Appointed Officials of the House
Fast Facts
In its modern form House Rule II, which delineates the elected officers and appointed officials of the House, dates to 1999. A rule or clause governing these House positions has existed since 1789, and has undergone a number of revisions over the years, adding and replacing certain officers and officials and clarifying their responsibilities.
Download House Rule II (PDF).
House Rule II outlines the duties of seven officers and officials: the Clerk of the House, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplain, which all date to 1789, as well as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of the Historian, and the Office of General Counsel, all of which were created during the twentieth century. The Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the CAO, and the Chaplain are elected by the Members, while the Speaker appoints the remaining three—the Inspector General, the Historian, and the General Counsel. Two other officials, the Office of Legislative Counsel and the Office of Law Revision Counsel, are also appointed by the Speaker, but their jurisdiction comes from federal statute rather than House Rules.
