Congressional Record: June 12, 2002 (House)
Page H3493
INITIAL SCOPE AND SUPPLEMENTAL RULES FOR THE JOINT INQUIRY BEING
CONDUCTED BY THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND
THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the initial scope and the
supplemental rules for the Joint Inquiry being conducted by the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence be published in the Congressional Record.
Both the Joint Inquiry's initial scope and its supplemental procedural
rules were adopted by the full membership of HPSCI and SSCI.
Preamble
To reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks; to honor
the memories of the victims of the September 11 terrorist
attacks by conducting a thorough search for facts to answer
the many questions that their families and many Americans
have raised; and to lay a basis for assessing the
accountability of institutions and officials of government:
the senate select committee on intelligence
and
house permanent select committee on intelligence
adopt this
initial scope of joint inquiry
Pursuant to section 5(a)(1) of Senate Resolution 400, 94th
Congress, Rule 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, Rule XI(1)(b) of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, and Rule 9 of the Rules of
Procedure of the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence, the two Committees have authorized an
investigation, to be conducted as a Joint Inquiry, into the
Intelligence Community's activities before and after the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
The Committees have undertaken this Joint Inquiry pursuant to
their responsibility to oversee and make continuing studies
of the intelligence activities and programs of the United
States Government and all other authority vested in the
Committees.
The purpose of this Joint Inquiry is--
(a) to conduct an investigation into, and study of, all
matters that may have any tendency to reveal the full facts
about--
(1) the evolution of the international terrorist threat to
the United States, the response of the United States
Government including that of the Intelligence Community to
international terrorism, from the creation of the Director of
Central Intelligence's Counterterrorist Center in 1986 to the
present, and what the Intelligence Community had, has, or
should have learned from all sources of information,
including any terrorist attacks or attempted ones, about the
international terrorist threat to the United States;
(2) what the Intelligence Community knew prior to September
11 about the scope and nature of any possible attacks against
the United States or United States interests by international
terrorists, including by any of the hijackers or their
associates, and what was done with that information;
(3) what the Intelligence Community has learned since the
events of September 11 about the persons associated with
those events, and whether any of that information suggests
actions that could or should have been taken to learn of, or
prevent, those events;
(4) whether any information developed before or after
September 11 indicates systemic problems that may have
impeded the Intelligence Community from learning of or
preventing the attacks in advance, or that, if remedied,
could help the Community identify and prevent such attacks in
the future;
(5) how and to what degree the elements of the Intelligence
Community have interacted with each other, as well as other
parts of federal, state, and local governments with respect
to identifying, tracking, assessing, and coping with
international terrorist threats; as well as biological,
chemical, radiological, or nuclear threats, whatever their
source (such as the Anthrax attack of 2001).
(6) the ways in which the Intelligence Community's
responses to past intelligence problems and challenges,
whether or not related to international terrorism, have
affected its counterterrorism efforts; and
(7) any other information that would enable the Joint
Inquiry, and the Committees in the performance of their
continuing responsibilities, to make such recommendations,
including recommendations for new or amended legislation and
any administrative or structural changes, or other actions,
as they determine to be necessary or desirable to improve the
ability of the Intelligence Community to learn of, and
prevent, future international terrorist attacks; and
(b) to fulfill the Constitutional oversight and informing
functions of the Congress with regard to the matters examined
in the Joint Inquiry.
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Supplemental Joint
Inquiry Rules
In connection with the Joint Inquiry with the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence into the events of September 11,
2001, authorized by the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence (``HPSCI'') pursuant to Rule XI(1)(b) of the
Rules of the House of Representatives and Rule 9 of HPSCI's
Rules of Procedure, and pursuant to Rule XI(2)(a) of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, HPSCI adopts the
following Joint Inquiry Rules to supplement HPSCI's Rules for
purposes of the Joint Inquiry only:
joint inquiry rule 1. joint proceedings
1.1. HPSCI may conduct hearings jointly with the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence. All joint hearings shall be
considered hearings of both Committees.
1.2. The Rules of Procedure of HPSCI and the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence shall apply in all hearings and
other proceedings of this Joint Inquiry, except where
superseded by these Joint Inquiry Rules, provided that, at
any joint hearing, if any rules of the two Committees are
inconsistent, the rules of that Committee whose Chairman or
his designee is presiding shall apply.
1.3. For the purposes of the proceedings of this Joint
Inquiry, all employees on the staff of either Committee
working on the Joint Inquiry shall be considered to be acting
on behalf of both Committees.
joint inquiry rule 2. hearings
2.1. All testimony at hearings shall be taken under oath or
affirmation.
joint inquiry rule 3. depositions
3.1. All testimony taken, and all documents, records, or
other materials produced, at a deposition of the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence shall be considered part of
the record of both Committees.
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