Johannesburg Reform Committee

The Reform Committee was an organisation of prominent Johannesburg citizens which existed late 1895/early 1896.

The Transvaal gold rush had brought in a considerable foreign population, chiefly British although there were substantial minorities from other nations, who the Boer referred to as Uitlanders (foreigners). These immigrants, who were by far the wealthiest part of the community, formed a Reform Committee headed by Lionel Phillips, Charles Leonard, Colonel Frank Rhodes (brother of Cecil), John Hays Hammond, and a few others. They demanded a stable constitution, a fair franchise law, an independent judiciary, a better educational system, etc. The Government under President Paul Kruger made promises but failed to keep them.

Some members of the Committee had been instrumental in the preparation for the Jameson Raid. Leander Starr Jameson had been in charge of Matabeleland when he overstepped his authority and invaded Transvaal with 1 500 troops, greatly exacerbating the many adverse conditions that would lead to both the Second Matabele War and the Second Boer War. Upon Jameson's capture and surrender to the forces of the South African Republic (the Transvaal) in December 1895, the Committee took charge of the peace and security of Johannesburg, before conceding control back to the Boer authorities some days later.

United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a United States House of Representatives committee that has existed in varying forms since 1816.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. After Republicans gained control of the House in 1995, the committee was reorganized to include just seven subcommittees. This reorganization consolidated the jurisdiction previously covered by 3 full committees and 14 subcommittees, and resulted in a 50 percent cut in staff. In 2007, Henry Waxman, (D-CA) the chairman of the committee proposed an additional reorganization which combined the duties of the seven previous subcommittees into five. This reorganization was adopted by the full committee January 18, 2007.

As of the 114th Congress, the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and the Ranking Member is Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings.

Jason Chaffetz

Jason E Chaffetz (/ˈtʃeɪfᵻts/; born March 26, 1967) is the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district, first elected in 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Chaffetz was born in Los Gatos, California, and was raised in Arizona and Colorado with his younger brother Alex. His father, John A. Chaffetz, was Jewish, and his mother, Margaret A. Wood, was a Christian Scientist. Chaffetz's paternal grandfather was Maxwell (Max) Chaffetz (1909-1986), an FBI Special Agent, who as a rookie was involved in the apprehension of gangster Baby Face Nelson and the gunning down of gangster John Dillinger.

Chaffetz converted from Judaism to Mormonism during his last year of college. He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on an athletic scholarship, and was the starting placekicker on the BYU football team in 1988 and 1989. He still holds the BYU individual records for most extra points attempted in a game, most extra points made in a game, and most consecutive extra points made in a game. Chaffetz graduated from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 1989, with a B.A. in communications.

House

A house is a building that functions as a home, ranging from simple dwellings such as rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes and the improvised shacks in shantytowns to complex, fixed structures of wood, brick, marble or other materials containing plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems. Most conventional modern houses in Western cultures will contain a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or cooking area, and a living room. In traditional agriculture-oriented societies, domestic animals such as chickens or larger livestock (like cattle) may share part of the house with humans. The social unit that lives in a house is known as a household. Most commonly, a household is a family unit of some kind, although households may also be other social groups or individuals. The design and structure of the house is also subject to change as a consequence of globalization, urbanization and other social, economic, demographic, and technological reasons. Various other cultural factors also influence the building style and patterns of domestic space.