Number: RL34462
Title: House and Senate Procedural Rules Concerning Earmark Disclosure
Authors: Sandy Streeter, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: Both House and Senate rules require earmark sponsors to provide similar information on each earmark to the committee of jurisdiction, but these rules include different public disclosure requirements regarding the information. Neither requirement is enforced by points of order. In the House, the applicable committee is to make "open to public inspection" the Member's entire written statement on certain approved earmarks. The Senate rule requires the applicable committee to make available on the Internet the certifications of no financial interest. With regard to certain spending earmarks first specified in conference, the House requires public disclosure of those earmarks and the names of those Members that requested each earmark identified. The Senate rule provides a procedure to strike certain new items of spending, including earmarks, from a conference report.
Pages: 11
Date: November 25, 2008