United States House Committee on Rules

{{short description|Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives}} {{Use American English|date=June 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2026}} {{Infobox U.S. congressional committee |name = Committee on Rules |type = standing |chamber = house |congress = 119th |image = US House Committee on Rules seal.png |image_size = 150 |status = active |formed = April 2, 1789 |disbanded = |succeeded = |preceded = |merged = |former_names = |chair = Virginia Foxx |chair_party = R |chair_since = 2025 |ranking_member = Jim McGovern |rm_party = D |rm_since = 2023 |vice_chair = |vc_party = |vc_since = |seats = 13 |majority1 = R |majority1_seats = 9 |minority1 = D |minority1_seats = 4 |purpose = Special Rules and Original Jurisdiction |policy_areas = Rules and joint rules (other than those relating to the Code of Official Conduct) and the order of business of the House and Recesses and final adjournments of Congress. |oversight = |counterpart = Committee on Rules and Administration |meeting_place = |meeting_image = |meeting_img_size = |website = {{url|rules.house.gov}} (Republican)<br>{{url|democrats-rules.house.gov}} (Democratic) |minority_website = |chamber_rules = |committee_rules = |notes = }} {{United States House of Representatives}} The '''Committee on Rules''' (or more commonly the '''Rules Committee''') is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy. The committee is often considered one of the most powerful committees as it influences the introduction and process of legislation through the House. Thus it has garnered the nickname the "traffic cop of Congress". A "special rule" resolution (also referred to simply as a "rule") is a simple resolution of the House of Representatives, usually reported by the Committee on Rules, to permit the immediate consideration of a legislative measure, notwithstanding the usual order of business, and to prescribe conditions for its debate and amendment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rules.house.gov/POP/specialrule_is.htm|title=Committee on Rules|publisher=U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Rules|access-date=November 3, 2006}}</ref>

==Jurisdiction== The 'regular' process to pass a bill in the house is complicated and prone to delays and obstruction by the minority. Because of this, in practice, bills (other than those that are uncontroversial) are almost always debated under a so-called 'special rule' reported by the Rules Committee. This rule usually restricts the lengths of debate and number and type of amendments allowed (if any). === Special rules === When a bill is reported out of another committee with legislative jurisdiction, it is placed on the appropriate House Calendar for debate. Common practice, though, is for bills reported from committees to be considered in the Rules Committee, which then passes a so-called "special rule" (a resolution allowing for consideration of a bill, establishing how long and under what rules the full body will debate the proposition). A "special rule" resolution (also known simply as a "rule") is privileged under the Standing Rules of the House, meaning it is immediately subject to a debate and a vote by the full House upon being reported by the Rules Committee. If a "special rule" resolution providing for consideration of a bill is passed, then such bill must be considered by the House at such a time and under such limitations as the resolution has set. In practice, a bill can get to a floor vote only if a "special rule" resolution providing for its consideration is passed (unless the Speaker grants a vote on suspension of the rules, which requires two-thirds of votes cast in order to pass).

Consideration by the full body can occur in one of two forums: the Committee of the Whole, or on the floor of the full House of Representatives itself. Different traditions govern whether the Committee of the Whole or the House itself will debate a given resolution, and the Rules Committee generally sets the forum under which a proposition will be debated and the amendment/time limitations for every measure, too. For instance, there might be a limit on the number or types of amendments (proposed changes to the bill). Amendments might only be allowed to specific sections of the bill, or no amendments might be allowed at all. Besides control over amendments, the rule issued by the Rules Committee also determines the amount of speaking time assigned on each bill or resolution. If the leadership wants a bill pushed forward quietly, for instance, there might be no debate time scheduled; if they want attention, they might allow time for lengthy speeches in support of the bill.

Between control over amendments, debate, and when measures will be considered, the Rules Committee exerts vast power in the House. As such, the majority party will usually be very keen on controlling it tightly. While most House committees maintain membership in a rough proportion to the full chamber (if the majority party controls 55% of the House, it will tend to have 55% of committee seats), membership on the Rules Committee is disproportionately in favor of the majority party. Furthermore, the rules committee typically operates in a very partisan fashion, advancing "special rule" resolutions to the floor on straight party line votes in nearly all cases.

