United States House Committee on Rules

The Committee on Rules ( Committee on Rules) or Rules Committee is a committee of the House of Representatives of the United States of America. The Committee crucial determinant of the Rules of Procedure of the House and is one of the most influential committees. It is involved in all all policy and intended primarily to be under which "rule" bills discussed in the House of Representatives.

Tasks

After a bill has been discussed in the Technical Committee, he goes to the Rules Committee. Unlike the Senate, the House of Representatives will be no unlimited discussion. Discussions and votes on a draft law in Parliament are strictly limited and the Committee on Rules determines the limitations. The House Rules Committee is therefore much more influential and important than its sister committee in the Senate, the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

The Committee determines what is possible during the debate. For example, it may limit the number of amendments that limit amendments to certain sections of the law or ban them altogether. Also, it sets the speaking time may be spent in total for the law. So if there is, for example, comes to pass a controversial bill as quickly and silently, it can also specify that no talk time is provided for this bill. Will it, in contrast, have as much public reaction to a law, it can begin extensive debates.

Due to the great influence that it has, it is usually strictly controlled by the Speaker of the House and the majority party and occupied only with known reliable members.

History

The Committee was created during the First Congress on April 2, 1789. At that time he was created to set global rules for all debates and not, as now, specific for each individual. For the first 50 years of its existence, he did little except to confirm the general rules for each legislative period. His first controversial decision came on 16 June 1841, when he sat down, the previous two-thirds majority to an absolute majority that could end debate.

As part of a reorganization of the committees in 1880, the Rules Committee began to form in its present form. The first chairman thereafter, the then Speaker of the House, Democrat Samuel J. Randall of Pennsylvania prevailed that the Committee 's Rules at any time - so for every law - could change. When the Republican majority in the Repräsentantanhaus reached in the elections in the same year, she quickly understood what power they possessed wealth by this change. One, Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine, took advantage of the committee chaired by the Speaker of the House to be and began to build up such an impact that he became known as " Czar Reed ".

His successor, Joseph Gurney Cannon Republican from Illinois, continued this course. In between, they were using the Rules Committee in the position to occupy the members of all committees. Rebels within the House of Representatives in 1910 diminished the power of the Speaker, the Rules Committee could maintain its position of influence but. Now, however, it served less as an extension of the speaker, but a coalition of conservative Democrats and Republicans dominated it until the 1960s.

Only in 1961 sat Speaker Sam Rayburn (D -TX) on the request of President John F. Kennedy through that membership will be extended from 12 to 15 members, to break the power of the conservative chairman Howard W. Smith in hope. The bill that changed the size went through, but the content changed little, the Committee also took advantage of the rich continue to power means that he had to prevent legislation in favor of the civil rights movement and education reform.

Only since the 1970s, and various institutional reforms, the Committee will be back at the speaker, who has succeeded in the past 30 years, it reinstate as his extended arm.

Members in the 112th Congress

Republican

Democrats

United States congressional committee Daniel Webster (Florida politician) Jim McGovern (American politician)
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