    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 106th Congress]
    [106th Congress]
    [House Document 105-358]
    [Front Matter]
    [Pages i-xviii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page i]]

    105th Congress, 2d Session -  -  -  -  -   - House Document No. 105-358

    ________________________________________________________________________

          CONSTITUTION, JEFFERSON'S MANUAL, AND RULES OF THE HOUSE OF

                     REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES

                           ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS

                               CHARLES W. JOHNSON

                                 PARLIAMENTARIAN

    51-800                      WASHINGTON : 1999

    ________________________________________________________________________

     For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

                                     Office

    [[Page iii]]

                              Washington, DC 20402

                              HOUSE RESOLUTION 607

                                In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                         October 20, 1998.

        Resolved, That a revised edition of the Rules and Manual of the
    House of Representatives for the One Hundred Sixth Congress be printed
    as a House document, and that three thousand additional copies shall be
    printed and bound for the use of the House of Representatives, of which
    nine hundred copies shall be bound in leather with thumb index and
    delivered as may be directed by the Parliamentarian of the House.

        Attest:

                                                       Robin H. Carle,

                                                                    Clerk.

    [[Page v]]

                                      (III)

                                  P R E F A C E

        The House Rules and Manual contains the fundamental source material
    for parliamentary procedure used in the House of Representatives: the
    Constitution of the United States; applicable provisions of Jefferson's
    Manual; rules of the House (as of the date of this preface); provisions
    of law and resolutions having the force of rules of the House; and
    pertinent decisions of the Speakers and other presiding officers of the
    House and Committee of the Whole interpreting the rules and other
    procedural authority used in the House of Representatives.

        The rules for the One Hundred Sixth Congress were adopted on January
    6, 1999, when the House agreed to House Resolution 5 and, later, House
    Resolution 9. House Resolution 5 consisted of (1) a recodification of
    the rules of the House for the One Hundred Fifth Congress in a revised
    structural format that reduces their number from 52 to 28 in a logical
    sequence, (2) a series of substantive changes to various standing rules
    as so recodified, and (3) separate free-standing orders constituting
    procedures to be followed in the One Hundred Sixth Congress, including
    the immediate consideration of House Resolution 9. House Resolution 9,
    adopted later the same day, changed the recodified clause 5 of rule XXVI
    on the acceptance of gifts. Explanations of the derivations of the
    recodified rules from the rules of the prior Congress, and of
    substantive changes, appear in the annotations following each rule in
    the text of this manual. Additionally, a table of cross-references
    showing major rule citation changes resulting from the recodification
    follows this preface.

    [[Page vi]]

    lished (e.g.,  germaneness remains clause 7 of rule XVI, and general
    appropriation bill matters remain clause 2 of rule XXI), although cross-
    references will be necessary in subsequent precedent and practice
    volumes where rule citations have changed.
        The recodified format arranges the rules by addressing the
    organization and operation of the House as follows: duties of officers
    and Members (rules I-III), administration of the House (rules IV-VI),
    institutional prerogatives (rules VII-IX), committees (rules X-XI),
    consideration of legislation (rules XII-XXIII), conduct of Members,
    officers, and employees (rules XXIV-XXVII), and miscellaneous provisions
    (rule XXVIII). The recodification minimizes the change of some major
    rule citations in order to retain consistency with precedent and
    practice volumes already pub

        References were changed in the recodification to incorporate
    accepted understandings without substantive change. For instance,
    ``Delegates'' and ``the Resident Commissioner'' are mentioned along with
    ``Members'' in those situations where the rules do not distinguish
    between statuses. They are omitted in rules addressing authorities or
    responsibilities that are limited to Members (such as voting, Committee
    of the Whole, and selection of presiding officers). Gender references
    are treated as in the United States Code, whereby a reference to ``he''
    or ``his'' is defined in rule XXVIII to constitute a reference to
    ``she'' or ``hers'' where applicable. Provisos have been replaced by
    sentence restructuring to ensure clarity of meaning. The concept of a
    ``privileged question'' or ``privileged motion'' has been regularized,
    placing sundry references to matters ``of highest privilege'' or ``in
    order at any time'' or that ``shall always be in order.'' The generic
    reference to votes by the yeas and nays and recorded votes has been
    changed from ``rollcall'' to ``record'' votes. Supermajority voting
    requirements are consistently referred to as two-thirds or three-fifths
    ``of the Members voting, a quorum being present.''

