[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 104th Congress]
[104th Congress]
[House Document 103-342]
[Rules of the House of Representatives]
[Page 708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 

                               Rule XXVI.


                   UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF THE SESSION.




Sec. 901. Resumption of business of a preceding 
session.

  All business  before committees of the House at the end of one session 
shall be resumed at the commencement of the next session of the same 
Congress in the same manner as if no adjournment had taken place.


  At first the Congress attempted to follow the rule of the English 
Parliament that business unfinished in one session should begin anew at 
the next; but in 1818, after an investigation of a joint committee in 
1816, a rule was adopted that House bills remaining undetermined in the 
House should be continued at the next session after six days. This rule 
did not reach House bills sent to the Senate; but in 1848 the two Houses 
remedied this omission by a joint rule. Business referred to committees 
of the House was still subject to the old rule of Parliament; but in 
1860 the present rule was adopted as a supplement to the rule of 1818. 
In 1890, desiring to do away with the limitation of the six days and 
apparently overlooking the main purpose of the rule of 1818, the House 
rescinded that portion of this rule which dated from 1818. Also, in 1876 
the joint rules were abrogated, leaving no provision, except the 
headline of the rule, for the continuance of business not before 
committees. The practice, however, had become so well established that 
no question has ever been raised (V, 6727).






  The business of conferences between the two Houses is not interrupted 
by an adjournment of a session which does not terminate the Congress (V, 
6260-6262), and even where one House asks a conference at one session 
the other may agree to it in the next session (V, 6286). Where bills 
were enrolled and signed by the presiding officers of the two Houses at 
the close of one session they were sent to the President and approved at 
the beginning of the next session (IV, 3486-3488).