The 5 most interesting rules from the US House Congressional handbook

The Members Congressional Handbook has specific rules to keep members of the House from committing nepotism.

According to the handbook, members of the House are prohibited from hiring members of their immediate family, in-laws, aunts and uncles, stepchildren and stepparents, nieces and nephews, and half-brothers and half-sisters.

All employees must sign a document indicating their relationship to the member by who they are employed and amend the document if their relationship changes.

The handbook says members of House can have their office decorations reimbursed including "decorations of nominal value (e.g., as frames, bookends, flags, seals, rugs, etc.)."

House members cannot have larger items exceeding $5,000 reimbursed such as rugs and painting.

The Congressional handbook says that members of the House can "adjust, in any month, an employee's pay to reflect exceptional, meritorious, or less than satisfactory service."

The congressional handbook states that "telecommuting is entirely at the discretion of the employing office."

"An employing office is under no obligation to offer a telecommuting option to employees," the handbook says.

According to the Congressional handbook, individual members are not permitted to hire consulting services, but committees may "procure the temporary services of consultants."

The handbook includes "legal fees (except where otherwise noted in the Members Congressional Handbook), speech writers, personal financial advisers, communications advisers, and political party or campaign advisers" among other services as prohibited under the rule.