[Deschler's Precedents, Volume 4, Chapters 15 - 17]
[Chapter 17. Committees]
[B. Committee Chairmen, Members, and Employees]
[Â§ 12. Setting and Increasing Committee Membership]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page 2651-2658]
 
                               CHAPTER 17
 
                               Committees
 
             B. COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN, MEMBERS, AND EMPLOYEES
 
Sec. 12. Setting and Increasing Committee Membership

    Until Jan. 3, 1975,(13) the rules of the House specified 
the number (14) of Members serving on each standing 
committee. Notwithstanding the presence of these figures in the rules, 
the House routinely changed the numerical composition of particular 
committees by resolution considered by unanimous consent during the 
course of a given Congress. At the beginning of a Congress, this was 
most frequently done to reconcile the new party ratio in the House and 
the reelection of committee members from the preceding 
Congress.(15) Thus, com
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13. See Note to Rule X clause 6(a), House Rules and Manual Sec. 701(a) 
        (1979).
14. See, for example, Rule X clause I, House Rules and Manual Sec. 670 
        (1973).
15. See Note to Rule X clause 2, House Rules and Manual Sec. 671A 
        (1973).
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[[Page 2652]]

mittee numerical membership resolutions considered at the beginning of 
a Congress frequently listed several committees (16) while 
it was not unusual for such resolutions to pertain solely to the 
membership of a specific committee (17) at a later point of 
the Congress. The timing of the resolution was of no import since 
changes in committee membership numbers could be effected at any 
time.(18) Beginning with the 94th Congress, it was no longer 
necessary to address committee numerical compositions by resolution 
since the rules do not specify committee size (except for the Budget 
Committee).
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16. See, for example, Sec. 12.1, infra.
17. See Sec. 12.3, infra.
18. See, for example, Sec. 12.6, infra. 
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Setting Membership by Resolution

Sec. 12.1 While the number of members serving on particular committees 
    may be changed at any time, the House, under the former practice, 
    routinely set committee sizes by one or more resolutions at the 
    beginning of a Congress where those sizes varied from those 
    specified in the standing rules.

    On Jan. 24, 1973,(19) Speaker Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, 
recognized Mr. John J. McFall, of California, who requested unanimous 
consent for the immediate consideration of the following resolution (H. 
Res. 158):
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19. 119 Cong. Rec. 2106, 93d Cong. 1st Sess.
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        Resolved, That during the Ninety-third Congress the Committee 
    on Agriculture shall be composed of thirty-six members;

        The Committee on Appropriations shall be composed of fifty-five 
    members;
        The Committee on Armed Services shall be composed of forty-
    three members;
        The Committee on Banking and Currency shall be composed of 
    thirty-nine members;
        The Committee on Education and Labor shall be composed of 
    thirty-eight members;
        The Committee on Foreign Affairs shall be composed of forty 
    members;
        The Committee on Government Operations shall be composed of 
    forty-one members;
        The Committee on House Administration shall be composed of 
    twenty-six members;
        The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs shall be composed 
    of forty-one members;
        The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce shall be 
    composed of forty-three members;
        The Committee on the Judiciary shall be composed of thirty-
    eight members;

[[Page 2653]]

        The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries shall be 
    composed of thirty-nine members;
        The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service shall be 
    composed of twenty-six members;
        The Committee on Public Works shall be composed of thirty-nine 
    members;
        The Committee on Science and Astronautics shall be composed of 
    thirty members; and
        The Committee on Veterans' Affairs shall be composed of twenty-
    six members.

    There being no objection, the measure was considered and agreed 
to.(20)
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20. For similar examples in earlier Congresses, see 117 Cong. Rec. 
        1708, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., Feb. 4, 1971 (H. Res. 192); 115 
        Cong. Rec. 2083, 91st Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 29, 1969 (H. Res. 
        174); and 113 Cong. Rec. 445, 90th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 16, 
        1967 (H. Res. 128).
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Increasing Membership by Resolution

Sec. 12.2 The House has increased the membership of its standing 
    committees for a particular Congress by a resolution considered by 
    unanimous consent.

