Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from cohabitating with any employee of the House of Representatives.

This bill exceeds the proper scope of House rulemaking under Article I, Section 5, Clause 2, which grants each House authority to 'determine the Rules of its Proceedings.' That power is confined to the regulation of legislative procedure and the internal governance of the chamber's official business. Prohibiting cohabitation between Members and House employees intrudes upon private domestic relations, which are not a matter of legislative proceeding or the orderly conduct of House business. The Constitution does not empower the House to regulate the personal living arrangements of its Members,…

The proposed rule, by prohibiting a Member of the House from cohabitating with any House employee, exceeds the proper boundaries of legislative rule-making and infringes upon rights reserved to the people. The Constitution grants each House authority to determine its own rules (Article I, Section 5, Clause 2), but this power is not absolute; it must be exercised in conformity with the Bill of Rights and the principle of enumerated powers. The First Amendment protects the freedom of association, which includes the intimate relationship of cohabitation. Moreover, the Ninth Amendment declares tha…

The Constitution grants each House the authority to determine the rules of its proceedings, and a rule prohibiting a Member from cohabitating with a House employee falls within the legitimate sphere of internal governance to preserve decorum, prevent conflicts of interest, and maintain public trust. The rule does not alter the constitutional qualifications for office, which are fixed by Article I, Section 2, Clause 2, and does not conflict with any enumerated right. The House's power to discipline its members and regulate its own affairs is broad, as the Federalist Papers underscore the necess…

The Constitution vests in each House the power to determine the Rules of its Proceedings, and to punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour. This rule, which prohibits a Member from cohabitating with any House employee, is a regulation of conduct within the House's sphere of self-governance. It does not alter the qualifications for office prescribed by the Constitution, which are exclusive. The House may adopt such means as are appropriate to preserve the integrity of its proceedings, and this rule is a permissible exercise of the rule-making authority under Article I, Section 5. As Chief Jus…