[Deschler-Brown Precedents, Volume 12, Chapter 29 (Sections 1-34), Volume 13, Chapter 29 (Sections 35-end, plus index)]
[Chapter 29. Consideration and Debate]
[F. Disorder in Debate]
[Â§ 42. Manner of Address; Interruptions]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page 10550-10566]
 
                               CHAPTER 29
 
                        Consideration and Debate
 
                         E. RELEVANCY IN DEBATE
 
Sec. 42. Manner of Address; Interruptions

    When speaking in the House, a Member must rise and respectfully 
address himself to ``Mr. Speaker.'' (4) In the Committee of 
the Whole, the proper form of address is ``Mr. 
Chairman.''(5) If the presiding officer is a woman, the 
proper address is ``Madam Speaker'' or ``Madam Chairman.'' 
(6) Remarks in debate are not properly addressed either to 
individual Members (7) or to occupants of the 
galleries.(8)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 4. Rule XIV clause 1, House Rules and Manual Sec. 749 (1995). The 
        requirement is derived from parliamentary law; see Jefferson's 
        Manual, House Rules and Manual Sec. 354 (1995).
 5. See Sec. 42.1, infra.
 6. See Sec. 42.4, infra.
 7. See Sec. 42.5, infra. For the proper form of reference and of 
        response to another Member, see Sec. 56, infra.
 8. See Sec. 42.7, infra.

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[[Page 10551]]

    In order to interrupt a Member who is speaking, a Member may not 
simply interject remarks but must rise, address the Chair, and gain the 
consent of the Member speaking.(9) However, a Member may be 
interrupted for a point of order, the filing of a conference report, or 
the receipt of a message.(10)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 9. See Sec. Sec. 42.8-42.10, 42.12, infra.
10. House Rules and Manual Sec. 750 (1995).
            For interruptions of the Member with the floor, generally, 
        see Sec. 32, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            Cross References
Form of reference to Members, see Sec. 56, infra.
Interruption of Member with the floor, see Sec. 32, supra.
Properly seeking recognition, see Sec. 8, supra.
Yielding time for debate, motions and amendments, see Sec. Sec. 29-31, 
    supra.                          -------------------

Addressing Speaker or Chairman; Form

Sec. 42.1 In rising to address the House or the Committee of the Whole, 
    Members should address only the Speaker or the Chairman, without 
    making reference to the House or the Committee, or to any 
    individual Member.

    On Jan. 12, 1932,(11) Mr. Robert Luce, of Massachusetts, 
arose to state a question of privilege and then discussed at length the 
proper form of address in the House or in the Committee of the Whole:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. 75 Cong. Rec. 1815, 72d Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege.
        The Speaker: (12) The gentleman will state it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. John N. Garner (Tex.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Luce: . . . There is presented to me this morning an 
    opportunity to call to the attention of the House a matter that has 
    disturbed me for some time. This is my first convenient chance to 
    lay it before the House. I find in the Record this morning that a 
    few remarks I made yesterday are printed as follows on page 1694:
        ``Mr. Speaker, ladies, and gentlemen.''
        Not since I have been a Member have I thus broken parliamentary 
    law. Of course, I desire not to go on record as supporting a 
    practice which is obnoxious to me.
        When I came here 12 years ago, nobody, so far as I can 
    recollect, ever deviated from the parliamentary rule that 
    salutation should be confined to the occupant of the chair, either 
    ``Mr. Speaker'' or ``Mr. Chairman.'' Within a very few years the 
    practice has grown up of addressing the House en masse by some form 
    of preliminary language. This is contrary to the parliamentary 
    precedent of several hundred years.
        I would read to you a statement by Sir Thomas Smith who 
    described the

[[Page 10552]]

    practice of the Parliament of Queen Elizabeth's time. He said:

            Though one do praise the law, the other dissuade it. For 
        every man speaketh as to the speaker, not as one to another, 
        for that is against the order of the House.

        Jefferson's Manual, which is the law of the House when it has 
    no rule to the contrary, says that ``when any Member means to speak 
    . . . he is . . . to address himself not to the House, nor to any 
    particular Member, but to the Speaker,'' and so forth. Notice that 
    he is to address himself not to the House, but to the Speaker of 
    the House.
        . . . I am quite sure that the reason for the rule has always 
    persisted and will continue to persist, because it is, as the 
    writers say, to avoid altercations. Its purpose is to prevent men 
    from directly addressing each other and thus invite a breach of 
    decorum.
        For that reason, and hoping that I have not unduly taken the 
    time of the House in calling attention to this matter, I ask 
    unanimous consent that the words ``ladies and gentlemen'' be 
    stricken from the report of my speech. [Applause.]

