[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 105th Congress]
[105th Congress]
[House Document 104-272]
[Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
[Pages 204-205]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 

                    sec. xxvii.--report of committee.


[[Page 205]]

venience, shall take up the report. Scob., 52; Hakew., 148.



Sec. 418. Parliamentary method of submitting 
reports.

  The  chairman of the committee, standing in his place, informs the 
House that the committee to whom was referred such a bill, have, 
according to order, had the same under consideration, and have directed 
him to report the same without any amendment, or with sundry amendments 
(as the case may be), which he is ready to do when the House pleases to 
receive it. And he or any other may move that it be now received; but 
the cry of ``now, now,'' from the House, generally dispenses with the 
formality of a motion and question. He then reads the amendments, with 
the coherence in the bill, and opens the alterations and the reasons of 
the committee for such amendments, until he has gone through the whole. 
He then delivers it at the Clerk's table, where the amendments reported 
are read by the Clerk without the coherence; whereupon the papers lie 
upon the table till the House, at its con-



  This provision is to a large extent obsolete so far as the practice of 
the House of Representatives is concerned. Most of the reports of 
committees are made by filing them with the Clerk without reading 
(clause 2 of rule XIII), and only the reports of committees having leave 
to report at any time are made by the chairman or other member of the 
committee from the floor (clause 4(a) of rule XI). Committee reports 
must be submitted while the House is in session, and this requirement 
may be waived by unanimous consent only, and not by motion (Dec. 17, 
1982, p. 31951). All reports privileged under clause 4 of rule XI at one 
time could be called up for consideration immediately after being filed, 
but since January 3, 1975 (H. Res. 988, 93d Cong., Oct. 8, 1974, p. 
34406), such reports--with two exceptions--are subject to the 
requirement of clause 2(l)(6) of rule XI and cannot be considered in the 
House until the third calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and 
legal holidays) on which they are available to Members. The exceptions 
from the three-day rule, in addition to the exceptions stated in the 
rule for declarations of war and actions on certain executive 
determinations, are certain reports from the Committee on Rules (see 
clause 2(l)(6) of rule XI) and primary expense resolutions reported from 
the Committee on House Oversight (see clause 5 of rule XI). Reports not 
filed as privileged under clause 4(a) of rule XI are subject to the 
three-day rule unless specifically exempted therefrom (in clause 2(l)(6) 
of rule XI) or unless privileged under rule IX. It has been held, for 
example, that a privileged report involving the privileges of the House 
under rule IX (such as a report from a committee on the contemptuous 
conduct of a witness before the committee) would not be subject to the 
three-day rule (Speaker Albert, July 13, 1971, pp. 24720-23). The 
general rule (clause 1 of rule XIII) is that reports shall be placed on 
the calendars of the House, there to await action under the rules for 
the order of business (rule XXIV).




Sec. 419. Reports; dissolution and revival of select 
committees.

  The  report being made, the committee is dissolved and can act 
no more without a new power. Scob. 51. But it may be revived by a vote, 
and the same matter recommitted to them. 4 Grey, 361.



  This provision does not apply now to the Committees of the Whole or to 
the standing committees. It does apply to select committees, which 
expire when they report finally, but may be revived by the action of the 
House in referring in open House a new matter (IV, 4404, 4405). The 
provision does not preclude a standing committee from reporting a bill 
similar to one previously reported by such committee (VIII, 2311).