 committees are excellent, practical examples of how a minority staff can operate with 

 considerable independent autonomy — responsible immediately to the needs of the 

 minority members, yet of genuine service to the whole committee, and without creat- 

 ing any partisan disruption. 



BOLLING RECOMMENDATIONS ON MINORITY STAFF 



The Boiling committee recommended that professional staffs of 

 committees be expanded from 6 to 18, and clerical staffs from 4 to 12. 

 The minority members of a committee were allowed the opportunity 

 to select one-third of the staff of 30, including one-third of the funds 

 available through the annual expense resolutions voted by the House 

 Administration Committee. Although the Hansen committee report 

 did not include a provision for minority staff, Representative Frank 

 Thompson, Jr. (Democrat of New Jersey), a member of the Hansen 

 committee, recognized the need to include this provision to insure 

 enactment of the Hansen package, so he offered the amendment on the 

 House floor and it was adopted. 



At the opening of the 94th Congress in January 1975, the House 

 adopted a resolution which spelled out more specifically the legislative 

 foundation for minority staff. The resolution authorized the ranking 

 minority member of up to six subcommittees "to appoint one staff 

 person who shall serve at the pleasure of the ranking minority party 

 member." The House rules also contained the authorization for a total 

 of six professional and four clerical personnel to be assigned to the 

 minority when so requested by a majority of the minority members. 



1975 marked the beginning of the expansion of the minority 

 staff in conformity with the House rules. At the organization meeting 

 of the committee on January 23, 1975, Teague declared: 



Ladies and gentlemen, as far as the staff is concerned, there is no question that 

 we are going to add a number of staff members to this committee. We can not do it at 

 this time because we don't have any money and because we don't have space. I am 

 going to ask the committee to approve the present staff as is and then as soon as we 

 get some money to hire further staff members the Chair will come back to the member- 

 ship of the committee for other staff members who may be hired. Is there discussion? 



