[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 10 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 10

  To improve the debate and consideration of legislative matters and 
                       nominations in the Senate.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 5, 2011

  Mr. Udall of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
 Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Begich, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Tester, Mr. Cardin, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mr. Warner, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Coons, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. Hagan, 
    Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Casey, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
Franken, and Mr. Udall of Colorado) submitted the following resolution; 
             which was ordered to lie over, under the rule

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  To improve the debate and consideration of legislative matters and 
                       nominations in the Senate.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. DEBATE ON MOTIONS TO PROCEED.

    Rule VIII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by 
striking paragraph 2 and inserting the following:
    ``2. Debate on a motion to proceed to the consideration of any 
matter, and any debatable motion or appeal in connection therewith, 
shall be limited to not more than 2 hours, to be equally divided 
between, and controlled by, the majority leader and the minority leader 
or their designees except for a motion to go into executive session to 
consider a specified item of executive business and a motion to proceed 
to consider any privileged matter, which shall not be debatable.''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATING SECRET HOLDS.

    Rule VIII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by 
inserting at the end the following:
    ``3. No Senator may object on behalf of another Senator without 
disclosing the name of that Senator.''.

SEC. 3. RIGHT TO OFFER AMENDMENTS.

    Paragraph 2 of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is 
amended by inserting at the end the following:
    ``After debate has concluded under this paragraph but prior to 
final disposition of the pending matter, the Majority Leader and the 
Minority Leader may each offer not to exceed 3 amendments identified as 
leadership amendments if they have been timely filed under this 
paragraph and are germane to the matter being amended. Debate on a 
leadership amendment shall be limited to 1 hour equally divided. A 
leadership amendment may not be divided.''.

SEC. 4. EXTENDED DEBATE.

    Paragraph 2 of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is 
amended--
            (1) by striking the second undesignated paragraph and 
        inserting the following:
            ```Is it the sense of the Senate that the debate shall be 
        brought to a close?' And if that question shall be decided in 
        the affirmative by three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and 
        sworn--except on a measure or motion to amend the Senate rules, 
        in which case the necessary affirmative vote shall be two-
        thirds of the Senators present and voting--then cloture has 
        been invoked. If that question shall be decided in the negative 
        the Senate shall enter a period of continuous debate on the 
        measure, motion, or other matter pending before the Senate, or 
        the unfinished business. A period of continuous debate shall 
        continue as long as the subject of the cloture vote is the 
        pending business. During a period of continuous debate, if a 
        Senator seeks recognition to speak, that Senator shall be 
        recognized and the Presiding Officer shall not entertain any 
        motion or quorum calls. If during a period of continuous 
        debate, no Senator seeks recognition, then the Presiding 
        Officer shall note that the period of continuous debate has 
        ended and cloture shall be considered invoked.''; and
            (2) in the last undesignated paragraph by inserting ``or 
        during a period of continuous debate'' after ``is invoked''.

SEC. 5. POSTCLOTURE DEBATE ON NOMINATIONS.

    The second undesignated paragraph of paragraph 2 of rule XXII of 
the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by inserting at the end the 
following: ``If the matter on which cloture is invoked is a nomination, 
the period of time for debate shall be 2 hours.''.
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