[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman may state a parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. I am asking you a question about the House rules. 
If I am not correct, further parliamentary inquiry, you are the 
arbitrator of those rules; is that true?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is correct that the Chair may 
describe pending parliamentary situations.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry. According to clause 
2(a) of rule XX, it says that a recorded vote by electronic device 
shall not be held open for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of 
such vote.
  Mr. Speaker, my parliamentary inquiry to you is: When would this rule 
apply to a vote where, at the end of the time, the outcome was 
different than what the majority wanted it to be?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would advise the gentleman that 
the rules address the duration of votes in terms of minimum times; 15 
minutes is a minimum time, not the maximum. A vote ultimately is called 
at the Chair's discretion, trying to accommodate all Members who wish 
to vote.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
  We are talking about a single vote. We are talking about the previous 
question vote, rollcall No. 145, which was held open past the 15-minute 
mark to change the outcome. If clause 2(a) of rule XX does not apply to 
that, what would it apply to?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is prepared to elucidate as 
follows:
  It is true that under clause 2(a) of rule XX, a vote by electronic 
device ``shall not be held open for the sole purpose of reversing the 
outcome of such vote.''
  In conducting a vote by electronic device, the Chair is constrained 
to differentiate between activity toward the establishment of an 
outcome on the one hand, and activity that might have as its purpose 
the reversal of an already-established outcome, on the other.
  The Chair also must be mindful that, even during a vote by electronic 
device, Members may vote by card in the well. So long as Members are 
recording their votes--even after the minimum period prescribed for a 
given question--the Chair will not close a vote to the 
disenfranchisement of a district whose representative is trying to 
vote.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman may state his inquiry.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, what you just read, is that in the 
rules?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. That is the Chair's elucidation of the rule.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. So it is the Chair's interpretation of the rule, of 
clause 2(a) of rule XX; it is the Chair's interpretation that the vote 
can be held open to reverse the outcome of the vote?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The statement of the Chair speaks for 
itself. It is the responsibility of the Chair to see to it that each 
and every Member of the House of Representatives who responds to the 
vote has a chance to record his or her vote.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman may state his inquiry.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Could the Speaker answer me why we have a time 
limit on votes?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 15-minute time period is not a limit. It 
is a minimum duration. After that, it is in the discretion of the Chair 
in order to allow all Members a reasonable opportunity to vote.

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