Objection after first reading.

patched in order as they were introduced, unless where the House shall direct otherwise; but no bill shall be twice read on the same day without special order of the House."-Rule 116. [The "special order" here referred to is generally assumed to have been given, for unless objection is made, immediately after the bill is read a first time, the Speaker announces "the second reading of the bill," and it thereupon receives its second reading.]

The first reading of a bill shall be for information, and if opposition be made to it, the question shall be: "Shall this bill be rejected?"-Rule 117. And this question is debatable. Journal, 2, 32, p. 152. But "if no opposition be made, or if the question to reject be negatived, the Second reading. bill shall go to its second reading without a question.”— Rule 117.

Usually read by their title.

[The three readings of a bill are usually by the title, the readings throughout usually taking place in Committee of the Whole; but where there is no commitment, it then takes place whenever it is proposed to put the bill on its passage. It is the undoubted right, however, of Right of a mem any member to have a bill read through at every stage of its progress through the House.-See READING OF PAPERS.]

ber to have read

through.

After second reading.

Open to debate, &c.

"Upon the second reading of the bill, the Speaker shall state it as ready for commitment or engrossment; and, if committed, then a question shall be, whether to a select or standing committee, or to a Committee of the Whole House; if no motion be made to commit, the ques tion shall be stated on its engróssment; and if it be not ordered to be engrossed on the day of its being reported, it shall be placed on the general file on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in order. But if the bill be ordered to be engrossed, the House shall appoint the day when it shall be read the third time."-Rule 118.

[The settled practice of the House upon the second reading of a bill, unless it be an APPROPRIATION BILL, (which see,) is to consider it as open to debate, when, Commitment. under the 42d Rule, it is in a condition for a motion to lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indef

Amendment.

prece

may be stricken

out.

initely, which several motions take precedence in the order in which they are arranged. "But a motion to Enacting words strike out the enacting words of a bill shall have dence of a motion to amend; and, if carried, shall be considered equivalent to its rejection."-Rule 123. (See all of said motions respectively.)

third reading.

[The question of engrossment is put in this form, viz: Engrossment and "Shall the bill be engrossed and read a third time?" If it be negatived, the bill is rejected; but if it be decided in the affirmative, and the bill is actually engrossed, or no question is made on its failure to be engrossed, the Speaker immediately directs "the third reading of the bill." But if the question is made, and it be not actually engrossed, the bill goes to the Speaker's table. In the case of a Senate bill, the engrossment having already Third reading been made before it came to the House, the question which arises is, "Shall the bill be read a third time?" which being decided negatively the bill is rejected, but being decided affirmatively the bill is immediately read a third time.]

of Senate bills.

In case of a bill with a preamble.

[Where the bill has a preamble, although there is no rule, and until lately no settled practice, defining the stage at which it is to be considered, it would seem to be most appropriate that its consideration should take place after the bill has been ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and before the third reading takes place. By this course, the bill can be engrossed either with or without the preamble, as the House shall have determined.] [After the third reading of a bill, the question which After third readnext arises in course is, "Shall the bill pass?" At this stage the bill is again open to debate, but is not amend able; it may, however, under the 124th Rule, be recom- Recommitment. mitted at any time before passage.-(See RECOMMIT,

MOTION TO.)]

ing.

Debate.

[The bill having passed, and the title having been After passage. read, the Speaker states, "If there be no objection this

will remain the title of the bill." The title, however, is Title.
subject to amendment, and, unless the previous question
is ordered on it, is also debatable.]

After title disposed of.

Motion to

[After the title is disposed of, it is usual ber having charge of the bill to move "that taken be reconsidered, and that the motion t be laid on the table;" which latter motion decided in the affirmative, no reconsiderat place, and the transmission of the bill to the not be delayed. Indeed, it is not uncomm re- the motion "to reconsider and lie" at every bill.]

consider and lie.

Certified by

Clerk and taken

The bill is then, as required by Rule 127, to the Senate. the Clerk, notifying the day of its passage thereof," and conveyed by him to the Senat

with all the papers on which it is founded," Not to be taken by Joint Rule 14. But "no bill that shall last three days of one house shall be sent for concurrence to

to the Senate on

session.

To be on paper, when on passage

either of the last three days of the session." 16. [This rule is almost invariably suspe two houses near the close of a session.]

