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House Committee Hearings: The “Minority Witness Rule” When a House committee or subcommittee holds a hearing, the minority party members of the panel have the right to call witnesses of their choosing to testify on at least one day of that hearing. Clause 2(j)(1) of House Rule XI—colloquially known as the “minority witness rule”— states: Whenever a hearing is conducted by a committee on a measure or matter, the minority members of the committee shall be entitled, upon request to the chairman by a majority of them before the completion of the hearing, to call witnesses selected by the minority to testify with respect to that measure or matter during at least one day of hearing th ereon. If the minority’s request to call witnesses comes after a hearing has begun, it will likely necessitate the continuation of the hearing on an additional day to accommodate minority witnesses.1 Rule XI, however, is rarely formally invoked to demand an additional day of hearing. In practice, the rule has largely served as a “backstop” that gives the minority party a procedural recourse should a committee majority refuse to invite witnesses they request.