        The substantive changes provided by House Resolution 5 included:

        (1) authorization for the Speaker to appoint and set pay for
    employees of the Office of the Historian (clause 7 of rule II);

        (2) authorization to dispense by unanimous consent oral announcement
    of the form of a resolution offered as a question of privilege noticed
    under rule IX (clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX);

        (3) redesignation of the Committee on House Oversight as the
    Committee on House Administration, of the Committee on Government Reform
    and Oversight as the Committee on Government Reform, and of the
    Committee on National Security as the Committee on Armed Services
    (clause 1 of rule X);

    [[Page vii]]

        (4) elimination of the exception for the Budget Committee from
    general oversight responsibilities (clause 2(b) of rule X);

        (5) elimination of a provision added in the 104th Congress making
    consideration of resolutions funding each committee contingent on
    submission of its oversight plans (clause 2(d)(2) of rule X);

        (6) modification of the deadline for submitting views and estimates
    to the Budget Committee (clause 4(f)(1) of rule X);

        (7) specification of the size of the Committee on Standards of
    Official Conduct at 10 members (which was the de facto size of the
    committee in the 105th Congress, notwithstanding that the Ethics Reform
    Act of 1989 required each party caucus to nominate seven Members) and
    deletion of the requirement adopted in the 105th Congress that two
    Members from each party rotate off the committee each Congress (clause
    5(a) of rule X);

        (8) elimination of the Committee on Transportation and
    Infrastructure from the list of exceptions to the general rule limiting
    each committee to five subcommittees, and addition of an exception for
    committees that maintain a subcommittee on oversight (clause 5(d) of
    rule X);

        (9) clarification of the procedure to permit staff questioning of
    witnesses in committee (clause 2(j) of rule XI);

        (10) clarification that committees may specify in a subpoena duces
    tecum terms of return other than at a meeting or hearing (clause
    2(m)(3)(B) of rule XI);

        (11) elimination of general pairs (rule XX);

        (12) expansion of the Speaker's authority to postpone further
    proceedings to include motions to instruct conferees pending their
    appointment (clause 8(a) of rule XX);

        (13) expansion of Speaker's authority to reduce to five minutes the
    minimum time for electronic voting on a question postponed under clause
    8 of rule XX to include questions incidental thereto and to permit the
    first postponed vote in a series to be a five-minute vote if it
    immediately follows a 15-minute vote (clause 8(c) and clause 9 of rule
    XX);

        (14) elimination of the prohibition against including a provision
    for a specific road in a bill providing for another specific road or in
    a general road bill (rule XXI).

        (15) provisions amending the Code of Official Conduct to: (1) permit
    telecommuting by House employees (clause 8 of rule XXIV); and (2)
    include consultants among employees covered by certain provisions of the
    code of conduct (clause 14 of rule XXIV);

    [[Page viii]]

    honoraria; and (2) clarify the definition of ``honorarium'' (clause 1
    and clause 4 of rule XXVI);
        (16) provisions amending limitations on outside earned income to:
    (1) permit certain House employees to receive

        House Resolution 5 also included a special order of business
    permitting a separate vote on a resolution to amend the gift rule to
    conform it to the Senate rule (H. Res. 9, amending clause 5 of rule
    XXVI).

        The recodification project was first inspired by Wm. Holmes Brown,
    who retired as Parliamentarian in 1994 and who had prepared in 1985 a
    preliminary draft that served as a basis for the current restructuring.
    Special appreciation is extended to the members and staff of the
    Committee on Rules who served on the bi-partisan Task Force on
    Recodification during the 105th Congress for their cooperation with the
    Office of the Parliamentarian in its preparation. Deputy
    Parliamentarians John Sullivan and Tom Duncan, and Assistant
    Parliamentarians Muftiah McCartin, Tom Wickham, and Ethan Lauer worked
    diligently to prepare the codification and to annotate the decisions of
    the Chair and other parliamentary precedents of the 105th Congress and
    of the 106th Congress to date of publication. Gay Topper, Deborah
    Khalili, and Brian Cooper contributed their clerical skills to the
    preparation of this edition. All of their contributions, especially
    those of Muftiah McCartin in the preparation of this Manual, are
    gratefully acknowledged.

