Amendment Resources

The following resources may be useful in drafting your amendment: 

 
Office Phone Number
Office of the Legislative Counsel (202)-225-6060
House Parliamentarian (202)-225-7373
House Budget Committee (202)-226-7270

Additional helpful guidelines can be found below:

General Amendment Submission Guidelines

In some cases, the Chairman of the Rules Committee will announce special procedures or deadlines for the submission of amendments via a "Dear Colleague" letter. The announcement usually sets a deadline for submission as indicated in the announcement. Those special procedures always take precedence.

In order to have the amendment considered in the Rules Committee, take the following steps, unless otherwise specified by the Chairman's announcement:

  1. If a Member wishes to testify before the Rules Committee on an amendment, indicate that they would like to testify on the amendment submission form. If the amendment was previously submitted, call the Committee at 225-9191 (Majority) or 225-9091 (Minority) to have the Member placed on the witness list.
  2. The assistance of the Office of the Legislative Counsel (202-225-6060) should be sought in drafting the amendment.  It is very important that the amendment be drafted by Legislative Counsel to ensure that it is tailored to the most up-to-date version of the base bill and that it is accurate.  This also helps to ensure the expeditious printing by the Government Printing Office of any amendments made in order by the Rules Committee.
  3. The text of the amendment should be checked with the House Parliamentarian (202-225-7373) to determine if it violates any rule of the House.  If so, the amendment could possibly be redrafted to correct the problem.  If not, the Rules Committee should be notified that the Member will need a waiver of certain points of order in order to have the amendment considered. 
  4. Amendments submitted by the announced amendment deadline will be sent to the Congressional Budget Office (202-226-2800) for review once they have been recieved by the Rules Committee. Any amendments that are recieved after the deadline will still be sent for review, but those that were filed on time will be prioritzed. 
  5. In the absence of a special procedure announced by the Chairman of the Committee on Rules, the Committee amendment submissions two hours in advance of the meeting.  Also, if the Member wants the text of a written statement before the committee members while they testify, a copy is required in advance of the meeting, preferably by the close of business the day before the meeting.  
  6. It is always helpful to call the Committee on Rules well in advance of the Committee on Rules meeting and to speak with the appropriate Committee staff regarding your Member's amendment.  Keep the Committee informed of the progress of the amendment with the Parliamentarian's office and with the Legislative Counsel's office.  
  7. It is important to accomplish all of this well in advance of the Committee on Rules meeting.  

**Note:  The submission of an amendment to the Committee on Rules does not guarantee that the amendment will be made in order or that it will be granted a waiver.  

SUBMITTING AMENDMENTS WITH PRE-PRINTING REQUIREMENTS

The following are instructions for submitting amendments to the Congressional Record for pre-printing. Pre-printing is necessary only when a pre-printing requirement is prescribed by a specific bill or resolution. PLEASE NOTE: Submission of amendments for pre-printing AFTER the House has adjourned for the day is prohibited. Amendments must be filed while the chamber is in session.

If amendments are prepared by the Office of Legislative Counsel:

The amendment must have the Member’s original signature on the first page. The amendment must then either be delivered to the Cloakroom or dropped into the Amendments Box, which is located on the first tier of the dais on the Democratic side of the House Floor, while the House is in session.

If amendments are not prepared by the Office of Legislative Counsel:

Make sure to include:

  • The name of the bill or resolution to which the amendment will be offered
  • The point in the bill or resolution where the amendment is intended to be offered.
  • The full text of the proposed amendment.
  • The Member's original signature on the submitted amendment. The amendment must then either be delivered to the Cloakroom or dropped into the Amendments Box, which is located on the first tier of the dais on the Democratic side of the House Floor, while the House is in session.