House Committee Hearings: Preparation

August 25, 2015 (98-488)

Committee hearings provide Representatives an opportunity to gather information on, and draw attention to, legislation and issues within a committee's purview; conduct oversight of programs or agencies; and investigate allegations of mismanagement or wrongdoing.1 This checklist identifies many of the tasks that need to be performed, primarily by staff, for full committees and (in most cases) subcommittees in advance of a hearing. Some are required by House or committee rules; others are common committee practice.

Preliminary Decisions

Witness Selection

Media Concerns

Final Preparations

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Footnotes

1.

This report was written by [author name scrubbed], formerly an analyst at CRS.