WikiLeaks Document Release http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 February 2, 2009 Congressional Research Service Report RS21165 House Standing Committee Chairs and Ranking Minority Members: Rules Governing Selection Procedures Judy Schneider, Government and Finance Division December 23, 2008 Abstract. House Rules, Republican Conference rules, and Democratic Caucus rules each detail aspects of the procedures followed in selecting standing committee chairs and ranking minority members. This report summarizes those procedures and provides membership on each party's steering committee. ¢ ¢ http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress ¢ ¢ House rules, Republican Conference rules, and Democratic Caucus rules each detail aspects of the procedures followed in selecting standing committee chairs and ranking minority members. This report summarizes those procedures and lists membership on each party's steering committee. The report will be updated if rules or procedures change. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 ¢ House Rule X, clause 5(c)(2), adopted in 1995 and effective immediately, limited committee (and subcommittee) chairs to three-terms of consecutive service. Service for less than a full session in a Congress is disregarded. A rules change adopted on January 7, 2003, pursuant to H.Res. 5, exempted the Intelligence Committee chair from the limit. A rules change adopted on January 4, 2005, pursuant to H.Res. 5, exempted the Rules Committee chair from the limit. Republican Conference rules delineate procedures for the selection of standing committee chairs and ranking minority members. The Speaker, with the Republicans in the majority, has the authority to nominate the chairs of the House Administration Committee and Rules Committee. In the minority, this is performed by the minority leader. He names the ranking minority members on these committees. The Speaker's or minority leader's nominations for these two positions are http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 submitted directly to the full Republican Conference for ratification. If the conference rejects the leader's nominee, the Speaker or minority leader has the authority to submit another name to the conference. All other standing committee chairs or ranking minority members are nominated by the Republican Steering Committee and ratified by the full Republican Conference. Pursuant to conference rules, the Member nominated to be chair or ranking minority member does not need to be the Member with the longest continuous service on the committee. In the 111th Congress, the Steering Committee "interviewed" prospective candidates for ranking slots. Some of the new ranking members were the most senior members of the committee, others were not. The Steering Committee is composed of party leaders, selected committee leaders, class leaders, and regional representatives. The Steering Committee is reconstituted each Congress. Regions are restructured to reflect as closely as possible an equal number of Republican Members from each region. Each region elects its Steering Committee member. If Steering Committee members are elected from states that have four or more Republican members, a "small state" group is triggered to also elect a member to the Steering Committee; the small state group is composed of states that have three or fewer Republican members. Table 1 depicts the membership of the Republican Steering Committee for the 111th Congress. eettimmoC gnireetS nacilbupeR .1 elbaT evitatneserpeR detangiseD 111 ni gnivreS rebmeM ht stnemmoC ssergnoC redaeL nacilbupeR renheoB nhoJ eettimmoC gnireetS ni setov 5 saH pihW ytironiM rotnaC cirE setov 2 saH pihW ytupeD feihC yhtraCcM niveK riahC ecnerefnoC nacilbupeR ecneP ekiM riahC eciV ecnerefnoC nacilbupeR sregoR-sirroMcM yhtaC yraterceS ecnerefnoC nacilbupeR retraC nhoJ riahC yciloP nacilbupeR rettoCcM dahT chair/ranking member is selected from among members choosing to run for the position. Other Administration, who must be approved by the entire Democratic Caucus. The Budget Committee Democratic leader nominates a chair/ranking member for the Committees on Rules and House Democratic Caucus rules address selecting committee chairs and ranking minority members. The repraH ggerG evitatneserpeR ssalC ht111 htimS nairdA evitatneserpeR ssalC ht011 gnimoyW ,ainigriV tseW ,hatU ,nogerO ,adaveN ,anatnoM ,ippississiM ,dnalyraM ,ohadI ,erawaleD ,odaroloC,sasnakrA ,aksalA nospmiS ekiM