    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Pages H761-H764]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                         PUBLICATION OF COMMITTEE RULES

        rules of the committee on ways and means for the 119th congress

                                             House of Representatives,

                                      Committee on Ways and Means,

                                    Washington, DC, February 24, 2025.
         Hon. Mike Johnson,
         Speaker, House of Representatives,
         Washington, DC.
           Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to clause 2(a)(2) of House rule
         XI, the Committee on Ways and Means adopted its rules for the
         119th Congress on January 14, 2025, and I submit them now for
         publication in the Congressional Record.
               Sincerely,
                                                          Jason Smith,
                                                             Chairman.

                                   A. GENERAL

                       Rule 1. Application of House Rules

           The rules of the House are the rules of the Committee on
         Ways and Means and its subcommittees so far as applicable,
         except that a motion to recess from day to day, and a motion
         to dispense with the first reading (in full) of a bill or
         resolution, if printed copies are available, is a non-
         debatable motion of high privilege in the Committee.
           Each subcommittee of the Committee is part of the Committee
         and is subject to the authority and direction of the
         Committee and to its rules so far as applicable. Written
         rules adopted by the Committee, not inconsistent with the
         Rules of the House, shall be binding on each subcommittee of
         the Committee.
           The provisions of rule XI of the Rules of the House are
         incorporated by reference as the rules of the Committee to
         the extent applicable.

                        Rule 2. Meeting Date and Quorums

           The regular meeting day of the Committee on Ways and Means
         shall be each Wednesday while the House is in session.
         However, the Committee shall not meet on the regularly
         scheduled meeting day if there is no business to be
         considered.
           A majority of the Committee constitutes a quorum for
         business; provided however, that two Members shall constitute
         a quorum at any regularly scheduled hearing called for the
         purpose of taking testimony and receiving evidence. In
         establishing a quorum for purposes of a public hearing, every
         effort shall be made to secure the presence of at least one
         Member each from the majority and the minority.
           The Chair of the Committee may call and convene, as he or
         she considers necessary, additional meetings of the Committee
         for the consideration of any bill or resolution pending
         before the Committee or for the conduct of other Committee
         business. The Committee shall meet pursuant to the call of
         the Chair.

                            Rule 3. Committee Budget

           For each Congress, the Chair, in consultation with the
         Majority Members of the Committee, shall prepare a
         preliminary budget. Such budget shall include necessary
         amounts for staff personnel, travel, investigation, and other
         expenses of the Committee. After consultation with the
         Minority Members, the Chair shall include an amount budgeted
         by Minority Members for staff under their direction and
         supervision.

                   Rule 4. publication of committee documents

           Any Committee or Subcommittee print, document, or similar
         material prepared for public distribution shall either be
         approved by the Committee or Subcommittee prior to
         distribution and opportunity afforded for the inclusion of
         supplemental, minority or additional views, or such document
         shall prominently display near the top of its cover the
         following: ``Majority [or Minority] Staff Report,'' as
         appropriate.
           The requirements of this rule shall apply only to the
         publication of policy-oriented, analytical documents, and not
         to the publication of public hearings, legislative documents,
         documents which are administrative in nature or reports which
         are required to be submitted to the Committee under public
         law. The appropriate characterization of a document subject
         to this rule shall be determined after consultation with the
         Minority.

                            Rule 5. official travel

           Consistent with the primary expense resolution and such
         additional expense resolution as may have been approved, the
         provisions of this rule shall govern official travel of
         Committee Members and Committee staff. Official travel to be
         reimbursed from funds set aside for the full Committee for
         any Member or any Committee staff member shall be paid only
         upon the prior authorization of the Chair. Official travel
         may be authorized by the Chair for any Member and any
         Committee staff member in connection with the attendance at
         hearings conducted by the Committee, its Subcommittees, or
         any other Committee or Subcommittee of the Congress on
         matters relevant to the general jurisdiction of the
         Committee, and meetings, conferences, facility inspections,

