	Introduction

A Retrospective of House Rules Changes Since the 110 th Congress is the second of two reports on rules changes adopted by the House at the beginning of a new Congress. One of the majority's prerogatives is writing the House's rules and using its majority status to effect the chamber's rules on the day the new House convenes. Although each new House largely adopts the chamber rules that existed in the previous Congress, each new House also adopts changes to those rules. (References to selected freestanding bills and resolutions are provided in footnotes in this report.) Provisions of the resolution related to the legislative management of the House included—
limiting roll-call votes to 20 minutes unless both parties' floor managers or leaders agreed to a longer time for voting; allowing the chair or ranking minority member of a committee to offer the committee-reported version of legislation as a preferential amendment if a special rule makes another version in order; a rule waiving points of order against a measure must waive the same points of order against an amendment requested by the minority leader; printed copies of a measure to be considered pursuant to a special rule and of conference reports must be available 24 hours before the House may begin consideration; the House may not go to conference with the Senate on an appropriations bill unless the Senate expressed its differences in the form of numbered amendments; conference discussion of disagreements must occur in an open meeting, and House conferees must vote by record vote in an open meeting on the conference agreement; the House may not consider a conference report that "differs in a material way" from the agreement approved by House conferees; the House may not consider a reconciliation measure that would increase the size of the budget deficit, unless agreed to by the majority and minority leaders and by a vote of two-thirds of the House; extending Budget Act points of order to unreported legislation considered by the House; disallowing a bill or conference report containing revenue provisions from being filed until the Joint Committee on Taxation had identified tax expenditures in the measure; and prohibiting the House from adjourning sine die unless "during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least 4 of the weekdays…." (See, below, " 112th Congress " and " 115th Congress " under " Rules Changes Affecting Budgetary Legislation .") 112th Congress

H.Res. 111th Congress

Pursuant to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the House renumbered two of its rules and inserted a new Rule XXVII. Concluding Observations

Changes made by Democrats after they took majority control of the House in the 110 th Congress and by Republicans after they took majority control in the 112 th Congress reflected, in part, critiques of the other party's management of the House. Democrats emphasized changes to ethics rules and laws in their new majority in the 110 th Congress, and Republicans emphasized changes to legislative procedures in their new majority in the 112 th Congress. Both parties addressed budget policymaking, in both rules changes and separate orders. Most standing rules, however, did not change, at all or substantially, when Democrats or Republicans became the majority, because the rules reflected decades of experience with majority control of the House. Rules facilitate the majority's organization and operation of the House; they do not dictate to party leaders and others how to run the House—their policy goals or procedural and political strategy—or determine what outcomes can be achieved. During the 112 th Congress and in the 2012 election, 75 new Members were elected.
One of the majority party's prerogatives is writing House rules and using its numbers to effect the chamber's rules on the day a new House convenes. Because all Members of the House stand for election every two years, the Members-elect constitute a new House that must adopt rules at the convening of each Congress. Although a new House largely adopts the chamber rules that existed in the previous Congress, it also adopts changes to those rules. Institutional and political developments during the preceding Congress inform rules changes that a party continuing in the majority might make. Those same developments, perhaps over the whole time that a party was in the minority, inform rules changes when the minority party wins enough seats to become the majority party and organize the House.
This report analyzes rules changes made on only the opening day of the 110th, 111th, 112th, 113th, 114th, and 115th Congresses (the Congresses convening in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, respectively), with references in footnotes to other selected legislation and actions during these Congresses that also affected House rules. Freestanding legislation such as the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act or a budget resolution can change House rules in consequential ways.
Changes made by Democrats after they took majority control in the 110th Congress and by Republicans after they took majority control in the 112th Congress reflected critiques of the other party's management of the House. Democrats emphasized changes to ethics rules and laws in their new majority beginning in the 110th Congress, and Republicans emphasized changes to legislative procedures in their new majority beginning in the 112th Congress. Both parties also addressed budget policymaking, in both rules changes and separate orders.
Most standing rules, however, did not change, at all or substantially, under either party because the rules reflect decades of experience with majority control of the House. Most of the changes that were made in each of the six Congresses covered in this report were incremental and, largely, grounded in experience. Changes, nonetheless, have touched the committee system and its procedures, the floor of the House, budgetary legislation, the administration of the House, and ethical norms of conduct. Rules facilitate the majority's organization and operation of the House; they do not dictate to party leaders and others how to run the House—their policy goals or procedural and political strategy—or determine what outcomes can be achieved.
This report is the second in a series on House rules changes at the beginning of a Congress. For changes in the 104th through the 109th Congresses, see CRS Report RL33610, A Retrospective of House Rules Changes Since the 104th Congress through the 109th Congress, by Michael L. Koempel and Judy Schneider.