[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRIES

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McNulty). The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I am sure you would like to join me in 
noting that clause 2(a) of rule XX provides that a recorded vote by 
electronic device shall not be held open for the sole purpose of 
reversing the outcome of such vote. On the previous question vote, 
Rollcall Vote No. 145, I would hope that you would agree that at the 
expiration of time for this vote the noes were prevailing. Is that 
true?

                              {time}  1400

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is correct that that 
particular clause says that a vote may not be held open for the sole 
purpose of changing an outcome.
  In this case, the vote remained open to allow all Members to vote.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman may state his inquiry.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Could the Speaker tell me when an instance of the 
vote being held open would reverse the outcome if it is not when the 
``nays'' are prevailing against the ``yeas,'' or the ``yeas'' 
prevailing against the ``nays,'' and the majority wants the outcome to 
be the exact opposite?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is not going to respond to a 
hypothetical question.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Sir, that is not a hypothetical.

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