Rules and Practices Governing the Selection of House Officers

^Pr^ep^ar^{ed f}^o^r^M^e^m^b^ers^an^d^Com^mⁱ^t^t^ees^of^C^ong^r^e^ss

House procedures to elect an officer during a Congress differ from those followed at the start of a
Congress. A resolution to elect a replacement officer to fill a vacancy during a Congress is
privileged and debatable under the hour rule. By statute, the Speaker has authority to appoint a
temporary replacement officer, and in some cases, temporary appointments have continued in
effect for the remainder of a Congress. This report discusses these and other parliamentary issues
concerning the selection of officers during the course of a Congress. The consultative procedure
used in the selection of the current House Chaplain is provided as an example. This report will be
updated as necessary.

Backgr ound ............................................................................................................................... 1
Selecting A Replacement Officer: Procedures and Related Topics...........................................1
Electing an Officer during a Congress................................................................................1
Resignation Effective When Accepted................................................................................3
Speaker Appointments to Fill Officer Vacancy...................................................................3
The Retirement of the House Chaplain: A Case Study..............................................................4
Election of Chaplain: Proposed Rule Change.....................................................................5
Resolution for Disclosure of Documents............................................................................5
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................5

The House normally elects its officers by resolution. A resolution for this purpose is privileged for ¹
consideration, as constituting a “a question of privileges of the House resolution.” Questions of
the privileges of the House resolution are raised though a privileged resolution, offered pursuant
to House Rule IX, that presents a question bearing on the “rights, ... safety, dignity, and ... ²
integrity” of the House.
On the first day of a new Congress, the House of Representatives follows well established ³
procedures, including the election of officers. When the House convenes at the beginning of a
new Congress, the chairman of the majority conference typically offers an omnibus resolution for
the election of specified individuals to the offices of Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief ⁴
Administrative Officer, and Chaplain. The minority party caucus chairman is then customarily
recognized. The minority caucus chairman usually (1) asks for a division of the question so that a
separate (and noncontested) vote occurs on the election of the chaplain; and (2) offers an
amendment to the remainder of the resolution, replacing the names of the majority candidates for ⁵
the three other officer positions with the names of minority party nominees. Little or no debate
typically occurs on this amendment or on the division of the resolution it would amend before the
amendment is defeated and the resolution adopted.
A vacancy among House officers that occurs during a Congress is also filled by means of a
“privileges of the House resolution.” In some other respects, however, the procedure for filling a
vacancy under these conditions differs from that used to elect officers at the start of a Congress.
This section describes some of the parliamentary precedents and practices governing House
action to choose a new officer after the commencement of a Congress.
Since 1953, the Speaker has had the authority in law (2 U.S.C. 72a-1) to make a temporary
appointment to fill a House officer vacancy, but the House, at any time, retains the right to ⁶
formally elect a replacement officer. The Speaker of the House may appoint an acting House
officer, but the House retains the right to elect a permanent replacement officer at any time. A

