increase in professional staffs of senate standing committees; senate minority professional and clerical staffs; fair treatment for senate minority staffs

increase in professional staffs of senate standing committees; senate minority professional and clerical staffs; fair treatment for senate minority staffs Sec. 301. (a) Section 202(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended (2 U.S.C. 72a(a)), is amended to read as follows: “(a) Each standing committee of the Senate (other than the Committee on Appropriations) is authorized to appoint, by majority vote of the committee, not more than six professional staff members in addition to the clerical staffs. Such professional staff members shall be assigned to the chairman and the ranking minority member of such committee as the committee may deem advisable, except that whenever a majority of the minority members of such committee so request., two of such professional staff members may be selected for appoint-84 Stat. 1176ment by majority vote of the minority members and the committee shall appoint any staff members so selected. A staff member or members appointed pursuant to a request by the minority members of the committee shall be assigned to such committee business as such minority members deem advisable. Services of professional staff members appointed by majority vote of the committee may be terminated by a majority vote of the committee and services of professional staff members appointed pursuant to a request by the minority members of the committee shall be terminated by the committee when a majority of such minority members so request. Professional staff members authorized by this subsection shall be appointed on a permanent basis, without regard to political affiliation, and solely on the basis of fitness to perform the duties of their respective positions. Such professional staff members shall not engage in any work other than committee business and no other duties may be assigned to them.”. (b) Section 202(c) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended (2 U.S.C. 72a(c)), is amended to read as follows: “(c) The clerical staff of each standing committee of the Senate (other than the Committee on Appropriations), which shall be appointed by a majority vote of the committee, shall consist of not more than six clerks to be attached to the office of the chairman, to the ranking minority member, and to the professional staff, as the committee may deem advisable, except that whenever a majority of the minority members of such committee so requests, one of the members of the clerical staff may be selected for appointment by majority vote of such minority members and the committee shall appoint any staff member so selected. The clerical staff shall handle committee correspondence and stenographic work, both for the committee staff and for the chairman and ranking minority member on matters related to committee work, except that, if a member of the clerical staff is appointed pursuant, to a request by the minority members of the committee, such clerical stuff member shall handle committee, correspondence and stenographic work for the minority members of the committee and for any members of the committee staff appointed under subsection (a) pursuant to request by such minority members, on matters related to committee work. Services of clerical staff members appointed by majority vote of the committee may be terminated by majority vote of the committee and services of clerical staff members appointed pursuant to a request by the minority members of the committee shall be terminated by the committee when a majority of such minority members so request.”. (c) Section 202 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended (2 U.S.C. 72a), is amended by striking out subsection (h) and by adding after subsection (f) the following new subsections: “(g) In any ease in which a request for the appointment of a minority staff member under subsection (a) or subsection (c) is made at any time when no vacancy exists to which the appointment requested may be made, the person appointed pursuant to such request may serve in addition to any other staff members authorized by such subsections and may be paid from the contingent, fund of the Senate until such time as such a vacancy occurs, at which rime such person shall be considered to have been appointed to such vacancy. “(h) Staff members appointed pursuant to a request by minority members of a committee under subsection (a) or subsection (c), and staff members appointed to assist minority members of subcommittees pursuant to authority of Senate resolution, shall be accorded equitable treatment with respect to the fixing of salary rates, the assignment of facilities, and the accessibility of committee records.”. 84 Stat. 1177 (d) Nothing in the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be construed— (1) to require a reduction in— (A) the number of staff members authorized, prior to January 1, 1971, to be employed by any committee of the Senate, by statute or by annual or permanent resolution, or (B) the number of such staff members on such date assigned to, or authorized to be selected for appointment by or with the approval of, the minority members of any such committee; or (2) to authorize the selection for appointment of staff members by the minority members of a committee in any case in which two or more professional staff members or one or more clerical staff members, as the case may be, who are satisfactory to a majority of such minority members, are otherwise assigned to assist such minority members. (e) The additional professional staff members authorized to be employed by a committee by the amendment made by subsection (a) of this section shall be in addition to any other additional staff members authorized, prior to January 1, 1971, to be employed by any such committee.