    [[Page H762]]

         and investigations which involve activities or subject matter
         relevant to the general jurisdiction of the Committee. Before
         such authorization is given, there shall be submitted to the
         Chair in writing the following:
           (1) The purpose of the official travel;
           (2) The dates during which the official travel is to be
         made and the date or dates of the event for which the
         official travel is being made;
           (3) The location of the event for which the official travel
         is to be made; and
           (4) The names of the Members and Committee staff seeking
         authorization.
           In the case of official travel of Members and staff of a
         Subcommittee to hearings, meetings, conferences, facility
         inspections and investigations involving activities or
         subject matter under the jurisdiction of such Subcommittee,
         prior authorization must be obtained from the Subcommittee
         Chair and the full Committee Chair. Such prior authorization
         shall be given by the full Committee Chair only upon the
         representation by the applicable Subcommittee Chair in
         writing setting forth those items enumerated above.
           Within 60 days of the conclusion of any official travel
         authorized under this rule, there shall be submitted to the
         full Committee Chair a written report covering the
         information gained as a result of the hearing, meeting,
         conference, facility inspection or investigation attended
         pursuant to such official travel.

           rule 6. availability of committee records and publications

           The records of the Committee at the National Archives and
         Records Administration shall be made available for public use
         in accordance with Rule VII of the Rules of the House of
         Representatives. The Chair shall notify the Ranking Minority
         Member of any decision, pursuant to clause 3(b)(3) or clause
         4(b) of Rule VII, to withhold a record otherwise available,
         and the matter shall be presented to the Committee for a
         determination on the written request of any Member of the
         Committee. The Committee shall, to the maximum extent
         feasible, make its publications available in electronic form.

                           rule 7. committee website

           The Chair shall maintain an official Committee website for
         the purpose of furthering the Committee's legislative and
         oversight responsibilities, including communicating
         information about the Committee's activities to Committee
         members, other members of the House and the public. The
         ranking minority member may maintain a similar website for
         the same purpose, including communicating information about
         the activities of the minority to Committee members, other
         members of the House, and the public.