¹^U^.^{S. C}^ong^r^e^s^s^,^H^ous^e^,^C^ons^ti^tuti^{on, J}^e^ffe^r^s^o^n’^s^M^aⁿ^ual^{, a}ⁿ^d^Rule^s^{of t}^h^e^H^ous^e^{of Re}^pr^e^s^eⁿ^t^a^tiv^e^s^{of t}^h^e^Uⁿ^ite^d
^State^s^{, O}ⁿ^e^H^uⁿ^d^r^e^{d N}ⁱ^nth^C^o^ngr^e^s^s^{, c}^o^m^p^ile^{d by}^J^{ohn S}^u^lliv^aⁿ^,^P^a^rliam^e^nta^r^ia^{n, 10}⁸^th^Cong^.,²^nd^s^e^s^s^{., H}^.^D^o^c^.¹^08-
²⁴¹⁽^W^a^s^hing^ton:^G^P^O^,²⁰⁰⁵⁾^,^S^e^c^.⁶⁹⁹^{. H}^e^r^e^a^f^te^r^c^ite^{d a}^s^H^ous^e^Rule^s^M^aⁿ^ual^.
²^Ho^u^s^{e Ru}^l^e^I^X^,^cl^au^{se 1}^,^H^ous^e^Rule^s^M^aⁿ^ual^,^S^ec.⁶⁹^8.^S^u^ch^{a r}^e^so^l^u^tⁱ^oⁿ^w^o^u^l^d^b^e^o^f^f^e^r^e^d^t^o^el^ect^anⁱⁿ^dⁱ^vi^du^al^t^o
^{a Ho}^u^s^{e o}^f^fⁱ^{ce t}^h^at^{was cu}^rren^t^l^y^vacan^t^.
³^T^h^{e o}^f^fⁱ^{cers i}ⁿ^cl^u^d^e^t^h^{e Cl}^erk,^S^e^rgean^t^at^A^r^ms,^Chⁱ^e^f^A^d^mⁱⁿⁱ^st^ratⁱ^v^{e O}^f^fⁱ^cer,^an^d^Ch^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^.^F^o^r^m^o^{re i}ⁿ^f^o^r^m^atⁱ^oⁿ^,
^s^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^t^98-⁴⁰^1,^Ho^use^A^d^ministra^tiv^e^Offic^e^{rs an}^{d Offic}^ia^ls^{, by}^L^o^rra^ine^H^.^T^ong^.
⁴^“E^l^ectⁱⁿ^{g Off}ⁱ^{cers o}^f^t^h^{e Ho}^u^s^e^o^f^Rep^r^esen^t^a^tⁱ^v^es,^”^vo^t^e^oⁿ^H.^R^e^s.¹^,^C^o^ngr^e^s^sⁱ^o^nal^Re^c^o^r^d^,^da^il^y^e^d^ition^,^v^o^l.¹^53,
^J^a^{n. 4,}²⁰⁰⁷^{, p}^.^H⁶^.
⁵^In^t^h^{e 1}⁹^th^c^eⁿ^tury^{, c}^onte^s^te^{d e}^l^e^c^{tions f}^o^{r Cha}^p^laⁱⁿ^oc^c^u^rre^{d w}^ith^som^e^re^g^u^la^rity^{. Multiple}^c^aⁿ^dⁱ^d^a^te^s^w^e^re
^nom^ina^t^e^d^f^o^r^the^pos^{t i}ⁿ^{13 C}^oⁿ^g^r^e^s^s^e^s^dur^ing^t^h^e¹⁹^th^cen^t^u^ry^.^Eⁱ^gh^t^een^can^dⁱ^d^a^t^e^{s w}^e^{re n}^o^mⁱⁿ^at^e^dⁱⁿ¹⁸⁵⁶^andⁱⁿ
¹⁸⁶^0.^Six^ba^ll^ots^w^e^r^e^r^e^quir^e^{d to}^e^l^e^c^t^{in 1}⁸⁴⁰^{. T}^h^e^la^s^t^c^o^nte^s^te^d^H^ous^e^e^l^e^c^{tion f}^o^r^c^h^a^p^laⁱⁿ^oc^c^u^r^r^e^dⁱⁿ¹⁸⁸⁹^.
⁶^P^.^L^.¹⁹^{7, 83}^rd^C^ong^.,¹^st^s^e^s^s^{., 1}⁹^53,⁶⁷^Sta^t^.³^87,^{2 U}^.^S.C^.^A^.^Se^c^.^75a^-¹⁽^a⁾^;^Desch^l^{er’s P}^r^eced^en^t^s^o^f^t^h^{e U.}^S^.^Ho^u^s^e
^o^f^R^e^p^r^esen^t^a^tⁱ^ves,⁹⁴^th^Cong^.,²^nd^s^e^s^s^{., H}^.^D^o^c^.⁹⁴^-6⁶¹^(W^a^s^hing^{ton: G}^P^O^,¹⁹⁷⁷^{), v}^o^l^.^{1, c}^h^.^6,^Se^c^.²¹^.

