House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies

"A principal responsibility of House committees is to conduct markups—to select legislation to consider, to debate it and vote on amendments to it (to mark up), and to report recommendations on passage to the House. This manual examines procedures and strategy related to committee markups and provides sample procedural scripts.

A committee faces many decisions when it considers a policy matter in a markup. It must select what legislation to mark up; decide whether to mark up in committee only or in both subcommittee and committee; consider the effect of referral on the markup; choose how to report to the House; and take into account congressional and Administration sentiments. With policy and political considerations in mind, the committee plans its procedural strategy.

The first element of a markup strategy is selection of a markup vehicle. A committee might mark up a measure as introduced, a version of the measure previously marked up in subcommittee, a draft prepared before, after, or without subcommittee markup, or an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Procedural and political consequences attach to each markup vehicle. Two parts of the manual deal with this element: Procedural Strategy and the Choice of a Markup Vehicle, and Beginning a Markup..."
House Procedures manual