House Republicans Look to Rewrite Rules to Give Members More Voice

House Republicans are using the coming departure of Speaker John Boehner to agitate for new structures and procedures that may limit the power of whoever takes the gavel from him.

[...]

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., chairwoman 

of the House Republican Conference, has kicked off a 

process to reconsider legislative procedures.

(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

Beyond the jockeying for various top positions, rank-and-file conservatives are pushing for a series of rules changes that would give them a larger role in setting the legislative agenda for the House.

"It is not as much about who the speaker is as it is about what the speaker will be doing," said Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, whose threat to call a no-confidence vote on Boehner was a factor in the speaker's decision to step down.

Rep Mark Meadows (R-NC)

Meadows said he and other members are calling for rules changes that would give House committee chairmen more authority. For instance, "if a committee reports a proposed piece of legislation, there should be some type of timeline for when that gets heard on the House floor." The way the House functions now, Meadows said, "the committee structure gets superseded by a few ideas that get hammered out at the last minute because we are in crisis mode."

Rep Jim Renacci (R-OH)

Conservatives have expressed frustration that they are unable to get votes on the House floor on key issues — and when they do, the bills are doomed to fail because Democrats can simply block votes in the Senate. House leaders end up bringing bills to the floor that committees have never voted on. ...

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