privileges of the House resolution, if offered by the Majority Leader or Minority Leader in proper
form, is in order for immediate consideration by the House. If such a resolution is offered by any
other Member, such Member must give the House advance notice of his or her intent and the ⁷
Speaker may postpone the consideration of the resolution for up to two days. The Speaker then
rules whether the resolution presents a question of the privileges of the House. At the outset of
consideration, any Member may demand a vote on whether the House will consider the resolution
(“raising the question of consideration”). The question of consideration, a nondebatable
proposition, is a means by which the House protects itself from acting on business it does not
currently wish to consider. If the House determines by vote that it does not then wish to consider
the item of business, the item in question may be brought up again, even on the same day.
Alternatively, a motion to lay the resolution on the table would more decisively block it, as
discussed in more detail below.
A privileges of the House resolution is debatable under the hour rule, with the time equally
divided and controlled between the proponent of the resolution and either the majority leader, the ⁸
minority leader, or a Member designed by the Speaker. Typically, at the end of one hour’s debate, ⁹
the proponent moves the previous question. If the House orders the previous question, it ¹⁰
proceeds without further debate to vote on the resolution.
An amendment to the resolution (e.g., proposing another person to fill the office in question)
would be in order only if (1) the Member controlling time in favor of the resolution yielded for
that purpose; (2) if the motion for the previous question was not offered or was defeated; or (3)the ¹¹
amendment was in the form of instructions in a motion to commit.
A motion to commit, with or without instructions, is in order. If offered by a Member before
debate on the resolution has begun, the motion itself would be debatable for one hour, controlled
by the Member who offered the motion. If offered after the previous question is ordered, a
committal motion would not be debatable. This motion would also be subject to a nondebatable
motion to lay on the table. Agreement to a motion to table a matter is equivalent to a final
negative disposition of the matter.