        Citations in this edition refer to:

        (1) Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United
    States (volumes I through V) and Cannon's Precedents of the House of
    Representatives of the United States (volumes VI through VIII), by
    volume and section (e.g., V, 5763; VIII, 2852);

        (2) Deschler's Precedents of the U. S. House of Representatives
    (volumes 1 through 9) and the Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U. S.
    House of Representatives (volumes 10 through 15), by volume, chapter,
    and section (e.g., Deschler's Precedents, vol. 8, ch. 26, sec. 79.7;
    Deschler-Brown Precedents, vol. 10, ch. 28, sec. 4.26);

        (3) the Congressional Record, by date and page (e.g., Jan. 29, 1986,
    p. 684);

        (4) House Practice (1996), by page (e.g., House Practice, p. 293);

        (5) Deschler-Brown Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives
    (4th edition and 1987 supplement), by chapter and section (e.g.,
    Procedure, ch. 5, sec. 8.1);

    [[Page ix]]

        (6) the United States Code, by title and section (e.g., 2 U.S.C.
    287); and

        (7) the United States Reports, by volume and page (e.g., 395 U.S.
    486).

                                                        Charles W. Johnson

    [[Page xi]]

      September 20, 1999

                                 C O N T E N T S

                                   __________

                                THE CONSTITUTION

                                                                        Page
    Preamble..........................................................     3

                Article I.--The legislative power.....................     4

                       II.--The executive power.......................    62

                      III.--The judicial power........................    74

                       IV.--Obligations, duties, etc., of the States..    76

                        V.--Amendments to.............................    78

                       VI.--Law of the land, etc......................    80

                      VII.--Ratification of...........................    84

                            Amendments ratified.......................    86

                               JEFFERSON'S MANUAL

                Section I.--Importance of adhering to rules...........   119

                      III.--Privilege.................................   122

                       VI.--Quorum....................................   141

                      VII.--Call of the House.........................   142

                       IX.--Speaker...................................   142

                        X.--Address...................................   144

                       XI.--Committees................................   145

                      XII.--Committee of the Whole....................   148

                     XIII.--Examination of witnesses..................   157

                      XIV.--Arrangement of business...................   163

                       XV.--Order.....................................   165

                      XVI.--Order respecting papers...................   165

                     XVII.--Order in debate...........................   166

                    XVIII.--Orders of the House.......................   186

                      XIX.--Petition..................................   190

                       XX.--Motions...................................   191

                      XXI.--Resolutions...............................   192

                    XXIII.--Bills, leave to bring in..................   194

                     XXIV.--Bills, first reading......................   195

                      XXV.--Bills, second reading.....................   195

                     XXVI.--Bills, commitment.........................   196

                    XXVII.--Report of committee.......................   206

    [[Page xii]]

                                                                        Page

           Section XXVIII.--Bill, recommitment........................   208

                     XXIX.--Bills, reports taken up...................   209

                      XXX.--Quasi-committee...........................   211

                     XXXI.--Bill, second reading in the House.........   215

                    XXXII.--Reading papers............................   217

                   XXXIII.--Privileged questions......................   219

                    XXXIV.--The previous question.....................   233

                     XXXV.--Amendments................................   234

                    XXXVI.--Division of the question..................   243

                   XXXVII.--Coexisting questions......................   246

                  XXXVIII.--Equivalent questions......................   247

                    XXXIX.--The question..............................   250

                       XL.--Bills, third reading......................   251

                      XLI.--Division of the House.....................   255

                     XLII.--Titles....................................   260

                    XLIII.--Reconsideration...........................   260

                     XLIV.--Bills sent to the other House.............   263

                      XLV.--Amendments between the Houses.............   264

                     XLVI.--Conferences...............................   274

                    XLVII.--Messages..................................   286

                   XLVIII.--Assent....................................   290

                     XLIX.--Journals..................................   293

                        L.--Adjournment...............................   295

                       LI.--A session.................................   296

                      LII.--Treaties..................................   300

                     LIII.--Impeachment...............................   303

                               RULES OF THE HOUSE

                   Rule I.--The Speaker...............................   323

                       II.--Other Officers and Officials..............   341

                      III.--The Members, Delegates, and Resident

                            Commissioner of Puerto Rico...............   359

                       IV.--The Hall of the House.....................   363

                        V.--Broadcasting the House....................   370

                       VI.--Official Reporters and News Media

                            Galleries.................................   373

                      VII.--Records of the House......................   384

                     VIII.--Response to Subpoenas.....................   388

                       IX.--Questions of Privilege....................   391

                        X.--Organization of Committees................   407

                       XI.--Procedures of Committees and Unfinished

                            Business..................................   510

                      XII.--Receipt and Referral of Measures and

                            Matters...................................   563

                     XIII.--Calendars and Committee Reports...........   577

                      XIV.--Order and Priority of Business............   610

                       XV.--Business in Order on Special Days.........   620

    [[Page xiii]]

