[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

  Mr. PASTOR. Madam Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his inquiry.
  Mr. PASTOR. Madam Speaker, this morning, as I was walking onto the 
floor, you reminded us that if we were going to speak on the floor that 
we could not wear any button that communicated a message.
  I bring that to your attention because I ask what the rule is that, 
in the past, we have had Members speak on the floor while wearing such 
buttons.
  In particular, yesterday I saw a number of Members that were wearing 
a button that communicated 90 percent. And this morning I was hoping to 
wear a button, but I was reminded by you that I could not.
  The question is, what is the rule on wearing buttons on the floor 
while we speak, especially buttons that communicate a message?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Clause 1 of rule XVII, which requires 
Members to address their remarks to the Chair, has been interpreted to 
proscribe the wearing of badges by Members to communicate a message 
while under recognition to speak by the Chair.
  The Chair would direct the gentleman to page 693 of the House Rules 
and Manual for a recitation of precedents under this rule, some of 
which involve the Chair taking the initiative when the Chair observed 
their display while the Member was speaking.
  The Chair will endeavor to be consistent in this enforcement and will 
use due diligence to call the attention of the Member to this rule.
  Mr. PASTOR. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Madam Speaker for her 
comments.
  Hopefully, maybe in the morning before we start, the Chair might 
remind us what the rule is on buttons that communicate a message.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair thanks the gentleman for calling 
that to the attention of the Chair.

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