⁷^Ho^u^s^{e Ru}^l^e^I^X^,^cl^au^{se 2}⁽^a)(1⁾^,^H^ous^e^Ru^le^s^M^anu^al^,^S^ecs.⁶⁹⁹^,⁷⁰¹^.^T^h^{e S}^p^{eaker i}^s^no^t^requⁱ^r^ed^t^o^p^o^s^t^p^oⁿ^e
^c^ons^ide^r^a^tioⁿ^of^a^pr^iv^ile^g^e^s^r^e^s^o^lutio^{n w}^h^eⁿ^of^f^e^r^e^{d by}^s^o^m^e^one^o^t^he^{r tha}ⁿ^the^m^a^jority^le^a^d^e^r^{or th}^e^mⁱ^nority^le^a^d^e^r^.^th
^Ho^u^s^{e R}^e^so^l^u^ti^on²⁰^7,¹⁰⁵^Congress,^{a reso}^lu^tio^{n electin}^{g a n}^e^w^Ch^ief^A^d^mⁱⁿⁱ^{strative O}^f^fⁱ^c^e^r,^wa^{s su}^b^m^itted^b^y
^Rep^.^Jo^hn^B^o^ehⁿ^e^{r (R-OH),}^t^h^{e c}^h^ai^rm^an^o^f^t^h^{e Rep}^u^b^lⁱ^{can Con}^f^e^r^en^ce,^an^d^t^h^{e S}^p^{eaker i}^m^m^e^dⁱ^at^e^l^y^l^aⁱ^dⁱ^t^b^e^f^o^{re t}^h^e
^H^ous^e^.^C^o^ngr^e^s^sⁱ^o^nal^Re^c^o^r^d^{, v}^o^l^{. 1}^43,^J^u^ly^31,¹⁹⁹⁷^{, p}^p^.¹⁷⁰²^1-¹⁷⁰²^{3. A}^pr^iv^ile^g^e^s^of^the^H^ous^e^r^e^s^o^lutio^{n r}^e^p^o^r^t^e^d
^f^r^o^m^c^o^m^m^itte^e^{is a}^l^{so priv}^ile^g^e^{d f}^o^{r im}^m^e^dia^t^e^c^onside^r^a^tio^n.
⁸^Ho^u^s^{e Ru}^l^e^I^X^,^cl^au^{se 2}⁽^a)(2⁾^,^H^ous^e^Ru^le^s^M^anu^al^,^S^ec.⁶⁹⁹^.
⁹^“^W^he^{n de}^ba^te^{is d}ⁱ^vⁱ^de^d^by^rule^{, . . .}^the^pre^v^ious^que^sti^{on m}^a^y^{not be}^re^m^o^v^e^{d until}^the^othe^{r si}^de^ha^{s use}^d^or
^yⁱ^el^d^e^d^b^{ack i}^t^s^tⁱ^m^e.^”^H^ous^e^Rul^e^s^M^anual^{, s}^e^c^.⁹^97;^Wm^{. H}^o^lm^es^B^r^ow^{n a}^{nd C}^h^a^r^le^s^J^o^hⁿ^s^oⁿ^,^Hou^s^{e P}^r^a^c^tⁱ^{ce: A}^th^st
^Guⁱ^d^{e t}^o^t^h^{e R}^u^l^e^s,^P^r^eced^en^t^s^,^an^d^P^r^o^ced^u^r^{es o}^f^t^h^{e H}^o^u^s^e^{, 10}⁸^Cong^{., 1}^s^e^s^s^.^(W^a^s^hing^{ton: G}^P^O^,²⁰⁰³^{), c}^h^{. 2}⁹^,
^s^e^c^.^{11, p. 69}^2.
¹⁰^I^f^the^pr^e^v^ious^que^s^tio^{n is}^m^o^v^e^{d a}^nd^or^de^r^e^d^be^f^o^r^e^aⁿ^y^de^ba^te^oc^c^u^r^s^{, a}ⁿ^y^Mem^b^e^r^m^a^y^dem^a^{nd 4}⁰^mⁱ^nute^s^of
^de^ba^te^tim^e^,^e^qua^lly^divⁱ^de^{d a}^nd^c^ontr^o^lle^{d, a}^s^pr^ov^ide^dⁱⁿ^H^o^us^e^R^u^le^XI^X^,^c^l^a^u^s^e^1.^I^f^the^pr^e^v^iou^s^que^s^tio^{n is}
^m^ove^{d a}^nd^or^de^r^e^{d a}^f^te^r^e^v^eⁿ^mⁱ^nim^a^{l de}^ba^te^unde^r^the^ho^ur^r^u^le^,^the^de^m^a^{nd f}^o^r^{40 m}ⁱ^nute^s^of^de^b^a^te^tim^e^is^{not in}
^or^de^r^.^H^ous^e^R^u^le^s^M^anu^al^{, S}^ec.⁹⁹⁴^,⁹⁹^9.
¹¹^Ho^u^s^{e Ru}^l^e^X^I^X^,^cl^au^{se 2}^,^H^ous^e^Rule^s^M^aⁿ^ual^,^S^ec.¹⁰⁰¹^-10⁰²^;^t^h^e^P^a^rlⁱ^a^m^eⁿ^t^ari^aⁿ^’^{s n}^o^t^{es al}^so^det^aⁱ^l^t^h^{e u}^s^e^o^f
^c^o^m^m^itta^{l a}^{nd re}^f^e^rr^a^l^m^o^tions^oⁿ^re^solu^tio^{ns a}^t^v^a^rious^sta^g^e^s^of^f^l^{oor c}^onsi^d^e^r^a^tion^.^Note^t^h^e^te^rm^{s “}^c^o^m^m^it,”
^“reco^mmⁱ^t^,^{” an}^d^“ref^er^{” are ess}^eⁿ^tⁱ^a^l^l^y^s^yⁿ^oⁿ^ym^o^u^s^.^S^{ee Co}ⁿ^g^ressi^oⁿ^a^l^Qu^art^e^rl^y^In^c.^,^Am^e^r^ic^an^C^o^ngr^e^s^sⁱ^on^al
^Dic^tion^a^ry⁽^W^a^s^hing^{ton: C}^Q^Pr^e^s^s^,²⁰⁰¹⁾^{, p}^.⁴⁵^{. T}^e^c^hnic^a^lly^{, a}^pr^iv^ile^g^e^s^o^f^the^H^ous^e^r^e^s^o^lu^tioⁿ^of^f^e^r^e^{d dir}^e^c^tly^on
^th^{e f}^l^o^o^r^co^u^l^dⁿ^o^t^b^e^“reco^mm^itt^ed^{” b}^ecau^{se it h}^a^dⁿ^e^v^e^{r in}^itially^b^een^ref^e^rred^to^co^mm^ittee.

