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Abstract

The aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo will undoubtedly be a test for Congress’ ability to produce effective legislation in areas previously covered by executive action. This essay proposes a substantial reform of the House of Representatives’ agenda-setting process to enable it to manage this increased workload. The current system—whereby in practice the House only ever considers privileged business handpicked by the majority party’s leadership—ought to give way to certainty in the daily order of business and an emphasis on the role of committees. Under the proposal offered here, the standing and select committees would become the primary forum for scrutinising the technical details of legislation and would have the powers necessary to ensure floor consideration of the measures that they report. Finally, appended to this essay are suggested amendments to the standing rules of the House that would give effect to these proposals.