                                                                        Page

                 Rule XVI.--Motions and Amendments....................   641

                     XVII.--Decorum and Debate........................   691

                    XVIII.--The Committee of the Whole House on the

                            state of the Union........................   717

                      XIX.--Motions Following the Amendment Stage.....   742

                       XX.--Voting and Quorum Calls...................   757

                      XXI.--Restrictions on Certain Bills.............   782

                     XXII.--House and Senate Relations................   821

                    XXIII.--Statutory Limit on Public Debt............   845

                     XXIV.--Code of Official Conduct..................   849

                      XXV.--Limitations on Use of Official Funds......   854

                     XXVI.--Limitations on Outside Earned Income and

                            Acceptance of Gifts.......................   858

                    XXVII.--Financial Disclosure......................   880

    Provisions of Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as Amended by the
                   XXVIII.--General Provisions........................   903

    Congressional adjournment.........................................   905
    Preservation of committee hearings................................   906

        Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Applicable to Both Houses

    Economic Committee, Joint.........................................   909
    Internal Revenue Taxation, Joint Committee on.....................   909
    Library, Joint Committee of Congress on the.......................   910
    Printing, Joint Committee on......................................   910
    Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Congressional Committee on............   910
    Select committees.................................................   910

                           Joint and Select Committees

    House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards...............   913
    House Office Building Commission..................................   913
    General Accounting Office.........................................   913
    Office of Compliance..............................................   913
    Congressional Research Service....................................   914
    Legislative Counsel...............................................   914
    Congressional Budget Office.......................................   914
    Law Revision Counsel..............................................   914
    Technology Assessment.............................................   914
    Office of the Parliamentarian.....................................   914
    Office of Floor Assistants........................................   915
    Corrections Calendar Office.......................................   915
                                  House Offices

    [[Page xiv]]

    House Recording Studio............................................   915
    United States Capitol Preservation Commission.....................   915
    Early organization of House.......................................   917
                                                                        Page

              Miscellaneous Provisions of Congressional Budget Laws
    Congressional Budget Act of 1974..................................   923
    Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.........   997
    Budget Enforcement Act of 1990....................................  1027

          Congressional Disapproval Provisions Contained in Public Laws
    Resolutions privileged for consideration in House.................  1031

    Index.............................................................  1161

    [[Page xv]]

                                      Index

                           MAJOR RULE CITATION CHANGES
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                           OLD RULE            NEW RULE

              DESCRIPTION           ----------------------------------------

                                        Rule     Clause     Rule     Clause
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Postponed votes................          I      5(b)        XX         8
    Tie vote lost..................          I         6        XX      1(c)
    Lame duck travel authority.....          I         8       XXV        10
    Broadcasting House proceedings.          I         9         V  ........
    Office of the Historian........          I        10        II         7
    Office of the General Counsel..          I        11        II         8
    Clerk..........................        III  ........        II         2
    Sergeant-at-Arms...............         IV  ........        II         3
    Chief Administrative Officer...          V  ........        II         4
    Office of the Inspector General         VI  ........        II         6
    Chaplain.......................        VII  ........        II         5
    Duties of Members..............       VIII  ........       III       1-2
    Committee on Standards of                X      4(e)        XI         3
     Official Conduct..............
    Referral.......................          X         5       XII         2
    Speaker's appointment of select          X      6(f)         I        11
     and conference committees.....
    Committee membership contingent          X      6(g)         X        10
     on party membership...........
    Committee reporting procedures.         XI  2(l)(1),      XIII         2

                                                     (2)
    Content of reports.............         XI  2(l)(3)-      XIII         3

    [[Page xvi]]