    On Jan. 16, 1967,(1) Speaker John W. McCormack, of 
Massachusetts, recognized Mr. Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, who then 
offered a resolution (H. Res. 128) and asked unanimous consent for its 
immediate consideration. House Resolution 128 prescribed the numerical 
composition for the 90th Congress of 14 of the House's standing 
committees. As such, the resolution increased the numerical size of 
five of those committees from their previous makeup in the 89th 
Congress.(2)
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 1. 113 Cong. Rec. 445, 90th Cong. 1st Sess.
 2. See H. Res. 107 at 111 Cong. Rec. 636, 89th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 
        13. 1965.
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    The resolution [with corresponding increases in committee 
membership over that of the 89th Congress being shown in brackets] read 
as follows:

        Resolved, That during the Ninetieth Congress the Committee on 
    Agriculture shall be composed of thirty-five members;
        The Committee on Appropriations shall be composed of fifty-one 
    [previously fifty] members;
        The Committee on Armed Services shall be composed of forty 
    [previously thirty-seven] members;
        The Committee on Banking and Currency shall be composed of 
    thirty-three members;
        The Committee on Education and Labor shall be composed of 
    thirty-three [previously thirty-one] members;
        The Committee on Foreign Affairs shall be composed of thirty-
    six members;
        The Committee on Government Operations shall be composed of 
    thirty-five [previously thirty-one] members;

[[Page 2654]]

        The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs shall be composed 
    of thirty-three members;
        The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce shall be 
    composed of thirty-three members;
        The Committee on the Judiciary shall be composed of thirty-five 
    members;
        The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries shall be 
    composed of thirty-three [previously thirty-one] members;
        The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service shall be 
    composed of twenty-six members;
        The Committee on Public Works shall be composed of thirty-four 
    members;
        The Committee on Science and Astronautics shall be composed of 
    thirty-one members.

    The resolution was agreed to.(3)
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 3. For similar instances, see also H. Res. 158, 119. Cong. Rec. 2601, 
        93d Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 24, 1973; H. Res. 107, 111 Cong. Rec. 
        636, 89th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 13, 1965; and H. Res. 120, 105 
        Cong. Rec. 841, 86th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 19, 1959.
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Sec. 12.3 The House may increase the size of committee at any time 
    during a session by resolution considered by unanimous consent.

    On Apr. 12, 1972,(4) Hale Boggs, of Louisiana, offered 
the following resolution (H. Res. 922) and asked for its immediate 
consideration:
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 4. 118 Cong. Rec. 12287, 92d Cong. 2d Sess.
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        Resolved, That during the remainder of the Ninety-second 
    Congress, the Committee on Foreign Affairs shall be composed of 
    thirty-nine members.

    The resolution was agreed to.(5)
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 5. For similar examples, where a committee's size was increased in 
        mid-session, see 115 Cong. Rec. 33747, 91st Cong. 1st Sess., 
        Nov. 12, 1969 [H. Res. 673, increasing size of Committee on 
        Banking and Currency]; 100 Cong. Rec. 734, 83d Cong. 2d Sess., 
        Jan. 25, 1954 [H. Res. 418, increasing the size of Committees 
        on Banking and Currency, Foreign Affairs, and Veterans' 
        Affairs]; and 92 Cong. Rec. 1789, 79th Cong. 2d Sess., Feb. 28, 
        1946 [H. Res. 537, increasing size of the Committee on 
        Appropriations].
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    Parliamentarian's Note: Prior to the adoption of House Resolution 
922, the Committee on Foreign Affairs consisted of 38 members during 
the 92d Congress. That size had been approved by the House on Feb. 4, 
1971,(6) by way of a resolution (H. Res. 192) establishing 
committee sizes for 15 standing committees.(7) House 
Resolution 922 was offered to en
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 6. 117 Cong. Rec. 1708, 92d Cong. 1st Sess.
 7. Note, however, that the rules of the 92d Congress second session, 
        set the size of the Committee on Foreign Affairs as consisting 
        of 25 members [Rule X clause 1(g), H. Jour. 1598, 92d Cong. 2d 
        Sess. (1972)]. The practice of including committee sizes in the 
        rules was eliminated as of Jan. 3, 1975 [see the introductory 
        remarks at the beginning of this section].
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[[Page 2655]]

