By John Walk, Kilpatrick Stockton Senior Government Relations Advisor

As previously noted, the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) is expected to be taken up by the full House of Representatives on Thursday, March 1, 2007. It is anticipated that sometime on Wednesday, February 28, “Whip Notices” is expected to be sent to House members notifying them of this fact.

Other bills may also be considered by the House on the same day. Much of the scheduling of the House’s consideration of the bill is expected to take place behind the scenes, and even the schedule ultimately released by the Clerk’s office can be quite fluid.

House procedure calls first for the Rules Committee, headed by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-KY) – a co-sponsor of the bill - to propose a rule that will govern consideration of the bill. Such rules can include how many amendments will be permitted, determinations of what types of amendments are “germane,” the amount of debate allowed, and other points of order. The rule is then debated and voted on by the House. Sometimes debates about the merit of the bill can creep into rule debates. The rule process typically takes about an hour.

Bill managers can call up the bill anytime after the rule has been passed.  Depending on the rule, certain amendments can be proposed, and such amendments could include those that were rejected by the House Committee on Education and Labor. Debate then begins on the bill and any amendments, after which a vote will be scheduled and conducted.

EFCA Updates will be covering the House proceedings and will post regular updates on this site.

John Walk is a Senior Government Relations Advisor in Kilpatrick Stockton’s Washington, DC office. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Walk worked for six years in the U.S. House of Representatives for Members on the exclusive Rules and Ways and Means Committees. Mr. Walk served as an aide in the offices of Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA), former Representative Tony Hall (D-OH), and Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).