It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy.

A "special rule" resolution (also referred to simply as a "rule") is a simple resolution of the House of Representatives, usually reported by the Committee on Rules, to permit the immediate consideration of a legislative measure, notwithstanding the usual order of business, and to prescribe conditions for its debate and amendment.

When a bill is reported out of another committee with legislative jurisdiction, it is placed on the appropriate House Calendar for debate.

For instance, there might be a limit on the number or types of amendments (proposed changes to the bill).

Between control over amendments, debate, and when measures will be considered, the Rules Committee exerts vast power in the House.

These general rules still have a great impact on the tone of the House floor today.

For the first fifty years of its existence, it accomplished little beyond simply reaffirming these rules, and its role was very noncontroversial.

When the Republican Party took over the House in the election of 1880, they quickly realized the power that the Rules Committee possessed.

In the 1890s and 1900s, Reed and his successor, Joseph Gurney Cannon (R-Illinois) used the Rules Committee to centralize the power of the Speakership.

However, it ceased to function as the personal project of the Speaker, as it had originally; instead, as the seniority system took root, it was captured by a coalition of conservative Democrats and Republicans.

In 1961, Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-Texas), acting on the wishes of the new President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic Study Group, introduced a bill to enlarge the committee from 12 members to 15, to decrease the power of the arch-conservative chairman, Howard W. Smith (D-Virginia).

However, it was only partially successful; the Rules Committee continued to block legislation including civil rights and education bills.

As before, its primary role is to come up with special rules, to help or obstruct the chances of legislation reported to it.

Such resolutions may also include necessary authority for district work periods, and may waive or modify certain points of order or rules of the house if desired by the committee, and the committee is also allowed to self-execute amendments right in the rule rather than delegating this ability to the full house floor.

Howard W. Smith of Virginia is the longest-serving chairman (1955–1967) since the committee's founding.

David Dreier of California is the youngest chairman of the Rules Committee, assuming the position at the age of 46.