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The Committee on Rules, or more commonly, the Rules Committee, is a
committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy. The committee is often considered one of the most powerful committees as it influences the introduction and process of legislation through the House. Thus it has garnered the nickname the "traffic cop of
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
." A rule is a simple resolution of the House of Representatives, usually reported by the Committee on Rules, to permit the immediate consideration of a legislative measure, notwithstanding the usual order of business, and to prescribe conditions for its debate and amendment.


Jurisdiction

When a bill is reported out of one of the other committees, it does not go straight to the House floor, because the House, unlike the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...
, does not have unlimited debate and discussion on a bill. Instead, what may be said and done to a bill is strictly limited. This limitation is performed by the Rules Committee. When a bill is reported out of another committee with legislative jurisdiction, it is placed on the appropriate House Calendar for debate. Common practice, though, is for bills reported from committees to be considered in the Rules Committee, which will decide for how long and under what rules the full body will debate the proposition. Consideration by the full body can occur in one of two forums: the Committee of the Whole, or on the floor of the full House of Representatives itself. Different traditions govern whether the Committee of the Whole or the House itself will debate a given resolution, and the Rules Committee generally sets the forum under which a proposition will be debated and the amendment/time limitations for every measure, too. For instance, there might be a limit on the number or types of amendments (proposed changes to the bill). Amendments might only be allowed to specific sections of the bill, or no amendments might be allowed at all. Besides control over amendments, the rule issued by the Rules Committee also determines the amount of speaking time assigned on each bill or resolution. If the leadership wants a bill pushed forward quietly, for instance, there might be no debate time scheduled; if they want attention, they might allow time for lengthy speeches in support of the bill. Between control over amendments, debate, and when measures will be considered, the Rules Committee exerts vast power in the House. As such, the majority party will usually be very keen on controlling it tightly. While most House committees maintain membership in a rough proportion to the full chamber (If the majority party controls 55% of the House, it will tend to have 55% of committee seats), membership on the Rules Committee is disproportionately in favor of the majority party. Furthermore, the rules committee typically operates in a very partisan fashion, advancing rules to the floor on straight party line votes in nearly all cases.


History

The Rules Committee was formed on April 2, 1789, during the first Congress. However, it had nowhere near the powerful role it has today. Instead, it merely proposed general rules for the House to follow when debating bills (rather than passing a special rule for each bill), and was dissolved after proposing these general rules. These general rules still have a great impact on the tone of the House floor today. The Rules Committee, for a long time, lay dormant. For the first fifty years of its existence, it accomplished little beyond simply reaffirming these rules, and its role was very noncontroversial. On June 16, 1841, it made a major policy change, reducing from to the
fraction A fraction (from la, fractus, "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight ...
of votes needed in the House to close debate and vote on a bill. In 1880, the modern Rules Committee began to emerge from the reorganization of the House Committees. When the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
took over the House in the election of 1880, they quickly realized the power that the Rules Committee possessed. One member, Thomas Brackett Reed ( R-
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
), used a seat on the Rules Committee to vault himself to the Speakership, and gained so much power that he was referred to as " Czar Reed". In the 1890s and 1900s, Reed and his successor, Joseph Gurney Cannon (R-
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
) used the Rules Committee to centralize the power of the Speakership. Although their power to place members in committees and perform other functions was limited by a forced rule change in 1910, the Rules Committee retained its power. However, it ceased to function as the personal project of the Speaker, as it had originally; instead, as the seniority system took root, it was captured by a coalition of conservative Democrats and Republicans. This state of affairs would continue until the 1960s. In 1961, Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-
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), acting on the wishes of the new
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John F. Kennedy and the
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, introduced a bill to enlarge the committee from 12 members to 15, to decrease the power of the arch-conservative chairman,
Howard W. Smith Howard Worth Smith (February 2, 1883 – October 3, 1976) was an American politician. A Democratic U.S. Representative from Virginia, he was a leader of the informal but powerful conservative coalition. Early life and education Howard W ...
(D-
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
). The bill passed, 217 votes to 212. However, it was only partially successful; the Rules Committee continued to block legislation including
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
and
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
bills. In the 1970s, however, the Rules Committee was firmly under the command of the Speaker once again. As before, its primary role is to come up with special rules, to help or obstruct the chances of legislation reported to it.


