ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Subcommittee on Oversight

Congressman Amo Houghton (R-NY), Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the response by charitable organizations to the recent terrorist attacks. The hearing will take place on Thursday, November 8, 2001, in room 2318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include a representative from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the New York Attorney General, charitable organization watchdog groups, and leading charitable organizations. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

Since September 11^th, many charitable organizations have taken action to raise funds and provide assistance to victims of the tragedies and their families. The American people have reached out through these charities by donating more than $1 billion to the relief efforts.

Charitable organizations are regulated both by the IRS and by State law. The IRS has implemented a process to provide speedy approval of the new groups seeking to provide assistance and has an ongoing responsibility to monitor the conduct of charitable organizations. Questions have been raised about the distribution of funds intended to assist those affected by the terrorist attacks. These include whether there should be coordination of the charitable response, whether applications for assistance are too cumbersome or duplicative, whether funds are flowing quickly enough to those in need, and what are appropriate uses of these funds by charities.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Houghton stated: "I want to believe that if a person gives money to help another - through a charitable organization - that money should end up as quickly as possible in the hands of the one who needs it."

The hearing will focus on the activities of charitable organizations in response to the recent terrorist attacks.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to "hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov", along with a fax copy to 202/225-2610 by the close of business, Monday, November 26, 2001. Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, in an open and searchable package 48 hours before the hearing. The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse messenger deliveries to all House Office buildings.

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record, or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to "hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov", along with a fax copy to 202/225-2610, in WordPerfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.

4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.

The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.