                                B. SUBCOMMITTEES

                  rule 8. subcommittee ratios and jurisdiction

           All matters referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
         involving revenue measures, except those revenue measures
         referred to Subcommittees under paragraphs a, b, c, d, e or f
         shall be considered by the full Committee and not in
         Subcommittee. There shall be six standing Subcommittees as
         follows: a Subcommittee on Trade; a Subcommittee on
         Oversight; a Subcommittee on Health; a Subcommittee on Social
         Security; a Subcommittee on Work and Welfare; and a
         Subcommittee on Tax. The ratio of Republicans to Democrats on
         any Subcommittee of the Committee shall be consistent with
         the ratio of Republicans to Democrats on the full Committee.
           (a) The Subcommittee on Trade shall consist of 21 Members,
         12 of whom shall be Republicans and 9 of whom shall be
         Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Trade shall include
         bills and matters referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
         that relate to customs and customs administration including
         tariff and import fee structure, classification, valuation of
         and special rules applying to imports, and special tariff
         provisions and procedures which relate to customs operation
         affecting exports and imports; import trade matters,
         including import impact, industry relief from injurious
         imports, adjustment assistance and programs to encourage
         competitive responses to imports, unfair import practices
         including antidumping and countervailing duty provisions, and
         import policy which relates to dependence on foreign sources
         of supply; commodity agreements and reciprocal trade
         agreements involving multilateral and bilateral trade
         negotiations and implementation of agreements involving
         tariff and non-tariff trade barriers to and distortions of
         international trade; international rules, organizations and
         institutional aspects of international trade agreements;
         budget authorizations for the customs revenue functions of
         the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. International
         Trade Commission, and the U.S. Trade Representative; and
         special trade-related problems involving market access,
         competitive conditions of specific industries, export policy
         and promotion, access to materials in short supply, bilateral
         trade relations including trade with developing countries,
         operations of multinational corporations, and trade with non-
         market economies.
           (b) The Subcommittee on Oversight shall consist of 13
         Members, 8 of whom shall be Republicans and 5 of whom shall
         be Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Oversight shall
         include all matters within the scope of the full Committee's
         jurisdiction. Said oversight jurisdiction shall not be
         exclusive but shall be concurrent with that of the other
         Subcommittees. With respect to matters involving the Internal
         Revenue Code and other revenue issues, said concurrent
         jurisdiction shall be shared with the full Committee. Before
         undertaking any investigation or hearing, the Chair of the
         Subcommittee on Oversight shall confer with the Chair of the
         full Committee and the Chair of any other Subcommittee having
         jurisdiction.
           (c) The Subcommittee on Health shall consist of 19 Members,
         11 of whom shall be Republicans and 8 of whom shall be
         Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Health shall
         include bills and matters referred to the Committee on Ways
         and Means that relate to programs providing payments (from
         any source) for health care, health delivery systems, or
         health research. More specifically, the jurisdiction of the
         Subcommittee on Health shall include bills and matters that
         relate to the health care programs of the Social Security Act
         (including titles V, XI (Part B), XVIII, and XIX thereof)
         and, concurrent with the full Committee, tax credit and
         deduction provisions of the Internal Revenue Code dealing
         with health insurance premiums and health care costs.
           (d) The Subcommittee on Social Security shall consist of 13
         Members, 8 of whom shall be Republicans and 5 of whom shall
         be Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Social Security
         shall include bills and matters referred to the Committee on
         Ways and Means that relate to the Federal Old Age, Survivors
         and Disability Insurance System, the Railroad Retirement
         System, and employment taxes and trust fund operations
         relating to those systems. More specifically, the
         jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Social Security shall
         include bills and matters involving title II of the Social
         Security Act and Chapter 22 of the Internal Revenue Code (the
         Railroad Retirement Tax Act), as well as provisions in title
         VII and title XI of the Act relating to procedure and
         administration involving the Old Age, Survivors' and
         Disability Insurance System.
           (e) The Subcommittee on Work and Welfare shall consist of
         13 Members, 8 of whom shall be Republicans and 5 of whom
         shall be Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare
         shall include bills and matters referred to the Committee on
         Ways and Means that relate to the public assistance
         provisions of the Social Security Act, including temporary
         assistance for needy families, child care, child and family
         services, child support, foster care, adoption, supplemental
         security income, social services, home visiting, and
         eligibility of welfare recipients for food stamps. More
         specifically, the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Work
         and Welfare shall include bills and matters relating to
         titles I, IV, VI, X, XIV, XVI, XVII, XX and related
         provisions of titles V, VII and XI of the Social Security
         Act.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare
         shall also include bills and matters referred to the
         Committee on Ways and Means that relate to the Federal-State
         system of unemployment compensation, and the financing
         thereof, including the programs for extended and emergency
         benefits. More specifically, the jurisdiction of the
         Subcommittee on Work and Welfare shall also include all bills
         and matters pertaining to the programs of unemployment
         compensation under titles III, IX and XII of the Social
         Security Act, Chapters 23 and 23A of the Internal Revenue
         Code, and the Federal-State Extended Unemployment
         Compensation Act of 1970, and provisions relating thereto.
           (f). The Subcommittee on Tax shall consist of 19 Members,
         11 of whom shall be Republicans and 8 of whom shall be
         Democrats.
           The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Tax shall consist
         of those revenue measures that, from time to time, shall be
         referred to it specifically by the Chair of the full
         Committee.

                            Rule 9. Committee Panels

           Subject to clause 5(b)(2)(C) of Rule X of the Rules of the
         House, the Chair may designate a select panel of the
         Committee to inquire into and take testimony on matters of
         special national interest. Any such panel shall be subject to
         all Committee rules herein and shall not have legislative
         jurisdiction.
           Any select panel designated under this rule shall continue
         in existence for six months after the date of the designation
         and may be reauthorized in the discretion of the Chair for
         subsequent six month terms.

                  Rule 10. Ex-Officio Members of Subcommittees

           The Chair of the full Committee and the Ranking Minority
         Member may sit as ex-officio Members of all Subcommittees.
         They may be counted for purposes of assisting in the
         establishment of a quorum for a Subcommittee. However, their
         absence shall not count against the establishment of a quorum
         by the regular Members of the Subcommittee. Ex-officio
         Members shall neither vote in the Subcommittee nor be taken
         into consideration for the purposes of determining the ratio
         of the Subcommittee.

                         Rule 11. Subcommittee Meetings

           Insofar as practicable, meetings of the full Committee and
         its Subcommittees shall not conflict. Subcommittee Chairmen
         shall set meeting dates after consultation with the Chair of
         the full Committee and other Subcommittee Chairmen with a
         view towards avoiding, wherever possible, simultaneous
         scheduling of full Committee and Subcommittee meetings or
         hearings.

