In some cases, the Chairman of the Rules Committee will announce special procedures or deadlines for the submission of amendments. The announcement usually requires 30 copies of the amendment and one copy of a brief explanation be delivered to the Rules Committee in H-312 of the Capitol no later than the deadline indicated in the announcement as well as electronic submission of the amendment and summary. The announced special procedures always take precedence. They will usually be announced by a "Dear Colleague" letter sent to Member offices and posted on the Majority website.

In order to have the amendment considered in the Rules Committee, take the following steps unless otherwise specified by the Chairman's announcement:

1. If a Member wishes to testify before the Rules Committee on an amendment, call the Committee at 225-9191 (Majority) or 225-9091 (Minority) to have the Member placed on the witness list. The primary way to testify before the Rules Committee is to indicate that they would like to testify on the log in form.
2. The assistance of the Legislative Counsel's office (225-6060) should be sought in drafting the amendment. It is very important that the amendment be drafted by Legislative Counsel to ensure that it is tailored to the most up-to-date version of the base bill and that it is accurate. This also helps to ensure the expeditious printing by the Government Printing Office of any amendments made in order by the Rules Committee.
3. The text of the amendment should be checked with the House Parliamentarian (225-7373) to determine if it violates any rule of the House. If so, the amendment could possibly be redrafted to correct the problem. If not, the Rules Committee should be notified that the Member will need a waiver of certain points of order in order to have the amendment considered.
4. In the absence of a special procedure announced by the Chairman, the Committee still requires 30 copies of the amendment and one copy of a brief explanation.
5. It is always helpful to call the Rules Committee well in advance of the Committee meeting to speak with the appropriate Committee staff regarding your Member's amendment. Keep the Committee informed of the progress of the amendment with the Parliamentarian's office and with the Legislative Counsel's office.

Note: The submission of an amendment to the Rules Committee does not guarantee that the amendment will be made in order or that it will be granted a waiver.