APPENDIX. STANDING RULES AND ORDERS FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES. Touching the duty of the Speaker. 1. He shall take the chair every day precisely at the hour to which the House shall have adjourned on the preceding day; shall immediately call the members to order; and, on the appearance of a quorum, shall cause the journal of the preceding day to be read.-(April 7, 1789.) 2. He shall preserve order and decorum; may speak to points of order in preference to other members, rising from his seat for that purpose; and shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal to the House by any two members, (April 7, 1789;) on which appeal no member shall speak more than once, unless by leave of the House.-(December 23, 1811.) 3. He shall rise to put a question, but may state it sitting.—(April 7, 1789.) 4. Questions shall be distinctly put in this form, to wit: "As many as are of opinion that (as the question may be) say Ay;" and, after the affirmative voice is expressed, "As many as are of the contrary opinion, say No." If the Speaker doubt, or a division be called for, the House shall divice: those in the affirmative of the question shall first rise from their seats, and afterwards thost in the negative. If the Speaker still doubt, or a count be required, the Speaker shall name two members, one from each side, to tell the members in the affirmative; which being reported, he shall then name two others, one from each side, to tell those in the negative; which being also repored, he shall rise and state the decision to the House.-(April 7, 1789.) No division and count of the House by tellers shall be in order, but upon motion seconded by at least one-fifth of a quarum of the members.-(September 15, 1837.) 5. When any motion or proposition is made, the question, "Will the House now consider it?" hall not be put, unless it is demanded by some member, or is deemed necessary by the Speaker. (December 12, 1817.) 6. The Speaker shall examine and correct the journal before it is read. He shall have a general drection of the hall. He shall have a right to name any member to perform the duties of the chir, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment.-(December 23, 1811.) 7. All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise specially directed by the Huse, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; and if, upon such ballot, the number requird shall not be elected by a majority of the votes given, the House shall proceed to a second ballotin which a plurality of votes shall prevail; and in case a greater number than is required to comose or complete a committee shall have an equal number of votes, the House shall proceed ta further ballot or ballots.-(January 13, 1790.) 8. he first-named member of any committee shall be the chairman; and in his absence, or being ccused by the House, the next named member, and so on, as often as the case shall happen, uress the committee, by a majority of their number, elect a chairman.-(December 20, 1805.) 9. Ay member may excuse himself from serving on any committee at the time of his appointmert, i he is then a member of two other committees.-(April 13, 1789.) It shall be the duty of a committee to meet on the call of any two of its members, if the chaman be absent, or decline to appoint such meeting.-(December 20, 1805.) 1. In all other cases of ballot than for committees, a majority of the votes given shall be necestry to an election; and where there shall not be such a majority on the first ballot, the ballot sha be repeated until a majority be obtained. (April 7, 1789.) And in all ballotings blanks sha be rejected, and not taken into the count in the enumeration of votes, or reported by the tells. (September 15, 1837.) 1 In all cases of election by the House, the Speaker shall vote; in other cases he shall not votunless the House be equally divided, or unless his vote, if given to the minority, will make the vision equal; and, in case of such equal division, the question shall be lost.-April 7, 1789.) 1. In all cases where other than members of the House may be eligible to an office by the elecin of the House, there shall be a previous nomination.-(April 7, 1789.) 1.In all cases of election by the House of its officers, the vote shall be taken viva voce.-(Decemr 10, 1839.) 15. All acts, addresses, and joint resolutions, shall be signed by the Speaker; and all writs, warrants, and subpoenas, issued by order of the House, shall be under his hand and seal, attested by the Clerk. (November 13, 1794.) 16. In case of any disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries or lobby, the Speaker (or chairman of the Committee of the Whole House) shall have power to order the same to be cleared. (March 14, 1794.) 