ness in which the House may have been engaged at an adjournment, and at the same time each day thereafter, other than the first and third Mondays, until disposed of; and it shall be in order to proOther unfinish ceed to the consideration of all other unfinished business whenever the class of business to which it belongs shall be in order.

ed business.

Feb. 20, 1880.
Consideration

business on the

6. Unfinished business, if any, having been disof revenue and posed of, motions shall be in order as follows: appropriation bills and other First. That the House resolve itself into the ComUnion Calendar. mittee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to consider, first, bills raising revenue and general appropriation bills, and then other business on its Calendar.

On the House Calendar.

On Fridays af

termorning hour,

so desires.

Second. To proceed to the consideration of business on the House Calendar.

Third. On Friday of each week, after the mornPrivate Calen ing hour, it shall be in order to entertain a motion dar; or public business if House that the House resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole House to consider business on the Private Calendar; and if this motion fail, then public business shall be in order as on other days.

Priority of business.

Decided with

out debate.

Feb. 21, 1803.

Fridays set apart for private

business.

Jan. 22, 1810.

Second and fourth Mondays

Columbia busi

RULE XXV.

PRIORITY OF BUSINESS.

All questions relating to the priority of business shall be decided by a majority without debate.

RULE XXVI.

PRIVATE AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BUSINESS.

1. Friday in every week shall be set apart for the consideration of private business, unless otherwise determined by the House.

2. The second and fourth Mondays in each month for District of shall, when claimed by the Committee on the District of Columbia, be set apart for the .consideration of such business as may be presented by said committee.

ness.

May 8, 1874.
Apr. 6, 1886.

sion bills, etc.

3. The House shall, on each Friday, at 5 o'clock Recess on Fridays and night p. m., take a recess until 8 o'clock, which evening session for pensession shall be devoted to the consideration of Feb. 14, 1890. private bills reported from the Committee on Pensions, and the Committee on Invalid Pensions, to bills for the removal of political disabilities, and bills removing charges of desertion only; said evening session not to extend beyond 10 o'clock and 30 minutes.

RULE XXVII.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF THE SESSION.

business re

quent session. Mar. 16, 1860.

All business before committees of the House at Unfinished the end of one session shall be resumed at the com- sumed at subsemencement of the next session of the same Congress in the same manner as if no adjournment had taken place.

RULE XXVIII.

CHANGE OR SUSPENSION OF RULES.

may suspend

third Mondays

sion.

1. No rule shall be suspended except by a vote Two-thirds of two-thirds of the Members present, nor shall rules on first and the Speaker entertain a motion to suspend the and during last rules except on the first and third Mondays of six days of ses. each month, preference being given on the first Monday to individuals and on the third Monday to committees, and during the last six days of a session.

Mar. 13, 1822.

Apr. 26, 1828.

June 22, 1874.

Feb. 27, 1880.

2. All motions to suspend the rules shall, before, Motions for, to be seconded by a being submitted to the House, be seconded by a majority. majority, by tellers, if demanded.

3. When a motion to suspend the rules has been seconded, it shall be in order, before the final vote is taken thereon, to debate the proposition to be voted upon for thirty minutes, one-half of such time to be given to debate in favor of, and one-half to debate in opposition to such proposition.

Feb. 27, 1880.

Thirty min

utes' debate on

motion to sus.

pend rules.

Feb. 27, 1880.

RULE XXIX.

CONFERENCE REPORTS.

ports, when in order.

Conference re- The presentation of reports of committees of conference shall always be in order, except when the Journal is being read, while the roll is being called, or the House is dividing on any proposition. And Detailed state there shall accompany every such report a detailed statement sufficiently explicit to inform the House what effect such amendments or propositions will have upon the measures to which they relate.

ment of, re

quired.

Feb. 27. 1880.

Secret session; when to be held.

Dec. 30, 1793.

RULE XXX.

SECRET SESSION.

Whenever confidential communications are reFeb. 17, 1792. ceived from the President of the United States, or whenever the Speaker or any Member shall inform the House that he has communications which he believes ought to be kept secret for the present, the House shall be cleared of all persons except the Members and officers thereof, and so continue during the reading of such communications, the debates and proceedings thereon, unless otherwise ordered by the House.

Privilege of reading paper; how decided.

Nov. 13, 1794.

RULE XXXI.

READING OF PAPERS.

When the reading of a paper other than one upon which the House is called to give a final vote is demanded, and the same is objected to by any Member, it shall be determined without debate by a vote of the House.

RULE XXXII.

DRAWING OF SEATS.

1. At the commencement of each Congress, immediately after the Members and Delegates are sworn in, the Clerk shall place in a box, prepared

for that purpose, a number of small balls of marble or other material equal to the number of Members and Delegates, which balls shall be consecutively numbered and thoroughly intermingled, and at such hour as shall be fixed by the House for that purpose, by the hands of a page, draw said balls one by one from the box and announce the number as it is drawn, upon which announcement the Member or Delegate whose name on a num bered alphabetical list shall correspond with the number on the ball shall advance and choose his seat for the term for which he is elected.

2. Before said drawing shall commence each seat Seats to be vashall be vacated and so remain until selected under

cated before the drawing

Feb. 27, 1880.

this rule, and any seat having been selected shall Feb. 8, 1872. be deemed forfeited if left unoccupied before the call of the roll is finished, and whenever the seats of Members and Delegates shall have been drawn, no proposition for a second drawing shall be in order during that Congress.

RULE XXXIII.

HALL OF THE HOUSE.

The Hall of the House shall be used only for the legislative business of the House, and for the caucus meetings of its members, except upon occasions where the House by resolution agree to take part in any ceremonies to be observed therein; and the Speaker shall not entertain a motion for the suspension of this rule.

RULE XXXIV.

OF ADMISSION TO THE FLOOR.

Use of the Hall of the House. Jan. 31, 1866.

to the floor of the House.

Mar. 2, 1865.

Mar. 15, 1867.

The persons hereinafter named, and none other, Who admitted shall be admitted to the Hall of the House, or rooms leading thereto, viz: The President and Vice-President of the United States and their private secretaries, judges of the Supreme Court,

Feb. 27, 1880.

Sep. 6, 1890.

members of Congress and members-elect, contestants in election cases during the pendency of their cases in the House, the Secretary and Sergeant-atArms of the Senate, heads of Departments, foreign ministers, governors of States, the Architect of the Capitol, the Librarian of Congress and his assistant in charge of the Law Library, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, such persons as have, by name, received the thanks of Congress, ex-members of the House of Representatives who are not interested either as party, agent, or attorney in any claim or bill pending before Congress, and clerks of committees, when business from their committee is under consideration; and it shall not be in order for the Speaker to entertain a request for the suspension of this rule or to present from the chair the request of any member for unanimous consent. RULE XXXV.

OF ADMISSION TO THE GALLERIES.

The Speaker shall set aside a portion of the west gallery for the use of the President of the United States, the members of his Cabinet, justices of the Supreme Court, foreign ministers and suites, and the members of their respective families, and shall also set aside another portion of the same gallery for the accommodation of persons to be admitted on the card of members. The southerly half of the east gallery shall be assigned exclusively for the use of the families of members of Congress, in which the Speaker shall control one bench, and on request of a member the Speaker shall issue a card of admission to his family, which shall include their visitors, and no other person shall be admitted to this section.