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           Rule 12. Reference of Legislation and Subcommittee Reports

           Except for bills or measures retained by the Chair of the
         full Committee for full Committee consideration, every bill
         or other measure referred to the Committee shall be referred
         by the Chair of the full Committee to the appropriate
         Subcommittee in a timely manner.
           No measure reported by a Subcommittee shall be considered
         by the full Committee unless it has been presented to all
         Members of the full Committee at least two legislative days
         prior to the full Committee's meeting, together with a
         comparison with present law, a section-by-section analysis of
         the proposed change, a section-by-section justification, and
         a draft statement of the budget effects of the measure that
         is consistent with the requirements for reported measures
         under clause 3(d)(1) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the House
         of Representatives.

              Rule 13. Recommendation for Appointment of Conferees

           Whenever in the legislative process it becomes necessary to
         appoint conferees, the Chair of the full Committee shall
         recommend to the Speaker as conferees the names of those
         Committee Members as the Chair may designate. In making
         recommendations of Minority Members as conferees, the Chair
         shall consult with the Ranking Minority Member of the
         Committee.

                                  C. HEARINGS

                               Rule 14. Witnesses

           In order to assure the most productive use of the limited
         time available to question hearing witnesses, a witness who
         is scheduled to appear before the full Committee or a
         Subcommittee shall file with the Clerk of the Committee at
         least 48 hours in advance of his or her appearance a written
         statement of their proposed testimony. In addition, all
         witnesses shall comply with formatting requirements as
         specified by the Committee and the Rules of the House.
         Failure to comply with the 48-hour rule may result in a
         witness being denied the opportunity to testify in person.
         Failure to comply with the formatting requirements may result
         in a witness' statement being rejected for inclusion in the
         published hearing record. In addition to the requirements of
         clause 2(g)(5) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House regarding
         information required of public witnesses, a witness shall
         limit his or her oral presentation to a summary of their
         position and shall provide sufficient copies of their written
         statement to the Clerk for distribution to Members, staff and
         news media.
           A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a
         statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting
         written comments in response to a published request for
         comments by the Committee must include in their statement or
         submission, a list of all clients, persons or organizations
         on whose behalf the witness appears.

                       Rule 15. Questioning of Witnesses

           Committee Members may question witnesses only when
         recognized by the Chair for that purpose. All Members shall
         be limited to five minutes on the initial round of
         questioning. In questioning witnesses under the five minute
         rule, the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member shall be
         recognized first. In recognizing Members to question
         witnesses, the Chair may take into consideration Member
         attendance at the start of a hearing, and give priority to
         those in attendance at the start of a hearing. The Chair may
         take into consideration the ratio of Majority Members to
         Minority Members and the number of Majority and Minority
         Members present and shall apportion the recognition for
         questioning in such a manner as not to disadvantage Members
         of the Majority.

                            Rule 16. Subpoena Power

           The power to authorize and issue subpoenas is delegated to
         the Chair of the full Committee, as provided for under clause
         2(m)(3)(A)(i) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of
         Representatives.

                         Rule 17. Deposition Authority

           The Regulations for the Use of Deposition Authority as
         issued by the Committee on Rules pursuant to H. Res. 5
         titled--Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives
         for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, and for other
         purposes--are incorporated by reference and shall be
         considered the rules of the Committee.

                          Rule 18. Records of Hearings

           An accurate stenographic record shall be kept of all
         testimony taken at a public hearing.
           The staff shall transmit to a witness the transcript of his
         or her testimony for correction and immediate return to the
         Committee offices. Only changes in the interest of clarity,
         accuracy and corrections in transcribing errors will be
         permitted. Changes that substantially alter the actual
         testimony will not be permitted. Members shall have the
         opportunity to correct their own remarks before publication.
         The Chair of the full Committee may order the printing of a
         hearing without the corrections of a witness or Member if he
         or she determines that a reasonable time has been afforded to
         make corrections and that further delay would impede the
         consideration of the legislation or other measure that is the
         subject of the hearing.

