Part I—Purpose, Policy, and Function

§281. Establishment

There is established in the House of Representatives an office to be known as the Office of the Legislative Counsel, referred to hereinafter in this subchapter as the "Office".

(Pub. L. 91–510, title V, §501, Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1201.)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Subchapter effective Oct. 26, 1970, see section 601(5) of Pub. L. 91–510, set out as an Effective Date of 1970 Amendment note under section 4301 of this title.

Transfer of Functions; Nonapplicability of Sections 271 to 277 to the House

Pub. L. 91–510, title V, §531, Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1203, provided that anyone serving as Legislative Counsel on Oct. 26, 1970 would continue as Legislative Counsel in accordance with this subchapter, and that all personnel, positions, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations of or for that part of the Office of the Legislative Counsel established under sections 271 to 277 of this title employed or held in or for the House of Representatives would be transferred to the Office established under this subchapter and, effective Oct. 26, 1970, those sections were without further appicability.

§281a. Purpose and policy

The purpose of the Office shall be to advise and assist the House of Representatives, and its committees and Members, in the achievement of a clear, faithful, and coherent expression of legislative policies. The Office shall maintain impartiality as to issues of legislative policy to be determined by the House of Representatives, and shall not advocate the adoption or rejection of any legislation except when duly requested by the Speaker or a committee to comment on a proposal directly affecting the functions of the Office. The Office shall maintain the attorney-client relationship with respect to all communications between it and any Member or committee of the House.

(Pub. L. 91–510, title V, §502, Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1202.)

§281b. Functions

The functions of the Office shall be as follows:

(1) Upon request of the managers on the part of the House at any conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, to advise and assist the managers on the part of the House in the course of the conference, and to assist the committee of conference in the preparation of the conference report and any accompanying explanatory statement.

(2) Upon request of any committee of the House, or any joint committee having authority to report legislation to the House, to advise and assist the committee in the consideration of any legislation before it, and to assist the committee in the preparation of drafts of any such legislation, amendments thereto, and reports thereon.

(3) Upon request of any Member having control of time during the consideration of any legislation by the House, to have in attendance on the floor of the House not more than two members of the staff of the Office (and, in his discretion, the Legislative Counsel) to advise and assist such Member and, to the extent feasible, any other Member, in the course of such consideration.

(4) Upon request of any Member, subject to such reasonable restrictions as the Legislative Counsel may impose with the approval of the Speaker on the proportion of the resources of the Office which may be devoted to the requests of any one Member, to prepare drafts of legislation and to furnish drafting advice with respect to drafts of legislation prepared by others.

(5) At the direction of the Speaker, to perform on behalf of the House of Representatives any legal services which are within the capabilities of the Office and the performance of which would not be inconsistent with the provisions of section 281a of this title or the preceding provisions of this section.

(Pub. L. 91–510, title V, §503, Oct. 26, 1970, 84 Stat. 1202.)