Christopher M. Davis
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
The House of Representatives has several different parliamentary procedures through which it can bring legislation to the chamber floor. Which of these will be used in a given situation depends on many factors, including the type of measure being considered, its cost, the amount of political or policy controversy surrounding it, and the degree to which members want to debate it and propose amendments. This report provides a snapshot of the forms and origins of measures which, according to the Legislative Information System of the U.S. Congress (LIS), received action on the House floor in the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and the parliamentary procedures used to bring them up.
In the 110th Congress, 2,185 pieces of legislation received floor action in the House of Representatives. Of these, 1,123 were bills or joint resolutions and 1,062 were simple or concurrent resolutions, a roughly even breakdown between lawmaking and non-lawmaking legislative forms. Of these 2,185 measures, 2,022 originated in the House and 163 originated in the Senate.
During this period, 71% of all measures receiving House floor action came before the chamber under the Suspension of the Rules procedure; 15% came to the floor as business “privileged” under House rules and precedents; 8% were raised by a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules and adopted by the House; and 7% came up by the unanimous consent of members. A small fraction of measures—less than 1%—received House floor action in the 110th Congress through the call of the Private Calendar or the provisions of House Rule XXVIII, popularly known as the “Gephardt Rule.”
When only lawmaking forms of legislation (bills and joint resolutions) are counted, 80% of such measures receiving House floor action came before the chamber under the Suspension of the Rules procedure; 0% came to the floor as business “privileged” under House rules and precedents; 13% were raised by a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules and adopted by the House; and 6% came up by the unanimous consent of members. Less than 1% of bills or joint resolutions received House floor action in the 110th Congress through the call of the Private Calendar or the provisions of House Rule XXVIII, popularly known as the “Gephardt Rule.”
Date of Report: December 2, 2010
Number of Pages: 11
Order Number: R40829
Price: $29.95
Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports
Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
The House of Representatives has several different parliamentary procedures through which it can bring legislation to the chamber floor. Which of these will be used in a given situation depends on many factors, including the type of measure being considered, its cost, the amount of political or policy controversy surrounding it, and the degree to which members want to debate it and propose amendments. This report provides a snapshot of the forms and origins of measures which, according to the Legislative Information System of the U.S. Congress (LIS), received action on the House floor in the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and the parliamentary procedures used to bring them up.
In the 110th Congress, 2,185 pieces of legislation received floor action in the House of Representatives. Of these, 1,123 were bills or joint resolutions and 1,062 were simple or concurrent resolutions, a roughly even breakdown between lawmaking and non-lawmaking legislative forms. Of these 2,185 measures, 2,022 originated in the House and 163 originated in the Senate.
During this period, 71% of all measures receiving House floor action came before the chamber under the Suspension of the Rules procedure; 15% came to the floor as business “privileged” under House rules and precedents; 8% were raised by a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules and adopted by the House; and 7% came up by the unanimous consent of members. A small fraction of measures—less than 1%—received House floor action in the 110th Congress through the call of the Private Calendar or the provisions of House Rule XXVIII, popularly known as the “Gephardt Rule.”
When only lawmaking forms of legislation (bills and joint resolutions) are counted, 80% of such measures receiving House floor action came before the chamber under the Suspension of the Rules procedure; 0% came to the floor as business “privileged” under House rules and precedents; 13% were raised by a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules and adopted by the House; and 6% came up by the unanimous consent of members. Less than 1% of bills or joint resolutions received House floor action in the 110th Congress through the call of the Private Calendar or the provisions of House Rule XXVIII, popularly known as the “Gephardt Rule.”
Date of Report: December 2, 2010
Number of Pages: 11
Order Number: R40829
Price: $29.95
Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports
Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
Posts
