House of Representatives Rules in the United States

U.S. House of Representatives: The Work of the House Rules and Procedures

Introduction to House of Representatives Rules

The Constitution allows the House to devise its own rules and procedures. Control of important House committees often shifts when House rules are revised, so members often argue bitterly over proposals to change a rule.

Because the House has so many members, its floor proceedings have historically been noisy and contentious. Today, however, House rules allow leaders to determine which bills reach the House floor, how much time will be allotted to each, and even sometimes the number and type of amendments to be offered. The bill’s majority and minority “managers” (often the chair and ranking minority member of the relevant committee or subcommittee) guide the debate, speaking for or against the bill and coordinating speeches by other members under strict time limits. Most debates attract few members beyond those directly concerned with the measure at hand. Others, occupied with duties elsewhere on Capitol Hill, can follow the debate on television monitors in their offices.

Bells ring to announce impending floor votes, and the chamber soon fills with members talking and milling around. Although the House’s 435 members do not have individually assigned seats, they customarily sit on either side of the center aisle-Democrats to the left facing the Speaker, Republicans to the right. To cast votes, members insert a plastic card into small boxes located throughout the chamber and vote “aye,” “no,” or “present” (abstain). Their votes are recorded electronically and displayed on a large tally board on the front wall of the House gallery. Lights on the board show each member’s vote, “yes” noted with a green light, “no” with red, and “present” with amber. After the vote is announced, the chamber empties and the House turns to the next order of business.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about House of Representatives Rules in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to House of Representatives Rules