Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 106th Congress-Rule XII.Receipt and Referral of Measures and Matters

[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 106th Congress]
[106th Congress]
[House Document 105-358]
[Rules of the House of Representatives]
[Pages 563-576]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

[[Page 563]]

Messages
Rule XII.--RECEIPT AND REFERRAL OF MEASURES AND MATTERS

815. Entry of messages in the Journal and
Record.

1. Messages received from the Senate, or from the President,
shall be entered on the Journal and published in the Congressional
Record of the proceedings of that day.

This provision was adopted in 1867 and amended in 1880 (V, 6593). It
was renumbered January 3, 1953 (p. 24). Before the House recodified its
rules in the 106th Congress, this provision was found in former rule
XXXIX (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).

The House may receive a message from the Senate when the Senate is not
in session (VIII, 3338).

Rule XII, clause 2
Rule XII, clause 2
Referral

816. Referral procedures.

2. (a) The Speaker shall refer
each bill, resolution, or other matter that relates to a subject listed
under a standing committee named in clause 1 of rule X in accordance
with the provisions of this clause.

[[Page 564]]

(b) The Speaker shall refer matters under paragraph (a) in such manner
as to ensure to the maximum extent feasible that each committee that has
jurisdiction under clause 1 of rule X over the subject matter of a
provision thereof may consider such provision and report to the House
thereon. Precedents, rulings, or procedures in effect before the Ninety-
Fourth Congress shall be applied to referrals under this clause only to
the extent that they will contribute to the achievement of the
objectives of this clause.

(1) shall designate a committee of primary jurisdiction;

(2) may refer the matter to one or more additional committees for
consideration in sequence, either initially or after the matter has been
reported by the committee of primary jurisdiction;

(3) may refer portions of the matter reflecting different subjects
and jurisdictions to one or more additional committees;

(4) may refer the matter to a special, ad hoc committee appointed
by the Speaker with the approval of the House, and including members of
the committees of jurisdiction, for the specific purpose of considering
that matter and reporting to the House thereon;

(5) may subject a referral to appropriate time limitations; and

(6) may make such other provision as may be considered
appropriate.

[[Page 565]]

on Armed Services (military applications of nuclear energy), Interior
and Insular Affairs (now Resources) (regulation of the domestic nuclear
energy industry, since transferred to the Committee on Commerce in the
104th Congress), Foreign Affairs (now International Relations)
(nonproliferation of nuclear energy and international nuclear export
agreements), Interstate and Foreign Commerce (now Commerce) (the same
jurisdiction over nuclear energy as exercised over other energy), and
Science and Technology (now Science) (nondefense nuclear research and
development). In addition, the Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce (now Commerce) was given oversight jurisdiction over all laws,
programs, and government activities affecting nuclear energy. Paragraph
(e) was deleted entirely in the 97th Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan. 5, 1981,
p. 98). At the same time the House deleted former paragraph (d) which
formerly required the Congressional Research Service of the Library of
Congress to prepare factual descriptions of each bill or resolution
introduced in the House to be published in the Congressional Record.
Before the House recodified its rules in the 106th Congress, this
provision was found in former clause 5 of rule X (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6,
1999, p. ----).
This provision became effective as part of the rules on January 3,
1975 (H. Res. 988, 93d Cong., Oct. 8, 1974, p. 34470). Prior to that
time a bill or resolution could not be divided for reference among two
or more committees, although it contained matter properly within the
jurisdiction of several committees (IV, 4361). Paragraph (c) was amended
on January 4, 1977 (H. Res. 5, pp. 53-70) to authorize the Speaker to
place an appropriate time limit for consideration by the first committee
or committees to which referred. In the 104th Congress paragraph (c) was
again amended to require the Speaker to initially designate a committee
of primary jurisdiction in each referral of a measure to more than one
committee (sec. 205, H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 467). A paragraph (e)
was added to the clause on January 4, 1977 (H. Res. 5, pp. 53-70) to
abolish the legislative jurisdiction in the House of the Joint Committee
on Atomic Energy. The legislative jurisdiction of the Joint Committee
was divided among the Committees

An order of the House that no organizational or legislative business
be conducted on certain days (first by provision of a concurrent
resolution, but extended by unanimous consent) was considered not to
deprive Members of the privilege of introducing bills and resolutions
during pro forma sessions on those days, such measures being numbered on
the day introduced but not noted in the Record or referred to committee
until the day on which business was resumed (H. Con. Res. 260, 102d
Cong., Nov. 26, 1991, p. 35840; see Jan. 22, 1992, p. 149, and Jan. 28,
1992, p. 745).

