[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H66]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The Chair has a statement 
about the length of electronic votes.
  Clause 4 of rule XX says that Members shall have at least 15 minutes 
to respond on an ordinary recorded vote or quorum call. But with the 
cooperation of Members, it is possible to complete a vote in that time.
  The Chair believes that closing votes as soon as possible after the 
guaranteed minimum time should be the regular practice. The Chair is 
certain that votes can be shortened if Members simply resolve to head 
to the Chamber as soon as they are notified by the bell and light 
signal. The Chair will remind Members when two minutes remain on the 
clock.
  The goal of completing votes in as close to the minimum time as 
possible is even more reasonable in the case of a 5-minute vote because 
every 5-minute vote necessarily follows another electronic vote and it 
is always preceded by an announcement from the Chair and a distinctive 
bell and light signal.
  Each occupant of the Chair will have the full support of the Speaker 
in striving to close each electronic vote at the earliest opportunity. 
Members should not rely on signals relayed from outside the Chamber to 
assume that votes will be held open until they arrive in the Chamber.

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