Witnesses Before Committees
84a. Every committee of the House shall have authority upon its own motion to administer oaths to any witness appearing before the committee at any hearing or during the deliberations of any committee. If any witness to whom an oath has been administered shall refuse to answer a question put to such witness by any member of the committee, the committee may report such refusal to the House and upon motion duly made by any member of the House, the House may cause to be issued a subpoena to compel such witness to appear before the committee to give testimony. Upon appearance pursuant to subpoena the witness may be questioned by the chairman and any member of the committee. The Clerk of the House, the chairman of the committee and, in the absence of the chairman, any member of the committee may administer the oath to the witness and may require that such oath be subscribed to by the witness.
No committee shall invoke this rule unless in the judgment of a majority of members appointed to the committee special circumstances so require.