Other motions could also be offered, either at the outset or the conclusion of debate on the
resolution. For example, a motion to table the resolution itself (and, thus, defeat it indirectly)
would be in order, if offered before the proponent was recognized for debate, or if the Member
controlling time on the resolution yielded for the purpose.
Under House precedents, the resignation of an elected officer is subject to acceptance by the ¹²
House. The Speaker lays letters of resignation from officers before the House, and they are ¹³
usually accepted by unanimous consent. If objection is heard, a motion to accept would be in
order and debated under the hour rule.
In November 1999, the House agreed to H.Res. 373, designating Rev. James Ford as Chaplain ¹⁴
Emeritus upon his retirement. Earlier in the year, he had informed the House leadership of his ¹⁵
intentions to retire in the coming months. Chaplain Ford did not submit a letter of resignation,
however, until March 23, 2000, and continued to offer opening prayers on a regular basis during ¹⁶
the intervening four-month period. No action to choose or designate a successor was necessary ¹⁷
until a vacancy in the post formally existed.
The Speaker has made temporary appointments to fill a House officer vacancy, which, in some
cases, have extended through the remainder of the Congress then underway. In one instance
(1972), the Sergeant at Arms resigned (in order to qualify for certain federal government pension
benefits) and was subsequently appointed acting Sergeant at Arms. In March 1966, the Speaker
appointed Rev. Edward Gardiner Latch acting Chaplain after the death of the incumbent; Rev.
Latch served as acting Chaplain for the remainder of the Congress, and was elected Chaplain at
the beginning of the next Congress in January 1967. Most recently, the current House Chaplain,
Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin, served as acting Chaplain from March 23, 2000, until the end of the ^th

106 Congress.

The Speaker’s action to appoint Father Coughlin shows the temporary character of this
appointment.

