Reorganization of the House of Representatives: Background and History

On 7 January 2003, the House of Representatives created a Select Committee on Homeland Security. One of its responsibilities is to conduct a thorough and complete study of the operation and implementation of the rules of the House, including Rule X, with respect to the issues of homeland security. The select committee is required to submit its recommendations on possible changes to the Committee on Rules. Congress has officially, as well as unofficially, conducted these review committees over the past 60 years. Three joint committees, two select committees, two commissions, and party caucuses and conferences have studied various aspects of the house and its committee system. The contemporary system is primarily a product of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, which, among other things, codified committee jurisdictions, streamlined the committee system and instituted a professional committee staffing structure. This book discusses the reform efforts to reorganise the House Committee system since the 1940s.