Chaplain of the House: Selection and Related Procedures

Publication Date: August 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

On March 23, 2000, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert announced his appointment of Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest from Chicago, to serve as acting Chaplain of the House. Earlier in the day, the House accepted by unanimous consent the resignation of Rev. James David Ford as Chaplain. During the first session of the 106th Congress, Chaplain Ford announced his intention to retire after 20 years of service. Chaplain Coughlin was formally elected to the post at the beginning of the 107th Congress and was re-elected at the start of the 108th Congress.

House procedures to elect an officer during a Congress differ from those followed at the start of a Congress. A resolution to elect a replacement officer to fill a vacancy during a Congress is privileged and debatable under the hour rule. By statute, the Speaker has authority to appoint a temporary replacement officer, and in some cases, temporary appointments have continued in effect for the remainder of a Congress. This report describes the consultative process that ultimately led to Father Coughlin's temporary appointment, and related parliamentary issues concerning the selection of House officers. For a brief history of the evolution of the congressional chaplaincy, see CRS Report RS20427, House and Senate Chaplains, by Mildred L. Amer.