[[Page 566]]

initial reference to committees and set appropriate time limitations
(pursuant to the clause as amended in the 95th Congress) on the initial
reference to each committee (Speaker O'Neill, Feb. 16, 1977, p. 4532);
may sequentially refer a bill reported by one committee, with a
committee amendment, to another committee for consideration of the bill
and amendment of the previous committee (Speaker O'Neill, Oct. 13, 1977,
p. 33716); may sequentially refer to a third committee a portion of an
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by one of two
committees to which the bill had been referred, after the second
committee reports the bill (Speaker O'Neill, May 22, 1985, p. 13126);
may refer sequentially to two committees only a portion of the amendment
reported by the primary committee for consideration of such provisions
within that portion as fall within their respective jurisdictions
(Speaker Wright, Sept. 9, 1987, p. 23648); may discharge a reported bill
from the Union Calendar for sequential reference to another committee
(Speaker O'Neill, Apr. 27, 1978, p. 11742; June 19, 1986, p. 14741; June
12, 1990, p. 13670); may discharge a committee from further
consideration of a bill not reported by it within the time period for
which the bill was referred by the Speaker and place the bill on the
appropriate calendar (May 8, 1978, p. 12924); may jointly refer
designated portions of a bill to a second committee while referring the
entire bill to another committee (Speaker O'Neill, Mar. 3, 1982, p.
3155); may delimit the period for sequential consideration of a bill in
terms of legislative days (June 30, 1988, p. 16597); may sequentially
refer a bill without day (Sept. 27, 1988, p. 25827); may sequentially
refer a bill back to the first-reporting committee when it is reported
from the second-reporting committee with a nongermane amendment within
the jurisdiction of the first committee and not within the bounds of the
initial referral (Oct. 4, 1988, p. 28242); and may refer a bill
primarily to one committee (as now required by paragraph (c)) while also
referring it initially to additional committees for time periods to be
subsequently determined when the primary committee reports, in each case
for consideration of matters within their respective jurisdictions
(Speaker Gingrich, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 123). A bill initially referred to
more than one committee and reported by the primary committee with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute may be sequentially referred to
yet another committee for consideration of specified portions of the
introduced bill (Sept. 12, 1995, p. 24791).
Pursuant to his authority under this clause, subject to paragraph (c),
the Speaker may refer a bill to a special ad hoc committee appointed by
him with the approval of the House (from the members of the committees
with legislative jurisdiction) for consideration and report on that
particular bill (Speaker Albert, Apr. 22, 1975, p. 11261); may jointly
refer a report of a select committee filed with the Clerk to standing
committees of the House for their study (Speaker Albert, Feb. 16, 1976,
p. 3158); may divide a communication or bill for reference where the
proposition is divisible by jurisdiction (Feb. 4, 1975, p. 2253; Apr.
26, 1999, p. ----); may refer a bill to more than one committee for
their respective consideration of such provisions of the bill as fall
within their jurisdiction (Speaker Albert, Feb. 25, 1976, p. 4315); may
sequentially refer a bill reported from a committee to other committees
for a time certain for consideration of such portions of the bill as
fall within their respective jurisdictions (Speaker Albert, Apr. 9,
1976, p. 10265; May 17, 1976, p. 14093); or may limit a sequential
referral to matters having a direct effect on subjects within the
committee's jurisdiction (Speaker O'Neill, June 7, 1983, p. 14699); and
may extend the time period of a sequentially referred bill and may refer
the bill to yet another committee under the same sequential referral
conditions (Speaker Albert, June 1, 1976, p. 16588); may divide a matter
for