    Speaker Garner responded:

        The Chair is in entire sympathy with the remarks made by the 
    gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Luce]. It is supposed to be a 
    slight upon the Chair, according to the expressions of the former 
    Speakers of the House, when Members address the Chairman of the 
    Committee of the Whole or the Speaker and then address the Members 
    on the floor en masse. The Speaker represents the House of 
    Representatives in its organization, and by addressing the Chair 
    gentlemen address the entire membership of the House.

    Similarly, on May 21, 1941,(13) Speaker Sam Rayburn, of 
Texas, stated in response to a parliamentary inquiry that the proper 
form of address was ``Mr. Speaker'' or ``Mr. Chairman'' without the 
addition of ``ladies and gentlemen'' or any other 
language.(14)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. 87 Cong. Rec. 4307, 77th Cong. 1st Sess.
14. See also 109 Cong. Rec. 6892, 88th Cong. 1st Sess., Apr. 24, 1963; 
        83 Cong. Rec. 3768, 3769, 75th Cong. 3d Sess., Mar. 21, 1938; 
        and 78 Cong. Rec. 10627, 73d Cong. 2d Sess., June 6, 1934.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 42.2 Remarks in the House, even if critical of the Speaker, should 
    be directed to ``Mr. Speaker'' under clause 1 of Rule XIV, even if 
    he is not occupying the chair.

    On Nov. 1, 1983,(15) Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Simon, of 
Illinois, responded to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the proper 
mode of addressing the Chair in the House:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. 129 Cong. Rec. 30267, 98th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Robert S.] Walker [of Pennsylvania]: Mr. Speaker, it is 
    apparent from your remarks in the New York Times this morning that 
    the political rhetoric of 1984 is going to get plenty rough. . . .

[[Page 10553]]

        Mr. [Samuel S.] Stratton [of New York]: Mr. Speaker, I have a 
    parliamentary inquiry.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman will state it.
        Mr. Stratton: Mr. Speaker, is it in order for any Member of the 
    House to address a Speaker pro tempore who is occupying the chair 
    and make charges that were directed at the Speaker himself?
        It would appear to be improper. I would think, under the rules 
    of the House.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The Chair is advised that the remarks 
    are directed to the Chair, whoever the occupant of the chair is.

Addressing the President

Sec. 42.3 Although Members may discuss past and present Presidential 
    actions and suggest possible future Presidential actions, it is not 
    in order to address remarks in debate directly to the President, as 
    in the second person.

    On Oct. 16, 1989,(16) during the period for one-minute 
speeches in the House, the Speaker cautioned Members against a renewed 
tendency to address remarks in debate directly to the President.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. 135 Cong. Rec. 24715, 101st Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Robert G.] Torricelli [of New Jersey]: Mr. Speaker, George 
    Bush's honeymoon is most assuredly now over. . . .
        Mr. President, it is time to get to work, time to decide why is 
    it you sought the Presidency, to tell us where it is you would take 
    America. . . .
        Mr. President, listen to this, if you will, from the president 
    of the Chase Manhattan Bank: ``There are some very significant 
    issues out there such as the fiscal deficit, our relations with 
    Japan, that have to be the subject of major initiatives. I'd like 
    to see that initiative, and I haven't. There is no agenda.''
        Mr. President, listen to not only your critics but to your 
    fans. It is time to lead our country.
        The Speaker: (17) As the Chair announced on July 23, 
    1987, it is not in order to address the President in debate. 
    Members must address their remarks to the Chair. Although Members 
    may discuss past and present Presidential actions and suggest 
    possible future Presidential actions, they may not directly address 
    the President, as in the second person.(18)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Thomas S. Foley (Wash.).
18. See also the proceedings of May 17, 1989 (remarks of Mrs. Barbara 
        Boxer, of California; and, in the 101st Cong. 2d Sess., the 
        proceedings of May 8, 1990 (remarks of Mr. Richard J. Durbin, 
        of Illinois) and May 9, 1990 (remarks of Mr. Charles E. 
        Schumer, of New York).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Addressing Female Occupant of Chair

Sec. 42.4 In addressing a lady occupant of the Chair the prop

[[Page 10554]]

    er form of address is ``Madam Chairman'' in the Committee of the 
    Whole and ``Madam Speaker'' in the House.

