§ 190l. — Private claims pending before Congress; taking of testimony.
[Laws in effect as of January 7, 2003]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 7, 2003 and December 19, 2003]
[CITE: 2USC190l]
TITLE 2--THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 6--CONGRESSIONAL AND COMMITTEE PROCEDURE; INVESTIGATIONS
Sec. 190l. Private claims pending before Congress; taking of
testimony
Any committee of either House of Congress before which any private
claim against the United States may at any time be pending, being first
thereto authorized by the House appointing them, may order testimony to
be taken, and books and papers to be examined, and copies thereof
proved, before any standing master in chancery within the judicial
district where such testimony or evidence is to be taken. Such master in
chancery, upon receiving a copy of the order of such committee, signed
by its chairman, setting forth the time and place when and where such
examination is to be had, the questions to be investigated, and, so far
as may be known to the committee, the names of the witnesses to be
examined on the part of the United States, and the general nature of the
books, papers, and documents to be proved, if known, shall proceed to
give to such private parties reasonable notice of the time and place of
such examination, unless such notice shall have been or shall be given
by such committee or its chairman, or by the attorney or agent of the
United States, or waived by such private party. And such master shall
issue subpoenas for such witnesses as may have been named in the order
of such committee, and such others as the agent or other representative
of the United States hereinafter mentioned shall request. And he shall
also issue subpoenas at the request of such private party, or parties,
for such witnesses within such judicial district as they may desire:
Provided, That the United States shall not be liable for the fees of any
officer for serving any subpoena for any private party, nor for the fees
of any witness on behalf of such party. Said committee may inform the
United States attorney for the district where the testimony is to be
taken of the time, place, and object of such examination, and request
his attendance in behalf of the Government in conducting such
examination, in which case it shall be his duty to attend in person, or
by an assistant employed by him, to conduct such examination on the part
of the United States, or such committee may, at its option, appoint an
agent or attorney, or one of its own members, for that purpose, as they
may deem best; and in that event, if the committee shall not be
unanimous, the minority of the committee may also appoint such agent or
attorney or member of such committee to attend and take part in such
examination.
(Feb. 3, 1879, ch. 40, Sec. 1, 20 Stat. 278; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231,
Sec. 291, 36 Stat. 1167; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, Sec. 1, 62 Stat. 909.)
Codification
This section and section 190m of this title were an act entitled
``An act to provide for taking testimony, to be used before Congress, in
cases of private claims against the United States.''
The original text referred to ``any standing master in chancery of
the circuit of the United States within the judicial district where such
testimony or evidence is to be taken.'' The words ``of the circuit of
the United States'' were omitted as inappropriate since the abolition of
circuit courts by act Mar. 3, 1911.
Section was formerly classified to section 229 of Title 31 prior to
the general revision and enactment of Title 31, Money and Finance, by
Pub. L. 97-258, Sec. 1, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 877.
Change of Name
Act June 25, 1948, eff. Sept. 1, 1948, substituted ``United States
attorney'' for ``district attorney of the United States''. See section
541 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, and Historical and
Revision Notes thereunder.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 190m of this title.