¹²^B^r^ow^{n a}^{nd J}^o^hⁿ^s^oⁿ^,^c^h^a^p^{. 3}⁵^,^pp^{. 62}^4-⁶⁵^1.
¹³^S^ee,^f^o^{r exa}^m^p^l^e,^t^h^{e resi}^gn^atⁱ^o^{n o}^f^{Jack Ru}^{ss as S}^e^rg^ean^t^at^A^r^ms^an^d^t^h^{e app}^oⁱⁿ^t^m^eⁿ^t^o^f^W^e^rn^er^Bran^d^t^{as act}ⁱⁿ^g
^Se^r^g^e^aⁿ^{t a}^t^A^r^m^s^{, “}^R^e^s^ig^na^{tion a}^s^Se^r^g^e^aⁿ^{t a}^t^A^r^m^s^a^{nd A}^ppoi^ntm^e^{nt of}^Se^r^g^e^aⁿ^{t a}^t^A^r^m^s^,”^C^ongr^e^s^sⁱ^onal^Re^c^o^r^d^,
^vo^l^.¹³⁸^,^M^a^r.¹²^,¹⁹⁹²^,^p^.⁵⁵¹⁹^.^In²⁰⁰⁰^,^t^h^{e resi}^gn^atⁱ^oⁿ^o^f^Ch^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^Jam^e^{s F}^o^rd^w^a^{s accep}^t^e^d^b^y^uⁿ^anⁱ^m^o^u^s^coⁿ^s^en^t
^af^t^e^{r Rep}^.^G^e^ral^d^Kl^ecz^{ka (D-}^W^I⁾^,^un^d^e^{r a reservat}ⁱ^oⁿ^o^f^ob^j^ectⁱ^{on (su}^b^s^equ^eⁿ^t^l^y^wⁱ^t^h^d^r^awⁿ⁾^,^recei^v^e^d^assu^ran^{ces t}^h^at
^tim^e^{on the}^H^o^us^e^f^l^{oor w}^ould^be^m^a^de^av^a^ila^ble^f^o^{r a}^dditio^na^{l s}^t^a^t^em^eⁿ^ts^a^bout^the^c^h^a^p^la^{in s}^e^le^c^tⁱ^on^proc^e^s^s^.
^C^ongr^e^s^sⁱ^o^nal^Re^c^o^r^d^,^v^o^l.¹⁴^6,^Ma^r^.²³^,²⁰^00,^p.³⁴⁸⁰^.
¹⁴^Co^ng^ressioⁿ^a^l^Reco^rd^{, v}^o^l.¹⁴^5,^N^o^v^.¹⁰^{, 1}⁹⁹⁹^,^pp^{. 2}⁹⁴^93-²⁹⁴⁹^6.
¹⁵^“Rev.^F^o^rd^t^o^L^{eave Ho}^u^s^{e Ch}^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^cy^,^”^{Roll Call}^,^Ma^y^{27, 1}⁹⁹⁹^,^{p. 3}^.
¹⁶^Co^ng^ressioⁿ^a^l^Reco^rd^{, v}^o^l.¹⁴^6,^Ma^r^.²³^,²⁰^00,^p.³⁴⁸⁰^.
¹⁷^Ju^lⁱ^e^R.^Hi^rsch^f^e^l^d^,^“Hou^{se G}^O^P^M^a^y^S^{ee Ch}^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^F^o^r^d^{as Bet}^t^e^{r Id}^ea,^”^{CQ Daily}^M^o^nitor^{, F}^e^b^.¹¹^,²⁰⁰⁰^,^p^.⁷^.

^T^h^{e S}^P^EA^K^E^R^.^Pu^rsu^aⁿ^t^t^o²^U^.^S^.^C^.^75a-¹^{, t}^h^e^Ch^ai^{r appoi}ⁿ^t^s^F^a^t^h^{er D}^aⁿⁱ^e^l^C^o^u^g^h^lⁱⁿ^o^f
^I^llin^oⁱ^s^to^{act a}^s^aⁿ^d^to^e^x^er^{cise te}^m^p^o^r^ar^il^y^t^h^{e d}^u^ties^o^f^Ch^ap^laiⁿ^o^f^t^h^e^Ho^u^s^e^o^f¹⁸
^Rep^r^esen^tatⁱ^v^e^{s. W}^{ill Fath}^er^Co^u^g^h^lⁱⁿ^p^l^{ease co}^m^e^f^o^r^w^ar^d^an^d^tak^e^th^{e o}^a^th^o^f^o^f^fⁱ^ce?
Individuals appointed as acting officers serve until the House formally elects an officer or until ^th
the end of the Congress. There was some thought during the 106 Congress that a privileged
resolution for the appointment of a Chaplain might be offered on the House floor. No such action ^th
occurred, however, and Father Coughlin served as acting Chaplain for the remainder of the 106
Congress and has been elected the Chaplain at the beginning of all subsequent Congresses to date.

