Conferees / Managers / Instruct Conferees (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Conferees / Managers / Instruct Conferees

 
 


Reid Announces Conferees to Negotiate One-Year Plan

 
Conferees: The representatives and senators from each chamber who serve on a conference committee; also referred to as managers.

Instruct Conferees: Formal action by one chamber urging its conferees to uphold a particular position in conference.

Managers: Representatives and senators serving on a conference committee; also called conferees.

Selection of Conferees: Although House rules grant the Speaker the right to appoint conferees, the Speaker usually does so after consultation with the chair(s) of the committee(s) of jurisdiction. The Senate presiding officer appoints Senate conferees, although the presiding officer, too, draws selections from recommendations of the chair of the committee of jurisdiction and party leaders. Conferees are also referred to as managers.

Although seniority on a committee of jurisdiction plays a role in selecting conferees, junior committee members are also appointed to conference committees. A member not on the committee of jurisdiction may be appointed if he had an important amendment included in the chamber’s version of the measure or in the other chamber’s version. In some instances, especially when a measure was considered by multiple committees, representatives or senators can be appointed as limited-purpose conferees. Precedents in both chambers indicate that conferees are supposed to support their chamber’s legislation in conference.

The number of conferees can range from three to every member of a chamber. Generally, the size of a chamber delegation reflects the complexity of a measure. Moreover, the size of one chamber’s delegation does not necessarily affect the size of the other chamber’s delegation. Decisions are made by majority vote of each delegation, never by a majority vote of all the conferees. Each chamber appoints a majority of conferees to its delegation from the majority party.
 


House Republican Conferees Ready to Work with the Senate

 

Instructing Conferees: Because a conference committee is a negotiating forum, there are few rules imposed on conferees. However, there are two circumstances under which House conferees may be given direction: first, before conferees are named, and second, when conferees have been appointed for twenty calendar days and ten legislative days and have not yet filed a report.

By custom, recognition to offer a motion to instruct conferees–a motion before the conferees are named–is a prerogative of the minority party. The motion is debatable for one hour. Only one motion to instruct conferees before their being named is in order.

For a motion to instruct conferees who have been appointed but have not yet reported, any member, regardless of party, can be recognized to make a motion to instruct, and numerous motions to instruct can be offered.

Motions to instruct House conferees are not binding but express the sentiment of the House on a particular issue in either the House or Senate version of a measure sent to conference.

Motions to instruct in the Senate are rarely made. If made, a motion to instruct is both debatable and amendable, and, as in the House,must be offered before conferees are named. Unlike the House, however, a motion to instruct is not available after conferees have been appointed but the conference committee has not yet reported.

Also see

 


Congressman Jeff Miller – Floor Debate on Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 3230

 

 

More

 
 

Courses

 
 

Publications


Legislative Drafter's Deskbook: A Practical Guide

Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide


Pocket Constitution

Pocket Constitution


Citizen's Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials

Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials: A Guide for Citizen Lobbyists and Grassroots Advocates


Congressional Procedure

Congressional Procedure

 
 

CongressionalGlossary.com, from TheCapitol.Net






For more than 40 years, TheCapitol.Net and its predecessor, Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences, have been teaching professionals from government, military, business, and NGOs about the dynamics and operations of the legislative and executive branches and how to work with them.

Our custom on-site and online training, publications, and audio courses include congressional operations, legislative and budget process, communication and advocacy, media and public relations, testifying before Congress, research skills, legislative drafting, critical thinking and writing, and more.

TheCapitol.Net is on the GSA Schedule, MAS, for custom on-site and online training. GSA Contract GS02F0192X

TheCapitol.Net is now owned by the Sunwater Institute.

Teaching how Washington and Congress work ™

Select publications from TheCapitol.Net