This digital version of the Congressional Institute's Floor Operations Manual for the U.S. House of Representatives is designed to assist the public, Members of Congress and their staff in better understanding and following the daily activities on the Floor of the U.S. House.

224 years of legislative evolution have created procedures that are occasionally viewed as archaic. But these procedures evolved from experience in ways to enhance the operations of the Congress.The goal of such procedures is to enhance civility and order in the debate of ideas while reducing personal animosity and chaos.

Since the House establishes and follows its own rules, not Robert's Rules of Order or other parliamentary conventions, as is often assumed; it constantly evolves its rules to meet the challenges of the day. The rules are adopted by majority vote at the time a new congress organizes, following each federal election. This version reflects the Rules adopted for the 111th Congress, which convened in January of 2009.

Thisdigital version includes an introduction writtenby the Hon. David Dreier, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, plus the full content of the printed version. Because it contains links to other information and additional reference sites that could not be included in the printed version, it is a more robust version of the current manual.

Parliamentary terms found in italics feature quick links to definitions. Links in regular type lead to other useful pages on this site or to outside sites. For general informationon how our Congress works, please browse through theLegislative Resources section.

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