1. When the yeas and nays are ordered, the names of [12.1] Senators shall be called alphabetically; and each Senator shall, without debate, declare his assent or dissent to the question, unless excused by the Senate; and no Senator shall be permitted to vote after the decision shall have been announced by the Presiding Officer, but may for sufficient reasons, with unanimous consent, change or withdraw his vote. No motion to suspend this rule shall be in order, nor shall the Presiding Officer entertain any request to suspend it by unanimous consent. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XLI. 2. When a Senator declines to vote on call of his name, he [12.2] shall be required to assign his reasons therefor, and having assigned them, the Presiding Officer shall submit the question to the Senate: "Shall the Senator, for the reasons assigned by him, be excused from voting?" which shall be decided without debate; and these proceedings shall be had after the roll call and before the result is announced; and any further proceedings in reference thereto shall be after such announcement. [Jefferson's Manual, Secs. XVII, XLI. 3. No request by a Senator for unanimous consent for [12.3] the taking of a final vote on a specified date upon the passage of a bill or joint resolution shall be submitted to the Senate for agreement thereto until, upon a roll call ordered for the purpose by the Presiding Officer, it shall be disclosed that a quorum of the Senate is present; and when a unanimous As amended, S. Jour. 74, 63-2, Jan. 16, 1914. [13] consent is thus given the same shall operate as the order of the Senate, but any unanimous consent may be revoked by another unanimous consent granted in the manner prescribed above upon one day's notice. RULE XIII [13.1] [13.2] RECONSIDERATION 1. When a question has been decided by the Senate, any Senator voting with the prevailing side or who has not voted ' may, on the same day or on either of the next two days of actual session thereafter, move a reconsideration; and if the Senate shall refuse to reconsider, or upon reconsideration shall affirm its first decision, no further motion to reconsider shall be in order unless by unanimous consent. Every motion to reconsider shall be decided by a majority vote, and may be laid on the table without affecting the question in reference to which the same is made, which shall be a final disposition of the motion. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XLIII. 2. When a bill, resolution, report, amendment, order, or message, upon which a vote has been taken, shall have gone out of the possession of the Senate and been communicated to the House of Representatives, the motion to reconsider shall be accompanied by a motion to request the House to return the same; which last motion shall be acted upon immediately, and without debate, and if determined in the negative shall be a final disposition of the motion to reconsider. 1 As amended, S. Jour. 357, 71-2, May 16, 1930. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XLIII. RULE XIV BILLS, JOINT RESOLUTIONS, AND RESOLUTIONS [14] 1. Whenever a bill or joint resolution shall be offered, its [14.1] introduction shall, if objected to, be postponed for one day. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XXIII. 2. Every bill and joint resolution shall receive three read- [14.2] ings previous to its passage, which readings shall be on three different days, unless the Senate unanimously direct otherwise; and the Presiding Officer shall give notice at each reading whether it be the first, second, or third: 'Provided, That the first or second reading of each bill may be by title only, unless the Senate in any case shall otherwise order. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XXII. 3. No bill or joint resolution shall be committed or [14.3] amended until it shall have been twice read, after which it may be referred to a committee; bills and joint resolutions introduced on leave, and bills and joint resolutions from the House of Representatives, shall be read once, and may be read twice, on the same day, if not objected to, for reference, but shall not be considered on that day 2 nor debated, except for reference, unless by unanimous consent. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XXV. 4. Every bill and joint resolution reported from a com- [14.4] mittee, not having previously been read, shall be read once, and twice, if not objected to, on the same day, and placed on the Calendar in the order in which the same may be reported; and every bill and joint resolution introduced on leave, and every bill and joint resolution of the House of Representatives which shall have received a first and second 1 As amended, S. Jour. 71, 63-2, Jan. 14, 1914. As amended, S. Jour. 357, 71-2, May 16, 1930. [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XXV. reading without being referred to a committee, shall, if objection be made to further proceeding thereon, be placed on the Calendar. [14.5] 5. The Secretary of the Senate shall examine all bills, amendments, and joint resolutions before they go out of the possession of the Senate, and shall examine all bills and joint resolutions which shall have passed both Houses, to see that the same are correctly enrolled, and, when signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, shall forthwith present the same, when they shall have originated in the Senate, to the President of the United States and report the fact and date of such presentation to the Senate. 6. All resolutions shall lie over one day for consideration, unless by unanimous consent the Senate shall otherwise direct. [14.6] [15] [Jefferson's Manual, Sec. XXV. RULE XV 2 BILLS [15.1] 1. When a bill or resolution shall have been ordered to be read a third time, it shall not be in order to propose amendments, unless by unanimous consent, but it shall be in order at any time before the passage of any bill or resolution to move its commitment; and when the bill or resolution shall again be reported from the committee it shall be placed on the Calendar. [15.2] [Jefferson's Manual, Secs. XXVI, XXX. 2. Whenever a private bill is under consideration, it shall be in order to move, as a substitute for it, a resolution of the Senate referring the case to the Court of Claims, under the provisions of the act approved March 3, 1883. 1 As amended, S. Jour. 60, 80-1, Jan. 17, 1947. RULE XVI AMENDMENTS TO APPROPRIATION BILLS [16] 1. All general appropriation bills shall be referred to the [161] Committee on Appropriations,' and no amendments shall be received to any general appropriation bill the effect of which will be to increase an appropriation already contained in the bill, or to add a new item of appropriation, unless it be made to carry out the provisions of some existing law, or treaty stipulation, or act, or resolution previously passed by the Senate during that session; or unless the same be moved by direction of a standing or select committee of the Senate, or proposed in pursuance of an estimate submitted in accordance with law. 2.2 The Committee on Appropriations shall not report an [16.2] appropriation bill containing amendments proposing new or general legislation or any restriction on the expenditure of the funds appropriated which proposes a limitation not authorized by law if such restriction is to take effect or cease to be effective upon the happening of a contingency, and if an appropriation bill is reported to the Senate containing amendments proposing new or general legislation or any such restriction, a point of order may be made against the bill, and if the point is sustained, the bill shall be recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations. 3.3 All amendments to general appropriation bills moved [16.3]} by direction of a standing or select committee of the Senate, proposing to increase an appropriation already contained in 1 As amended, S. Jour. 86, 55-3, Jan. 28, 1899; S. Jour. 140, 66-1, July 23, 1919. * As amended, S. Jour. 126, 67-2, Mar. 6, 1922; S. Jour. 299, 79-2, June 10, 1946, effective Jan. 2, 1947. As amended, S. Jour. 299, 79-2, June 10, 1946, effective Jan. 2, 1947. |