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House Schedule: Recent Practices and Proposed Options

Description: Many Members have in recent years expressed dissatisfaction with the way the House arranges its work schedule. The chief complaints appear to be that existing practices make inefficient use of time and do not allow predictability, generating persistent scheduling conflicts and other time pressures. This report discusses how four types of House schedule that have been practiced or proposed during the past decade address these areas of dissatisfaction.
Date: February 2, 2001
Creator: Beth, Richard S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Leadership Structure: Overview of Party Organization

Description: At the beginning of each Congress, Members meet to organize and select their leaders. Democrats call their party organization the Democratic Caucus; Republicans call their party organization the Republican Conference. Within the caucus and conference are numerous entities that assist party leaders in determining the work and role of the Members of that party. This report serves as a companion piece to CRS Report RS20499, House Leadership: Whip Organization, and CRS Report RS20881, Party Leaders… more
Date: July 10, 2003
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Subcommittees: Assignment Process

Description: House rules, Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus rules, and individual committee rules all address the subcommittee assignment process, although to varying degrees. This report describes the assignment process for House Subcommittees.
Date: May 11, 2007
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Subcommittees in the House of Representatives

Description: Subcommittees are entities created by full committees to assist them in managing their work. Service on subcommittees enables members to develop expertise in specialized fields. Subcommittees diffuse the legislative process. For the most part, they are independent, autonomous units with written jurisdictions, and, pursuant to longstanding practice, most bills are referred by a full committee to them. This report provides a brief history of subcommittees, as well as their modern role and functio… more
Date: May 3, 2007
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments

Description: Both House and party rules detail procedures for committee assignments. House rules address the election and membership of committees, especially limitations on membership. The Democratic Caucus and Republican Conference rules designate categories of committees (shown below) and specify service limitations in addition to those in the House rules.
Date: March 20, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committees: Assignment Process

Description: Committee assignments often determine the character of a Member's career. They are also important to the party leaders who organize the chamber and shape the composition of the committees. House rules identify some procedures for making committee assignments; Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus rules supplement these House rules and provide more specific criteria for committee assignments. This report describes these procedures and the basic functions of committee assignment in the Hous… more
Date: February 25, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Organization and Process: A Brief Overview

Description: Committees are integral to the work of Congress in determining the policy needs of the nation and acting on them. This report provides a brief overview of six features of the committee system in the House: organization, hearings, markup, reporting, oversight, and publications. Committees in the House have four primary powers: to conduct hearings and investigations, to consider bills and resolutions and amendments to them, to report legislation to the House for its possible consideration, and to… more
Date: April 21, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Resolutions of Inquiry

Description: The resolution of inquiry is a simple House resolution that seeks factual information from the executive branch. This report explains the history, procedure, specific uses of resolutions of inquiry, and notes recent increases in their usage. The examples in this report demonstrate that, historically, even when a resolution of inquiry is reported adversely from a committee and tabled on the floor, it has frequently led to the release of a substantial amount of information from the Administration. more
Date: June 17, 2009
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction

Description: This report is an introductory and selective explanation of the rules, procedures, and practices by which the House of Representatives considers public bills and resolutions on the floor. After discussions of the nature of House rules, the differences between the House and the Committee of the Whole, and limitations on debate, the report describes five different ways in which the House may consider, perhaps debate and amend, and then vote on whether to pass legislation. The report also discusse… more
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction

Description: This report briefly outlines the background of ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives, including the creation of both the Select Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The report also focuses on various jurisdictional and procedural changes that the committee has experienced since 1967 and discusses the committee's current jurisdiction and procedures.
Date: August 2, 2010
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Contested Election Cases: 1933 to 2005

Description: This report provides a summary of contested election cases from the 73rd Congress through the 109th Congress, 1933 to 2005. The descriptions primarily provide information concerning the nature of the action and the disposition of the case. The summary is limited to only those cases that were considered by the House of Representatives; cases decided at the state level are beyond the scope of this report.
Date: October 26, 2006
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Administrative Issues Related to a Change in Majority in the House of Representatives

Description: This report briefly describes how a change in majority leadership in the House of Representatives -- such as the incoming new majority that will assume control of House operations at the beginning of the 112th Congress in January 2011 -- could affect House rules, committees, and administrative and legislative operations.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric; Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Procedures for Contested Election Cases in the House of Representatives

Description: Under the U.S. Constitution, each House of Congress has the express authority to be the judge of the "elections and returns" of its own Members. Although initial challenges and recounts for the House are conducted at the state level, under the state's authority to administer federal elections, continuing contests may be presented to the House, which, as the final arbiter, may make a conclusive determination of a claim to the seat. This report describes these procedures.
Date: November 4, 2010
Creator: Maskell, Jack & Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Resolving Legislative Differences in Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses

Description: This report summarizes the procedures the two houses of Congress use most frequently to resolve their legislative differences. It is based upon an interpretation of the rules and published precedents of the House and Senate, and an analysis of the application of these rules and precedents in recent practice. It bears emphasizing that this report is not exhaustive nor is it in any way an official statement of House or Senate procedures. It may serve as a useful introduction or general guide, but… more
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Rybicki, Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments

Description: This report House and party rules, both of which detail procedures for committee assignments. House rules address the election and membership of committees, especially limitations on membership. The Democratic Caucus and Republican Conference rules designate categories of committees (shown below) and specify service limitations in addition to those in the House rules.
Date: October 19, 2010
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction

Description: This report provides an introduction to the legislative process on the House floor, including limitations on debate, calendars and the order of business, modes of floor consideration, senate amendments and conference reports, voting and quorum procedures, and information about a typical day on the House floor.
Date: December 1, 2010
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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