17. No person, except members of the Senate, their Secretary, heads of departments, Treas urer, Comptrollers, Register, Auditors, Postmaster General, President's secretary, chaplains to Congress, judges of the United States, foreign ministers and their secretaries, officers who, by name, have received, or shall hereafter receive, the thanks of Congress for their gallantry and good conduct displayed in the service of their country, the commissioners of the navy board, gov ernor for the time being of any State or Territory in the Union, such gentlemen as have been heads of departments or members of either branch of the national legislature, and, at the disce tion of the Speaker, persons who belong to such legislatures of foreign governments as are in amity with the United States, shall be admitted within the hall of the House of Representatives. 18. Stenographers, wishing to take down the debates, may be admitted by the Speaker, who shall assign such places to them, on the floor or elsewhere, to effect their object, as shall not interfere with the convenience of the House.—(January 7, 1802; modified to present form, December 23, 1811.) 19. No person shall be allowed the privilege of the hall, under the character of stenographer, without a written permission from the Speaker, specifying the part of the hall assigned to him; and no reporter or stenographer shall be admitted under the rules of the House, unless such reporter or stenographer shall state, in writing, for what paper or papers he is employed to report.— (March 1, 1838.) 20. The Doorkeeper shall execute strictly the 17th and 18th rules, relative to the privilege of the hall.-(March 1, 1838.) 21. The Clerk of the House shall take an oath for the true and faithful discharge of the dutes of his office, to the best of his knowledge and abilities, (April 13, 1789, and act June 1, 1781.) He shall be deemed to continue in office until another be appointed.-(March 1, 1791.) Order of business of the session. 22. After six days from the commencement of a second or subsequent session of any Congres, all bills, resolutions, and reports, which originated in the House, and at the close of the ext preceding session remained undetermined, shall be resumed and acted on in the same manne as if an adjournment had not taken place.-(March 17, 1818.) Order of business of the day. 23. As soon as the journal is read, the Speaker shall call for petitions from the members of ach State and delegates from each Territory, beginning with Maine, (December 23, 1811,) an the Territory of Wisconsin, alternately, (September 15, 1837;) and if, on any day, the whole o the States and Territories shall not be called, the Speaker shall begin on the next day where h left off the previous day, (December 23, 1811;) provided that, after the first thirty days of thesession, petitions shall not be received, except on the first day of the meeting of the House in ach week. (March 13, 1822.) 24. Petitions, memorials, and other papers addressed to the House, shall be presented b the Speaker, or by a member in his place; a brief statement of the contents thereof shall be ade verbally by the introducer; they shall not be debated on the day of their being presented nor on any day assigned by the House for the receipt of petitions after the first thirty days the session, unless where the House shall direct otherwise, but shall lie on the table, to be taki up in the order in which they were presented.-(September 14, 1837.) Members having petions and memorials to present, may hand them to the Clerk, endorsing the same with their names, and the reference or disposition to be made thereof; and such petitions and memorials still be entered on the Journal, subject to the control and direction of the Speaker; and if any patin or memorial be so handed in, which, in the judgment of the Speaker, is excluded by the uls, the same shall be returned to the member from whom it was received.-(March 29, 1842.) 25. No petition, memorial, resolution, or other paper, praying the abolition of slavery in te District of Columbia, or any State or Territory, or the slave trade between the States or Terriries of the United States in which it now exists, shall be received by this House, or entertaid in any way whatever.-(January 28, 1840.)* 26. The petitions having been presented and disposed of, reports from committees shall e called for and disposed of, (December 23, 1811;) in doing which, the Speaker shall call up each standing committee, in the order they are named in the 76th and 104th rules; and whenl the standing committees have been called on, then it shall be the duty of the Speaker to callr reports from select committees; if the Speaker shall not get through the call upon the comttees before the House passes to other business, he shall resume the next call where he left of *Note. This rule was rescinded on the 2d day of the last session of 28th Congress. (September 15, 1837.) Resolutions shall then be called for in the same order, and disposed of by the same rules which apply to petitions: provided that no member shall offer more than one resolution, or one series of resolutions, all relating to the same subject, until all the States and Territories shall have been called.-(January 14, 1829.) 27. All the States and Territories shall be called for resolutions on each alternate Monday during each session of Congress; and, if necessary to secure this object on said days, all resolutions which shall give rise to debate shall lie over for discussion, under the rules of the House already established; and the whole of said days shall be appropriated to resolutions, until all the States and Territories are called through.