able Mr. Ogden R. Reid, of New York, who had switched his party 
affiliation, to become a majority member of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs. On Apr. 13, 1972,(8) the House agreed to a 
resolution (H. Res. 924) electing Mr. Reid to the newly created seat on 
that committee.(9)
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 8. 118 Cong. Rec. 12573, 92d Cong. 2d Sess.
 9. See Sec. 12.6, infra.
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Calling Up Resolutions Increasing Committee Membership

Sec. 12.4 A resolution increasing the number of members on one of the 
    standing committees of the House is not a privileged resolution 
    [unless reported by the Committee on Rules], and must be called up 
    by unanimous consent.

    On Dec. 22, 1969,(10) Speaker John W. McCormack, of 
Massachusetts, recognized Majority Leader Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, who 
offered the following resolution (H. Res. 764) and asked for its 
immediate consideration:
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10. 115 Cong. Rec. 40922, 91st Cong. 1st Sess.
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        Resolved, That during the remainder of the Ninety-first 
    Congress, the Committee on Education and Labor shall be composed of 
    thirty-seven members.

    The Speaker then inquired as to whether there was any objection to 
Mr. Albert's request. Mr. Joe D. Waggonner, Jr., of Louisiana, 
responding in the affirmative, consideration of the resolution was 
dropped for lack of unanimous consent.(11)
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11. Had the resolution been reported from the Committee on Rules, it 
        would have been privileged, and unanimous consent for its 
        immediate consideration would not have been required. See Ch. 
        21, infra, and Sec. Sec. 52-57, infra.
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Sec. 12.5 By unanimous consent, the House considered and agreed to a 
    resolution increasing the size of certain standing committees 
    during the 93d Congress [the resolution had been erroneously 
    designated as ``privileged'' in the daily Record].

    On Jan. 24, 1973,(12) Speaker Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, 
recognized Mr. John J. McFall, of California, who sought unanimous 
consent (13) for the immediate con
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12. 119 Cong. Rec. 2106, 93d Cong. 1st Sess.
13. The daily Record incorrectly indicated that Mr. McFall called up 
        the resolution as privileged. The Journal [H. Jour. 134, 93d 
        Cong. 1st Sess.] and the permanent Record, however, correctly 
        indicate that the resolution was called up by unanimous 
        consent. The resolution could have attained privileged status 
        only if it had been reported by the Committee on Rules [see Ch. 
        21, infra, and Sec. Sec. 52-57, infra].
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[[Page 2656]]

sideration of the following resolution (H. Res. 158):

        Resolved, That during the Ninety-third Congress the Committee 
    on Agriculture shall he composed of thirty-six members;
        The Committee on Appropriations shall be composed of fifty-five 
    members;
        The Committee on Armed Services shall be composed of forty-
    three members;
        The Committee on Banking and Currency shall be composed of 
    thirty-nine members;
        The Committee on Education and Labor shall be composed of 
    thirty-eight members;
        The Committee on Foreign Affairs shall be composed of forty 
    members;
        The Committee on Government Operations shall be composed of 
    forty-one members;
        The Committee on House Administration shall he composed of 
    twenty-six members;
        The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs shall be composed 
    of forty-one members;
        The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce shall be 
    composed of forty-three members;
        The Committee on the Judiciary shall be composed of thirty-
    eight members;
        The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries shall be 
    composed of thirty-nine members;
        The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service shall be 
    composed of twenty-six members;
        The Committee on Public Works shall be composed of thirty-nine 
    members:

        The Committee on Science and Astronautics shall be composed of 
    thirty members; and
        The Committee on Veterans' Affairs shall be composed of twenty-
    six members.

