Fifteen Mem. bers may compel sentees. during call of House. considered. Members noted may, when their names are called, record their votes, notwithstanding the provisions of clause one of this rule. 3. In the absence of a quorum, fifteen Members, attendance of ab- including the Speaker, if there is one, shall be auApr. 17, 1789. thorized to compel the attendance of absent MemProceedings bers, and in all calls of the House the names of the Members shall be called by the Clerk, and the absentees noted; the doors shall then be closed, and those for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found, by officers to be appointed by the Sergeant-at-Arms for that purpose, and their attendance secured; and the House shall determine upon what condition they shall be discharged. Members who voluntarily appear shall, unless the House otherwise Feb. 14, 1888. direct, be immediately admitted to the Hall of the House, and they shall report their names to the Clerk to be entered upon the Journal as present. Motions must be entered Apr. 7. 1789. RULE XVI. ON MOTIONS, THEIR PRECEDENCE, ETC. be in writing and 1. Every motion made to the House and enterJournal. on tained by the Speaker shall be reduced to writing on the demand of any Member, and shall be entered on the Journal with the name of the Member making it, unless it is withdrawn the same day. Mar. 26, 1806. May be withdrawn before de ment. Apr. 7, 1789. 2. When a motion has been made, the Speaker cision or amend- shall state it, or (if it be in writing) cause it to be read aloud by the Clerk before being debated, and it shall then be in possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time before a decision or amendment. Question of consideration. 3. When any motion or proposition is made, the Dec. 12, 1817. question, Will the House now consider it? shall not be put unless demanded by a Member. recess; to lay on question: Not initely: Debata Mar. 13, 1822. 4. When a question is under debate no motion Order of preced ence: to fix day: shall be received but to fix the day to which the to adjourn; for a House shall adjourn, to adjourn, to take a recess, table; previous to lay on the table, for the previous question (which debatable. motions shall be decided without debate), to post- Postpone to a pone to a day certain, to refer or amend, or to post-Refer or amend ; pone indefinitely, which several motions shall have Postpone indef. precedence in the foregoing order; and no motion to ble, postpone to a day certain, to refer, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, shall be again allowed on the same day at the same stage of the question. 5. A motion to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, a motion to adjourn, and to take a recess shall always be in order, and the hour at Jan. 14, 1840. which the House adjourns shall be entered on the Journal. To adjourn, etc., always in order. Apr. 7, 1789. When question Sept. 15, 1837 6. On the demand of any Member, before the question is put, a question shall be divided if it in- divisible. clude propositions so distinct in substance that one being taken away a substantive proposition shall remain. and insert. Dec. 23, 1811. 7. A motion to strike out and insert is indivisible, To strike out but a motion to strike out being lost shall neither preclude amendment nor motion to strike out and insert; and no motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be must begermane. admitted under color of amendment. Amendment Mar. 15, 1822. rules. 8. Pending a motion to suspend the rules the To suspend Speaker may entertain one motion that the House adjourn; but after the result thereon is announced he shall not entertain any other dilatory motion till the vote is taken on suspension. For Committee of the Whole on appropriation bills, etc., when 9. At any time after the expiration of the morning hour it shall be in order to move that the House resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole in order. House on the state of the Union for the purpose of considering bills raising revenue, or general appropriation bills. Feb. 11, 1880. Previous ques tion. Feb 24, 1812 Aug. 5, 1848. Thirty min ntes debate after lowed. Feb. 27, 1880 al RULE XVII. PREVIOUS QUESTION. 