[[Page 567]]

by the primary committee would delete portions of the bill within the
jurisdiction of the sequential committee) (Speaker Hastert, May 10,
1999, p. ----). In the 96th Congress, the Speaker had followed a more
restrictive policy, permitting a sequential committee to review (1)
those portions of introduced text within its jurisdiction and (2) those
portions of an amendment within its jurisdiction when the introduced
version also dictated a sequential referral to the committee (Speaker
O'Neill, Apr. 15, 1980, p. 7760). The Speaker first exercised the
authority to base referrals on committee amendments by sequentially
referring a bill reported from the Committee on Public Works and
Transportation (now Transportation and Infrastructure), relating only to
Corps of Engineers water projects as introduced but amended in committee
to address general water resource policy affecting irrigation and
reclamation projects and soil conservation programs, to the Committees
on Agriculture and Interior and Insular Affairs (now Resources) for
consideration of provisions of the committee amendment within their
jurisdiction (Speaker O'Neill, May 20, 1981, p. 10361). Thus the Speaker
may sequentially refer a reported bill to another committee solely for
consideration of provisions of the first committee's amendment within
its jurisdiction and not for consideration of the entire bill (Apr. 5,
1982, p. 6580), may sequentially refer a reported bill to two other
committees for different periods of time, solely for consideration of
designated sections of the first committee's recommended amendment (May
18, 1982, p. 10418; Aug. 1, 1985, p. 22681), may discharge from the
Union Calendar and sequentially refer to another committee a bill solely
for consideration of designated portions of the first committee's
amendment (May 21, 1982, p. 11169), and may sequentially refer a bill
which has been initially referred to several committees but reported
only by one, for consideration of the reporting committee's amendment
(June 17, 1982, p. 14069; Sept. 5, 1990, p. 23477), and may sequentially
refer a bill referred to more than one committee when the first
committee reports, for a period ending a number of days after the next
committee reports (Speaker O'Neill, Aug. 1, 1985, p. 22681), or after
all committees report (June 10, 1988, p. 14079).
The Speaker announced a new application of his authority on sequential
referrals in the 97th Congress, namely that the sequential referral of
any bills or resolutions from a committee initially reporting a bill
would be based upon the subject matter contained in any amendment
recommended by the reporting committee, as well as upon the original
text of the bill or resolution (Speaker O'Neill, Jan. 5, 1981, pp. 115,
116), or, as announced in the 100th Congress, in certain cases, based
only upon the text of a reported substitute amendment in lieu of
original text (Speaker Wright, Jan. 6, 1987, p. 22). The Speaker also
may base a sequential referral only on the text of the bill as
introduced (where the amendment recommended

On the last day of an expiring sequential referral, a committee has
until midnight to file its report with the Clerk (Oct. 9, 1991, p.
26045).

[[Page 568]]

a date certain (Speaker O'Neill, July 31, 1985, p. 21936). In the 98th
Congress, the Speaker exercised his authority under this clause to
sequentially refer a joint resolution making continuing appropriations,
reported as privileged by the Committee on Appropriations, to the
committee having legislative jurisdiction over a legislative provision
in the resolution, without a time limitation on the sequential referral
(H.J. Res. 367, Sept. 22, 1983, p. 25523).
Before paragraph (c) was amended in the 104th Congress to require the
Speaker to designate a committee of primary jurisdiction, the Speaker
announced at the convening of the 98th Congress that he would exercise
his authority, in situations which warranted it, to designate a primary
committee among those to which a bill was jointly referred, and to
impose time limits on committees having a secondary interest following
the report of the primary committee under a joint referral (Speaker
O'Neill, Jan. 3, 1983, p. 54; Jan. 5, 1993, p. 105). The Speaker may
exercise this authority by referring a bill concurrently to two
committees, with a time limit on one of the committees ending within a
certain period after the other committee reports to the House (Jan. 27,
1983, p. 937; Feb. 2, 1983, p. 1492; Apr. 9, 1987, p. 8665) or with a
time limit on one committee ending with

Pursuant to the Speaker's authority under clause 2 of rule XIV (former
clause 2 of rule XXIV), relating to messages from the Senate, he has
discretionary authority to refer from the Speaker's table to standing
committees, Senate amendments to House-passed bills, under any
conditions permitted under this provision for introduced bills; he may
for example impose a time limitation for consideration only of a portion
of the Senate amendment, not germane to the original House bill, by the
standing committee with subject-matter jurisdiction, without referring
the remainder of the Senate amendment to the House committee with
jurisdiction over the original House bill (Speaker O'Neill, H.R. 31,
Mar. 26, 1981, p. 5397). Beginning with the 98th Congress, the Speaker
announced a policy of referring nongermane Senate amendments under
certain conditions (Jan. 3, 1983, p. 54; Jan. 5, 1993, p. 105).

