Parliamentary Reference Sources: House of Representatives

Publication Date: July 2001

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

Type:

Abstract:

House procedures are not based solely on the chamber's rules. The foundations of House parliamentary procedure also include constitutional mandates, rules of parliamentary practice set forth in Jefferson's Manual, published precedents, rulemaking statutes, committee rules, "memorandums of understanding" regarding committee jurisdiction, the rules of each party's caucus or conference, and informal practices. Parliamentary reference sources provide information about how and when these foundations of House procedures govern different parliamentary situations.

This report discusses the availability and format of three types of parliamentary reference materials: official sources such as the House Rules and Manual and the published precedents; publications of committees and offices of the House; and documents prepared by House party and leadership organizations. The report also reviews some principles of House parliamentary procedure that are important to consider when using information from parliamentary reference sources.

The appendices provide citations to each reference source described in this report, a list of related Congressional Research Service (CRS) products, and a summary of House parliamentary reference information available through the Internet.

This report assumes a basic familiarity with House procedures. Information about Senate parliamentary reference sources is covered in CRS Report RL30788, Parliamentary Reference Sources: Senate.