An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

119th Congress Introduced by Bill Cassidy

SRES 76 authorizes the HELP Committee to incur expenditures, hire staff, and use other agency personnel for two years to support hearings, reporting, and investigations.

Introduced in Senate

Overview

SRES 76 is an original Senate resolution that authorizes the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (often abbreviated as the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee or HELP) to incur expenditures and manage staffing for a two-year period. The resolution leverages the Senate’s contingent fund and allows the committee to obtain services from other government departments or agencies with appropriate approvals. The authority is framed within the committee’s duties to conduct hearings, report on hearings, and carry out investigations as authorized by the Standing Rules.

Key Provisions

Authorization period: March 1, 2025, through February 28, 2027.

Expenditures: The committee is authorized to make expenditures from the contingent fund of the Senate.

Personnel: The committee is authorized to employ personnel.

Utilization of agency personnel: With the prior consent of the relevant government department or agency and the Committee on Rules and Administration, the committee may use, on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, the services of personnel from that department or agency.

Authority scope: The authorization supports the committee’s powers, duties, and functions under the Standing Rules of the Senate, including hearings, reporting, and investigations as authorized by Rules XXV and XXVI.

Legislative History and Status

Introduced: February 12, 2025.

Sponsor: Senator Bill Cassidy (primary).

Actions:

Referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration on February 12, 2025 (text cited as CR S931-932).
Also associated with referral to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Cassidy from the HELP Committee to the Senate “Without written report” on February 12, 2025.
Introduced in the Senate on February 12, 2025.

Affected Parties

Primary beneficiaries: The HELP Committee itself, which gains a formal authorization to fund activities, hire staff, and access services from other federal agencies.

Senate entities: The Senate’s Contingent Fund and the Committee on Rules and Administration, which oversee interagency staffing arrangements.

Other government departments/agencies: Could provide personnel or services to the HELP Committee upon prior consent.

Timeline and Procedural Notes

The resolution establishes a two-year window for expenditures and staffing decisions (2025–2027).

Any usage of external agency personnel requires prior consent from the concerned department or agency and from the Committee on Rules and Administration.

As a resolution, its effect is temporary and tied to the stated period; a subsequent resolution would be required to extend or modify these authorities beyond February 28, 2027.

Bottom Line

SRES 76 provides the HELP Committee with formal, time-limited fiscal and staffing authorities to support its legislative and oversight work, including hearings and investigations, by enabling expenditures from the Senate contingent fund, hiring staff, and leveraging services from other government departments or agencies with appropriate approvals.

Bill