                       rule 19. broadcasting of hearings

           The provisions of clause 4(f) of rule XI of the Rules of
         the House of Representatives are specifically made a part of
         these rules by reference. In addition, the following policy
         shall apply to media coverage of any meeting of the full
         Committee or a Subcommittee:
           (1) An appropriate area of the Committee's hearing room
         will be designated for members of the media and their
         equipment.
           (2) No interviews will be allowed in the Committee room
         while the Committee is in session. Individual interviews must
         take place before the gavel falls for the convening of a
         meeting or after the gavel falls for adjournment.
           (3) Day-to-day notification of the next day's electronic
         coverage shall be provided by the media to the Chair of the
         full Committee through an appropriate designee.
           (4) Still photography during a Committee meeting will not
         be permitted to disrupt the proceedings or block the vision
         of Committee Members or witnesses.
           (5) Further conditions may be specified by the Chair.

                                   D. MARKUPS

                           rule 20. previous question

           The Chair shall not recognize a Member for the purpose of
         moving the previous question unless the Member has first
         advised the Chair and the Committee that this is the purpose
         for which recognition is being sought.

                      rule 21. postponement of proceedings

           The Chair may postpone further proceedings when a record
         vote is ordered on the question of approving any measure or
         matter or adopting an amendment.
           The Chair may resume proceedings on a postponed request at
         any time. In exercising postponement authority the Chair
         shall take reasonable steps to notify Members on the
         resumption of proceedings on any postponed record vote.
           When proceedings resume on a postponed question,
         notwithstanding any intervening order for the previous
         question, an underlying proposition shall remain subject to
         further debate or amendment to the same extent as when the
         question was postponed.

                      rule 22. motion to go to conference

           The Chair is authorized to offer a motion under clause 1 of
         rule XXII of the Rules of the House of Representatives
         whenever the Chair considers it appropriate.

     rule 23. official transcripts of markups and other committee meetings

           An official stenographic transcript shall be kept
         accurately reflecting all markups and other official meetings
         of the full Committee and the Subcommittees, whether they be
         open or closed to the public. This official transcript,
         marked as ``uncorrected,'' shall be available for inspection
         by the public (except for meetings closed pursuant to clause
         2(g)(1) of rule XI of the Rules of the House), by Members of
         the House, or by Members of the Committee together with their
         staffs, during normal business hours in the full Committee or
         Subcommittee office under such controls as the Chair of the
         full Committee deems necessary.
           The Chair may provide a Member of the Committee with
         electronic access to an unofficial transcript of an open
         markup or other open official meeting of the full Committee
         or a Subcommittee upon written request by the Member to the
         Chair, but the Member shall not cause such electronic
         unofficial transcript to be published or otherwise made
         publicly available.
           If (1) in executing technical and conforming changes, the
         Office of the House Legislative Counsel or (2) in the
         preparation of a Committee report, the Chief of Staff of the
         Joint Committee on Taxation determines (in consultation with
         appropriate majority and minority committee staff) that it is
         necessary to review the official transcript of a markup, such
         transcript may be released upon the signature and to the
         custody of an appropriate committee staff person. Such
         transcript shall be returned immediately after its review in
         the drafting session.
           The official transcript of a markup or Committee meeting
         other than a public hearing shall not be published or
         distributed to the public in any way except by a majority
         vote of the Committee. Before any public release of the
         uncorrected transcript, Members must be given a reasonable
         opportunity to correct their remarks. In instances in which a
         stenographic transcript is kept of a conference committee
         proceeding, all of the requirements of this rule shall
         likewise be observed.

                                    E. STAFF

                    rule 24. Supervision of Committee Staff

           The staff of the Committee shall be under the general
         supervision and direction of the Chair of the full Committee
         except as provided in clause 9 of rule X of the Rules of the
         House of Representatives concerning Committee expenses and
         staff.
           Pursuant to clause 6(d) of rule X of the Rules of the House
         of Representatives, the Chair of the full Committee, from the
         funds made available for the appointment of Committee staff
         pursuant to primary and additional expense resolutions, shall
         ensure that each Subcommittee receives sufficient staff to
         carry out its responsibilities under the rules of the
         Committee, and that the minority party is fairly treated in
         the appointment of such staff.

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