Basic Training — House Floor Basics: People and Process
For any Member, new or veteran, the operation of the House floor can seem confusing. The House’s presiding officer is attended to by a host of staff who support the day-to-day legislative functions of the House and facilitate the introduction of bills, the processing of committee reports, the recording of remarks on the House floor, and a variety of other functions. What follows is a basic description of each role’s function, along with a basic outline of the legislative day.
Rostrum Personnel and Their Functions
The Rostrum is the elevated platform located on the south side of the house chamber where the Member serving as the presiding officer stands or sits while the House is in session, along with the staff tending to the needs of the presiding officer and the House. Figure 1 shows the position for each of the major floor personnel positions on the Rostrum.
Bill Clerk. (1) The Bill Clerk is a member of the Clerk’s staff who is usually seated next to the “hopper” on the lower tier of the dais. The bill clerk receives and processes bills, resolutions, and lists of cosponsors, texts of amendments, and communications to the House. The Bill Clerk is also responsible for processing constitutional authority statements that are required to accompany bills. Bills, cosponsor sheets, and constitutional authority statements are submitted directly to the hopper. Amendments for printing in the Congressional Record are to be placed in another box designated for that purpose on the lowest level of the rostrum.
Parliamentarian and Assistant Parliamentarians. (4) (2) The Parliamentarian and his deputies are non-partisan appointees of the Speaker. The Parliamentarian counsels both the Speaker and individual members on the rules and precedents of the House. The Parliamentarian also makes recommendations to the Speaker on the referral of bills. A member of the Parliamentarian’s staff is always in the chamber when the House is in session, including during special orders. The Office of the Parliamentarian also prepares and publishes the rules and precedents, including the House Rules and Manual and House Practice.
Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. (3) The Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms carries the Mace, the symbol of authority in the House, at the beginning and end of each legislative day. That officer is responsible for bringing the chamber to order and preventing altercations.
Journal Clerk. (5) The Journal Clerk compiles the daily minutes of house proceedings known as theJournal, which is not a verbatim transcript like the Congressional Record. The Journal is the official record of the House’s proceedings required under the Constitution.
Tally Clerks. (6) (7) Another member of the Clerk’s staff, the tally clerk, is usually seated to the left of the Clerk’s lectern. The tally clerk operates the electronic voting system, oversees the recording of votes on the House floor, receives reports of committees, and assigns report numbers (e.g. H. Rept. 112-123). The tally clerk also prepares the Calendars of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation. In addition to the “seated tally clerk,” during the operation of the electronic voting system a “standing tally clerk” stands on the lowest level of the rostrum and collects votes cast via well cards and works with the seated tally clerk to ensure the accuracy of the vote.
Official Reporters. (8) The Official Reporters of Debate transcribe a verbatim account of remarks made on the House Floor for inclusion in the Congressional Record. They also provide transcription services to certain committees, such as the Committee on Rules.
Reading Clerk. (9) To the right of the Clerk’s lectern are the reading clerks, who are responsible for reading aloud communications from the Senate, House bills, amendments, and other legislative matters. They are also responsible for tracking amendments adopted during consideration of a bill.
Clerk of the House. (10) The Clerk of the House is an elected officer of the House, responsible for managing the day-to-day legislative operations of the institution. The Clerk is usually not on the rostrum, outside of ceremonial occasions, and this position on the rostrum is then occupied by the Clerk to the Parliamentarian.
Clerks to the Reporters. (11) The Clerks to the Reporters produce the Congressional Record and collect written floor statements and extensions of remarks for inclusion in the Record. Members submitting an extension of remarks should drop a signed copy in the box marked for that purpose on the right side of the rostrum’s lower-level, and staff should email a copy of the remarks to extensions@mail.house.gov.
Clerk to the Parliamentarian. (12) The Clerk to the Parliamentarian is the official time keeper for the legislative proceedings. The individual fulfilling this function identifies Members for the presiding officer, ensures that the rostrum personnel have all needed House documents, and tracks the use of time in debate.
Documentarian Pages. (13) The Documentarian Pages are the two pages who tend to the needs of the presiding officer and the chamber in general. The Documentarian Pages operate the controls for the House “bell system” which indicate the activity on the House floor and the elapsed time during an electronic vote. They also assist members in setting up and taking down exhibits, such as charts and graphs.