H-312 of the Capitol no later than the deadline included in the announcement. Those special procedures always take precedence. They will be announced on the House Floor and will be followed-up by a "Dear Colleague." Additionally, the party Whip Offices should provide notice to the Members.

In order to have the amendment considered in the Rules Committee, take the following steps, unless otherwise specified by the Chairman's announcement:

1. If a Member wishes to testify before the Rules Committee on his/her amendment, call the Committee at x5-9191 (Majority) or x5-9091 or x5-9486 (Minority) to have the Member placed on the witness list.

2. Seek the assistance of the Legislative Counsel's office (x5-6060) in drafting the amendment. It is very important that the amendment be drafted by Legislative Counsel to ensure that it is tailored to the most up-to-date version of the base bill and that it is accurate.

3. Check the text of the amendment with the Parliamentarian (x5-7373) to determine if it violates any House rule. If so, redraft the amendment to correct the problem or notify the Rules Committee that you will need a waiver of specified points of order in the rule.

4. While it is not required, it is suggested that prior to the meeting, the Member requesting an amendment ask a Rules Committee Member to offer a motion to have the amendment made in order. There is no guarantee that just because a Member requests an amendment be made in order, that a motion to do so will actually be made by a Rules Committee Member. Nothing happens automatically.

5. In the absence of a special procedure announced by the Chairman of the Committee on Rules, the Committee requires 35 copies of the amendment in advance of the meeting. Also, if the Member wants the text of a written statement in front of the committee members, 35 copies are required in advance of the meeting, preferably by the close of business the day before the meeting.

6. It is important to accomplish all of this well in advance of the Rules Committee meeting.