    On Mar. 2, 1932, Speaker John N. Garner, of Texas, responded as 
follows to a parliamentary inquiry:

        Mr. [Claude V.] Parsons [of Illinois]: Mr. Speaker, a 
    parliamentary inquiry.
        The Speaker: The gentleman will state it.
        Mr. Parsons: Yesterday afternoon the distinguished 
    Congresswoman from Florida occupied the chair and in addressing the 
    Chair I addressed her as Madam Chairman. I notice in the Record 
    this morning, on page 5196, that it is printed as Mr. Chairman. I 
    wish to inquire which one of the titles is correct.
        The Speaker: In the opinion of the present occupant of the 
    chair, the gentleman from Illinois in addressing the Chair as Madam 
    Chairman used the correct form.(19)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. 75 Cong. Rec. 5117, 72d Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On Sept. 20, 1973,(20) Chairman Martha W. Griffiths, of 
Michigan, was presiding in the Committee of the Whole and Mr. H. R. 
Gross, of Iowa, addressed her as ``Ms. Chairperson.'' The Chairman 
responded as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. 119 Cong. Rec. 30594, 93d Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        For the benefit of Members, the Chair would like to announce 
    that the Chair is properly addressed as Madam Chairman. While she 
    seems to be neutral, she is not neuter.

Addressing Members

Sec. 42.5 It is a breach of parliamentary law for Members to preface 
    their remarks by addressing themselves to ``Mr. Speaker, gentlemen 
    of the House,'' or ``Mr. Speaker, Members of the House.''

    On Mar. 21, 1938,(1) Mr. John J. Cochran, of Missouri, 
raised a parliamentary inquiry as to the proper form of address by 
Members. He stated that a practice had grown up of addressing remarks 
to ``gentlemen of the House'' and ``Members of the House.'' He stated 
that such a form was an insult to the female Members of the House and 
recommended return of the House to the universal parliamentary practice 
of addressing only the Speaker and not the Members.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. 83 Cong. Rec. 3768, 3769, 75th Cong. 3d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After lengthy discussion, Speaker William B. Bankhead, of Alabama, 
cited the governing rule (Rule XIV) and stated that only the Speaker in 
the House and the Chairman in the Committee of the Whole should be 
addressed.

Sec. 42.6 The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole has

[[Page 10555]]

    on occasion reminded Members that remarks in debate should be 
    addressed to the Chairman and not to other Members in the Chamber.

    During consideration of House Joint Resolution 403 (making further 
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1984) in the Committee of the 
Whole on Nov. 8, 1983,(2) the following exchange prompted 
the Chair to remind the Members of the rule regarding addressing the 
Chair in debate rather than other Members:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2. 129 Cong. Rec. 31458, 98th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [James C.] Wright [Jr., of Texas]: I appreciate the 
    gentleman's good wishes. I accept them in the spirit in which they 
    are offered.
        Mr. [Silvio O.] Conte [of Massachusetts]: Somebody thought I 
    got mad at you down here.
        Mr. Wright: You? Of course, not you.
        Mr. [William H.] Natcher [of Kentucky]: Mr. Chairman, will the 
    gentleman yield?
        The Chairman: (3) I invite the gentlemen 
    participants in this colloquy to follow the rules and address the 
    Chair and not each other.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3. Wyche Fowler, Jr. (Ga.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Conte: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Addressing Galleries

Sec. 42.7 It is not in order for a Member to address his remarks to the 
    ``press.''

    On Apr. 24, 1963,(4) Chairman Eugene J. Keogh, of New 
York, ruled on a point of order directed against a Member who addressed 
``the press.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 4. 109 Cong. Rec. 6892, 88th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Thomas B.] Curtis [of Missouri]: Mr. Chairman, I want to 
    say to my so-called liberal friends who voted the motion up which 
    closed off debate on such a serious matter that you have clearly 
    demonstrated your concern for the basic civil liberties.
        I would say to the press that this is a good observation----
        Mr. [Ross] Bass [of Tennessee]: Mr. Chairman, I make the point 
    of order that the gentleman is out of order in addressing the press 
    gallery or any other gallery from the floor of the House.
        Mr. Curtis: I am not addressing the press gallery. I am 
    addressing----
        The Chairman: The gentleman from Missouri will suspend. The 
    Chair advises the gentleman that the correct parliamentary 
    procedure is for the gentleman to address the Chair and only the 
    Chair. The gentleman will proceed in accordance with the rules.

    Parliamentarian's Note: Under the current practice of televising 
House proceedings, it is not in order to address remarks to anyone in 
the television audience or to anyone not present, including Members.

Interruptions in Debate

Sec. 42.8 The Speaker has repeatedly ruled that under

[[Page 10556]]

    the rules and procedures of the House a Member who wishes to 
    interrupt another who has the floor must first address the Chair 
    and then obtain consent of the Member who has the floor.

    On June 7, 1961,(5) while Mr. Clare E. Hoffman, of 
Michigan, had the floor, he yielded to Mr. Albert Thomas, of Texas, who 
thereafter attempted to interrupt Mr. Hoffman and to yield to a third 
Member. Mr. Hoffman made a point of order:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 5. 107 Cong. Rec. 9681, 87th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Chairman . . . Members [have] to address the Chair or the 
    Speaker before making a request that the Member speaking could 
    yield to anyone. Is that right?
        The Chairman: (6) That is the rule and practice of 
    the House and Committee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 6. Richard Bolling (Mo.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Hoffman of Michigan: Pardon me, then. I had not noticed 
    that the practice was being observed.

