[Deschler-Brown Precedents, Volume 16, Chapters 32 - 33]
[Chapter 33. House-Senate Conferences]
[A. INTRODUCTORY]
[Â§ 4. Who May Request Conference]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page 395-399]
 
        House-Senate Conferences
 
        A. INTRODUCTORY
 
Sec.    4. Who May Request Conference

Committee Chairman

Sec.    4.1 The Speaker, in response to a parliamentary inquiry, 
indicated that only the chairman of the committee having jurisdiction 
of the subject matter of a bill would be recognized to ask unanimous 
consent to take it from the Speaker's table, disagree to any Senate 
amendment, and ask for a conference.

On Sept. 1, 1960,(4) the Senate messaged to the House H.R. 13062, a 
bill to amend the Sugar Act of 1948, as amended by the Senate. Mr. 
Charles A. Halleck, of Indiana, raised the following parliamentary 
inquiry:



Would it be in order for a unanimous-consent request to be made to send 
the bill that has just come from the Senate to conference?
THE SPEAKER:(5) That would be up to the gentleman from North Carolina 
[Mr. Cooley].(6) 
MR. HALLECK: In other words, if he submitted a unanimous-consent 
request to send the matter to conference, that could be considered 
subject to an objection?
THE SPEAKER: It could be.

Sec.    4.2 The chairman of the Committee on Post Office and Civil 
Service submitted a resolution to take a House bill with Senate 
amendments thereto from the Speaker's table, disagree to Senate 
amendments and request a conference with the Senate thereon, and the 
Speaker recognized him to move to suspend the rules and agree thereto.

On Oct. 1, 1962,(7) Speaker John W. McCormack, of Massachusetts, 
recognized Tom Murray, of Tennessee, Chairman of the Committee on Post 
Office and Civil Serv-
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 3.     Carl Albert (Okla.).
 4.     106 CONG. REC. 18919, 18920, 86th Cong. 2d Sess. Compare Sec. 
4.7, infra.
 5.     Sam Rayburn (Tex.).
 6.     Harold D. Cooley was chairman of the Committee on Agriculture 
during the 86th Congress.
 7.     108 CONG. REC. 21528, 87th Cong. 2d Sess.
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[[Page 396]]

ice, for the purpose of offering the following resolution in connection 
with H.R. 7927, the Postal Service and Federal Employees Salary Act of 
1962:

MR. MURRAY: Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to House 
Resolution 818.
The Clerk read as follows:

Resolved, That immediately upon the adoption of this resolution the 
bill H.R. 7927, with the Senate amendment thereto, be, and the same 
hereby is, taken from the Speaker's table, to the end that the Senate 
amendment be, and the same hereby is, disagreed to and a conference is 
requested with the Senate upon the disagreeing votes of the two Houses 
thereon.

Sec.    4.3 Objection having been raised to a unanimous-consent request 
to send a bill or joint resolution to conference, the chairman of a 
House committee, acting by direction of that committee, may move to 
send the bill to conference pursuant to Rule XX clause 1.

On Oct. 19, 1971,(8) Speaker Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, recognized F. 
Edward Hï¿½bert, of Louisiana, Chairman of the Committee on Armed 
Services, to make the following request:
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's desk 
the bill (H.R. 8687) to authorize appropriations during the fiscal year 
1972 for procurement of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, tracked 
combat vehicles, torpedoes, and other weapons, and research, 
development, test, and evaluation for the Armed Forces, and to 
prescribe the authorized personnel strength of the Selected Reserve of 
each Reserve component of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes, 
together with the Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate 
amendments, and agree to the conference requested by the Senate.
THE SPEAKER: Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Louisiana? . . . 
The gentleman from Michigan objects?
MR. [DONALD W.] RIEGLE [Jr., of Michigan]: Yes, I object.
THE SPEAKER: Objection is heard.
MR. Hï¿½BERT: Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Armed 
Services, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 8687) 
to authorize appropriations during the fiscal year 1972 for procurement 
of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, tracked combat vehicles, 
torpedoes, and other weapons, and research, development, test, and 
evaluation for the Armed Forces, and to prescribe the authorized 
personnel strength of the Selected Reserve of each Reserve component of 
the Armed Forces, and for other purposes, together with Senate 
amendments, thereto disagree to the Senate amendments, and agree to the 
conference request by the Senate.
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 8.     117 CONG. REC. 36832-35, 92d Cong. 1st Sess.
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[[Page 397]]

THE SPEAKER: The gentleman from Louisiana is recognized for 1 hour on 
his motion.
MR. Hï¿½BERT: . . . Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the 
motion. . . . 
THE SPEAKER: The question is on ordering the previous question.
The previous question was ordered.
The motion was agreed to.(9) 

Sec.    4.4 Objection having been made to a unanimous-consent request to 
take a House bill with Senate amendments from the Speaker's table and 
agree to a conference, the Committee on Appropriations met and 
authorized its chairman to move to send the bill to conference pursuant 
to Rule XX clause 1.

