Researching Congressional Procedure
Channel: Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Webinars
Date: 2016-10-14

Many of our users are familiar with the basic process by which the U.S. Congress enacts legislation. They have all at least seen the famous and beloved “I’m Just a Bill” cartoon from Schoolhouse Rock! The various rules of procedure that govern this process, however, are generally less well-known and somewhat perplexing. This can be problematic for those researching legislative history or trying to understand the way Congress works because these rules play an incredibly important role in how (and what) legislation is enacted. As former U.S. Representative John Dingell once said, “I’ll let you write the substance [of a law] . . . and you let me write the procedure, and I’ll screw you every time.”

This webinar will provide an introduction to the rules of procedure of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. It will include what the rules are, how they are adopted, and where to find them as well as a discussion of some of the myths and misunderstandings about congressional procedure. Participants will also receive a list of key resources for helping users research and understand this enigmatic subject.

Presenter Morgan Stoddard is a Research Services Coordinator at the George Washington University Library and adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center where she teaches advanced legal research. She has a J.D. and M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.