This report briefly discusses The House Rules and Manual, officially titled Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual and Rules of the House of Representatives, which contains the fundamental source material describing procedures in the House of Representatives

Schneider, Judy

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Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code 98-262 GOVUpdated April 5, 2001House Rules Manual:  Summary of ContentsJudy SchneiderSpecialist on the CongressGovernment and Finance DivisionThe House Rules and Manual, officially titled Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual andRules of the House of Representatives, contains the fundamental source materialdescribing procedures in the House of Representatives.  Included are the Constitution ofthe United States, selected provisions of Jefferson’s Manual, rules of the House,provisions of law and resolutions enacted or adopted under the rule-making authority ofthe House, and pertinent decisions of the Speaker and chairmen of the Committee of theWhole interpreting the rules and procedural authority used in the House, often referred toas parliamentarian’s notes or annotations.  Printed as a “House Document,” the Manual is usually authorized by Houseresolution at the end of a Congress for printing at the beginning of the following Congress.As such, the House document number reflects the Congress that authorized the printingalthough the cover page identifies the applicable Congress for the contents.Preface.  This first section of the House Manual identifies the more substantive ruleschanges made by the House resolution adopting the rules of the current Congress. Alsoidentified are citations to volumes of precedents referenced in the parliamentarian’sannotations.Contents. The next section is the table of contents.  Unlike the index, whichreferences section citations, the contents identifies page citations.Major Rule Citation Changes.  A table displays changes in rules numbers becauseof the 1999 recodification of the rules.Order of Business.  Following the contents is a one-page description, with rulecitation, of the General Order of Business and Special Order of Business in the House.Constitution.  The Constitution and the 27 amendments to it are printed in theirentirety in the Manual, along with appropriate annotations, especially to Article I.Jefferson’s Manual.  Jefferson’s Manual was prepared by Thomas Jefferson forhis use as President of the Senate from 1797-1801.  In 1837, the House provided by rulethat the provisions of the Manual “should govern the House in all cases in which they areapplicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the standing rules and orders of theCRS-2House and joint rules of the Senate and House of Representatives.”  Sections 283-620 ofthe House Manual are from Jefferson’s Manual. The portions of the Manual that referexclusively to Senate procedures are omitted in the House Manual, as are paragraphs fromthe Constitution.Rules of the House.  This section includes the 28 rules of the House as well asextensive notes and annotations, and comprise sections 621-1107.  Reprinted at the endof the section are provisions of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and LegislativeReorganization Act of 1970 that are applicable to both houses.Joint and Select Committees.  Sections 1108-1112a identify existing authorityfor the joint committees.  Also noted is the abolition in the 103rd Congress of the last fourHouse select committees.House and Congressional Offices.  Sections 1113-1125b address the HouseCommission on Congressional Mailing Standards, House Office Building Commission,General Accounting Office, Office of Compliance, Congressional Research Service,Legislative Counsel, Congressional Budget Office, Law Revision Counsel, TechnologyAssessment, Office of the Parliamentarian, Office of Floor Assistants, CorrectionsCalendar Office,  House Recording Studio, United States Capitol PreservationCommission, and Office of General Counsel.Early Organization of the House. This section includes provisions from theCommittee Reform Amendments of 1974 addressing the early organization meetings ofthe House to be held in December of an election year.Congressional Budget Legislation.  Reprinted in this section are excerpts fromthe Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (but not the Impoundment Control Act), theBalanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, and the Budget Enforcement Actthat relate to legislative procedure, with annotations, but only a single section number foreach of the three laws.  For example, provided are provisions relating to the floorprocedures for considering  the concurrent budget resolution, the budget timetable,reconciliation, and the authority of the Budget Committee.Congressional Disapproval Provisions.  Included in this section are provisionsin congressional disapproval statutes that prescribe special procedures in the House forreviewing executive actions.  These procedures are technically rules of the House and arecustomarily reincorporated by reference in the resolution adopting the rules for aCongress.Index.  An extensive index contains references to sections in the Manual, whereasthe contents refers to page numbers.

House Rules Manual: Summary of Contents

This report provides a brief overview of the six features of the committee system in the House: organization, hearings, markup,reporting, oversight, and publications

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House Rules Manual: Summary of Contents

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