OF THE WHOLE HOUSE

Definition

"Of the whole house" is a parliamentary procedure term describing the condition of a legislative assembly when it resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole House — that is, when all members of a legislative chamber convene informally as a single deliberative committee rather than operating under the body's standard rules of procedure. The phrase identifies the committee's composition: it consists of every member of the house, as opposed to a select or standing committee drawn from a subset of members. The Committee of the Whole House is a procedural device that allows a legislature to consider legislation, resolutions, or financial measures in a more flexible and less formal setting than a regular session. Rules governing speaking time, voting procedures, and debate are typically relaxed. The full chamber sits, but the Speaker vacates the chair and a designated Chairman of Committees presides instead.

Core Elements

The Committee of the Whole House has three defining characteristics that distinguish it from ordinary legislative session: Composition: Every member of the house is eligible and expected to participate — hence "of the whole house," as opposed to a select or standing committee of limited membership. Presiding officer: The Speaker or presiding officer of the full chamber steps down. A separate Chairman (in the English House of Commons, the Chairman of Ways and Means) takes the chair at the table rather than the Speaker's elevated seat. Procedural relaxation: The committee operates under modified rules — in the Commons tradition, the quorum is lower, debate may be less strictly controlled, and preliminary resolutions may be considered before a bill proceeds to formal stages.

Why It Matters in Research

Researchers working with historical legislative records, English parliamentary materials, or early American legislative practice will encounter this phrase as a term of art. Several research traps are worth noting. First, the phrase appears most heavily in English parliamentary sources and in American legislative practice drawn from English models. Early American state legislatures and the Continental Congress borrowed the Committee of the Whole device directly from Westminster practice, so colonial and early republic legislative journals will use "of the whole house" in precisely the English sense. Second, the term has declined in modern American legislative drafting. The U.S. House of Representatives still formally uses the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of general appropriations bills and other measures, but the phrase "of the whole house" itself rarely appears in contemporary secondary sources. Researchers using modern legislative indexes may need to search under "Committee of the Whole" to surface the relevant materials. Third, the Rapalje & Lawrence entry is incomplete as printed — the entry cuts off mid-sentence at "the seat of the," almost certainly referring to the Clerk's position at the table. Researchers relying solely on this source will not find a complete description of the Chairman's seating or the full procedural rules. Supplementing with Erskine May's Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament is essential for complete historical treatment. Fourth, for American practice, Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice (prepared by Thomas Jefferson for the Senate and later incorporated by reference into House Rules) provides the foundational American adaptation of the Committee of the Whole device. Any research into early American legislative procedure should treat Jefferson's Manual as a primary source alongside English parliamentary authorities.

Historical Dictionary Support

Rapalje & Lawrence is the only shelf source carrying this entry, and the entry is truncated, ending before fully describing the Chairman's seating arrangement and duties. What the entry does confirm is the core structural feature: the Chairman of Ways and Means — always a member of the House, elected at the start of each new parliament — presides in committee. He sits at the table rather than in the Speaker's chair, a physical distinction that signals the informal, committee-like character of the proceedings. The entry correctly identifies three principal occasions for the Committee of the Whole: consideration of government-introduced bills, the Committee of Ways and Means (financial measures), and the Committee of Supply (appropriations). This tripartite structure reflects English parliamentary practice through the nineteenth century, though later reforms have modified some of these procedures. Historical sources generally do not engage with "of the whole house" as an independent term — they treat it as a descriptor embedded within "Committee of the Whole House" as a compound phrase. Researchers should not expect standalone entries under this phrase in most legal dictionaries of the period.

Jurisdictional Note

The term originates in English parliamentary practice and was transplanted into American legislative procedure at the federal and state levels. The U.S. House of Representatives retains a formal Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union; the U.S. Senate abolished its comparable procedure. State legislative practice varies considerably; many state legislatures have abandoned the Committee of the Whole form entirely.

Related Terms