    There being no objection to Mr. McFall's request, the resolution 
was considered and agreed to.

Effect of Changes in Party Affiliation; Increases in Committee Size

Sec. 12.6 By unanimous consent, the House considered and agreed to a 
    resolution increasing the size of a committee for the remainder of 
    the 92d Congress, and on the next day elected a Member who had 
    switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, as a 
    majority member of that committee.

    On Apr. 12, 1972,(14) Speaker Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, 
recognized Mr. Hale Boggs, of Louisiana, who offered a privileged 
resolution (H. Res. 922), as follows:
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14. 118 Cong. Rec. 12287, 92d Cong. 2d Sess.
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        Resolved, That during the remainder of the Ninety-second 
    Congress, the Committee on Foreign Affairs shall be composed of 
    thirty-nine members.

[[Page 2657]]

    Immediately thereafter, the resolution was agreed to.
    The next day, on Apr. 13, 1972,(15) Mr. Albert C. 
Ullman, of Oregon, offered a privileged resolution (H. Res. 924), as 
follows:
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15. Id. at p. 12573.
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        Resolved, That Ogden R. Reid, of New York, be, and he is 
    hereby, elected to the standing committee of the House of 
    Representatives on Foreign Affairs.

    This resolution was also agreed to.
    Parliamentarian's Note: Prior to the adoption of House Resolution 
922, the Committee on Foreign Affairs had been composed of 38 members 
during the 92d Congress.(16)
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16. See H. Res. 192 at 117 Cong. Rec. 1708, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., Feb. 
        4, 1971.
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Increase in Minority Membership of Special Committee

Sec. 12.7 The House approved a resolution increasing the number of 
    minority members of the Special Committee on Wildlife Conservation, 
    the members to be appointed by the Speaker.

    On Feb. 9, 1939,(17) the House agreed to consider the 
following resolution (H. Res. 90), by unanimous consent:
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17. 84 Cong. Rec. 1333, 76th Cong. 1st Sess.
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        Resolved, That the number of Members of the House of 
    Representatives from the minority political party to be appointed 
    by the Speaker on the Special Committee on Wildlife Conservation 
    created under House Resolution 237 of the Seventy-third Congress 
    and continued under House Resolution 44 of the Seventy-fourth 
    Congress, House Resolution 11 of the Seventy-fifth Congress, and 
    House Resolution 65 of the Seventy-sixth Congress, is hereby 
    increased to five Members of the House of Representatives from the 
    minority political party.

    The resolution was agreed to immediately thereafter.

Increasing Membership of Committee Established by Statute

Sec. 12.8 Membership on the Joint Economic Committee, established by 
    statute, was increased by passage of a bill from 16 to 20 members--
    the total number including 10 from the Senate and 10 from the 
    House.

    On Jan. 23, 1967,(18) Speaker John W. McCormack, of 
Massachusetts, recognized Wright Patman, of Texas, Chairman of the 
Committee on Banking and Currency, who thereupon obtained

[[Page 2658]]

unanimous consent for the immediate consideration of a bill (S. 376) 
fixing the representation of the majority and minority membership of 
the Joint Economic Committee.
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18. 113 Cong. Rec. 1099, 90th Cong. 1st Sess.
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    The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

        Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
    United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 5(a) 
    of the Employment Act of 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1024(a)) is amended to 
    read as follows:
        ``(a) There is established a Joint Economic Committee, to be 
    composed of ten Members of the Senate, to be appointed by the 
    President of the Senate, and ten Members of the House of 
    Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
    Representatives. In each case, the majority party shall be 
    represented by six Members and the minority party shall be 
    represented by four Members.''

    The bill was passed.(19)
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19. S. 376 had passed the Senate on Jan. 18, 1967 [113 Cong. Rec. 839, 
        90th Cong. 1st Sess.], and became law [Pub. L. No. 90-2] on 
        Jan. 25, 1967 [113 Cong. Rec. 1614, 90th Cong. 1st Sess., Jan. 
        26, 1967].
            For information on joint committees, generally, see Sec. 7, 
        supra.
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