Committee of the Whole ( United States House of Representatives ) - wikipedia Committee of the Whole ( United States House of Representatives ) This article is part of a series on the United States House of Representatives History of the United States House of Representatives Members Current members ( by seniority by age non-voting ) Former members Hill committees ( DCCC NRCC ) Congressional districts Speaker of the United States House of Representatives ( list ) Party leaders Democratic Caucus Republican Conference Politics and procedure Committee of the Whole Closed session ( list ) Saxbe fix Committees ( list ) Procedures Origination Clause Quorum call Unanimous consent Salaries Apportionment ( Huntington -- Hill method ) Redistricting Gerrymandering Articles of impeachment Self - executing rule Rules suspension General ticket Plural district Places United States Capitol House office buildings ( Cannon Ford Longworth Rayburn ) In the United States House of Representatives, the Committee of the Whole, short for Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, is a parliamentary device in which the House of Representatives is considered one large congressional committee. The presiding officer is chosen by the Speaker of the House and is normally a member of the majority party who does not hold the chair of a standing committee. Procedurally, the Committee of the Whole differs from the House of Representatives even though they have identical membership. The Committee of the Whole only requires 100 members for a quorum, while only 25 members are required to force a recorded rather than voice vote. In the version of the Committee of the Whole that existed in the British House of Commons, the original use of this committee was to debate bills privately and prevent a recorded vote from being taken. It is normally invoked to give initial consideration of important legislation, including bills for raising revenue, and serves to expedite the process since debate over amendment occurs under a special five - minute rule. The House and the Committee of the Whole do not operate at the same time ; rather, to consider bills, the House must resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole. To dissolve itself, the Committee of the Whole must `` rise '' ( and, optionally, `` report with a recommendation '' for the particular bill it has had under consideration ). Each time a new bill is considered in the Committee of the Whole the House resolves itself de novo into the Committee of the Whole for the sole purpose of consideration of that particular bill. The Committee of the Whole can recommend amendments to any bill. The House must then approve these amendments before the amendments are added to the final bill ( which is normally done through unanimous consent ). It allows bills and resolutions to be considered without adhering to all the formal rules of a House session, such as needing a quorum of 218. All measures on the Union Calendar must be considered first by the Committee of the Whole. Contents 1 Participation of non-voting delegates 2 Former use in the United States Senate 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Participation of non-voting delegates In 1993, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton ( D - DC ), along with the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and the delegates from Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, received a limited vote in the Committee of the Whole, based on their right to vote in legislative committees. However, this limited vote stipulated if any of the delegates provided the deciding vote on an issue considered by the Committee of the Whole, a new vote would be conducted and the delegates would not be allowed to vote. The right of delegates to vote in Committee of the Whole was removed by the Republican majority in 1995 after that party gained control of Congress in the 1994 congressional elections. In January 2007, it was proposed by Democrats in the House that the 1993 -- 1994 procedure be revived. The House approved the proposal with the adoption of H. Res. 78 by a vote of 226 -- 191. On January 5, 2011, on the first day of the newly - Republican controlled House session, the House voted for a rules package again stripping non-voting delegates of their votes in the Committee of the Whole, with a 225 -- 188 vote along party lines to table a motion by Del. Norton providing for further study of the non-voting delegate issue, thereby effectively killing it. Former use in the United States Senate The United States Senate used the Committee of the Whole as a parliamentary device until May 16, 1930, when the practice was abolished with respect to bills and joint resolutions. The Senate continued to utilize the Committee of the Whole for consideration of treaties until February 27, 1986, with the passage of S. Res 28. See also List of current United States House of Representatives committees References Jump up ^ `` Government 101 : How a Bill Becomes Law - Project Vote Smart ''. Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Eleanor Holmes Norton : Biography and Much More from ''. Answers.com. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Kansas City infoZine News - Delegates Want an Official Chance to Make Their Voices Heard - USA ''. Infozine.com. 2007 - 01 - 24. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 04. Jump up ^ Pershing, Ben ( 2011 - 01 - 05 ). `` Washington Post - Norton fails in effort to prevent loss of Committee of the Whole vote ''. Voices.