evitatneserpeR etatS llamS aniloraC htuoS ,aniloraC htroN ,aigroeG redniL nhoJ evitatneserpeR IIIV noigeR ainigriV tseW ,ippississiM ,anaisiuoL ,ykcutneK ,amabalA sregoR laH evitatneserpeR IIV noigeR ainigriV ,oihO ,dnalyraM etteruoTaL evetS evitatneserpeR IV noigeR ainavlysnneP ,yesreJ weN ,kroY weN ,eraweleD hguHcM nhoJ evitatneserpeR V noigeR eessenneT ,anaidnI ,nagihciM sregoR ekiM evitatneserpeR VI noigeR sasnakrA ,sionillI ,iruossiM ,awoI sukmihS nhoJ evitatneserpeR III noigeR atosenniM ,nisnocsiW ,aksarbeN ,amohalkO ,sasnaK yrreT eeL evitatneserpeR II noigeR odaroloC ,gnimoyW ,ocixeM weN ,anozirA ,hatU ,adaveN ,anatnoM ,ohadI ,aksalA ,nogerO ,notgnihsaW sgnitsaH coD evitatneserpeR I noigeR relliM ffeJ evitatneserpeR adirolF http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 htimS ramaL evitatneserpeR saxeT trevlaC neK evitatneserpeR ainrofilaC rebmem pmaC evaD gniknar eettimmoC snaeM dna syaW reierD divaD rebmem gniknar eettimmoC seluR rebmem sgnitsaH coD gniknar eettimmoC secivreS laicnaniF rebmem gniknar notraB eoJ eettimmoC ecremmoC dna ygrenE rebmem siweL yrreJ gniknar eettimmoC snoitairporppA snoisseS eteP ssergnoC ht111 ,riahC CCRN eloC moT ssergnoC ht011,riahC CCRN stnemmoC ssergnoC evitatneserpeR detangiseD ht 111 ni gnivreS rebmeM ¢ ocixeM weN ,anozirA ,saxeT nosnhoJ ecinreB eiddE IV noigeR ohadI ,adaveN ,notgnihsaW ,nogerO ,atokaD htroN ,gnimoyW ,anatnoM ,hatU ,odaroloC nesraL kciR V noigeR amohalkO ,iruossiM ,sasnaK ,anaidnI ,sionillI ykswokahcS naJ VI noigeR aksarbeN ,atokaD htuoS ,atokaD htroN ,awoI ,nisnocsiW ,atosenniM ,nagihciM niwdlaB ymmaT III noigeR sdnalsI sanairaM ,aksalA ,mauG ,aomaS naciremA ,iiawaH ;02-1 :ainrofilaC nrehtroN yenreNcM yrreJ II noigeR 35-12 :ainrofilaC nrehtuoS namrehS adniL I noigeR ykswokahcS naJ pihW ytupeD feihC ztluhcS namressaW eibbeD pihW ytupeD feihC sretaW enixaM pihW ytupeD feihC rennaT nhoJ pihW ytupeD feihC rotsaP dE pihW ytupeD feihC dleifrettuB .K.G pihW ytupeD feihC etteGeD anaiD pihW ytupeD feihC yelworC eoJ pihW ytupeD feihC siweL nhoJ pihW ytupeD feihC roineS nelloH naV sirhC riahC CCCD arreceB reivaX riahC-eciV sucuaC citarcomeD nosraL nhoJ riahC sucuaC citarcomeD nrubylC semaJ pihW siloS adliH riahC-eciV yrreB noiraM riahC-eciV http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 relliM egroeG riahC-oC eettimmoC yciloP oruaLeD asoR riahC-oC eettimmoC gnireetS isoleP ycnaN riahC eettimmoC gnireetS stnemmoC ssergnoC evitatneserpeR detangiseD h 111 eht ni gnivreS rebmeM eettimmoC gnireetS citarcomeD .2 elbaT constituted at the beginning of the 111h Congress. leader can also change. Table 2 depicts the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee as equal Democratic representation among regions. The number of appointments made by the party Steering Committee is reconstituted each Congress, and regions can be restructured to reflect commitment to the Democratic agenda of the nominee, and the diversity of the Caucus." The considers, pursuant to caucus rules, "merit, length of service on the committee and degree of and voted on by the entire Democratic Caucus. In making selections, the Steering Committee chair/ranking member nominations are made by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee ¢ zeuqzaleV aidyN nayR miT nosreteP nilloC keeM kcirdneK iustaM siroD nergfoL eoZ rutpaK ycraM tloH hsuR nosrovlaH eibbeD tteggoD dyolL sivaD rutrA olletsoC yrreJ rotsaC yhtaK redaeL azodraC sinneD citarcomeD yb detnioppa srebmeM siloP deraJ evitatneserpeR namhserF riahC )RSO( onaupaC ekiM weiveR dna ydutS noitazinagrO legnaR selrahC riahC eettimmoC snaeM dna syaW rethgualS siuoL riahC eettimmoC seluR knarF yenraB riahC eettimmoC secivreS laicnaniF riahC namxaW yrneH eettimmoC ecremmoC dna ygrenE http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165 ttarpS nhoJ riahC eettimmoC tegduB yebO divaD riahC eettimmoC snoitairporppA tnomreV ,erihspmaH weN ,dnalsI edohR ,sttesuhcassaM ,eniaM ,tucitcennoC yenreiT nhoJ IIX noigeR kroY weN reldaN dlorreJ IX noigeR ykcutneK ,ainavlysnneP ,oihO ydarB treboR X noigeR erawaleD ,.C.D ,ainigriV ,ainigriV tseW ,yesreJ weN ,dnalyraM naroM semaJ XI noigeR ociR otreuP ,sdnalsI nigriV ,ippississiM ,amabalA ,adirolF ,aigroeG nielK noR IIIV noigeR aniloraC htuoS ,aniloraC htroN ,sasnakrA ,eessenneT ,anaisiuoL egdirehtE boB IIV noigeR stnemmoC ssergnoC evitatneserpeR detangiseD h 111 eht ni gnivreS rebmeM ¢ ¢ Judy Schneider Specialist on the Congress jschneider@crs.loc.gov, 7-8664 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21165