Order Code 98-309 GOV
Updated August 12, 2003
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
House Legislative Procedures:
Published Sources of Information
Betsy Palmer
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
The House of Representatives has published information about its current procedures
in three primary sources: a House manual, a book on House procedure written for
everyday use and a set of House precedents. The predecessors to these compilations also
remain valuable for some purposes. These documents can enable Members and staff to
study the House’s rules and precedents and to gauge how they are likely to apply in
various circumstances. For more information on legislative process, see
[http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml].
During the first session of every Congress, the House publishes the House Rules and
Manual, formally entitled Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual, and Rules of the House of
Representatives
. Each clause of the rules is followed by notes, prepared by the House
parliamentarian, that summarize the most important precedents and interpretations
relating to that clause. The Rules and Manual also contains a summary of recent changes
in the House’s rules and provisions of law that establish expedited procedures by which
the House can act on certain kinds of measures. The volume begins with annotated texts
of the Constitution and excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary
Practice.
It is distributed to Members when published.
In 1997 and again in 2003, the House published House Practice: A Guide to the
Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, by Wm. Holmes Brown, parliamentarian
emeritus of the House. In more than 900 pages, this book explains all aspects of the
House’s procedures in considerable detail. The book is organized alphabetically by topic,
beginning with “Adjournment” and ending with “Voting.” House Practice is the
successor to Procedure in the House of Representatives, published in 1982 and with
Supplements published in 1985 and 1987, and to Cannon’s Procedure in the House of
Representatives
, last published in 1963.
The precedents established by the House and its presiding officers since the mid-
1930s are in the process of being published. To date, sixteen volumes have been released.
The first nine are entitled Deschler’s Precedents of the United States House of
Representatives;
the seven latest volumes are called Deschler-Brown Precedents, in
recognition of the contributions made to the House by Mr. Brown and his predecessor,
Lewis Deschler. Additional volumes in this series will be published as they are
completed.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

CRS-2
This collection includes an exhaustive compilation of procedural rulings and
interpretations, accompanied by summaries of the events producing them. They often also
include relevant excerpts from the Congressional Record and its predecessors.
Precedents from earlier periods are found in the 11 volume set of Hinds’ and Cannon’s
Precedents of the House of
Representatives, published in part in 1907 and in part in 1936.
Both collections of precedents are organized topically, beginning with the first meeting
of the House at the beginning of a new Congress and continuing through the various
stages of the legislative process.
Hinds,’ Cannon’s, Deschler’s, and Deschler-Brown’s precedents are available at the
Legislative Resource Center and at the La Follette Congressional Reading Room (202
Madison Building, Library of Congress).
For most purposes, the most effective research strategy likely is to begin with an
examination of House Practice, followed by the House Rules and Manual, and then
Deschler’s and Deschler-Brown Precedents. The parliamentarian and his assistants
welcome direct inquiries (at 225-7373) from Members and staff.
Several other published sources of information also can prove useful:
! The rules adopted by the House’s committees are compiled and published
for each Congress in Rules Adopted by the Committees of the House of
Representatives
, a committee print of the House Rules Committee.
! The Rules of the Republican Conference and the Preamble and Rules of
the Democratic Caucus, adopted at the beginning of each Congress,
include some party rules that are relevant to the House’s legislative
proceedings. They are available from the respective parties.
For additional information on all these documents, see CRS Report RL30787,
Parliamentary Reference Sources: House of Representatives.