On March 23, 2000, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert announced the retirement of Chaplain James
David Ford and the appointment of Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest from ²⁰
Chicago, as acting Chaplain of the House. Earlier in the day, the House had accepted by ²¹
unanimous consent the resignation of Rev. Ford as chaplain. Father Coughlin, a priest for 40
years, had served in a variety of clerical posts in the Chicago archdiocese, and at the time of his
selection was vicar (personal representative of the archbishop) to the priests of the archdiocese.
Reverend Ford, House Chaplain since 1979, informed the House leadership in early 1999 his
intention to retire. In May 1999, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert announced the formation of an
informal 18-member bipartisan committee to review applications for the post of Chaplain and to ²²
recommend three names to the House leadership. The Speaker was expanding upon the practice
initiated by Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr., the last time the House was faced with choosing a
Chaplain. At that time, Speaker O’Neill directed a three-member committee consisting of House
Majority Leader Jim Wright (D-TX), House Minority Leader John J. Rhodes (R-AZ), and
Representative George Mahon (D-TX), the Dean of the House, to recommend a successor to Rev.
Edward Gardiner Latch, the incumbent Chaplain. The committee recommended Rev. Ford for the ^th²³
post, and he was elected by the House when it convened at the beginning of the 96 Congress.
Earlier chaplaincy vacancies had been filled upon the sole recommendation of the Speaker or of
the majority party conference, subject to election by the full House.
Late in 1999, the informal committee, named by Speaker Hastert, forwarded the names of Rev.
Robert Dvorak, Rev. Timothy O’Brien, S.J., and Rev. Charles Wright to the leadership group (the
Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders). After reviewing more than three dozen applications
for the post, Rev. Wright, a Presbyterian minister, was reported as the choice of the leadership

¹⁸^“^A^ppointm^e^{nt a}^s^C^h^a^p^laⁱⁿ^of^the^Uⁿ^ite^d^Sta^t^e^s^H^ous^e^of^R^e^pr^e^s^eⁿ^ta^tiv^e^s^,”^C^ongr^e^s^sⁱ^on^{al Re}^c^o^r^d^{, v}^o^l.¹⁴^{6, Ma}^r.²³^,
²⁰⁰^{0, p. 34}⁸⁰^.
¹⁹^For^a^br^ie^f^his^t^or^y^of^the^e^v^olutio^{n of}^the^c^o^ng^r^e^s^sⁱ^ona^{l c}^h^a^p^la^inc^y^,^s^e^e^C^R^S^R^e^por^{t R}^S²⁰⁴^27,^H^ous^e^and^Seⁿ^a^te
^C^hap^laiⁿ^s^,^by^Mildre^{d A}^m^e^r^.
²⁰^Co^ng^ressioⁿ^a^l^Reco^rd^{, v}^o^l.¹⁴^6,^Ma^r^.²³^,²⁰^00,^p.³⁴⁸¹^.
²¹^I^b^id^{., p. 34}^80.
²²^“Rev.^F^o^rd^t^o^L^{eave Ho}^u^s^{e Ch}^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^cy^,^”^{Roll Call}^,^Ma^y^{27, 1}⁹⁹⁹^,^{p. 3}^;^aⁿ^{d “}^S^ta^te^m^e^{nt of}^Spe^a^k^e^r^J^.^D^e^nnis^H^a^s^t^e^r^t
^an^d^Dem^o^cratⁱ^c^L^ead^er^G^e^p^h^a^rd^t^oⁿ^t^h^{e Ret}ⁱ^r^em^en^t^o^f^Dr.^Ja^m^e^{s F}^o^rd^{as Hou}^s^{e Ch}^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^,^”ⁱⁿ^“Fⁱⁿ^al^Rep^o^r^t^:^Ch^ap^l^aⁱⁿ
^Se^a^r^c^h^C^o^m^m^itte^e^,^”^unpu^blis^he^d^r^e^por^{t c}ⁱ^r^c^ula^t^e^d^to^a^{ll H}^o^us^e^Me^m^b^e^r^s^,^J^a^nua^r^y^2000,^a^tta^c^h^m^e^{nt 2.}
²³^{Jack E}ⁱ^sen^,^“Ch^a^p^l^aiⁿ^o^f^Ho^u^s^e^Retⁱ^r^{es af}^t^e^{r 1}²^{Years o}^f^S^e^rvi^ce,^”^Wa^shⁱⁿ^gt^on^Po^st^{, O}^c^t.^15,¹⁹⁷⁸^,^{p. A}^14;^Mimⁱ
^Noe^l^{, “}^R^e^v^{. Ja}^m^e^{s D. Ford}^Se^ttle^{s in a}^s^Cha^p^la^in,”^R^o^{ll C}^a^ll^{, F}^e^b^.²^,¹⁹⁷⁹^,^p^p^.^1,^3.

