Committee Jurisdiction (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Committee Jurisdiction

The subjects and functions assigned to a committee by rule, resolution, precedent, or practice, including legislative matters, oversight and investigations, and nominations of executive officers.

In the Senate, Rule XXV establishes jurisdiction for standing committees in the Senate. Senate Rule XXVII, paragraph 1, provides:

Except as provided in paragraph 3, in any case in which a controversy arises as to the jurisdiction of any committee with respect to any proposed legislation, the question of jurisdiction shall be decided by the presiding officer, without debate, in favor of the committee which has jurisdiction over the subject matter which predominates in such proposed legislation; but such decision shall be subject to an appeal.

In the House, Rule X establishes jurisdiction for standing committees in the House. House Rule X, paragraph 1, provides in part:

There shall be in the House the following standing committees, each of which shall have the jurisdiction and related functions assigned by this clause and clauses 2, 3, and 4. All bills, resolutions, and other matters relating to subjects within the jurisdiction of the standing committees listed in this clause shall be referred to those committees, in accordance with clause 2 of rule XII, as follows….

Also see § 5.80, Committees and Subcommittees, § 6.31, Sample Jurisdictional Agreement, in Congressional Deskbook; Chapter 2.L. Referral to Committee, Chapter 2.M. Senate Rule XIV, Chapter 3.B. Committees and Subcommittees, in Congressional Procedure.

More

• House Committee on Rules
• Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
• “Committee Types and Roles,” CRS Report 98-241 (6-page PDF)
• “House Committee System,” CRS Report RS21643 (8-page PDF)
• “House Committees,” CRS Report RL32661 (21-page PDF)
• “Allocations and Subdivisions in the Congressional Budget Process,” CRS Report RS20144 (4-page PDF)
• “House Committee Jurisdiction and Referral: Rules and Practice,” CRS Report 98-175 (4-page PDF)
• “Committee Jurisdiction and Referral in the Senate,” CRS Report R46815 (13-page PDF)
• “Reorganization of the Senate: Modern Reform Efforts,” CRS Report RL32112 (45-page PDF)
• “Parliamentary Reference Sources,” CRS Report RL30787 (63-page PDF)
• “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
• “House Committee Chairs: Considerations, Decisions, and Actions as One Congress Ends and a New Congress Begins,” CRS Report RL34679 (35-page PDF)
• “Guide to Committee Activity Reports: Purpose, Rules, and Contents,” CRS Report R45104 (24-page PDF)

Courses

• Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
• Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
• Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing
• Custom Training
• Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments in a Nutshell, Audio Course on CD
• Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a Nine-Course series on CD

Publications

Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide

Pocket Constitution

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

Congressional Procedure

CongressionalGlossary.com, from TheCapitol.Net