Rules Committee Holds Members' Day Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC – The Rules Committee’s Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House held a Members' Day hearing today on proposed rules changes for the 114th Congress.  The hearing, which was chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Richard Nugent (R-FL), provided an opportunity for testimony and proposals from Members on possible modifications to the standing rules of the House for next Congress.  

"The rules package is one of the very first votes the incoming Congress takes, so it’s important that we have the opportunity to get as much input ahead of time as possible,” said Nugent.  "This is a great opportunity to continue looking at ways to improve and bring accountability to the process." 

"Today’s hearing gave Members—from both sides of the aisle—a forum for offering their ideas on how we can build on the positive reforms we have put in place over the last several years,” said Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX).  "My goal as Rules Chairman is for Members to play an active role in shaping the rules package for the next Congress.  Today was an important first step in that process.  I want to thank Chairman Nugent for his hard work and leadership in this effort."

Background: 

  • Under Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution, each House of Congress may "determine the rules of its proceedings."  Each Congress, the House of Representatives, in accordance with its Constitutional power, adopts a rules package that will govern proceedings in the new Congress. 
  • While the overwhelming majority of rules transfer from one Congress to the next, the rules package presents an opportunity to improve the rules of the House, streamline and reorganize its operations, highlight the priorities of the majority, and bring the House in line with advancements in technology, among other initiatives.  
  • Typically, the rules often undergo the most change when a new majority takes control of the House. In this circumstance, the rules package usually reflects the incoming majority party’s values and legislative priorities. In the absence of a political transition, rules packages tend to simply continue the efforts of the previous Congress through more minor modifications.   

Click here for video and additional information on this subcommittee hearing.  

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Created:
Sep 17, 2014