    Similarly, on July 16, 1935,(7) Speaker Joseph W. Byrns, 
of Tennessee, ruled as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 7. 79 Cong. Rec. 11256, 74th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The rules of the House provide that Members of the House shall 
    observe proper decorum in debate. This is the only way in which 
    matters may be discussed in a sound, sensible, sane manner, and a 
    proper conclusion arrived at. Those Members particularly who have 
    been here for years, it seems to the Chair, should be doubly 
    careful to strictly conform to the rule.
        The rules provide that when a Member rises to interrupt another 
    he shall address the Chair and do it respectfully and secure the 
    consent of the Member who is talking.

    The Speaker then cited Rule XIV clause 1, governing the subject of 
address.(8)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 8. See House Rules and Manual Sec. 749 (1995). See also Sec. 32, 
        supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Speaker has ruled on numerous other occasions that it is not in 
order in debate for a Member to interrupt another who has the floor 
without first addressing the Chair and obtaining consent of the Member 
who has the floor.(9)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 9. See 102 Cong. Rec. 11455, 84th Cong. 2d Sess., June 29, 1956; 83 
        Cong. Rec. 591, 592, 75th Cong. 3d Sess., Jan. 15, 1938; 80 
        Cong. Rec. 1665, 1666, 74th Cong. 2d Sess., Feb. 7, 1936; 79 
        Cong. Rec. 5461, 74th Cong. 1st Sess., Apr. 11, 1935; and 78 
        Cong. Rec. 10630, 73d Cong. 2d Sess., June 6, 1934.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 42.9 In order to interrogate a Member who has the floor in debate 
    a Member must first address the Chair and secure the consent of the 
    Member who has the floor.

    On Apr. 11, 1935,(10) Speaker Joseph W. Byrns, of 
Tennessee,

[[Page 10557]]

intervened in debate to rule as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. 79 Cong. Rec. 5461, 74th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Joseph P.] Monaghan [of Missouri]: May I say to the 
    gentleman----
        Mr. [John J.] O'Connor [of New York]: Mr. Speaker, I do not 
    yield.
        Mr. Monaghan: There will be a day of reckoning for those 
    advocating the delusion plan suggested [consideration of H. Res. 
    197, a rule for consideration of social security legislation].
        Mr. O'Connor: Mr. Speaker, I do not yield.
        The Speaker: The Chair will state that the rules provide that a 
    Member desiring to interrogate the Member who has the floor must 
    first address himself to the Chair and obtain consent of the 
    gentleman addressing the House. It is highly improper . . . for a 
    Member to rise and interrupt the Member addressing the House 
    without first addressing the Chair and obtaining consent of the 
    gentleman who has the floor.

Sec. 42.10 It is a breach of order in debate for a Member without 
    rising and addressing the Chair to interject remarks into another 
    speech.

    On July 25, 1935,(11) while Mr. Thomas L. Blanton, of 
Texas, had the floor, Mr. Samuel Dickstein, of New York, interjected 
remarks from his seat without addressing the Chair or securing the 
consent of Mr. Blanton. Speaker Joseph W. Byrns, of Tennessee, 
intervened and ruled ``it is distinctly against the rules for a 
gentleman in his seat to interrupt a Member who is speaking.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. 79 Cong. Rec. 11864, 74th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 42.11 The Chair enforces section 364 of Jefferson's Manual by 
    admonishing Members who attempt to disturb Members who are 
    addressing the House by conversing with them.

    In the proceedings of Feb. 21, 1984,(12) the Chair 
sought to preserve order by admonishing Members not to converse with a 
Member attempting to address the House:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. 130 Cong. Rec. 2758, 98th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Speaker Pro Tempore:(13) The House will be in 
    order.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. James C. Wright, Jr. (Tex.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Chair would like to suggest that the rules of the House 
    prohibit the engagement of private conversation with someone who is 
    in the process of speaking or has just concluded speaking and would 
    ask the gentleman on his left and the gentleman on his right to 
    extend to one another the courtesies commonly expected of Members 
    of the House.

Sec. 42.12 One Member may not submit a parliamentary inquiry while 
    another Member has the floor without his consent.

