Title 2 — The CongressRelease 119-73

§281b Functions

Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 9— - OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES › Part Part I— - Purpose, Policy, and Function › § 281b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Give legal advice and help write laws for House managers, committees, and Members, and do legal work for the House when the Speaker asks. When asked, the Office must help House managers at conference meetings with the Senate and help prepare the conference report and any explanation. When asked, it must help any House committee or joint committee that can report bills by reviewing legislation and helping draft bills, amendments, and reports. If a Member controls time on the House floor and asks, the Office must have no more than two staff (and the Legislative Counsel may also attend) present to advise that Member and, if possible, others. If a Member asks for drafting help, the Office must prepare drafts and give drafting advice, but the Legislative Counsel may limit how much help one Member gets with the Speaker’s approval. At the Speaker’s direction, the Office may perform other legal services for the House as long as they do not conflict with section 281a of this title or the earlier parts of this section.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §281b

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The functions of the Office shall be as follows:

(1)Upon request of the managers on the part of the House at any conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, to advise and assist the managers on the part of the House in the course of the conference, and to assist the committee of conference in the preparation of the conference report and any accompanying explanatory statement.

(2)Upon request of any committee of the House, or any joint committee having authority to report legislation to the House, to advise and assist the committee in the consideration of any legislation before it, and to assist the committee in the preparation of drafts of any such legislation, amendments thereto, and reports thereon.

(3)Upon request of any Member having control of time during the consideration of any legislation by the House, to have in attendance on the floor of the House not more than two members of the staff of the Office (and, in his discretion, the Legislative Counsel) to advise and assist such Member and, to the extent feasible, any other Member, in the course of such consideration.

(4)Upon request of any Member, subject to such reasonable restrictions as the Legislative Counsel may impose with the approval of the Speaker on the proportion of the resources of the Office which may be devoted to the requests of any one Member, to prepare drafts of legislation and to furnish drafting advice with respect to drafts of legislation prepared by others.

(5)At the direction of the Speaker, to perform on behalf of the House of Representatives any legal services which are within the capabilities of the Office and the performance of which would not be inconsistent with the provisions of section 281a of this title or the preceding provisions of this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 281b

Title 2 — The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73