Researching the House Official Records: What Is a Record?

Researching the House: Official Records ^ | February 08, 2020 | Office of the Historian Office of Art and Archives Attic,

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Broadly defined, information in ANY format CREATED or RECEIVED by a person or organization CONSTITUTES A RECORD.

Documents, photographs, e-mails, databases, Tweets, and videos create millions of records in a single day. Few of these records fall into the permanent category, that is, worthy of LONG-TERM preservation in an archive or other repository. WHAT ELEVATES A RECORD TO THIS STATUS?

A record's value exists in TWO categories: 1-EVIDENTIAL value provides information about the origins, functions, and activities of the creator of the record, and 2-INFORMATIONAL value is the significance of the record based on its content.

The types of value are not mutually exclusive and can shift over time. For example, a report published by a committee initially has evidential value by documenting the committee's activities, but the content of the report still has worth after time has passed through the information on an issue or piece of legislation that it provides.

Much of the work of the House takes place in its committees. Standing committees, as well as select and joint committees, focus on matters in their jurisdiction, which encompass a range of issues that affect most Americans. In the course of their consideration of these issues, committees review proposed legislation, hold hearings, and conduct investigations. These records are important to preserve because they document the committee’s organization and functions, capture the specialized subject matters in the committee’s jurisdiction, and track legislative intent and legislative history.

PERMANENT RECORDS typically generated by committees include:

-bill files, which can include drafts, amendments, markups, and other material related to the development of the legislation -hearing files, which can include background files, briefing books, statements for the record, transcripts, and other files related to the hearing -meeting minutes -correspondence with executive branch agencies, members of the public, and other interested parties -news clippings -press releases -committee reports -copies of bills, resolutions, and public laws -EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS -petitions and memorials -docket books -committee calendars -subject files -staff files -files related to investigations of public issues, problems, or actions and oversight of operations of executive branch agencies and the administration of its programs, including document production, deposition transcripts, and investigative reports

The National Archives and Records Administration's Center for Legislative Archives in downtown Washington, D.C., preserves and makes accessible House records in accordance with House Rules.

"A president's official communication to Congress. Presidential messages sometimes encourage Congress to pass a piece of legislation or provide a required report on a government program." https://history.house.gov/Records-and-Research/House-Records/

Pelosi had "custodial care" of document to released by President Trump to the House of Representatives, not personally for Pelosi House chair. "Any custodian of a public record who “willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys (any record) shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall FORFEIT HIS OFFICE and be DISQUALIFIED FROM HOLDING ANF OFFICE under the United States.” *https://www.justice.gov/jm/justice-manual?fbclid=IwAR2ZJh6zmb3DiPQyrLWZzdE0Ak6FVvBfOExKJz6ak6iqrXoxhNiDPIXACew

[The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.]

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Nancy Pelosi committed a Federal Crime when she ripped up the House Copy of the SOTU speech

That was an official, Constitutionally-mandated government document. It was not hers to destroy. That was the House of the Peoples’ original copy required by law. $2000 fine and/or 3-years in a federal slammer for doing that. Pelosi should be arrested and locked up

“Any custodian of a public record who “willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys (any record) shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”
1- *https://www.justice.gov/jm/justice-manual?fbclid=IwAR2ZJh6zmb3DiPQyrLWZzdE0Ak6FVvBfOExKJz6ak6iqrXoxhNiDPIXACew
2- https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2071?fbclid=IwAR3HqA79j7cv9WmT_eOnIzJvT5nl4IL8JL7Bcs21SznBEeEdWh99LTHOoaQ
*Justice Manual
The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

[Agatsu77]

LMAO!!!

[traderrob6]

Of course it will never happen but I would love to here this argued in court.

Be interesting to hear both sides and see which ends up being the more compelling.

[BigEdLB]

PELOSI: Help me O Slease 1 Sorosi. You are my only hope.

[eastforker]

Unfortunately no. That was only a copy of the official speech.This has already been researched.The official copy of the speech has already been entered into the archives, or so that is my understanding.

[ClearCase_guy]

Democrat: “No one is above the law!”
Republican: “Then Nancy Pelosi should lose her office.”
Democrat: “Well, that’s different!”

[IndispensableDestiny]

Get over it. The official record was provided to the Clerk of the House.

[Jim Noble]

I believe it was Napoleon who said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”.

Pelosi’s outrageous conduct was a mistake, a damn big one. Everybody has seen it, everybody knows about it.

Seeking sanction now for it will grant the poor little Italian grandma victim status. Leave it where it is - we’re much better off.

[eastforker]

That is my understanding also, nothing more than a copy off a copy machine given as a courtesy.

[Libloather]

Does this cover Hillary’s classified emails? Just wondering...

[lastchance]

You are wrong. Pelosi is a jerk of first water. But you misunderstand what the term “custodial care” means in regards to public record and the care, preservation, and distribution of such. She did not break federal law.

You have also added your own opinion to the article cited without making your addition clear.

[convoter2016]

I read somewhere that Jonathan Turley researched this problem of previous Speakers of the House. According to him the Speaker’s copy of the State of the Union speech was never submitted to Congress as the official record of the speech. Turley didn’t say what or how the official record was given to Congress.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

REAL ISSUE:

Pelosi had “custodial care” of document to released by President Trump to the House of Representatives, not for House chair Pelosi.
“Any custodian of a public record who “willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys (any record) shall BE fined not more than $2,000 or IMPRISONED not more than three years, or BOTH; and shall FORFEIT HIS OFFICE and be DISQUALIFIED from holding ANY office under the United States.”
*https://www.justice.gov/jm/justice-manual?fbclid=IwAR2ZJh6zmb3DiPQyrLWZzdE0Ak6FVvBfOExKJz6ak6iqrXoxhNiDPIXACew

[PrairieLady2]

I giess I’m not as naive as I was accused of being..by one of the posters. It’s exactly as I thought it was.

[UCANSEE2]

Unfortunately no. That was only a copy of the official speech.This has already been researched.The official copy of the speech has already been entered into the archives, or so that is my understanding.

While true, the documented copy he handed to her belongs to WE THE PEOPLE. Not her.