1. There shall be a motion for the previous question, which, being ordered by a majority of Members present, if a quorum, shall have the effect to cut off all debate and bring the House to a direct vote upon the immediate question or questions on which it has been asked and ordered. Provided previous ques that when the previous question is ordered on any proposition on which there has been no debate, it shall be in order to debate the proposition to be voted on for thirty minutes, one-half of such time to be given to debate in favor of, and onehalf to debate in opposition to such proposition. What it may The previous question may be asked and ordered upon a single motion, a series of motions allowable under the rules, or an amendment or amendments, or may be made to embrace all authorized motions or amendments and include the bill to its passage or rejection. It shall be in order, pending Motion to com- the motion for or after the previous question shall have been ordered on its passage, for the Speaker to entertain and submit a motion to commit, with or without instructions, to a standing or select committee; and a motion to lay upon the table shall be in order on the second and third reading of a bill. embrace. Jan. 14, 1840. mit, when in or der. Feb. 12, 1880. To lay on table, when in order. Call of House after previous 2. A call of the House shall not be in order after question ordered. the previous question is ordered, unless it shall apMar. 16, 1860. pear upon an actual count by the Speaker that a Questionspend ing previous quorum is not present. 3. All incidental questions of order arising after question not de- a motion is made for the previous question and Sept. 15, 1837. pending such motion shall be decided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate. batable. RULE XVIII. RECONSIDERATION. Motion to reconsider, when Jan. 7, 1802. May 6, 1828. 1. When a motion has been made and carried or lost, it shall be in order for any Member of the ma- in order. jority, on the same or succeeding day, to move for the reconsideration thereof, and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions except the Precedence of. consideration of a conference report, a motion to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, to adjourn, or to take a recess, and shall not be withdrawn after the said succeeding day without the consent of the House, and thereafter any Member may call it up for consideration: Provided, That such motion, if made during the last six days days of session. of a session, shall be disposed of when made. 2. No bill, petition, memorial, or resolution referred to a committee, or reported therefrom for printing and recommitment, shall be brought back into the House on a motion to reconsider; and all bills, petitions, memorials, or resolutions reported from a committee shall be accompanied by reports in writing, which shall be printed. RULE XIX. OF AMENDMENTS. During last six Feb. 12, 1880. Reports of com. mittees shall be in writing and be Feb. 12, 1880. printed. ments. Substitute. When a motion or proposition is under consider Order of amend ation, a motion to amend and a motion to amend that amendment shall be in order, and it shall also be in order to offer a further amendment by way of substitute, to which one.amendment may be offered, but which shall not be voted on until the original matter is perfected, but either may be withdrawn Amendment before amendment or decision is had thereon, drawn; when. Amendments to the title of a bill or resolution to title. shall not be in order until after its passage, and shall be decided without debate. may be with Amendments Sept. 6, 1893. Senate. Consid. mittee of the Whole; when. RULE XX. OF AMENDMENTS OF THE SENATE. Amendment of Any amendment of the Senate to any House bill eration in Com shall be subject to the point of order that it shall first be considered in the Committee. of the Whole House on the state of the Union if, originating in the House, it would be subject to that point. Feb. 12, 1880. RULE XXI. ON BILLS. Bills and joint resolutions must times. Apr. 7, 1789. 1. Bills and joint resolutions on their passage be read three shall be read the first time by title and the second time in full, when, if the previous question is ordered, the Speaker shall state the question to be: Engrossment. Shall the bill be engrossed and read a third time? and if decided in the affirmative, it shall be read the third time by title, unless the reading in full is demanded by a Member, and the question shall then be put upon its passage. Sept. 14, 1837. Passage. Appropriation bills; items in, or Sept. 14, 1837. not in order. trench expendi 2. No appropriation shall be reported in any gen amendments to. eral appropriation bill, or be in order as an amendment thereto, for any expenditure not previously authorized by law, unless in continuation of appropriations for such public works and objects as are already in progress. Nor shall any provision in any such bill or amendment thereto. changing Changing law existing law be in order, except such as, being gerUnless they re- mane to the subject-matter of the bill, shall retrench expenditures by the reduction of the number and salary of the officers of the United States, by the reduction of the compensation of any person paid out of the Treasury of the United States, or by the reduction of amounts of money covered by the bill: Provided, That it shall be in order further to amend such bill upon the report of the committee or any joint commission authorized by law or the House members of any such commission having jurisdiction of the subject-matter of tures. Jan. 18, 1876. |