[[Page 10558]]

    On Mar. 13, 1936,(14) when Mr. Thomas O'Malley, of 
Wisconsin, attempted to interrupt the Member who had the floor by 
stating a parliamentary inquiry, Speaker Joseph W. Byrns, of Tennessee, 
ruled that a Member could not take the Member speaking off the floor by 
stating a parliamentary inquiry without obtaining the latter's 
consent.(15)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. 80 Cong. Rec. 3720, 74th Cong. 2d Sess.
15. See also 79 Cong. Rec. 11864, 74th Cong. 1st Sess., July 25, 1935.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

--Remarks Do Not Appear in Record

Sec. 42.13 Where a Member interrupts debate without being recognized or 
    yielded to by the Member under recognition and without rising to a 
    point of order, his remarks do not appear in the Record as he was 
    not recognized to make them, but his name is shown in the Record at 
    the points of interruption.

    On July 21, 1993,(16) the following proceedings occurred 
in the House:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. 139 Cong. Rec. p. ____, 103d Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (17) Under the previous 
    order of the House, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton] is 
    recognized for 60 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Eric D. Fingerhut (Ohio).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Dan] Burton of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, we have a number of 
    Members that want to speak tonight on the problems we have with the 
    House Post Office. . . .
        I just wanted to say to the gentleman that the Members of this 
    body would not be nearly as concerned had this not been swept under 
    the rug 1 year ago, and time goes on and on. It is the same, and it 
    is very analogous to the check scandal. . . .
        And so I think we have an obligation.
        Mr. [David R.] Obey [of Wisconsin]: . . .
        Mr. Burton of Indiana: I did not yield; I did not yield. I do 
    not yield.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Indiana [Mr. 
    Burton] has the floor.

        Mr. Burton of Indiana: . . . All I say to my colleagues is: Let 
    us make a clean breast of it. Let us bring the facts before the 
    House and not impede justice. . . .
        Mr. [John T.] Doolittle [of California]: If the gentleman will 
    yield, there is a specific point I want to respond to.
        The firing of those U.S. attorneys was not routine. It had 
    never been done before in such a fashion. And to stand here on the 
    floor and to represent that was routine is a misstatement. It was 
    completely out of the ordinary.
        Mr. Obey: . . .
        Mr. [Randy] Cunningham [of California]: Mr. Speaker, I ask for 
    regular order or to have the gentleman removed.

[[Page 10559]]

        Mr. Burton of Indiana: This gentleman keeps interfering. I 
    yielded to him once. I have control of the time, as I understand 
    it.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Indiana [Mr. 
    Burton] has control of the time.
        Mr. Obey: Mr. Speaker, has the gentleman asked the U.S. 
    attorney?
        Mr. Burton of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, I have the time. I am not 
    yielding to the gentleman.
        Mr. [Robert S.] Walker [of Pennsylvania]: I think there are 
    questions about whether or not this letter is an attempt to prevent 
    an investigation.
        Mr. Obey: . . .
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Indiana has the 
    time.
        Mr. Walker: The gentleman knows the rules of the House.
        Mr. Obey: Yes, I do.
        Mr. Walker: If the gentleman from Indiana will yield to the 
    gentleman, the gentleman is not obeying the rules of the House.
        Mr. Obey: . . .
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Indiana controls 
    the time and has yielded to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
        Mr. Burton of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, may I make an inquiry? We 
    have been interrupted several times. This is taking away from our 
    time. I hope that the Chair will be fair in allocating the time, 
    because we have had to endure this now for about the last 10 
    minutes.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The Chair will endeavor to be fair.
        Mr. Burton of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
    from Pennsylvania.
        Mr. Walker: Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to 
    me. . . .
        Mr. Obey: . . .
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Indiana has yielded 
    to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, who controls the floor.
        Mr. Walker: The gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] of course 
    does not want to listen to the points being made here because the 
    gentleman from Wisconsin was one of those who voted last year to 
    table the resolution attempting to make----
        Mr. Obey: . . .
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. 
    Obey] has not been yielded time, has not been recognized.

Member Declines To Yield

Sec. 42.14 A Member wishing to interrupt another in debate should 
    address the Chair for permission of the Member speaking who may 
    exercise his own discretion as to whether or not to yield; the 
    Chair will take the initiative in preserving order when a Member 
    declining to yield in debate continues to be interrupted by another 
    Member, and may order that the remarks of the Member interrupting 
    not appear in the Record.