On June 5, 1973,(10) George H. Mahon, of Texas, Chairman of the 
Committee on Appropriations, was recognized by the Speaker, Carl 
Albert, of Oklahoma.

MR. MAHON: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of clause 1 of rule 
XX and by the authority of the Committee on Appropriations, I move to 
take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 7447) making further 
supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, 
and for other purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the 
Senate amendments, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Appropriations met this morning and 
authorized me to make a motion to send the second supplemental 
appropriation bill, 1973, H.R. 7447, to conference. Insofar as I know, 
there is no objection to sending the bill to conference. We would hope 
to meet this afternoon and begin deliberations. . . . 
THE SPEAKER: Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the 
motion.
There was no objection.
THE SPEAKER: The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman 
from Texas.
The motion was agreed to.(11) 

Sec.    4.5 The chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, pursuant to 
Rule XX clause 1 and by the direction of his committee, moved to take a 
House bill with the Senate amendment from the Speak-er's table and to 
send the bill to conference.
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 9.     See also 119 CONG. REC. 18116, 93d Cong. 1st Sess., June 5, 1973; 
and 117 CONG. REC. 41555, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., Nov. 16, 1971.
10.     119 CONG. REC. 18116, 93d Cong. 1st Sess.
11.     See also 117 CONG. REC. 41555, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., Nov. 16, 
1971; and 117 CONG. REC. 36832-35, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., Oct. 19, 1971.
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[[Page 398]]

On Mar. 28, 1973,(12) Speaker Carl Albert, of Oklahoma, recognized 
William R. Poage, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture.

MR. POAGE: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule XX, by direction of 
the Committee on Agriculture, I move to take from the Speaker's table 
the bill (H.R. 2107) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry 
out a rural environmental assistance program, with the Senate amendment 
thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and request a conference 
with the Senate.
THE SPEAKER: The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:

Mr. Poage moves to take from the Speaker's table the bill H.R. 2107, 
with the Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, 
and request a conference with the Senate. . . .

THE SPEAKER: The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Poage).
The motion was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.(13) 

Authorizing Motion To Go to Conference

Sec.    4.6 A motion to send a bill to conference, if to be considered 
privileged under Rule XX clause 1, must be authorized by the committees 
of jurisdiction; and where more than one committee has reported on the 
measure, each must authorize the motion. 

The form of the motion used to send to conference a bill reported from 
two House committees, cited from the proceedings of Sept. 26, 1978,(14) 
is carried here. Other examples are carried in section 2 of this 
chapter.
APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON S. 1566, FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SUR-VEILLANCE 
ACT OF 1978
MR. [EDWARD P.] BOLAND [of Massachusetts]: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to 
clause 1 of rule XX, and at the direction of the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary, I move to 
take from the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1566), the Foreign 
Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, with House amendments thereto, 
insist on disagreement, and request a conference with the Senate 
thereon.
The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
THE SPEAKER:(15) The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Boland).
The motion was agreed to.
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12.     119 CONG. REC. 10032-34, 93d Cong. 1st Sess.
13.     See also 117 CONG. REC. 22406-13, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., June 28, 
1971.
14.     124 CONG. REC. 31623, 95th Cong. 2d Sess.
15.     Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. (Mass.).
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[[Page 399]]

THE SPEAKER: The Chair appoints the following conferees: Messrs. 
Boland, Murphy of Illinois, Mazzoli, Rodino, Kastenmeier, Bob Wilson, 
McClory and, as an additional conferee, Mr. Ertel, but only for the 
purpose of considering differences with the Senate which relate to 
elimination of language providing for special courts and providing that 
U.S. district courts shall have jurisdiction over orders for 
surveillance.

Parliamentarian's Note: This was a case of first impression regarding 
the authorization required to send a multiply-referred bill to 
conference. The motion to disagree or insist and request or agree to a 
conference was added to Rule XX clause 1, in 1965. The Speaker's 
authority to refer a bill to each committee having jurisdiction was 
added to Rule X clause 5, in 1974.

Committee Member

Sec.    4.7 A subcommittee chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, 
acting by the direction of that committee and pursuant to Rule XX 
clause 1, moved to take a House bill, reported by the 
subcommittee which he chaired, with the Senate amendments thereto, from 
the Speaker's table, disagree to the amendments, and agree to the 
conference requested by the Senate.

On Mar. 3, 1970,(16) Speaker John W. McCormack, of Massachusetts, 
recognized Mr. Daniel J. Flood, of Pennsylvania, to offer the following 
motion:

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Rule XX clause 1 of the Rules of the House, 
and by the direction of the Committee on Appropriations, I move to take 
from the Speaker's table the bill-H.R. 15931-making appropriations for 
the Departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare and related 
agencies, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, and for other 
purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate 
amendments, and agree to the conference requested by the Senate.(17) 
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16.     116 CONG. REC. 5722, 5723, 91st Cong. 2d Sess.
17.     See also 117 CONG. REC. 27305-07, 92d Cong. 1st Sess., July 27, 1971.
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