House ‘member day’ hearing airs reform proposals

Last Wednesday, the House Rules Committee held its biennial hearing for members to make recommendations for changes in House rules they hope to see adopted in the next Congress.

Twelve members testified — ten Democrats, one Republican, and one independent.  Their recommendations ranged from remote proxy voting for parents of newborns, to stricter ethics enforcement rules and better allocations of time for legislating.

The tradition of holding such House reform hearings in every even-numbered year originated in the 104th Congress (1995-96) when Republicans regained majority party status for the first time in 40 years. The Republican “Contract with America” promised not only to pass major policy changes in the first 100-days of the new Congress but also to adopt nine significant House rules changes.

These included such significant alterations as placing term limits on Speakers and committee chairs, abolishing proxy voting in committee, and reducing the number of committees and cutting committee staff by one-third. Also agreed to were 23 minor revisions, including requiring committees to adopt oversight agendas at the beginning of each Congress and limiting members to no more than two full committee and four subcommittee assignments.

The precedent for member day reform hearings was established in the 104th Congress when Rules Committee Chairman Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.) launched an unprecedented bipartisan process for his committee to take input from members and outside experts to build on changes made in the 104th Congress and preparing for the 105th. It began........

© The Hill