Resolutions authorizing the Speaker to establish an ad hoc committee
for the consideration of a particular bill under paragraph (c) of this
clause, and extending the reporting date for such a committee, are
privileged when offered from the floor at the Speaker's request (Speaker
Albert, Apr. 22, 1975, p. 11261; Jan. 26, 1976, p. 876; Speaker O'Neill,
Jan. 11, 1977, pp. 894-98; Apr. 21, 1977, pp. 11550-56).

The Speaker may refer to an ad hoc committee, established with the
approval of the House, bills, resolutions, and other matters (including
messages and communications) for the purpose of considering such matters
and reporting to the House thereon, and the resolution creating such a
committee may specify whether referrals to such a committee shall be by
initial or sequential reference or by any of the other methods provided
by this clause (H. Res. 508, Apr. 21, 1977, pp. 11550-56; Speaker
O'Neill, July 11, 1977, p. 22183; July 20, 1977, p. 24167). Further,
under paragraph (c), the Speaker may divide a bill into two or more
parts for initial reference to different committees and may also jointly
refer a portion of the bill to some of those committees, and may set
appropriate time limitations for reporting by every standing committee
to which the bill is initially referred (Speaker O'Neill, May 2, 1977,
p. 13184).

[[Page 569]]

Clause 7 provides the mechanism for changes of referrals erroneously
made.

Sec. 817. Restriction on the reference of claims.

(d) A bill
for the payment or adjudication of a private claim against the
Government may not be referred to a committee other than the Committee
on International Relations or the Committee on the Judiciary, except by
unanimous consent.

The present form of this paragraph was made effective January 2, 1947,
as a part of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 812).
It was amended several times to conform references to renamed committees
(H. Res. 163, Mar. 19, 1975, p. 7343; H. Res. 89, Feb. 5, 1979, p. 1848;
sec. 202(b), H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 467). The old rule, adopted in
1885 and amended May 29, 1936, provided that private claims bills be
referred to a Committee on Invalid Pensions, Claims, War Claims, Public
Lands, and Accounts, in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs
(now International Relations) and the Judiciary. Certain private bills,
resolutions and amendments are barred (see Sec. 822, infra). Under this
paragraph unanimous consent is required for the reference of a bill for
the payment of a private claim to a committee other than the Committee
on the Judiciary or the Committee on International Relations (May 4,
1978, p. 12615). Before the House recodified its rules in the 106th
Congress, this provision was found in former clause 4 of rule XXI (H.
Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).

Rule XII, clause 3
Rule XII, clause 3
Petitions, memorials, and private bills

818. Introduction and reference of petitions,
memorials, and private bills.

3. If a Member, Delegate, or Resident
Commissioner has a petition, memorial, or private bill to present, he
shall endorse his name, deliver it to the Clerk, and may specify the
reference or disposition to be made thereof. Such petition, memorial, or
private bill (except when judged by the Speaker to be obscene or
insulting) shall be entered on the Journal with the name of the Member,
Delegate, or Resident Commissioner presenting it and shall be printed in
the Congressional Record.

[[Page 570]]

1842 it was found necessary, in order to save time, to provide that
petitions and memorials should be filed with the Clerk. In 1870, 1879,
and 1887 the practice as to petitions was extended to private bills, at
first as to certain classes and later so that all should be filed with
the Clerk (IV, 3312, 3365; VII, 1024). Before the House recodified its
rules in the 106th Congress, this provision was found in former clause 1
of rule XXII (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).
At the first organization of the House in 1789 the rules then adopted
provided for the presentation of petitions to the House by the Speaker
and Members, and for the introduction of bills by motion for leave. In

Sec. 819. Duties of Speaker and Members
in presenting petitions.