    Dilatory motions on suspensions        XVI         8        XV         1
    Dilatory motions...............        XVI        10       XVI         1
    Previous question..............       XVII  ........       XIX         1
    Motion to recommit.............       XVII         1       XIX         2
    Reconsideration................      XVIII  ........       XIX         3
    Amendments.....................        XIX  ........       XVI         6
    Senate amendments..............         XX  ........      XXII       1-6
    Reading of bills...............        XXI         1       XVI         8
    Content of reports on                  XXI         3      XIII      3(f)
     appropriation bills...........
    Private claims.................        XXI         4       XII      2(d)
    Appropriations in legislation..        XXI      5(a)       XXI         4
    Reappropriations...............        XXI         6       XXI   2(a)(2)
    Printing of appropriations             XXI         7      XIII      4(c)
     hearings......................
    Reserving points of order on           XXI         8       XXI         1
     appropriation bills...........
    Transportation obligation              XXI         9       XXI         3
     limitations...................
    Cosponsorship..................       XXII         4       XII         7
    Resolutions of inquiry.........       XXII         5      XIII         7
    Committee of the Whole House...      XXIII  ........     XVIII  ........
    Order of business..............       XXIV  ........       XIV  ........
    Unfinished business............       XXIV         3       XIV         3
    Private Calendar...............       XXIV         6        XV         5
    Calendar Wednesday.............       XXIV         7        XV         7
    District business..............       XXIV         8        XV         4
    Priority of business...........        XXV  ........       XIV  ........
    Unfinished business in                XXVI  ........        XI         6
     committee.....................
    Suspension of the rules........      XXVII       1-2        XV         1
    Discharge motions..............      XXVII         3        XV         2
    Conference reports.............     XXVIII  ........      XXII      7-12
    Secret sessions................       XXIX  ........      XVII         9
    Exhibits.......................        XXX  ........      XVII         6
    Hall of the House..............       XXXI  ........        IV         1
    Admission to the Floor.........      XXXII  ........        IV       2-5
    Admission to the galleries.....     XXXIII  ........        IV         6
    Campaign contributions on Floor      XXXII         5        IV         7
    Official Reporters and the           XXXIV  ........        VI  ........
     media.........................
    Pay of witnesses...............       XXXV  ........        XI         5
    Records of the House...........      XXXVI  ........       VII  ........
    Withdrawal of papers...........     XXXVII  ........       VII         7

    [[Page xvii]]

    Ballot votes...................    XXXVIII  ........        XX        11
    Messages.......................      XXXIX  ........       XII         1
    Executive communications.......         XL  ........       XII         8
    Claims against the Government..        XLI  ........      XXVI         6
    General provisions.............       XLII  ........    XXVIII         1
    Code of Official Conduct.......      XLIII  ........      XXIV  ........
    Financial disclosure...........       XLIV  ........     XXVII  ........
    Unofficial office accounts.....        XLV  ........       XXV       1-3
    Limitation on use of frank.....       XLVI  ........       XXV       4-9
    Outside earned income..........      XLVII  ........      XXVI       1-3
    Intelligence Committee.........     XLVIII  ........         X        11
    Debt limit.....................       XLIX  ........     XXIII  ........
    Response to subpoenas..........          L  ........      VIII  ........
    Gift rule......................         LI  ........      XXVI         5
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [[Page xviii]]

                                                     (5)
    Availability of reports........         XI   2(l)(6)      XIII         4
    Committee travel...............         XI      2(n)         X         8
    Committee broadcast rule.......         XI         3        XI         4
    Privileged reports.............         XI         4      XIII         5
    Reports of Rules Committee.....         XI         4      XIII         6
    Expense resolutions............         XI         5         X       6-7
    Committee staff................         XI         6         X         9
    Resident Commissioner/Delegates        XII  ........       III         3
    Corrections Calendar...........       XIII         4        XV         6
    Decorum and debate.............        XIV  ........      XVII  ........
    Recognition....................        XIV         2      XVII         2
    Voting and quorum calls........         XV  ........        XX  ........

                            GENERAL ORDER OF BUSINESS

                                    Rule XIV

                  First. Prayer by Chaplain.

                  Second. Approval of Journal.

                  Third. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

                  Fourth. Correction of reference of public bills.

                  Fifth. Disposal of business on Speaker's table.

                  Sixth. Unfinished business.

                  Seventh. The morning hour for the consideration of bills.

                  Eighth. Motions to go into the Committee of the Whole

                House on the state of the Union.

                  Ninth. Orders of the day.

                            SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS

    Second and fourth Mondays:

                                     Mondays

                  Motions to discharge committees. Rule XV, clause 2.

    Every Monday:

                  District of Columbia Business. Rule XV, clause 4.

                  Motions to suspend rules. Rule XV, clause 1.

    First and third Tuesdays:

                                    Tuesdays

      Private Calendar. Rule XV, clause 5. Individual private bills

            considered on the first Tuesday of each month, omnibus private

    Second and fourth Tuesdays:

            bills may be considered on third Tuesday of each month.

    Every Tuesday:

                  Corrections Calendar. Rule XV, clause 6.

                  Motions to suspend rules. Rule XV, clause 1.

    Call of Committees under Calendar Wednesday. Rule XV, clause 7.

                                   Wednesdays