group, with Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Richard K. Armey supporting him and Minority
Leader Richard A. Gephardt supporting Father O’Brien, a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest.
A subsequent controversy over the selection process delayed Chaplain Ford’s retirement.
Ultimately, Rev. Wright requested Speaker Hastert to withdraw his name from consideration.
Press reports indicated that Speaker Hastert consulted with Cardinal Francis George, the Roman
Catholic archbishop of Chicago, about the Chaplain selection controversy. At the Speaker’s
request, Cardinal George reportedly submitted the names of priests who would be suitable
candidates for the chaplaincy, and Speaker Hastert was said to have met with Father Coughlin for ²⁴
the first time on Monday, March 20, 2000.
After the appointment of Father Coughlin on March 23, 2000, Representatives Cal Dooley (D-
CA) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) introduced H.Res. 447, a proposal to require bipartisan ²⁵
concurrence among the House leadership to nominate a chaplain in the future. The resolution
would require the election at the beginning of a Congress of a Chaplain who “shall have been
nominated by the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader, acting jointly.” H.Res.
447 was referred to the House Committee on Rules, but no further action was taken on it. No
similar resolutions have since been introduced.
Press reports suggested earlier that one or more Members might seek the disclosure of files and
documents prepared by the informal committee established by the Speaker during its review of ²⁶
applicants for the Chaplain’s post in 2000. Such a request for disclosure would have presumably
been made through a privileges of the House resolution. No such resolution was presented.
^Mild^r^e^d^Am^er
^Specialis^{t on}^t^h^{e C}^oⁿ^g^r^es^s
^m^a^m^e^r@^crs^.^l^o^c.g^o^v^,^7-⁸³⁰⁴

²⁴^Ma^tthe^w^V^ita^{, “}^H^o^u^se^G^e^{ts 1}^st^C^a^tholic^C^h^a^p^laⁱⁿ^,”^W^a^s^hⁱ^ngt^{on P}^o^s^t^,^Ma^r.²⁴^{, 2}⁰⁰⁰^,^pp^{. A}¹^{, A}^12.
²⁵^Rep^.^P^o^m^e^ro^y^w^a^{s t}^h^{e co}^-ch^aⁱ^r^of^t^h^{e S}^p^{eaker’s i}ⁿ^f^o^r^m^al^ch^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^revi^e^w^co^mmⁱ^t^t^ee.
²⁶^{Amy Kel}^l^e^{r an}^d^Ji^m^V^aⁿ^d^e^Hei^,^“G^OP^S^{ees P}^e^ri^lⁱⁿ^C^h^ap^l^aⁱⁿ^S^p^at^,^”^{Roll C}^a^ll^{, J}^a^n.^10,²⁰⁰⁰^{, p}^p^.^1,^{19; A}^nne^E^.
^Ko^rn^bl^u^t^,^“Ch^oⁱ^ce^o^f^Ho^u^s^{e Ch}^apl^aⁱⁿ^G^r^eet^ed^wⁱ^t^h^Cri^e^{s o}^f^Bi^as,^”^B^o^st^on^Gl^ob^e^{, D}^e^c^.³^,¹⁹⁹⁹^,^{p. A}³^.