-(February 6, 1838.) 28. After one hour shall have been devoted to reports from committees and resolutions, it shall be in order, pending the consideration or discussion thereof, to entertain a motion that the House do now proceed to dispose of the business on the Speaker's table, and to the orders of the day, (January 5, 1832;) which being decided in the affirmative, the Speaker shall dispose of the business on his table in the following order, viz:-(September 14, 1837.) 1st. Messages and other Executive communications.-(September 14, 1837.) 2d. Messages from the Senate, and amendments proposed by the Senate to bills of the House.— (September 14, 1837.) 3d. Bills and resolutions from the Senate on their first and second reading, that they be referred to committees, and put under way; but if, on being read a second time, no motion be made to commit, they are to be ordered to their third reading, unless objection be made; in which case, if not otherwise ordered by a majority of the House, they are to be laid on the table in the general file of bills on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in their turn.-(September 14, 1837.) 4th. Engrossed bills and bills from the Senate on their third reading.—(September 14, 1837 ) 5th. Bills of the House and from the Senate, on the Speaker's table, on their engrossment, or on being ordered to a third reading, to be taken up and considered in the order of time in which they passed to a second reading. The messages, communications, and bills on his table, having been disposed of, the Speaker shall then proceed to call the orders of the day.-(September 14, 1837.) 29. The business specified in the 26th and 28th rules shall be done at no other part of the day, except by permission of the House.-(December 23, 1811.) Local or private business. 30. Friday and Saturday in every week shall be set apart for the consideration of private bills and private business, in preference to any other, unless otherwise determined by a majority of the House. (January 22, 1810, and January 26, 1826.) 31. On the first and fourth Friday of each month, the calendar of private bills shall be called over, and the bills to the passage of which no objection shall then be made shall be first considered and disposed of.-(January 25, 1839.) Of decorum and debate. 32. When any member is about to speak in debate, or deliver any matter to the House, he shall rise from his seat, and respectfully address himself to " Mr. Speaker," (April 7, 1789;) and shall confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personality.-(December 23, 1811.) 33. When two or more members happen to rise at once, the Speaker shall name the member who is first to speak.—(April 7, 1789.) 34. No member shall occupy more than one hour in debate on any question in the House or in Committee. (June 13, 1842.) 35. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgress the rules of the House, the Speaker shall, or any member may, call to order; in which case, the member so called to order shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain; and the House shall, if appealed to, decide on the case, but without debate: if there be no appeal, the decision of the Chair shall be submitted to. If the decision be in favor of the member called to order, he shall be at liberty to proceed; if otherwise, he shall not be permitted to proceed, in case any member object, without leave of the House; and, if the case require it, he shall be liable to the censure of the House.-(April 7, 1789, and March 13, 1822.) 36. If a member be called to order for words spoken in debate, the person calling him to order shall repeat the words excepted to, and they shall be taken down in writing at the Clerk's table; and no member shall be held to answer, or be subject to the censure of the House, for words spoken in debate, if any other member has spoken, or other business has intervened, after the words spoken, and before exception to them shall have been taken.-(September 14, 1837.) 37. No member shall speak more than once to the same question, without leave of the House, (April 7, 1789,) unless he be the mover, proposer, or introducer of the matter pending; in which case, he shall be permitted to speak in reply, but not until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken.-(January 14, 1840.) 38. If a question depending be lost by adjournment of the House, and revived on the succeeding day, no member, who shall have spoken on the preceding day, shall be permitted again to speak without leave.-(April 7, 1789.) 39. While the Speaker is putting any question, or addressing the House, none shall walk out of or across the House; nor, in such case, or when a member is speaking, shall entertain private discourse; nor while a member is speaking shall pass between him and the Chair.-(April 7, 1789.) Every member shall remain uncovered during the session of the House.