From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Hearing / Hearings


Committee sessions for taking testimony from witnesses. At hearings on legislation, witnesses usually include specialists, government officials and spokesmen for persons or entities affected by the bill or bills under study. Hearings related to special investigations bring forth a variety of witnesses. Committees sometimes use their subpoena power to summon reluctant witnesses. The public and press may attend open hearings, but are barred from closed or “executive” hearings. The vast majority of hearings are open to the public.
Holder and Chaffetz Fight Over Fast And Furious
Also see
- Bills
- Executive Session
- Contempt of Congress / Resolution of Inquiry (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- § 6.40 Committee Hearings, in Congressional Deskbook
- Congressional Leadership and Committees
- Chapter 3.D. Hearings in Committees; Chapter 3.E. Markups; Chapter 3.F. Amendment Procedure; Chapter 3.G. Reporting Legislation to the Floor; in Congressional Procedure
More
- Capitol Hearings – CSPAN
- Congressional Committee Hearings – Research Guide from Library of Congress
- “Types of Committee Hearings,” CRS Report 98-317 (6-page PDF
)
- “House Committee Hearings,” CRS Report 98-339 (7-page PDF
)
- “House Committee Hearings,” CRS Report RS22637 (8-page PDF
)
- “Hearings in the House of Representatives,” CRS Report RL30539 (34-page PDF
)
- “Hearings in the U.S. Senate,” CRS Report RL30548 (30-page PDF
)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: The ‘Minority Witness Rule’,” CRS Report RS22649 (7-page PDF
)
- “Field Hearings,” CRS Report RS20928 (6-page PDF
)
- “Senate Committee Hearings,” CRS Report 98-337 (4-page PDF
)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses,” CRS Report 98-336 (6-page PDF
)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: Witness Testimony,” CRS Report 98-392 (4-page PDF
)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: Preparation,” CRS Report 98-489 (6-page PDF
)
- “Committee Hearings,” Parliamentary Boot Camp (2-page PDF
)
- “Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents,” CRS Report R43317 (69-page PDF
)
- “A Survey of House and Senate Committee Rules on Subpoenas,” CRS Report R44247 (31-page PDF
)
Sasse on Kavanaugh Hearing: “We Can And We Should Do Better Than This”
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