Hearing of the Committee on Rules
Open Hearing to receive Member testimony on proposed changes in House Rules
One Sixty-Minute Special Order a Month is Enough
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the chance to testify today in support of a proposal that I believe would improve comity in the House.
Simply put, my proposal is to limit sixty minute special orders speeches to one per Member per month. If a Member wishes to exceed that limit, the Member would be assessed $3,000 from their Members Representational Allowance.
Based on information provided to me by Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-MI), who introduced a resolution in the 105th Congress (H. Res. 97) on this subject, it costs between $4,000 and $6,000 for a one hour special order. I recommend, however, charging Members who deliver more than one special order a month only $3,000. I arrived at the $3,000 figure as being low enough so it would not be prohibitive for a Member to give another special order, but being high enough to provide a disincentive to those Members who gratuitously use special orders.
Even if the House adopts my proposal to limit special orders, Members would still have many other avenues to expound on the issues of the day. For example, Members could still use Extension of Remarks in the Congressional Record to speak more throughly on a subject. Additionally, a Member could get around my suggested limitation by having another Member yield that Member time on the floor during special orders. Of course, under the rules of the House, the Member who yields time has to stand there for the entire time while the other Member speaks.
I believe that my proposal will also improve civility in the House. A report entitled "Civility in the House of Representatives," prepared after the 1997 Hershey retreat, pointed out that incivility is more likely to take place during special orders, where the rules of the House are more likely to be laxly enforced. My proposal would make some more of the intemperate, partisan Members who use special orders frequently to literally pay for the privilege of addressing the House.
I would expect Democratic members to embrace my proposal. After all, special orders reform was vigorously supported by Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) in the 103rd Congress, and Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-MI) introduced legislation in the 105th Congress (H. Res. 97) even more restrictive than my proposal. (The Rivers resolution would make Members pay for all special order speeches.)
Mr. Chairman, I recognize that special orders serve a useful purpose, as they allow for the discussion of non-legislative issues on the floor of the House, and also give junior Members practice learning the traditions and procedures of House debate. However, sixty minutes a month is enough for any Member.
In conclusion, my proposal to limit Members to one special order a month could save the taxpayers money, while adding to the decorum and civility of the House by putting a price on the gratuitous use of special orders. I ask for the Committee to consider adopting my proposal for the 107th Congress.