-(September 14, 1837.) No member or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while the ayes and noes are calling, or ballots are counting.-(September 14, 1837.) 40. No member shall vote on any question in the event of which he is immediately and particularly interested, or in any case where he was not within the bar of the House when the ques tion was put.—(April 7, 1789.) And when any member shall ask leave to vote, the Speaker shall propound to him the question-"Were you within the bar when your name was called ?”— (September 14, 1837.) 41. Upon a division and count of the House on any question, no member without the bar shall be counted.-(November 13, 1794.) 42. Every member who shall be in the House when the question is put, shall give his vote, unless the House, for special reasons, shall excuse him.-(April 7, 1789.) All motions to excuse a member from voting shall be made before the House divides, or before the call of the yeas and nays is commenced; and any member requesting to be excused from voting may make a brief verbal statement of the reasons for making such request, and the question shall then be taken without further debate.- (September 14, 1837.) 43. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the Speaker; or, being in writing, it shall be handed to the Chair, and read aloud by the Clerk, before debated.—(April 7, 1789) 44. Every motion shall be reduced to writing, if the Speaker or any member desire it.—(April 7, 1789.) Every written motion made to the House shall be inserted on the Journals, with the name of the member making it, unless it be withdrawn on the same day on which it was submitted. (March 26, 1806.) 45. After a motion is stated by the Speaker, or read by the Clerk, it shall be deemed to be in the possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time before a decision or amendment. (April 7, 1789.) 46. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indefinitely; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged, (March 13, 1822;) and no motion to postpone to a day certain, to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, shall be again allowed on the same day, and at the same stage of the bill or proposition. 47. When a resolution shall be offered, or a motion made, to refer any subject, and different committees shall be proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order: The Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; the Committee of the Whole House; a Standing Committee; a Select Committee.-(March 13, 1822.) 48. A motion to adjourn, and a motion to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, shall be always in order, (April 7, 1789, and January 14, 1840;) these motions, and the motion to lie on the table, shall be decided without debate.-(November 13, 1794; March 13, 1822.) 49. The hour at which every motion to adjourn is made shall be entered on the Journal.— (October 9, 1837.) 50. The previous question shall be in this form: "Shall the main question be now put?”—–— (April 7, 1789.) It shall only be admitted when demanded by a majority of the members present, (February 24, 1812;) and its effects shall be to put an end to all debate, and bring the House to a direct vote upon amendments reported by a committee, if any, then upon pending amendments, and then upon the main question.-(January 14, 1840.) On a motion for the previous question, and prior to the seconding of the same, a call of the House shall be in order; but after a majority shall have seconded such motion, no call shall be in order prior to a decision of the main question.-(September 14, 1837.) 51. On a previous question there shall be no debate. (December 17, 1805.) All incidental questions of order arising after a motion is made for the previous question, and pending such motion, shall be decided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate.-(September 15, 1837.) 52. When a question is postponed indefinitely, the same shall not be acted upon again during the session.-(December 17, 1805.) 53. Any member may call for the division of a question, which shall be divided if it comprehend propositions in substance so distinct, that one being taken away, a substantive proposition shall remain for the decision of the House.-(September 15, 1837.) A motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible, (December 23, 1811;) but a motion to strike out being lost, shall preclude neither amendment, nor a motion to strike out and insert.-(March 13, 1822) 54. Motions and reports may be committed at the pleasure of the House.—(April 7, 1789.) 55. No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment.-(March 13, 1822.) No bill or resolution shall, at any time, be amended by annexing thereto, or incorporating therewith, any other bill or resolution pending before the House.-(September 15, 1837.) 56. When a motion has been once made, and carried in the affirmative or negative, it shall be in order for any member of the majority to move for the reconsideration thereof (January 7, 1802,) on the same or the succeeding day-(December 23, 1811;) and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, except a motion to adjourn.—(May 6, 1828.) |