==History== The Rules Committee was formed on April 2, 1789, during the first Congress. However, it had nowhere near the powerful role it has today. Instead, it merely proposed general rules for the House to follow when debating bills (rather than passing a special rule for each bill), and was dissolved after proposing these general rules. These general rules still have a great impact on the tone of the House floor today.

The Rules Committee, for a long time, lay dormant. For the first fifty years of its existence, it accomplished little beyond simply reaffirming these rules, and its role was very noncontroversial. On June 16, 1841, it made a major policy change, reducing from {{frac|2|3}} to {{1/2}} the fraction of votes needed in the House to close debate and vote on a bill.

In 1880, the modern Rules Committee began to emerge from the reorganization of the House Committees. When the Republican Party took over the House in the election of 1880, they quickly realized the power that the Rules Committee possessed. One member, Thomas Brackett Reed (R-Maine), used a seat on the Rules Committee to vault himself to the Speakership, and gained so much power that he was referred to as "Czar Reed".

In the 1890s and 1900s, Reed and his successor, Joseph Gurney Cannon (R-Illinois) used the Rules Committee to centralize the power of the Speakership. Although their power to place members in committees and perform other functions was limited by a forced rule change in 1910, the Rules Committee retained its power. However, it ceased to function as the personal project of the Speaker, as it had originally; instead, as the seniority system took root, it was captured by a coalition of conservative Democrats and Republicans. This state of affairs would continue until the 1960s.

In 1961, Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-Texas), acting on the wishes of the new President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic Study Group, introduced a bill to enlarge the committee from 12 members to 15, to decrease the power of the arch-conservative chair, Howard W. Smith (D-Virginia). The bill passed, 217 votes to 212. However, it was only partially successful; the Rules Committee continued to block legislation including civil rights and education bills.

By 1975, however, the Rules Committee was firmly under the command of the Speaker once again. Under Tip O'Neill (D-Mass.), the Speaker was given authority under House Democratic Caucus rules to appoint all Rules Committee Democrats subject to caucus ratification, and in 1989 the Republican Conference did the same.<ref>{{cite report |author=House Rules Committee |date=2 January 1999 |title=Survey of Activities of the House Committee on Rules, 105th Congress |url=https://www.congress.gov/committee-report/105th-congress/house-report/840/1 |publisher=Government Publishing Office |page=3 |access-date=29 December 2025 |quote=The reform revolt of the mid-seventies also produced further decentralization in the House with the emergence of more independent-minded Members and the proliferation of semi-autonomous subcommittees. This decentralization soon led to off-setting pressures to give the majority leadership, particularly the Speaker, acting through the Rules Committee, more authority to pull things back together. In 1975, the Democratic Speaker was given authority under Caucus rules to appoint all Rules Committee Democrats, subject to Caucus ratification. In 1989 the Republican Conference gave the minority leader the same authority to appoint all Rules Committee Republicans.}}</ref> As before, its primary role is to come up with special rules, to help or obstruct the chances of legislation reported to it.

==General types of rules== [[File:Bradley Byrne at United States House Committee on Rules.jpg|thumb|Representative Bradley Byrne while in session. He served on the House Committee on Rules from 2015 to 2018. ]] The Rules Committee issues the following types of "special rule" resolutions:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rules.house.gov/about |title=About the Committee on Rules – History and Processes|date=19 December 2013 }}</ref> *'''Open rule''': Allows any member to offer any amendment in compliance with house rules under the five minute rule (a member argues for the amendment for 5 minutes, an opponent then argues against the amendment for 5 minutes, other members may then "strike the last word" to speak further on the Amendment, and the house then votes on the amendment). Debate continues until no one offers an amendment. This type of Rule has not been used since June 10, 2014.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} *'''Modified open rule''': Much like an open rule, but may require amendments to be preprinted in the congressional record beforehand, and may impose a total time limit for the consideration of all amendments, or for debate on each amendment. This type of rule has not been used by action of the Committee since May 26th, 2016. One such rule was included in the 118th Congress's Rules package. *'''Structured rule''' – Members submit amendments to the rules committee, and the rules committee selects which amendments may be considered on the floor. *'''Closed rule''' – Eliminates the opportunity to amend the bill on the floor, except under unanimous consent.

Most "special rule" resolutions offer time for "general debate" before any amendment consideration begins (it is also possible for the rules committee to issue a rule for "general debate" only and later issue a second rule for amendment consideration) and allow for one motion to send the bill back to its committee of origination, with or without instructions for how to modify the bill. Such resolutions may also include necessary authority for district work periods, and may waive or modify certain points of order or rules of the house if desired by the committee, and the committee is also allowed to self-execute amendments right in the rule rather than delegating this ability to the full house floor.<ref name="Example Rule">{{cite web |url=https://rules.house.gov/bill/115/hr-4#rule-information |title=Rule Information|date=16 April 2018 }}</ref>

==Members, 119th Congress== {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *Virginia Foxx, North Carolina, ''Chair'' *Michelle Fischbach, Minnesota *Ralph Norman, South Carolina *Chip Roy, Texas *Erin Houchin, Indiana *Nick Langworthy, New York *Austin Scott, Georgia *Morgan Griffith, Virginia *Brian Jack, Georgia |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *Jim McGovern, Massachusetts, ''Ranking Member'' *Mary Gay Scanlon, Pennsylvania *Joe Neguse, Colorado *Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico |}

Resolutions electing members: {{USBill|118|HRes|38}} (R), {{USBill|118|HRes|40}} (D)

==Subcommittees== The Rules Committee operates with two subcommittees, one focusing on legislative and budget matters and one focusing on the internal operations of the House.

{|class="wikitable" !Subcommittee !Chair !Ranking Member |- |Legislative and Budget Process |Nick Langworthy |Mary Gay Scanlon |- |Rules and the Organization of the House |Michelle Fischbach |Teresa Leger Fernandez |}

Source: [https://rules.house.gov/about/subcommittees Full membership]

==Leadership, 1849–1853 and 1880–present== {{incomplete list |date=September 2025}} The Committee on Rules was created as a select committee but became a standing committee for the 31st and 32nd Congresses (1849–1853). In 1853, the panel reverted to being a select committee and remained one until 1880.<ref>''A Pre-Twentieth Century look at the House Committee on Rules'', by Walter J. Olezek (House of Representatives, Rules Committee Democrats website; accessed January 16, 2011)</ref>

From 1880 to the revolt against Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon in March 1910, the Speaker of the House also served as chair of the Rules Committee.

Beginning in 1999 with Republican David Dreier of California, the chair of the Rules Committee became a member of the elected Republican leadership, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Howard W. Smith of Virginia is the longest-serving chair (1955–1967) since the committee's founding. David Dreier of California is the youngest chair of the Rules Committee, assuming the position at the age of 46. He is also the longest-serving chair (1999–2007, 2011–2013) since 1967. Louise Slaughter of New York is the first woman to chair the committee (2007–2011).

== Historical members and subcommittees == ===114th Congress=== {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *Pete Sessions, {{ushr|TX|32|S}}, ''Chair'' *Virginia Foxx, {{ushr|NC|5|S}}, ''Vice Chair'' *Tom Cole, {{ushr|OK|4|S}} *Rob Woodall, {{ushr|GA|7|S}} *Michael C. Burgess, {{ushr|TX|26|S}} *Steve Stivers, {{ushr|OH|15|S}} *Doug Collins, {{ushr|GA|9|S}} *Bradley Byrne, {{ushr|AL|1|S}} *Dan Newhouse, {{ushr|WA|4|S}} |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *Louise Slaughter, {{ushr|NY|25|S}}, ''Ranking Member'' *James P. McGovern, {{ushr|MA|2|S}} *Alcee Hastings, {{ushr|FL|20|S}} *Jared Polis, {{ushr|CO|2|S}} |}

Sources: {{USBill|113|HRes|6}} (Chairs), {{USBill|113|HRes|7}} (D), {{USBill|113|HRes|17}} (R) and {{USBill|113|HRes|22}} (D).

