Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules,

Regulations, and Guidelines

Updated June 22, 2026

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

RS20928

Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

F

ield hearings are congressional hearings held outside Washington, DC. They date at least to

the Civil War, when committees sometimes traveled to the front lines to observe conditions

and war preparedness.

Purposes of Field Hearings

Members and committees hold field hearings for a variety of reasons. A field hearing may bring

Congress directly to the scene of an important national issue. A field hearing can serve other

purposes. It can

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raise public visibility of an issue;

provide an opportunity to evaluate a government program “on site”;

reinforce a Member’s relationship with his or her constituents; and

attract local, and sometimes national, media attention.

Some examples of field hearings in the 119th Congress included full committee hearings in

Stanford, CA (on cybersecurity technology), in Boston, MA (on the clean energy economy), and

in New Orleans, LA, and Montevallo, AL (on veterans’ mental health). Examples of

subcommittee field hearings included one in Oklahoma City, OK (on self-determination for

Indian tribes) and one in Cedar City, UT (on geothermal energy).1

Chamber Rules

The formal authority for field hearings is found implicitly in chamber rules. House Rule XI,

clause 2, states in part that a committee is authorized “to sit and act at such times and places

within the United States, whether the House is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned, and to

hold such hearings as it considers necessary.” Similarly, Senate Rule XXVI, paragraph 1, states

that a committee “is authorized to hold such hearings, to sit and act at such times and places

during the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the Senate” as it sees fit. Otherwise,

chamber rules do not distinguish field hearings from those held in Washington, DC.

Committee Rules

House and Senate committee rules are generally silent on field hearings specifically, but some

committee rules include related provisions. For example, in the 119th Congress, the rules of the

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Senate Select Committee on

Intelligence both require that members be notified 48 hours prior to a field hearing. (For hearings

held in Washington, DC, the notice requirement is 24 hours.) Rules of the House Committee on

Education and Workforce provide another example, specifying that subcommittee field hearings

may be scheduled only when authorized by the chair of the full committee.

1 These full hearings were held by the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Senate Committee on Small

Business, and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively. The two listed subcommittee field hearings

were conducted by the House Committee on Natural Resources’ subcommittees on Indian and Insular Affairs, and on

Energy and Natural Resources, respectively.

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Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

Regulations and Guidelines

Funding for committee travel and other administrative issues raised by field hearings are covered

by regulations established by the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and

Administration Committee. In the House, regulations printed in the Committee on House

Administration’s Committees’ Congressional Handbook cover matters specific to field hearings;

the handbook is available at https://cha.house.gov/committees-congressional-handbook. In the

Senate, official travel in general is governed by statute2 and regulations issued by the Committee

on Rules and Administration.

It is common for committees to prepare guidelines or informal checklists for field hearings based

on chamber and committee rules and practices as well as the respective travel regulations of the

House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Expenses

incurred by a Representative, Senator, or their staff attending a field hearing—including

transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals—are reimbursable by the committee holding the

hearing.

Although field hearings involve some administrative matters different from hearings held in

Washington, DC, most of the procedural requirements are the same: scheduling, notice, subpoena

authority, quorum requirements, broadcasting, and the like. Notably, field hearings cannot be

explicitly employed for political or electoral purposes. House Rule XXV and associated

regulations forbid official travel for any political or campaign purposes, and Senate regulations

forbid reimbursement for per diem expenses associated with official travel during the 60 days

before a Senator’s name appears on a ballot.3 Members and staff may consult with the relevant

chamber ethics committee for additional guidance on permissible and impermissible

reimbursements for Members’ official and other travel; additional details are also provided in the

Senate Ethics Manual, the House Ethics Manual, and other publications of the House Committee

on Ethics.4

Venue

No rule or regulation determines a field hearing’s location. Committee or subcommittee

leadership usually chooses the location, including the specific site, such as a federal building,

public school, or private facility. House committees are authorized to procure commercial space

when federal, state, municipal, or other public space is not available or not suitable.5

It may be necessary for staff to travel to the field location a day or more before the hearing to

make certain administrative arrangements—including layout of tables and chairs for Members,

witnesses, and the public, as well as setup of video or audio systems. Other advance preparations

may include arrangements for security personnel and audio visual technicians.

2 2 U.S.C. 58(e).

3 The Senate regulations provide some exceptions for airfare and in cases when a Senator whose election is not

contested. Campaign funds are allowed to cover per diem in some circumstances. See Senate Ethics Manual, S.Pub.

108-1, p. 120, at http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=f2eb14e3-1123-48eb-93348c4717102a6e.

4 The Senate document is available at http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=f2eb14e31123-48eb-9334-8c4717102a6e. The House publication is available at https://ethics.house.gov/manual/.

5 U.S. Congress, House Committee on House Administration, Committees’ Congressional Handbook,

https://cha.house.gov/committees-congressional-handbook#498BD609-8D3A-41D8-890A-088A48438B46.

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Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

Author Information

Valerie Heitshusen

Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process

Acknowledgments

This report was originally written by Thomas P. Carr, formerly an Analyst in American National

Government at CRS. The listed author has updated this report and is available to respond to inquiries from

congressional clients on the subject.

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan

shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and

under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other

than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in

connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not

subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in

its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or

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RS20928 · VERSION 15 · UPDATED

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