Petitions, memorials, and other papers addressed to the House may
be presented by the Speaker as well as by a Member (IV, 3312). Petitions
from the country at large are presented by the Speaker in the manner
prescribed by the rule (III, 2030; IV, 3318; VII, 1025). A Member may
present a petition from the people of a State other than his own (IV,
3315, 3316). The House itself may refer one portion of a petition to one
committee and another portion to another committee (IV, 3359, 3360), but
ordinarily the reference of a petition does not come before the House
itself. A committee may receive a petition only through the House (IV,
4557).

Sec. 820. As to division of bills for
reference.

The parliamentary law provides that the House may commit a portion of a bill,
or a part to one committee and part to another (V, 5558), yet under the
practice of the House until January 3, 1975, a bill or joint resolution
could not be divided for reference, although it might contain matters
properly within the jurisdiction of several committees (IV, 4372, 4376).
On that date, the Speaker was given authority over referral of bills as
prescribed in clause 2 of this rule (former clause 5 of rule X).

Sec. 821. Fraudulent introduction of a
bill.

The fraudulent introduction of a bill involves a question of privilege, and a
bill so introduced was ordered stricken from the files (IV, 3388). As
the result of the unauthorized introduction of several bills without the
knowledge of the Members listed as sponsors, the Speaker directed that
all bills and resolutions must be signed by the prime sponsor thereof in
order to be accepted for introduction (Speaker Albert, Feb. 3, 1972, p.
2521).

Rule XII, clause 4
Rule XII, clause 4

Sec. 822. Certain private bills prohibited.

4. A private
bill or private resolution (including an omnibus claim or pension bill),
or amendment thereto, may not be received or considered in the House if
it authorizes or directs--

[[Page 571]]

Code, or for a pension (other than to carry out a provision of law or
treaty stipulation);
(a) the payment of money for property damages, for personal
injuries or death for which suit may be instituted under the Tort Claims
Procedure provided in title 28, United States

(b) the construction of a bridge across a navigable stream; or

This paragraph derives from section 131 of the Legislative
Reorganization Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 812) and was made a part of the
standing rules January 3, 1953 (p. 24). Before the House recodified its
rules in the 106th Congress, this provision was found in former clause
2(a) of rule XXII (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----). The prohibition
relating to correction of a miltary record does not apply to a private
bill that changes the computation of retired pay for a former member of
the armed services (after exhaustion of administrative remedies) but
does not directly correct his military record (Sept. 18, 1984, p.
25824).

Rule XII, clause 5
Rule XII, clause 5
Prohibition on commemorations

823. Commemoratives prohibited.

5. (a) A bill or
resolution, or an amendment thereto, may not be introduced or considered
in the House if it establishes or expresses a commemoration.

(b) In this clause the term ``commemoration'' means a remembrance,
celebration, or recognition for any purpose through the designation of a
specified period of time.

The 104th Congress added the prohibition against commemorative
legislation and directed the Committee on Government Reform and
Oversight (now Government Reform) to consider alternative means for
establishing commemorations, including the creation of an independent or
executive branch commission for such purpose, and to report to the House
any recommendations thereon (sec. 216, H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 468).
Before the House recodified its rules in the 106th Congress, this
provision was found in former clause 2(b) of rule XXII (H. Res. 5, Jan.
6, 1999, p. ----).

[[Page 572]]

Excluded matters
Rule XII, clause 6
Rule XII, clause 6

824. Correction of errors in reference; and relation to
jurisdiction.

6. A petition, memorial, bill, or resolution excluded under
this rule shall be returned to the Member, Delegate, or Resident
Commissioner from whom it was received. A petition or private bill that
has been inappropriately referred may, by direction of the committee
having possession of it, be properly referred in the manner originally
presented. An erroneous reference of a petition or private bill under
this clause does not confer jurisdiction on a committee to consider or
report it.

This clause of the rule was first adopted in 1880, although the
portion relating to the return of certain petitions and bills was
adapted from an older rule of 1842 (IV, 3312, 3365). In the 104th
Congress it was amended to conform to the new prohibition against
commemorative legislation (sec. 216, H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 468).
Before the House recodified its rules in the 106th Congress, this
provision was found in former clause 3 of rule XXII (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6,
1999, p. ----).

