Committee Jurisdiction

[Extracted from Senate Document 106-6, Authority and Rules of Senate Committees, 1999-2000]

The Committee was initially established as the Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Section 25 of S. Res. 71, 103rd Congress, 1st Session, redesignates it as the Committee on Indian Affairs.

S. Res. 4, Sec. 105, 95th Congress, 1st Session (1977), as amended by S. Res. 127, 98th Congress, 2nd Session (1984).

Bracketed terms reflect changes in the Committee’s Membership for the 103rd Congress made by S. Res. 18, 103rd Congress, 1st Session (1993), which amended paragraph 3(c) of Senate Rule XXV, and the renumbering of paragraphs in Senate Rule XXV effected by S. Res. 274, 96th Congress, 1st Session (1979).

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(a)(1) There is established a Select Committee on Indian Affairs (hereafter in this section referred to as the “select committee”) which shall consist of [eighteen] Members, [ten] to be appointed by the President of the Senate, upon the recommendation of the majority leader, from among Members of the majority party and [eight] to be appointed by the President of the Senate, upon the recommendation of the minority leader, from among the Members of the minority party. The select committee shall select a Chairman from among its Members.

(2) A majority of the Members of the committee shall constitute a quorum thereof for the transaction of business, except that the select committee may fix a lesser number as a quorum for the purpose of taking testimony. The select committee shall adopt rules of procedure not inconsistent with this section and the rules of the Senate governing standing committees of the Senate.

(3) Vacancies in the Membership of the select committee shall not affect the authority of the remaining Members to execute the functions of the select committee.

(4) For purposes of [paragraph 4] of rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate, service of a Senator as a Member or Chairman of the select committee shall not be taken into account.

(b)(1) All proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to Indian affairs shall be referred to the select committee.

(2) It shall be the duty of the select committee to conduct a study of any and all matters pertaining to problems and opportunities of Indians, including but not limited to, Indian land management and trust responsibilities, Indian education, health, special services, and loan programs, and Indian claims against the United States.

(3) The select committee shall from time to time report to the Senate, by bill or otherwise, its recommendations with respect to matters referred to the select committee or otherwise within its jurisdiction.

(c)(1) For the purposes of this section, the select committee is authorized, in its discretion,

(A) to make investigations into any matter within its jurisdiction,
(B) to make expenditures from the contingent fund of the Senate,
(C) to employ personnel,
(D) to hold hearings,
(E) to sit and act at any time or place during the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the Senate,
(F) to require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance of witnesses and the production of correspondence, books, papers, and documents,
(G) to take depositions and other testimony,
(H) to procure the services of individual consultants or organizations thereof, in accordance with the provisions of section 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, and
(I) with the prior consent of the Government department or agency concerned and the Committee on Rules and Administration, to use on a reimbursable basis the services of personnel of any such department or agency.

(2) The Chairman of the select committee or any Member thereof may administer oaths to witnesses.

(3) Subpoenas authorized by the select committee may be issued over the signature of the Chairman, or any Member of the select committee designated by the Chairman, and may be served by any person designated by the Chairman or the Member signing the subpoena.