These are classic discussions published back in January 2008

The House Rules Committee takes original ownership of all legislation. Yesterday, we met and recommended that some bills go straight to the House floor for consideration (and possible passage) by the whole House. Those bills passed out of interim committees unanimously. And, we recommended that some bills go to standing committees, where the committee chairs can determine whether the bills will receive a hearing (and debate, amendment, referral to the House floor or – rarely – death). Committees aren’t killing bills (now, watch, to prove me wrong, all my bills will die in committee). Nor are bills being killed on the floor. When they are, they quickly become zombie bills, coming back from the dead on a motion to reconsider after the sponsor has successfully begged enough colleagues to “just let it advance in the system.” So, each chamber shovels garbage forward to the other chamber, counting on the other to kill it. And, even then, most bills are killed by the... (read more)