    On July 26, 1984,(18) the Committee of the Whole had 
under

[[Page 10560]]

consideration H.R. 11, the Education Amendments of 1984. Mr. Robert S. 
Walker, of Pennsylvania, who was discussing prayer in schools, was 
interrupted by George Miller, of California, who was reading passages 
aloud from the Bible for purposes of demonstrating his argument that 
the right to pray is not absolute:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. 130 Cong. Rec. 21247, 98th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Walker: . . . It has been referred to by many people on the 
    floor today that they know of no situation in the country where 
    silent prayer has ever been ruled out of order by the courts. That 
    is wrong.
        I have here an article before me from CQ in which it says that 
    in Alabama the silent prayer in Alabama was ruled out of order by 
    the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. . . .
        [Mr. Miller of California proceeded to read from the Bible at 
    this point.]
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: (19) The gentleman will 
    suspend. The gentleman from California will suspend. The gentleman 
    is out of order.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. Abraham Kazen, Jr. (Tex.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. Miller of California: Mr. Chairman, I would just like to 
    raise the point----
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: The gentleman is out of order.
        Mr. Walker: Mr. Chairman, I have not yielded to the gentleman.
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: The gentleman has not yielded.
        The gentleman's words when he spoke in the well without getting 
    the permission of the Member who had the floor will not appear in 
    the Record.
        The gentleman from Pennsylvania may proceed. . . .
        Mr. Walker: . . . I must say that the gentleman reading from 
    the Holy Bible in the course of the discussion here I think is 
    somewhat inappropriate. It was far more appropriate in the course 
    of political debate; it was far more appropriate than the so-called 
    prayer uttered earlier by the gentleman from New York.
        Mr. Miller of California: Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman 
    yield?
        Mr. Walker: I would be glad to yield to the gentleman.
        Mr. Miller of California: I think the point is this: That 
    suggesting that this is an absolute right and that in fact to try 
    to prescribe it, whether it is audible, whether it is oral, whether 
    it is loud, whether it is soft, whether it is silent, is a point of 
    real contention, because it is not an absolute right, as the 
    gentleman suggests.
        We just saw the rules of the House work against that right. The 
    gentleman raised the point earlier about a teacher----
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: The time of the gentleman from 
    Pennsylvania has expired.

Addressing Television Audience

Sec. 42.15 The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole reminded the 
    Members that remarks in debate should be addressed to the Chairman, 
    and not to Members or others not present in the Chamber.

[[Page 10561]]

    On Apr. 5, 1979,(20) during consideration of the 
International Development Cooperation Act of 1979 (H.R. 3324) in the 
Committee of the Whole, Chairman Elliott Levitas, of Georgia, made the 
following statement:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. 125 Cong. Rec. 7356, 96th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Chairman: Before recognizing the gentleman from Illinois 
    (Mr. Derwinski), the Chair would like to observe that when the 
    Members are engaging in debate in the Committee of the Whole, they 
    should be addressing the Chairman of the Committee; they are not 
    addressing Members who are watching on television sets or others 
    outside the Chamber. The Chair would remind the Members to observe 
    that rule.
        The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.

Sec. 42.16 It is not in order in debate to address remarks to the 
    ``television'' or to anyone, including Members not present, viewing 
    televised House proceedings, and the Chair on his or her own 
    initiative calls a Member to order for violating that rule.

    On Nov. 8, 1979,(1) the following exchange occurred in 
the Committee of the Whole during consideration of the Milk Price 
Support Act (H.R. 4167):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. 125 Cong. Rec. 31519, 96th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Paul] Findley [of Illinois]: Mr. Chairman, while the 
    attendance in this Chamber is very light, just about as light as I 
    can recall in my experience here, we have the hope that some of the 
    Members are watching by television and therefore even though----
        The Chairman: (2) The gentleman will suspend.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2. Gladys Noon Spellman (Md.).
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        The Chair will admonish the gentleman to address the Chair and 
    the Members in the body and not to make reference to the 
    television.

Sec. 42.17 Remarks in debate must be addressed to the Chair only, and 
    it is not in order to address remarks to the broadcast proceedings 
    of the House or anyone viewing them.

    On Sept. 29, 1983,(3) during special-order speeches, 
Speaker Pro Tempore Matthew F. McHugh, of New York, responded to a 
parliamentary inquiry regarding violation of the rules in addressing 
anyone other than the Chair:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3. 129 Cong. Rec. 26501, 98th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Bill] Alexander [of Arkansas]: . . . I am grateful for 
    this opportunity to be here this evening in this forum broadcast 
    over television, for people to see for themselves the facts which 
    have caused these gigantic and tragic deficits. . . .
        Mr. [Robert S.] Walker [of Pennsylvania]: Mr. Speaker, I have a 
    parliamentary inquiry. . . .
        I just want to inquire whether or not it is not true that 
    referring to broad

[[Page 10562]]

    casting of the proceedings of the House on television is not a 
    violation of a rule of the House.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman (Mr. Alexander) should 
    direct his remarks to the Chair.

    Parliamentarian's Note: It should be noted that the Chair did not 
specifically rule on whether a Member could discuss the fact that the 
proceedings were being televised.

Sec. 42.18 Members in debate should address their remarks to the Chair 
    and not to ``our viewing audience.''

