House Rules Manual: Summary of Contents






Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress



Preface ................................................................................................................................ 1
Contents .............................................................................................................................. 1
Order of Business................................................................................................................1
Constitution ......................................................................................................................... 1
Jefferson’s Manual..............................................................................................................1
Rules of the House..............................................................................................................2
Joint and Select Committees...............................................................................................2
House and Congressional Offices.......................................................................................2
Early Organization of the House.........................................................................................2
Congressional Budget Legislation......................................................................................2
Congressional Disapproval Provisions...............................................................................2
Index .......................................................................................................................... ......... 2
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................3





he House Rules and Manual, officially titled Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual and Rules of
the House of Representatives, contains the fundamental source material describing
procedures in the House of Representatives. Included are the Constitution of the United T


States, selected provisions of Jefferson’s Manual, rules of the House, provisions of law and
resolutions enacted or adopted under the rule-making authority of the House, and pertinent
decisions of the Speaker and chairmen of the Committee of the Whole interpreting the rules and
procedural authority used in the House, often referred to as parliamentarian’s notes or
annotations.
Printed as a “House Document,” the Manual is usually authorized by House resolution 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 printing although the cover page
identifies the applicable Congress for the contents.
This first section of the House Manual identifies the more substantive rules changes made by the
House resolution adopting the rules of the current Congress. Also identified are citations to
volumes of precedents referenced in the parliamentarian’s annotations.
The next section is the table of contents. Unlike the index, which references section citations, the
contents identifies page citations.
Following the contents is a one-page description, with rule citation, of the General Order of
Business and Special Order of Business in the House.
The Constitution and the 27 amendments to it are printed in their entirety in the Manual, along
with appropriate annotations, especially to Article I.
Jefferson’s Manual was prepared by Thomas Jefferson for his use as President of the Senate from
1797-1801. In 1837, the House provided by rule that the provisions of the Manual “should govern
the House in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the
standing rules and orders of the House and joint rules of the Senate and House of
Representatives.” Sections 283-620 of the House Manual are from Jefferson’s Manual. The
portions of the Manual that refer exclusively to Senate procedures are omitted in the House
Manual, as are paragraphs from the Constitution.



This section includes the 28 rules of the House as well as extensive notes and annotations, and
comprise sections 621-1105. Reprinted at the end of the section are provisions of the Legislative
Reorganization Act of 1946 and Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 that are applicable to
both houses.
Sections 1108-1112b identify existing authority for the joint and select committees.
Sections 1113-1125f address the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, House
Office Building Commission, Government Accountability Office, Office of Compliance,
Congressional Research Service, Legislative Counsel, Congressional Budget Office, Law
Revision Counsel, Technology Assessment, Office of the Parliamentarian, Office of Floor
Assistants, Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, House Recording Studio, United States Capitol
Preservation Commission, Office of General Counsel, Office of Emergency Planning,
Preparedness, and Operations, Office of Attending Physician, Office of the Architect of the
Capitol, and House Democracy Assistance Commission..
This section includes provisions from the Committee Reform Amendments of 1974 addressing
the early organization meetings of the House to be held in December of an election year.
Reprinted in this section are excerpts from the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (but not the
Impoundment Control Act), the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, and the
Budget Enforcement Act that relate to legislative procedure, with annotations, but only a single
section number for each of the three laws. For example, provided are provisions relating to the
floor procedures for considering the concurrent budget resolution, the budget timetable,
reconciliation, and the authority of the Budget Committee.
Included in this section are provisions in congressional disapproval statutes that prescribe special
procedures in the House for reviewing executive actions. These procedures are technically rules
of the House and are customarily reincorporated by reference in the resolution adopting the rules
for a Congress.
An extensive index contains references to sections in the Manual, whereas the contents refers to
page numbers.





Judy Schneider
Specialist on the Congress
jschneider@crs.loc.gov, 7-8664