In recent Congresses, it has become increasingly common for the House to begin floor proceedings with the text of a Rules print drafted by the Rules Committee in consultation with the House majority leadership and the relevant committees. This report examines the use of Rules prints as a method of executing post-committee adjustments from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective. The first section of the report summarizes how legislation gets considered on the House floor and the important role the Rules Committee plays in organizing the chamber's business. Section two describes the procedural evolution in how special rules from the Rules Committee have made post-committee adjustments to legislation. Section three presents a qualitative assessment of the language the Rules Committee uses to communicate to Members and staff the magnitude and policy significance of textual changes contained in a Rules print. These "post-committee adjustments" are not new to the House, but the frequency with which they are made has increased noticeably in recent Congresses, especially in the context of a "Rules Committee print." There are three main ways in which the text of committee-reported legislation can be modified by a special rule prior to House floor consideration: by incorporating (or "self-executing") certain provisions into the bill through language contained in the special rule resolution; by modifying the bill through an amendment printed in the Rules Committee report that accompanies the special rule resolution; and by making a Rules Committee print containing new language the basis for floor consideration. To be sure, the use of Rules prints is properly understood as a logical extension of past procedural practices of the Rules Committee and should not be viewed as constituting a significant departure in the way the House conducts its business. Selecting a Base Text for House Floor Consideration

When the Rules Committee wants to confer privilege to legislation by way of a special rule, it often uses a bill reported from committee as the base text for debate and amendment on the House floor. Legislative changes recommended at the committee level often serve as the basis for floor debate and amendment. While many Rules prints contain the same language found in a committee-reported bill, others may depart from the reported version in slight or significant ways. The next section explains the language the Rules Committee uses to communicate the magnitude and policy significance of textual changes included in a Rules print, and the following section offers an empirical assessment of post-committee adjustments made in the context of Rules prints. Of the 82 Rules prints considered here, 44 of them contained the same language that was reported from committee. The first identified use of a Rules print in lieu of a committee-reported bill occurred on July 1, 1999, but the practice did not become routine until the 112 th Congress (2011-2012). Early prints (including the first one) appear to have modified bills to about the same degree as in recent Congresses, at least on the basis of section counts, but a noticeable drop in post-committee adjustment during the 113 th Congress (2013-2014) suggests a continued evolution in the use of Rules prints for this purpose. Joining separately reported bills in a single print, for instance, expands the scope of subject matter that Members may debate on the floor. Prints may also embody the product of negotiations between and among committees when jurisdictional disputes arise, or they may be adjusted by the leadership to achieve particular goals. To this end, new special rule provisions can be viewed as procedural tools that help to manage uncertainty on the House floor and enhance majority leadership control over the substance of policy the House considers.
Floor proceedings in the U.S. House of Representatives often begin on the basis of legislation reported from committee. In some instances, adjustments to committee recommendations are made and a new legislative text is presented for chamber consideration. These "post-committee adjustments" are not new to the House, but the frequency of their use and the mechanics of executing them have changed in recent years. It is now common for legislative adjustments to be reflected in a "Rules Committee print" that is established as the base text at the outset of floor consideration (in lieu of a committee-reported version) by way of a "special rule" reported by the Rules Committee and adopted by the House. Many Rules prints contain the same language found in committee-reported bills, while others may include slight or significant revisions to the reported text.
This report examines the use of Rules prints as a way of executing post-committee adjustments to measures reported from committee. It begins with a discussion of how legislation gets considered on the House floor, the important role of the Rules Committee in organizing the chamber's business, and the mechanics of how special rules can modify legislation following the committee stage of proceedings. The report then explains the language the Rules Committee uses to communicate to Members and staff the magnitude and policy significance of textual changes contained in a Rules print, and it assesses the degree to which post-committee adjustments have been made in this context.
House leadership and the Rules Committee have made increasing use of Rules prints in recent years as the textual basis for floor debate and amendment. The first identified use of a Rules print for the purpose of post-committee adjustment occurred in July 1999, but this practice did not become routine until the 112th Congress (2011-2012). Early Rules prints appear to have modified bills to about the same degree as in recent Congresses, but a noticeable drop in post-committee adjustment during the 113th Congress (2013-2014) suggests a continued evolution in the use of Rules prints for this purpose. Overall, of the 82 Rules prints examined here, 44 of them contained some kind of modification to a committee-reported bill.
To be sure, Rules prints can accomplish any number of purposes that may or may not require textual adjustments to committee-reported bills. For instance, when policy or jurisdictional disputes arise between or among committees, a Rules print may include language that reflects the outcome of negotiations involving committee chairs and the majority leadership. Rules prints can also expand the scope of subject matter Members consider on the floor by combining two or more committee-reported bills in a single print. Prints can expedite House business by presenting legislative text for debate and amendment at an earlier stage in the legislative process than would otherwise be possible, and they can lend certainty to floor proceedings by reducing the time it takes after a committee reports a measure for its text to become available to Members and the general public. A Rules print may also modify reported text in order to broaden support for the proposal among Members.
Making in order a Rules print as the legislative baseline for House floor consideration can be understood as a procedural tool to manage uncertainty on the House floor and enhance majority leadership control over the substance of policy the House considers. The use of Rules prints is a logical extension of past procedural innovations and should not be viewed as constituting a significant departure in the way the House conducts its business. Differences in how this current practice has evolved from previous methods of setting a base text for House floor consideration are highlighted throughout the report.