A contentious issue has been raised in other committees. A routine motion states that a member may be accompanied by a staff person. I simply want assurances that “staff person” also means a staff person in the whip's office. Some committees have refused to interpret the wording this way. However, as everyone well knows, the staff in the whip's office is critically important to members.
We're agreed then that in cases where a member is not accompanied by a member of his own staff, the generic term “staff person” also means a staff member in the whip's office. This holds true for all parties in the House.