    On Aug. 2, 1984,(4) in sustaining a point of order, the 
Speaker Pro Tempore admonished the Member against referring to 
audiences, as indicated below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 4. 130 Cong. Rec. 22271, 98th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Duncan L.] Hunter [of California]: I thank the gentleman 
    for yielding. He has made most of the points that I wanted to make 
    and that is that sure, these are selective votes, although they 
    were not selected particularly for us. These were selected because 
    these were 19 of the most important votes that would have taken the 
    biggest pieces of the deficit, and you voted regularly against 
    them. And the point that is being made is that over the last 5 
    years we voted for $274.5 billion more than the President 
    requested. . . .
        I think for the purpose of keeping our viewing audience totally 
    informed we should not misrepresent ourselves.
        Mr. [Robert E.] Wise [Jr., of West Virginia]: Point of order, 
    Mr. Speaker. Point of order.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (5) The point of order is 
    sustained.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 5. John McK. Spratt, Jr. (S.C.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Please do not refer to the viewing audience or television or 
    any other reference of that kind.

Sec. 42.19 Prior to a special-order speech in which several Members 
    intended to use photographic exhibits of missing children, the 
    Chair reminded all Members to address the Chair and to avoid direct 
    references to the television audience.

    On Apr. 2, 1985,(6) the Speaker Pro Tempore made an 
announcement, as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 6. 131 Cong. Rec. 7221, 99th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (7) The Chair will ask that 
    all Members who wish to exhibit pictures to address the Chair and 
    avoid direct references to the television audience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 7. Kenneth J. Gray (Ill.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from 
    Oklahoma (Mr. Edwards) is recognized for 60 minutes.
        Mr. [Mickey] Edwards of Oklahoma: Mr. Speaker, last summer I 
    began a project to use the televised proceedings of the House of 
    Representatives to help find some of the 160,000 children who each 
    year are reported kidnaped either by strangers or by a parent who 
    does not have custody.

[[Page 10563]]

Sec. 42.20 Remarks in debate should be addressed to the Chair, and not 
    to others who are not in the Chamber, such as those in the 
    television (whether closed circuit or public) audience.

    On Oct. 9, 1985,(8) the Chair took the initiative to 
remind a Member that references to any television audience were not in 
order. The proceedings in the Committee of the Whole during 
consideration of H.R. 3008 (Federal Pay Equity Act) were as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 8. 131 Cong. Rec. 26961, 99th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Tommy F.] Robinson [of Arkansas]: . . . I know the females 
    in my office are watching. Louise, I pay you $47,000 a year. I do 
    not discriminate in my office. I do not know about the rest of my 
    Democratic colleagues. But I pay my employees based on their 
    ability to do the job.
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: The gentleman will suspend for a 
    moment.
        In accordance with the procedure of the House, the gentleman 
    should not refer to any television audience.

Sec. 42.21 It is not in order in 
    debate to address remarks 
    to anyone viewing televised House proceedings, and the Chair 
    enforces this rule on his or her own initiative.

    The following proceedings occurred in the House on Feb. 25, 1986: 
(9)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 9. 132 Cong. Rec. 2676, 2677, 99th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (10) Under a previous order 
    of the House, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) is recognized 
    for 5 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Thomas R. Carper (Del.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [James V.] Hansen [of Utah]: Mr. Speaker, I will not 
    pretend that the House Chamber is full of people. In fact, there 
    are just a few people in the House Chamber presently. I want to 
    take this special order time to speak about tobacco use in America. 
    . . .

    Mr. Hansen in his opening remarks specifically referred to and 
addressed the television audience. He revised his remarks when 
requested by the Speaker Pro Tempore:

        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The Chair would respectfully request 
    the gentleman to revise his comments, and delete all references to 
    the TV audience.
        Mr. Hansen: Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and 
    extend my remarks, deleting all comments as specified by the Chair.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: Is there objection to the request of 
    the gentleman from Utah?
        There was no objection.

Sec. 42.22 Members should address the Chair in debate and should not 
    address the television audience.


[[Page 10564]]



    On June 3, 1987,(11) during consideration of H.R. 1934 
(fairness in broadcasting) in the Committee of the Whole, the Chair 
admonished the House about the proper manner of address during debate:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. 133 Cong. Rec. 14524, 100th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Mike] Synar [of Oklahoma]: . . . I had some prepared 
    remarks, but as I listened to the debate, I realized that most of 
    the issues have been responded to, so let me take my 2 minutes to 
    talk directly to the 8 million or more people who are watching this 
    on C-SPAN and the millions or more who will be listening on radio 
    with respect to this debate. . . .
        The Chairman: (12) The Chair would request all 
    speakers to address themselves to the Chair and not refer to the 
    television audience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Jim Moody (Wis.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 42.23 It is not in order in debate to address the viewing 
    television audience, including other Members who might be watching, 
    since under Rule XIV, clause 1, a Member must address the Chair.

