Frequent Questions about Congressional Transcripts and Testimony Statements
Listed below are some of the most common questions that are asked about Congressional transcripts and testimony statements in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Answers to the following questions will give the public community a broader view of how business is conducted and what information is made available to the private and public sectors.
QUESTION:
How can I obtain a copy of a transcript after a Congressional Hearing?
ANSWER:
Transcripts are made available only to EPA Officials within the agency who are responsible for making editorial comments to their testimony statement. The Official Record of the transcript will be printed as a part of the appropriate Congressional Hearings.
QUESTION:
What is the difference between a Congressional Transcript and Testimony Statement?
ANSWER:
A Congressional Transcript is a verbatim statement of the agency Witness given before a House or Senate Congressional Committee. The transcript is available only to the witness or to the program office within the Agency. After the transcript is edited for clarification and the Agency witness responds to follow up questions and all requests answered in the transcript, it is returned to the appropriate Committee for printing, and then it is released for the public. A Testimony Statement is a prepared statement of the EPA Witness which is available to the public. See OCIR Testimony Page.
QUESTION:
Is there a Central Office where the public can obtain testimony statements?
ANSWER:
Yes. Copies are available in The Legislative Hearings and Transcript Unit in the Information Management Division within the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations.
QUESTION:
Where can I get a listing of current hearings held of all EPA hearings, and, is there a distribution list of past hearings held?
ANSWER:
Yes. The Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations has a Web site for "EPA Legislative Hearings and Testimony (page 3)," where you will find current and past hearings held, as well as EPA Annual Hearing Reports and a Status Report of current hearings recently held.