Senate Rules for Committee Markups (CRS Report for Congress)
Release Date |
Feb. 20, 2001 |
Report Number |
98-711GOV |
Authors |
Walter J. Oleszek |
Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
“All committees are different” is an oft-made comment. It underscores that each
panel hasits own history, customs, decisionmaking styles, procedures, jurisdiction, and so
on. What this means for Senate markups — sessions where committee members consider
changesin the text ofthe measure or matter before them— isthat these drafting meetings
also reflect the “personality” of each committee. To a large extent, each committee has
considerable flexibility in how it goes about “marking up” a measure or matter before it.
For instance, during the 105th Congress, committee rules for the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee stipulate that, insofar as practicable, “proceedings of the Committee will be
conducted without resort to the formalities of parliamentary procedure.” By comparison,
other committees identify detailed procedures for their markup meetings.