Errors in reference of petitions, memorials, or private bills are
corrected at the Clerk's table, without action by the House, at the
suggestion of the committee holding possession (IV, 4379). As provided
in the rule, the erroneous reference of a private House bill does not
confer jurisdiction, and a point of order is good when the bill comes up
for consideration either in the House or in the Committee of the Whole
(IV, 4382-4389). But in cases wherein the House itself refers a private
House or Senate bill a point of order may not be raised as to
jurisdiction (IV, 4390, 4391; VII, 2131). The Speaker may correct the
erroneous referral of a bill as private by referring it to the
appropriate (Union) calendar as a public bill when reported (June 1,
1988, p. 13184).

Rule XII, clause 7
Rule XII, clause 7
Sponsorship

[[Page 573]]

the Speaker to be referred. The titles and references of all bills,
memorials, petitions, resolutions, and other documents referred under
this rule shall be entered on the Journal and printed in the
Congressional Record. An erroneous reference may be corrected by the
House in accordance with rule X on any day immediately after the Pledge
of Allegiance to the Flag by unanimous consent or motion. Such a motion
shall be privileged if offered by direction of a committee to which the
bill has been erroneously referred or by direction of a committee
claiming jurisdiction and shall be decided without debate.

825. Introduction, reference, and change of
reference of public bills, memorials, and resolutions.

7. (a) All other bills,
memorials, petitions, and resolutions, endorsed with the names of
Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner introducing them, may
be delivered to

(b)(1) The primary sponsor of a public bill or public resolution may
name cosponsors. The name of a cosponsor added after the initial
printing of a bill or resolution shall appear in the next printing of
the bill or resolution on the written request of the primary sponsor.
Such a request may be submitted to the Speaker at any time until the
last committee authorized to consider and report the bill or resolution
reports it to the House or is discharged from its consideration.

[[Page 574]]

The Speaker may not entertain a request to delete the name of the
primary sponsor of a bill or resolution. A deletion shall be indicated
by date in the next printing of the bill or resolution.
(2) The name of a cosponsor of a bill or resolution may be deleted by
unanimous consent. The Speaker may entertain such a request only by the
Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner whose name is to be deleted
or by the primary sponsor of the bill or resolution, and only until the
last committee authorized to consider and report the bill or resolution
reports it to the House or is discharged from its consideration.

(3) The addition or deletion of the name of a cosponsor of a bill or
resolution shall be entered on the Journal and printed in the
Congressional Record of that day.

(4) A bill or resolution shall be reprinted on the written request of
the primary sponsor. Such a request may be submitted to the Speaker only
when 20 or more cosponsors have been added since the last printing of
the bill or resolution.

The rule of 1789 provided that all bills should be introduced on
report of a committee or by motion for leave. By various modifications
it was first provided that all classes of private bills should be
introduced by filing them with the Clerk, and in 1890 this system was by
this rule extended to all public bills (IV, 3365). In the 105th Congress
paragraph (a) was amended to effect a technical correction (H. Res. 5,
Jan. 7, 1997, p. ----). Before the House recodified its rules in the
106th Congress, this provision was found in former clause 4 of rule XXII
(H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).

At its organization for the 106th Congress the House resolved that the
first 10 bill numbers be reserved for assignment by the Speaker during a
specified period (sec. 2(g), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).

The motion for a change of reference and subsidiary motions take
precedence over motions to go into the Committee of the Whole for the
consideration of appropriation bills and the consideration of conference
reports (VII, 2124), and may not be debated (VII, 2126-2128). But the
motion is not in order on Calendar Wednesday (VII, 2117), and is not
privileged under the rule if the original reference was not erroneous
(VII, 2125). The motion may be amended, but the amendment, like the
original motion, is subject to the requirement that it be authorized by
the committee (VII, 2127). The motion must apply to a single bill and
not to a class of bills (VII, 2125).

