Media

July 8, 2022

AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2023

Dear Colleague:

The Committee on Rules is likely to meet the week of July 18 to grant a rule that may provide a structured amendment process for floor consideration of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2023.

To help ensure Members draft their amendments properly and promptly, please read and adhere to the following guidance:

• Members must draft their amendments to Rules Committee Print 117–55, which contains the text of H.R. 8294, H.R. 8239, H.R. 8255, H.R. 8254, H.R. 8262, and H.R. 8238 as reported by the Committee on Appropriations, with modifications, and which is available on the Rules Committee website.


• When submitting an amendment, Members must identify which division the amendment modifies.


• Any Member wishing to offer an amendment must submit a searchable electronic copy of the amendment, which should be provided by the Office of Legislative Counsel (HOLC), via the Rules Committee’s website by 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Please note that staff must be on the House network, either physically or remotely via virtual private network (VPN), in order to access the online submission form.


• The rule will follow the prior practice of preventing amendments, offsets, or transfers between divisions. It is the Committee’s intent that amendments affecting more than one division of the bill will not be made in order. For example, amendments may not transfer funds from an account in the Agriculture division to an account in the Interior, Environment division.


• Limitation, “reach-back,” and across-the-board cut amendments intended to affect multiple divisions, must be submitted as separate amendments to each division. Any amendment that would traditionally come at the end of a bill should be drafted to the end of the relevant division.


• Members should use the Office of Legislative Counsel (HOLC) to ensure that their amendments are drafted in the most appropriate format. To help expedite drafting requests, drafting templates can be found on the Rules Committee website. When requesting amendments to simply transfer amounts in the bill from one account to another, please follow HOLC’s Process for Requests to Legislative Counsel for Drafting of “2(f)” Dollar Transfer Amendments.


• If HOLC is unable to provide their drafting services before the submission deadline, Members may submit amendments written using the posted templates. Members are urged to re-submit any such amendment as a revision upon receipt of a formal draft from HOLC.


• Members may not digitally edit HOLC PDFs prior to submission. If a Member must edit an HOLC draft prior to submission, do so by printing, hand correcting, and scanning so it is clear there is a non-HOLC change. Members are still urged to re-submit any such hand revision upon receipt of an updated formal draft from HOLC.


• Members should also check with the Committee on Appropriations for technical and subject matter expertise and the Congressional Budget Office for a preliminary assessment of their amendment’s budgetary effect.


• Additionally, Members should consult with the Office of the Parliamentarian and the Committee on the Budget to be certain their amendments comply with the rules of the House and the Congressional Budget Act. At times of particularly high-volume amendment drafting, these offices may not be able to provide guidance before the submission deadline—Members may submit unreviewed amendments to the Committee.


• The Rules Committee does not intend to make in order amendments that are in violation of House rules or budget rules and would require a waiver.

If you have any questions about:

• Division A (Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development), please contact Eric Delaney.
• Division B (Agriculture, Rural Development), please contact Caitlin Hodgkins.
• Division C (Energy and Water Development), please contact Lori Ismail.
• Division D (Financial Services and General Government), please contact Matt Price.
• Division E (Interior, Environment), please contact Liz Pardue.
• Division F (Military Construction, Veterans Affairs), please contact Eric Delaney.

For general questions, please contact the Committee staff at 202-225-9091.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern