    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 105th Congress]
    [105th Congress]
    [House Document 104-272]
    [Rules of the House of Representatives]
    [Pages 778-779]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 778]]

                                    Rule XXX.

                                use of exhibits.

    Sec. 915. Objections to use of exhibits.

      When the  use of any
    exhibit in debate is objected to by any Member, it shall be determined
    without debate by a vote of the House.

      This rule was rewritten in the 103d Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan. 5, 1993,
    p. ----) to address the use of exhibits in debate rather than the
    reading from papers. When the use of an exhibit in debate is objected to
    under this rule, the Chair immediately puts the question on whether use
    of the exhibit shall be permitted (unless determining a breach of
    decorum under clause 2 of rule I) (Nov. 1, 1995, p. ----; Nov. 10, 1995,
    p. ----; July 31, 1996, p. ----, ----). The Chair puts the question
    without debate, and without requiring the objecting Member to state the
    basis for the objection (Nov. 10, 1995, p. ----). As such, an objection
    under this rule is not a point of order: it may be resolved by
    withdrawal of the exhibit; that failing, it amounts to a demand that the
    Chair put to the House the question whether the exhibit may be used
    (July 31, 1996, p. ----). It is not a proper parliamentary inquiry to
    ask the Chair to judge the accuracy of the content of an exhibit (Nov.
    10, 1995, p. ----). The Chair has held that a second virtually
    consecutive invocation of rule XXX, resulting in a second pair of votes
    on use of a chart and on reconsideration thereof, was not dilatory under
    clause 10 of rule XVI or clause 4(b) of rule XI (July 31, 1996, p. ----
    ).

    [[Page 779]]

    may not, as a matter of right, require the reading
    of a book or paper on suggestion that it contains matter infringing on
    the privileges of the House (V, 5258).

    Sec. 916. History of former rule on reading of
    papers.

      The earlier  form of the rule, originally adopted in 1794 and amended in
    1802 and 1880 (V, 5257), addressed reading from papers. It recognized
    the right of a Member under the general parliamentary law to have read
    the paper on which the House is to vote (V, 5258), but when that paper
    had been read once, the reading could not be repeated unless by order of
    the House (V, 5260). The right could be abrogated by suspension of the
    rules (V, 5278-5284; VIII, 3400); but was not abrogated simply by the
    fact that the current procedure was taking place under the rule for
    suspension (V, 5273-5277). On a motion to refer a report, the reading of
    it could be demanded as a matter of right, but the latest ruling left to
    the House to determine whether or not an accompanying record of
    testimony should be read (V, 5261, 5262). In general the reading of a
    report was held to be in the nature of debate (V, 5292); but where a
    report presented facts and conclusions but no legislative proposition,
    it was read if submitted for action (IV, 4663). Where a paper is offered
    as involving a matter of privilege it may be read to the House (III,
    2597; VI, 606; VIII, 2599), rather than by the Speaker privately (III,
    2546), but a Member

      The former rule prohibiting the reading of papers in debate was held
    to apply to the exhibition of articles as evidence or in exemplification
    in debate (VIII, 2452, 2453; June 2, 1937, pp. 6104-05; Aug. 5, 1949, p.
    10859), and the new form of the rule adopted in the 103d Congress (H.
    Res. 5, Jan. 5, 1993, p. ----) marks the modern relevance of that
    application. While Members may use exhibits such as charts during debate
    subject to this rule, the Speaker may, pursuant to his authority to
    preserve order and decorum under rule I (see Sec. 622, supra), direct
    the removal of a chart from the well of the House which is not being
    utilized during debate (Apr. 1, 1982, p. 6304), or which is otherwise
    disruptive of decorum.

    Sec. 917. Earlier practice.

      The reading  of papers other than
    the one on which the vote was about to be taken was usually permitted
    without question (V, 5258), and the Member in debate usually read such
    papers as he pleased, but this privilege was subject to the authority of
    the House if another Member objected (V, 5285-5288, 5289-5291; VIII,
    2597, 2602; Dec. 19, 1974, p. 41425; Dec. 10, 1987, p. 34669). This
    principle applied even to the Member's own written speech (V, 5258;
    VIII, 2598), to a report which he proposed to have read in his own time
    or to read in his place (V, 5293), and to excerpts from the
    Congressional Record (VIII, 2597). But, on a motion to lay on the table,
    a demand for the reading of a paper other than the one to which the
    motion applied was overruled (V, 5297); and after the previous question
    were ordered a Member could not ask the decision of the House as to the
    reading of a paper not before the House for action (V, 5296), even
    though it be the report of the committee (V, 5294, 5295). For further
    discussion, see Sec. Sec. 432-436, supra. The consent of the House
    pursuant to the former form of this rule for a Member to read a paper in
    debate only permitted the Member seeking such permission to read as much
    of the paper as possible in the time yielded or allotted to that Member,
    and did not necessarily grant permission to read or to insert the entire
    document (Mar. 1, 1979, p. 3748). Where a Member objected to another's
    reading from a paper the Chair put the question without debate, and it
    was not in order under the guise of parliamentary inquiry to debate that
    question by indicating that the objection was a dilatory tactic (Dec.
    10, 1987, p. 34672).