98-94 C
February 5, 1998

This report, geared primarily for constituents, presents an annotated list of official government sources for primers on the legislative process, Senate and House rules and procedure, and non-official sources for supplementary reading. Most of the publications are available from the Government Printing Office, and some are available on the Internet. Addresses of the House and Senate Home Pages are given. This report will be updated for each session of Congress.

Introduction

Many of the publications on legislative procedure listed here are produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office and are for sale, prepaid, from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. They may also be ordered by telephone, (202) 512-1800, or fax, (202) 512-2250, and charged to VISA, MasterCard, or Discover/NOVUS.

Some of the publications are available from congressional sources for congressional office use only, while others listed in the "Supplementary Reading" section may be purchased from commercial book stores. Many of these publications are also available for use at U.S. government depository libraries and other large public or research libraries.

Members of Congress who would like more extensive information on parliamentary reference material may request copies of CRS Report 97-198, Parliamentary Reference Sources: Senate, or CRS Report 97-530, Parliamentary Reference Sources: House of Representatives, both by Mary Mulvihill, from the Congressional Research Service Product Line (7-7132).

Electronic Sources

For official overviews and explanatory information on the legislative process within the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, consult each Chamber's respective Home Page. Their addresses are:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative_proc/legislative_process.html

http:///www.house.gov/Legproc.html


Primers on the Legislative Process

Dove, Robert B. Enactment of a Law; Procedural Steps in the Legislative Process. Washington, GPO, 1982.

Prepared by the parliamentarian of the Senate, this primer on the legislative process traces the procedures used within the Senate and House of Representatives. Printed copies of the 1982 edition are no longer available; however, the document was updated in 1997 and is now available from the Internet at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/enactment/enactlawtoc.html

Johnson, Charles W. How Our Laws Are Made. Washington, GPO, 1997.

Updated periodically, most recently as Senate Document 105-14, this pamphlet outlines the stages in the legislative process for the nonspecialist and explains the uses of various publications which track that process. Members of Congress may obtain copies from the House and Senate Document rooms. The document is also available on the Internet at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html

Senate Rules and Procedure

Senate Manual. Washington, GPO, 1995.

This manual, prepared during the second session of each Congress by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, contains the standing rules, orders, laws, and resolutions affecting the Senate, as well as copies of historical U.S. documents and selected statistical information on the Senate and other government entities. It is issued each Congress as Senate Document 1, and copies are automatically distributed to Senators and committees on publication. A limited number of copies is available to Senators from the Senate warehouse (4-5770). The section "Standing Rules of the Senate" from this manual is available in full text from the Internet at:
http://www.senate.gov/~rules/srules.htm

Riddick, Floyd M., and Alan S. Frumin. Riddick's Senate Procedure: Precedents and Practices. Washington, GPO, 1992.

Revised and updated in 1992 by the parliamentarian of the Senate and published as Senate Document 101-28, this publication, organized alphabetically by topic, contains currently applicable rulings by the presiding officer and practices which relate to procedure in the Senate. An appendix contains suggested forms for various procedures, e.g., offering motions or filing conference reports.

Senate Cloture Rule. Washington, GPO, 1985.

This committee print (S.Print 99-95) was prepared by the Congressional Research Service for the use of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. It includes lists of selected filibusters, tables of cloture votes, a legislative history of the cloture rule, and a bibliography. Members of Congress may obtain copies from the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (4-6352) or the Congressional Research Service (7-5700).

House Rules and Procedure

Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives. Washington, GPO, 1997.

This manual is prepared for each Congress by the parliamentarian of the House and issued as a House document (most recently H.Doc. 104-272). It includes the text of the Constitution, the rules of the House and portions of Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice currently pertinent to House procedure, each with commentary summarizing applicable precedents, as well as portions of the Congressional Budget Act and other provisions of statute that operate as procedural rules. Copies are distributed automatically to Members on publication. The section, "Rules of the House of Representatives," from this manual is available in full text from the Internet at: http://www.clerkweb.house.gov/docs/rules/105/5content.htm

Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives, 97^th Congress; A Summary of the Modern Precedents and Practices of the House, 86^th Congress-97^th Congress. Washington, GPO, 1982.

Frequently referred to as Deschler's Procedure, after the former parliamentarian of the House, this one-volume publication is a summary of the procedures of the House, and a cumulated and condensed version of its precedents from 1959 to 1980. A supplement to this volume, Procedure in the United States House of Representatives: Annotations of the Precedents of the House for the 97^th, 98^th, and 99^th Congresses, published in 1986, covers the years 1981 through 1986. Both publications are out of print. House offices may obtain copies from the office of the House parliamentarian.

House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents, and Procedures of the House. Washington, GPO, 1996.

This one-volume publication provides more current summary information on House rules and selected precedents than Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives. Organized alphabetically by topic, it reflects changes in the House rules and procedure adopted during the 104^th Congress. Printed copies are no longer available; however, the full text of the document is available from the Internet at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/browse-hp.html

Supplementary Reading

Congress A to Z. 2^nd ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly Press, 1993. 547 p. JK1067.C67

Green, Alan. Gavel to Gavel: A Guide to the Televised Proceedings of Congress. 5^th ed. Washington, Benton Foundation/C-SPAN, 1993. 64 p. JK1129.G74

Guide to Congress. 4^th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly Press, 1991. 836 p. JK1021.C565
Jefferson, Thomas. A Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States. Washington, GPO, 1993. 129 p. (S.Doc. 103-8) KF4982.J43 1993a

Oleszek, Walter J. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process. 4^th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly Press, 1996. 373 p. JK1096.O43 1996

Tiefer, Charles. Congressional Practice and Procedure: A Reference, Research, and Legislative Guide. New York, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1989. 1046 p. KF4937.T54 1989