===115th Congress=== {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *Pete Sessions, {{ushr|TX|32|S}}, ''Chair'' *Tom Cole, {{ushr|OK|4|S}}, ''Vice Chair'' *Rob Woodall, {{ushr|GA|7|S}} *Michael C. Burgess, {{ushr|TX|26|S}} *Doug Collins, {{ushr|GA|9|S}} *Bradley Byrne, {{ushr|AL|1|S}} *Dan Newhouse, {{ushr|WA|4|S}} *Ken Buck, {{ushr|CO|4|S}} *Liz Cheney, {{ushr|WY|AL|S}} |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *Jim McGovern, {{ushr|MA|2|S}}, ''Ranking Member'' *Louise Slaughter, {{ushr|NY|25|S}}, until March 16, 2018 *Alcee Hastings, {{ushr|FL|20|S}} *Jared Polis, {{ushr|CO|2|S}}, ''Vice Ranking Member'' *Norma Torres, {{ushr|CA|35|S}}, from April 11, 2018 |}

Sources: {{USBill|115|HRes|6}} (R), {{USBill|115|HRes|7}} (D), {{USBill|115|HRes|816}} (D)

===116th Congress=== [[File:Doris Matsui - United States House Committee on Rules - 4-22-20.jpg|thumb|Members of the Committee social distancing at a hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020]] {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *Jim McGovern, {{ushr|MA|2|S}}, ''Chair'' *Alcee Hastings, {{ushr|FL|20|S}}, ''Vice Chair'' *Norma Torres, {{ushr|CA|35|S}} *Ed Perlmutter, {{ushr|CO|7|S}} *Jamie Raskin, {{ushr|MD|8|S}} *Mary Gay Scanlon, {{ushr|PA|5|S}} *Joseph Morelle, {{ushr|NY|25|S}} *Donna Shalala, {{ushr|FL|27|S}} *Mark DeSaulnier, {{ushr|CA|11|S}} (until April 22, 2020) *Doris Matsui, {{ushr|CA|6|S}} (since April 22, 2020) |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *Tom Cole, {{ushr|OK|4|S}}, ''Ranking Member'' *Rob Woodall, {{ushr|GA|7|S}} *Michael C. Burgess, {{ushr|TX|26|S}} *Debbie Lesko, {{ushr|AZ|8|S}} |}

Sources: {{USBill|116|HRes|7}} (Chair), {{USBill|116|HRes|8}} (Ranking Member), {{USBill|116|HRes|24}} (D), {{USBill|116|HRes|25}} (R), {{USBill|116|HRes|26}} (D), {{USBill|116|HRes|125}} (D), {{USBill|116|HRes|934}} (D)

===117th Congress=== {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *{{nowrap|Jim McGovern, Massachusetts, ''Chair''}} *Norma Torres, California *Ed Perlmutter, Colorado *Jamie Raskin, Maryland *Mary Gay Scanlon, Pennsylvania *Joseph Morelle, New York *Mark DeSaulnier, California, ''Vice-Chair'' *Deborah K. Ross, North Carolina *Joe Neguse, Colorado (since May 12, 2021) |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *{{nowrap|Tom Cole, Oklahoma, ''Ranking Member''}} *Michael C. Burgess, Texas *Guy Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania *Michelle Fischbach, Minnesota |}

Sources: {{USBill|117|HRes|35}} (D), {{USBill|117|HRes|36}} (R), {{USBill|117|HRes|63}} (R), {{USBill|117|HRes|384}} (D), [https://rules.house.gov/press-releases/chairman-mcgovern-announces-new-vice-chair-subcommittee-chairmanship-and-assignments]