"While bills are on their passage betwe between the two houses, they shall be on paper, and under t of the Secretary or Clerk of each house resp Joint Rule 5.

houses.

After the

re

turn of, from Sen

ment.

[After the bill has been acted on by the ate, with amend brought back to the House by the Secretary ate, together with a report of their action it has passed with amendment, it is placed o er's table, to be taken up in its order und Rule.

Action on Senate amendment to.

When the Senate amendment is agreed to.

Amendments

between

houses.

the

When taken up, the amendment of the Se either agreed to, disagreed to, or agreed to ment; in case of an appropriation of money bei in the amendment, however, it must be first in a Committee of the Whole.

If the amendment of the Senate is agreed t is notified of the fact by message through the the bill is enrolled.]

In case of disagreement by the House to ment of, the Senate's amendment, see A BETWEEN THE HOUSES and CONFERENC TEES.

"After a bill shall have passed both houses, it shall

After passage

by both houses,

parchment.

When enrolled,

be duly enrolled on parchment by the Clerk of the House to be enrolled on of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate, as the bill may have originated in the one or the other house, before it shall be presented to the President of the United States."-Joint Rule 6. "When bills are enrolled, they shall be examined by to be examined. a joint committee of two from the Senate and two from the House of Representatives, appointed as a standing committee for that purpose, who shall carefully compare the enrollment with the engrossed bills, as passed in the two houses, and, correcting any errors that may be dis covered in the enrolled bills, make their report forthwith to their respective houses."-Joint Rule 7.

(See ENROLLED BILLS, COMMITTEE ON.)

When exam

re

and signed by

"After examination and report, each bill shall be signed ined, to be in their respective houses, first by the Speaker of the ported to House House of Representatives, then by the President of the Speaker. Senate."-Joint Rule 8.

be presented to

"After a bill shall have been thus signed in each house, After being sigued by presiit shall be presented by the said committee to the Presiding officers, to dent of the United States for his approbation, it being President. first indorsed on the back of the roll, certifying in which house the same originated; which indorsement shall be signed by the Secretary or Clerk (as the case may be) of the house in which the same did originate, and shall be entered on the Journal of each house. The said committee shall report the day of presentation to the Presi dent, which time shall also be carefully entered on the Journal of each house."-Joint Rule 9. But no bill or resolution that shall bave passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall be presented to the President of the United States for his approbation on the last day of the session."-Joint Rule 17. [This rule, like the 16th, is generally suspended near the close of the session.]

But not on last day of session.

sented to Presi

After a bill is presented to the President, "if he ap- After being preprove he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with dent. his objections, to that house in which it shall have originated."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. [Where the President ap

approved.

Where bill is proves a bill, it is customary for him to notify the house where the bill originated of the fact, and the date of his approval, which is entered on the Journal.]

Where vetoed.

Where not returned within ten days.

When an act has been approved by the President, the usual number of copies shall be printed for the use of the House.-Rule 157. And messages from the Presi dent giving notice of bills approved shall be repeated from the Clerk's desk forthwith.-Rule 158.

In case of a bill returned with the objections of the President, see VETO.

"If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. Where a bill is allowed to become a law by reason of the failure of the President to return the same, it is usual for him to notify the House of that fact, as in the case of approval.Where Presi- Journals, 2, 36, pp. 424, 480; 2, 39, p. 479. And where from returning he is prevented by an adjournment from returning a bill, it is usual for him to communicate his reasons at the next session for not approving it.-Journals, 3, 12, p. 544; 1, 30, p. 82; 2, 35, p. 151.

by reason of ad journment.

Where bill of

one house is re

other.

"When a bill or resolution which shall have passed in jected in the one house is rejected in the other, notice thereof shall be given to the house in which the same shall have be passed.”—Joint Rule 12. And, when so rejected, "it shall without leave of not be brought in during the same session, without a notice of ten days and leave of two-thirds of that house in which it shall be renewed.”—Joint Rule 13.

Not to brought in again

two-thirds.

Bills undisposed of at end of session.

Printing of.

Of extra copies of documents.

In regard to bills left undisposed of at the end of a session, see UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

In regard to the printing of bills, see PRINTING, PUB

LIC.

BINDING.

Extra copies of documents, the size of which shall not be less than 250 pages, shall be bound, under the direction of the Committee on Printing on the part of