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 04. ^ Jump up to : `` Riddick 's Senate Procedure - 101st Congress, 2d Session, Page 335 '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on February 6, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012. Further reading Sinclair, Barbara ( 1997 ). Unorthodox Lawmaking : New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress. CQ Press. ISBN 1 - 56802 - 276 - X. External links Rules of the House of Representatives of the 109th Congress Current United States congressional committees Senate ( list ) Aging ( Special ) Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Ethics ( Select ) Finance Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Indian Affairs Intelligence ( Select ) Judiciary Narcotics ( Caucus ) Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans ' Affairs House ( list ) Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the Workforce Energy and Commerce Ethics Financial Services Foreign Affairs Homeland Security House Administration Intelligence ( Permanent Select ) Judiciary Natural Resources Oversight and Government Reform Rules Science, Space, and Technology Small Business Transportation and Infrastructure Veterans ' Affairs Ways and Means ( Whole ) Joint ( list ) ( Conference ) Economic Inaugural Ceremonies ( Special ) Library Printing Taxation Standing committees, Defunct committees United States Congress House of Representatives Senate ( 114th ← 115th → 116th ) Lists of congressional lists Members and leaders Members Current By length of service Freshmen Youngest members Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Delegates Senate Current by seniority Dean of the Senate Former senators Living Earliest serving Earliest living Expelled or censured Classes Born outside the U.S. House Current by seniority Dean of the House Former representatives Living Oldest living Earliest serving Expelled, censured, and reprimanded Leaders Senate President ( list ) President pro tempore ( list ) Majority and minority leaders Assistant party leaders Democratic Caucus ( Chair Secretary Policy Committee Chair ) Republican Conference ( Chair Vice-Chair Policy Committee Chair ) House Speaker Leaders Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group Democratic Caucus Republican Conference Districts List Apportionment Caucuses, women and minorities Congressional caucus African Americans in the House Congressional Black Caucus African Americans in the Senate Arab and Middle - Eastern members Asian Pacific American members Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Hispanic and Latino members Congressional Hispanic Caucus Congressional Hispanic Conference Jewish members LGBT members LGBT Equality Caucus Native American members Women in the House Congressional Caucus for Women 's Issues Women in the Senate Related By length of service historically Powers, privileges, procedure, committees, history, and media Powers Article I Copyright Commerce ( Dormant ) Contempt of Congress Declaration of war Impeachment Naturalization `` Necessary and Proper '' Power of enforcement Taxing / spending Privileges and benefits Salaries Franking Immunity Procedure Act of Congress ( list ) Appropriation bill Blue slip Budget resolution Censure Closed sessions House Senate Cloture Concurrent resolution Continuing resolution Dear colleague letter Discharge petition Engrossed bill Enrolled bill Expulsion Joint resolution Joint session ( list ) Lame - duck session Majority of the majority ( Hastert Rule ) Multiple referral Procedures ( House ) Quorum call Reconciliation Rider Saxbe fix Sponsorship Suspension of the rules Unanimous consent Veto Line - item veto Pocket veto Veto override Senate - specific Advice and consent Classes Executive communication Executive session Filibuster Jefferson 's Manual Senate Journal Morning business Nuclear option Presiding Officer Recess appointment Reconciliation Riddick 's Senate Procedure Senate hold Senatorial courtesy Seniority Standing Rules Tie - breaking votes Traditions Treaty Clause Committees Chairman and ranking member Of the Whole Conference Discharge petition Hearings Markup Oversight List ( Joint ) List ( House ) List ( Senate ) Select and special Standing Subcommittees Items Gavels Mace of the House Seal of the Senate History Biographical Directory Divided government House Gerrymandering Party control Senate Senate election disputes Senatorial memoirs Representative memoirs Media C - SPAN Congressional Quarterly The Hill Politico Roll Call Offices, employees, services, and the Capitol Complex Legislative offices Congressional staff Government Accountability Office ( Comptroller General ) Architect of the Capitol Capitol Police ( Capitol Police Board ) Capitol Guide Service ( Capitol Guide Board ) Congressional Budget Office ( CBO ) Compliance Library of Congress Government Publishing Office ( GPO ) Technology Assessment Offices Senate Curator Historical Library House Congressional Ethics Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations Interparliamentary Affairs Legislative Counsel Law Revision Counsel Library Employees Senate Secretary Chaplain Curator Inspector General Historian Librarian Pages Parliamentarian Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper House Chaplain Chief Administrative Officer Clerk Doorkeeper Floor Operations Floor Services Chief Historian Pages ( Page Board ) Parliamentarian Postmaster Reading Clerk Sergeant at Arms Library of Congress Congressional Research Service ( reports ) Copyright Office ( Register of Copyrights ) Law Library Poet Laureate THOMAS Adams Building Jefferson Building Madison Building Government Publishing Office Public Printer Congressional Pictorial Directory Congressional Record Official Congressional Directory United States Government Manual Serial Set Statutes at Large United States Code Capitol Brumidi Corridors Congressional Prayer Room Crypt Dome Statue of Freedom Rotunda Hall of Columns Statuary Hall Visitor Center The Apotheosis of Washington Statue of Freedom Declaration of Independence painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States Apotheosis of Democracy First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln Surrender of General Burgoyne Surrender of Lord Cornwallis Revolutionary War Door Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way Vice President 's Room Vice Presidential Bust Collection Office buildings Senate Dirksen Hart Mountains and Clouds Russell House Building Commission Cannon Ford Longworth O'Neill Rayburn Other facilities Botanic Garden Health and Fitness Facility House Recording Studio Senate chamber Old Senate Chamber Old Supreme Court Chamber Power Plant Webster Page Residence Subway Websites House of Representatives Senate Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Committee_of_the_Whole_(United_States_House_of_Representatives)&oldid=815256117 '' Categories : Committees of the United States House of Representatives Terminology of the United States Congress Hidden categories : Organizations with year of establishment missing Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 13 December 2017, at 19 : 07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the presiding officer of the house of representatives answers.com
Answer: a member of the majority party who does not hold the chair of a standing committee