The Nation - News from June 8, 1989

Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.) was elected to replace the late Rep. Claude Pepper (D-Fla.) as chairman of the House Rules Committee. Moakley, a committee member since 1974, was the second-ranking Democrat on the panel. Moakley said he would attempt to emulate Pepper’s style, saying the Florida Democrat “probably was one of the most democratic chairmen up here.” Once a committee approves a piece of legislation, the measure moves to the Rules Committee, which decides if and when the bill will be debated by the full House, how it will be debated and whether amendments will be permitted.