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Order Code RS20544
Updated July 25, 2003
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House
and Senate
Colton C. Campbell
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Stanley Bach
Senior Specialist in the Legislative Process
Government and Finance Division
The House and the Senate each has an Office of the Parliamentarian to provide
expert advice and assistance on questions relating to the meaning and application of that
chamber's legislative rules, precedents, and practices. The Speaker began naming a
parliamentarian in 1927; the Senate first recognized its parliamentarian in 1935. At
present, the House parliamentarian is assisted by two deputies, three assistants, and two
clerks. The Senate office currently comprises the parliamentarian, two senior assistant
parliamentarians, the assistant parliamentarian, and the parliamentary assistant. See
[http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml] for information on legislative
process.
The responsibilities of the two offices are similar. These derive from the need of
Representatives and Senators, and their staffs, for access to confidential and nonpartisan
expertise to help them understand the intricacies of the legislative process. The
parliamentarians and their assistants/deputies make their authoritative knowledge
available to all members on the floor during plenary sessions and from their offices at all
other times.
The most visible service that each office provides is in advising the Member
presiding over House or Senate plenary sessions as to the appropriate procedure to be
followed, the appropriate way in which to phrase whatever statements the chair needs to
make, and the appropriate responses by the chair to parliamentary inquiries and points of
order. Whenever the House or Senate is in session, the parliamentarian or one of his
deputies/assistants always is present on the floor. In the House, the parliamentarian on
duty sits or stands near the right hand of the Member who is presiding. In the Senate, the
parliamentarian on duty always is seated at the rostrum immediately below the presiding
officer's desk.
Because of the complexity of the legislative procedures that govern the floor sessions
of each house, Representatives and Senators have long felt the need for expert
professional assistance, especially for those called upon to preside. The parliamentarians
Congressional Research Service **** The Library of Congress](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/crsuntaaaxu0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)