The House Rules Committee will be on TV this weekend, but good luck getting a front row seat.

The committee, which has the final word on legislation before it reaches the House floor, will meet Friday to consider the Democratic health reform overhaul, teeing up floor consideration in an unusual Saturday session.

This time, you’ll be able to watch the meeting on C-SPAN, because the cable network is dedicating resources to broadcast the event. But seating will be limited in the hearing room.

Typically, Rules Committee meetings are not televised.

To watch the average meetings on fisheries legislation or credit card interest rates, you’d have to trek to the third floor of the Capitol building, to room H-313.

The ornate, but intimate meeting room has fewer than 10 seats reserved for credentialed media and no permanent cameras.

 Committee Republicans have pushed for the installation of cameras in the room for webcasting, but the Democrats have resisted.

Committee sources say that if Republicans regain the gavel in the near future, they would have to honor this commitment and install the cameras themselves.

Rules majority spokesman Vince Morris previously told Roll Call that due to the standing invitation to C-SPAN, the permanent cameras would be a "waste of money."

House Rules do not require that the Rules panel meet in this particular place and most meeting rooms in the House office building adjacent to the Capitol building have many more seats for the audience.

Despite the tremendous interest in the health care reform bill, the committee is scheduled to meet in the usual location.

The meeting should be interesting because the panel has the power to allow or deny floor votes on amendments to bills, as well as provide for structured floor debate rules that automatically require the adoption of certain amendments.

Tomorrow, Rules Committee Democrats may attach the manager's amendment in this fashion.

— Niels Lesniewski, Congressional Quarterly