;Subcommittees {|class="wikitable" !Subcommittee !Chair !Ranking Member |- |Expedited Procedures |Jamie Raskin (D-MD) |Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) |- |Legislative and Budget Process |Joseph Morelle (D-NY) |Michael C. Burgess (R-TX) |- |Rules and the Organization of the House |Norma Torres (D-CA) |Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) |}

===118th Congress=== {|class=wikitable !Majority !Minority |- |{{party shading/Republican}} valign=top | *Michael C. Burgess, Texas, ''Chair'' *Tom Cole, Oklahoma, ''Chair'' (until April 10, 2024) *Guy Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania, ''Vice Chair'' *Michelle Fischbach, Minnesota *Thomas Massie, Kentucky *Ralph Norman, South Carolina *Chip Roy, Texas *Erin Houchin, Indiana *Nick Langworthy, New York *Austin Scott, Georgia |{{party shading/Democratic}} valign=top | *Jim McGovern, Massachusetts, ''Ranking Member'' *Mary Gay Scanlon, Pennsylvania *Joe Neguse, Colorado *Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico |}

Resolutions electing members: {{USBill|118|HRes|14}} (Chair), {{USBill|118|HRes|15}} (Ranking Member), {{USBill|118|HRes|56}} (R), {{USBill|118|HRes|57}} (D), {{USBill|118|HRes|1133}} (R)

;Subcommittees {|class="wikitable" !Subcommittee !Chair !Ranking Member |- |Legislative and Budget Process |Michelle Fischbach |Teresa Leger Fernandez |- |Rules and the Organization of the House |Michael C. Burgess |Mary Gay Scanlon |}

==See also== {{Portal|United States|Politics}} *List of United States House of Representatives committees *United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading== *Brauer, Carl M. "Women Activists, Southern Conservatives, and the Prohibition of Sex Discrimination in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act", 49 ''Journal of Southern History'', February 1983 *Dierenfield, Bruce J. ''Keeper of the Rules: Congressman Howard W. Smith of Virginia'' (1987) *Dion, Douglas, and John D. Huber. "Procedural choice and the house committee on rules." ''Journal of Politics'' (1996) 58#1 pp: 25–53. [http://allman.rhon.itam.mx/~emagar/ep3/rules/dion.huber.rules1996jop.pdf online] *Jenkins, Jeffery A., and Nathan W. Monroe. "Buying negative agenda control in the us house." ''American Journal of Political Science'' (2012) 56#4 pp: 897–912. *Jones, Charles O. "Joseph G. Cannon and Howard W. Smith: an Essay on the Limits of Leadership in the House of Representatives" ''Journal of Politics'' 1968 30(3): 617–646. *Moffett, Kenneth W. "Parties and Procedural Choice in the House Rules Committee." ''Congress & the Presidency'' (2012) 39#1 *Race, A. "House Rules and Procedure." in ''New Directions in Congressional Politics'' (2012): 111+ *Robinson, James Arthur. ''The House rules committee''(1963) *Schickler, Eric; Pearson, Kathryn. "Agenda Control, Majority Party Power, and the House Committee on Rules, 1937–52," ''Legislative Studies Quarterly'' (2009) 34#4 pp 455–491 *Smallwood, James. "Sam Rayburn and the Rules Committee Change of 1961." ''East Texas Historical Journal'' 11.1 (1973): 10+ [https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1270&context=ethj online]. *Woods, Clinton Jacob, "Strange Bedfellows: Congressman Howard W. Smith and the Inclusion of Sex Discrimination in the 1964 Civil Rights Act," ''Southern Studies,'' 16 (Spring–Summer 2009), 1–32.

==External links== {{Commons category|United States House Committee on Rules}} *[https://rules.house.gov/ Official website of the committee] ([https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwa00hsru00/ Archive]) *[https://www.congress.gov/committee/house-rules/hsru00 House Rules Committee]. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov. *[https://www.congress.gov/committees/video/house-rules/hsru00 House Rules Committee Hearings and Meetings Video]. Congress.gov.

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States House Committee On Rules}} Rules Category:1789 establishments in the United States Category:Organizations established in 1789 Category:Joseph Gurney Cannon Category:Parliamentary rules committees