    On Dec. 17, 1987,(13) the Chair took the initiative 
during a special-order speech to remind a Member that all remarks 
should be directed to the Chair:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. 133 Cong. Rec. 36139, 36140, 100th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (14) Under a previous order 
    of the House, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton] is recognized 
    for 60 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Doug Barnard, Jr. (Ga.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Dan] Burton of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, I intend to talk more 
    tonight about the problems in Central America that we have to face 
    as a nation and that the freedom fighters have to face as a people 
    who are fighting against tyranny down there. Before I do, I would 
    just like to say that I feel a sense of frustration, as many of my 
    colleagues do, and if any of the leadership happens to be watching 
    on television, I hope they will take these remarks under 
    advisement, because it is really sad that here we are very close to 
    Christmas Eve and we have not completed the business of this House.
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: The Chair must remind the gentleman 
    from Indiana [Mr. Burton] that Members should not direct their 
    remarks to any viewing audience. All remarks should be made to the 
    Chair.

Proper Manner of Addressing Colleague

Sec. 42.24 Clause 1 of Rule XIV and section 361 of Jefferson's Manual 
    prohibit a Member from engaging in personalities in debate and 
    specifically require references to another Member only ``by his 
    seat in the House, or who spoke last, or on the other side of the 
    question,'' and not by name or in the second person.

    During debate on the military procurement authorization for fis

[[Page 10565]]

cal year 1983 (H.R. 6030) in Committee of the Whole on July 21, 
1982,(15) the following exchange occurred:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. 128 Cong. Rec. 17314, 17315, 97th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Samuel S.] Stratton [of New York]: Mr. Chairman, the 
    gentleman is in a sense remaking his speech again and not 
    responding to my point.
        Mr. [Nicholas] Mavroules [of Massachusetts]: Well, Sam, I am 
    responding to you. I am going to ask a basic question.
        If we are going to discuss basic 
    defense posture for this country, why 
    is it always we go on to the MX missile. . . .
        The Chairman Pro Tempore: (16) The Chair will state 
    to the gentleman that references to Members should not be by 
    familiar name but by reference to the gentleman from the State of 
    New York or the gentleman from the State of Massachusetts, rather 
    than their familiar names. . . .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Les AuCoin (Oreg.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The Chair will . . . advise all Members that references to 
    Members shall not be by their familiar names, under House rules. . 
    . .
        The Chair is not addressing the gentleman from New York. The 
    Chair is addressing all Members, on the basis of what he has heard 
    in the discussion.

Sec. 42.25 The proper form of reference to another Member is to the 
    ``gentleman (or gentlewoman) from (State),'' and not any other 
    appellation or characterization.

    On Oct. 2, 1984,(17) during consideration of the 
balanced budget bill (H.R. 6300) in the House, the Chair, in responding 
to a parliamentary inquiry, reminded the Members of the proper form of 
reference to other Members:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. 130 Cong. Rec. 28519, 28520, 98th Cong. 2d Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Daniel E.] Lungren [of California]: Well, Mr. Speaker, 
    thank God this is not a medical research center, because if you 
    believe laetrile cures cancer, you think that Dr. ``Feelgood's'' 
    bill here on the floor is going to do something, but the fact of 
    the matter 
    is that it has nothing to do with the 
    legislation on the floor; it has to do 
    with the will of the Members of Congress. . . .
        Mr. [Ronald V.] Dellums [of California]: Mr. Speaker, is it a 
    violation of the comity and custom of the House to refer to a 
    Member of this body in terms other than as the gentleman from a 
    particular State?
        The Chairman of this committee was referred to as ``Dr. 
    Feelgood Jones,'' and I would think that is in violation of the 
    comity and custom of the House. . . .
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (18) The gentleman is 
    correct in stating that it is the custom and practice and tradition 
    of the body that Members of the body should be referred to as the 
    gentleman or gentlewoman from a certain State.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sec. 42.26 Members in debate should not refer to other

[[Page 10566]]

    Members by their first names; rather such references should be in 
    the third 
    person, by state delegation.

    The following proceedings occurred in the House on Mar. 7, 1985: 
(19)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. 131 Cong. Rec. 5028, 99th Cong. 1st Sess.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mr. [Robert S.] Walker [of Pennsylvania]: Sure, I do very much, 
    and that is the reason why I want every one of those votes counted 
    to determine the result. . . .
        Mr. [Mickey] Leland [of Texas]: Yes, but now, Bob, you will 
    admit----
        The Speaker Pro Tempore: (20) Will the gentleman 
    refrain from using personal names and use formal address in 
    addressing another Member.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Dale E. Kildee (Mich.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------