General types of rules

The Rules Committee issues the following types of rules: *Open rule: Allows any member to offer any amendment in compliance with house rules under the five minute rule (a member argues for the amendment for 5 minutes, an opponent then argues against the amendment for 5 minutes, other members may then "strike the last word" to speak further on the Amendment, and the house then votes on the amendment). Debate continues until no one offers an amendment. NOTE: This type of Rule has not been used since June 10, 2014. *Modified open rule: Much like an open rule, but may require amendments to be preprinted in the congressional record beforehand, and may impose a total time limit for the consideration of all amendments, or for debate on each amendment. NOTE: This type of Rule has not been used since May 26, 2016. *Structured rule - Members submit amendments to the rules committee, and the rules committee selects which amendments may be considered on the floor. *Closed rule - Eliminates the opportunity to amend the bill on the floor, except under unanimous consent. Most rules offer time for "general debate" before any amendment consideration begins (it is also possible for the rules committee to issue a rule for "general debate" only and later issue a second rule for amendment consideration) and allow for one motion to send the bill back to its committee of origination, with or without instructions for how to modify the bill. Rules may also include necessary authority for district work periods, and may waive or modify certain points of order or rules of the house if desired by the committee, and the committee is also allowed to self-execute amendments right in the rule rather than delegating this ability to the full house floor.


Members, 117th Congress

Sources: (D), (R), (R), (D)


Subcommittees

The Rules Committee operates with three subcommittees, one focusing on legislative and budget matters, one focusing on the internal operations of the House, and one focusing on certain expedited procedures in the House. Source
Full membership
changes following the passing of former Rep. Hastings


Chairs, 1849–1853 and 1880–present

The Committee on Rules was created as a Select or special committee, select committee but became a standing committee for the 31st and 32nd Congresses (1849–1853). In 1853, the panel reverted to being a select committee and remained one until 1880.''A Pre-Twentieth Century look at the House Committee on Rules'', by Walter J. Olezek (House of Representatives, Rules Committee Democrats website; accessed January 16, 2011) From 1880 to the revolt against Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon in March 1910, the
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...
also served as Chairman of the Rules Committee. Beginning in 1999 with the chairmanship of Republican David Dreier of
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, the chairman of the Rules Committee became a member of the elected Republican leadership, elected (appointed) by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Howard W. Smith Howard Worth Smith (February 2, 1883 – October 3, 1976) was an American politician. A Democratic U.S. Representative from Virginia, he was a leader of the informal but powerful conservative coalition. Early life and education Howard W ...
of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
is the longest-serving chairman (1955–1967) since the committee's founding. David Dreier of California is the youngest chairman of the Rules Committee, assuming the position at the age of 46. He is also the longest-serving chairman (1999-2007, 2011–2013) since 1967. Louise Slaughter of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
is the first woman to chair the committee (2007-2011).


Historical members and subcommittees


Members, 114th Congress

Sources: (Chairs), (D), (R) and (D).


Members, 115th Congress

Sources: (R), (D), (D)


Members, 116th Congress

Sources: (Chair), (Ranking Member), (D), (R), (D), (D), (D)


See also

* List of current United States House of Representatives committees * United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration


References


Further reading

* Brauer, Carl M. "Women Activists, Southern Conservatives, and the Prohibition of Sex Discrimination in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act", 49 ''Journal of Southern History'', February 1983 online via JSTOR * Dierenfield, Bruce J. ''Keeper of the Rules: Congressman Howard W. Smith of Virginia'' (1987) * Dion, Douglas, and John D. Huber. "Procedural choice and the house committee on rules." ''Journal of Politics'' (1996) 58#1 pp: 25–53
online
* Jenkins, Jeffery A., and Nathan W. Monroe. "Buying negative agenda control in the us house." ''American Journal of Political Science'' (2012) 56#4 pp: 897–912. * Jones, Charles O. "Joseph G. Cannon and Howard W. Smith: an Essay on the Limits of Leadership in the House of Representatives" ''
Journal of Politics ''The Journal of Politics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal of political science established in 1939 and published quarterly (February, May, August and November) by University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Southern Political Science Associ ...
'' 1968 30(3): 617–646. * Moffett, Kenneth W. "Parties and Procedural Choice in the House Rules Committee." ''Congress & the Presidency'' (2012) 39#1 * Race, A. "House Rules and Procedure." in ''New Directions in Congressional Politics'' (2012): 111+ * Robinson, James Arthur. ''The House rules committee''(1963) * Schickler, Eric; Pearson, Kathryn. "Agenda Control, Majority Party Power, and the House Committee on Rules, 1937-52," ''Legislative Studies Quarterly'' (2009) 34#4 pp 455–491 * Smallwood, James. "Sam Rayburn and the Rules Committee Change of 1961." ''East Texas Historical Journal'' 11.1 (1973): 10
online
* Woods, Clinton Jacob, "Strange Bedfellows: Congressman Howard W. Smith and the Inclusion of Sex Discrimination in the 1964 Civil Rights Act," ''Southern Studies,'' 16 (Spring–Summer 2009), 1–32.


External links


Official website of the committeeArchive

House Rules Committee
Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov.
House Rules Committee Hearings and Meetings Video
Congress.gov Congress.gov is the online database of United States Congress legislative information. Congress.gov is a joint project of the Library of Congress, the House, the Senate and the Government Publishing Office. Congress.gov was in beta in 2012, a ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:United States House Committee On Rules Rules 1789 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1789