[[Page 575]]

1975 (H. Res. 988, 93d Cong., Oct. 8, 1974, p. 34470), refer a bill
sequentially to other committees. All bills and resolutions must be
signed by the primary sponsor thereof (Speaker Albert, Feb. 3, 1972, p.
2521).
According to the later practice the erroneous reference of a public
bill, if it remain uncorrected, in effect gives jurisdiction to the
committee receiving it (IV, 4365-4371; VII, 1489, 2108-2113; VIII,
2312). And it is too late to move a change of reference after such
committee has reported the bill (VII, 2110; VIII, 2312), but the Speaker
may, pursuant to authority granted him by clause 2 (former clause 5 of
rule X) effective January 3,

Joint sponsorship of public bills by not more than 25 Members was
authorized in the 90th Congress (H. Res. 42, Apr. 25, 1967, p. 10712).
Prior thereto a special committee had reported against this practice and
the report had been adopted by the House (VII, 1029). Effective January
3, 1979 (H. Res. 86, 95th Cong., Oct. 10, 1978, p. 34929), paragraph (b)
was added to allow unlimited co-sponsorship and to provide a mechanism
for Members to add their names as co-sponsors to bills or resolutions
which have already been introduced, up until the bill is finally
reported from committee, and on January 15, 1979, the Speaker announced
his directive for the processing of lists of co-sponsors pursuant to the
new clause (Speaker O'Neill, Jan. 15, 1979, p. 19).

Although, prior to the 106th Congress, paragraph (b)(2) only permitted
a co-sponsoring Member himself to request unanimous consent for his
deletion as a co-sponsor, the primary sponsor of a measure was permitted
to request unanimous consent to delete the name of a co-sponsor he had
inadvertently or erroneously listed (Feb. 9, 1982, p. ----). This
practice was codified in the 106th Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p.
----). Unanimous-consent requests to delete Members' names as co-
sponsors are not entertained after the last committee authorized to
consider the bill has reported to the House (Oct. 8, 1985, p. 26668),
and the Speaker has vacated unanimous-consent orders of the House to
delete co-sponsors when advised that the bill had already been reported
(Aug. 5, 1987, p. 22458). A Member may request unanimous consent that
his name be deleted as a co-sponsor of an unreported bill during its
consideration under suspension of the rules and prior to a final vote
thereon (June 9, 1986, p. 12979).

By unanimous consent a Member may add his own name as a co-sponsor of
an unreported bill where the primary sponsor is no longer a Member of
the House (Aug. 4, 1983, p. 23188), and a designated Member may be
authorized to sign and submit lists of additional co-sponsors where the
actual primary sponsor is no longer a Member (June 23, 1989, p. 13271),
but the Chair will not otherwise entertain a request to add co-sponsors
by a Member other than the primary sponsor, whether to include only
himself (Mar. 5, 1991, p. 5026; Oct. 25, 1995, p. 29352) to include all
Members (Dec. 18, 1985, p. 37765), or to include a specified additional
sponsor (Jan. 28, 1985, p. 1141; May 23, 1985, p. 13421). Such requests
by a primary sponsor are made through the hopper not later than the last
day on which any committee is authorized to consider and report the
measure to the House (Nov. 4, 1997, p. ----).

[[Page 576]]

duced but not noted in the Record or referred to committee until the day
on which business was resumed (H. Con. Res. 260, 102d Cong., Nov. 26,
1991, p. 35840; Jan. 22 and 28, 1992, pp. 149, 745).
An order of the House that no organizational or legislative business
be conducted on certain days (first by provision of a concurrent
resolution, but extended by unanimous consent) was considered not to
deprive Members of the privilege of introducing bills and resolutions
during pro forma sessions on those days, such measures being numbered on
the day intro

At its organization for the 104th Congress the House resolved that
each of the first 20 bills and each of the first two joint resolutions
introduced in the House in that Congress could have more than one Member
reflected as a primary sponsor (sec. 223(g), H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p.
469); and the Speaker stated that all signatures of ``primary'' sponsors
would be required on the bills (Speaker Gingrich, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 551).
A Member was subsequently added as a ``primary'' sponsor by unanimous
consent (Jan. 18, 1995, p. 1447).

Sec. 826. Introduction of bills, resolutions, or memorials
by request.

(5) When a bill or resolution is introduced ``by request,''
those words shall be entered on the Journal and printed in the
Congressional Record.

This provision was adopted in 1888 (IV, 3366). Before the House
recodified its rules in the 106th Congress, it was found in former
clause 6 of rule XXII (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----). It has never
been the practice of the House to permit the names of the persons
requesting the introduction of the bill to be printed in the Record.

Rule XII, clause 8
Rule XII, clause 8
Executive communications

827. Reception and reference of executive
communications, including estimates.

8. Estimates of appropriations and all other
communications from the executive departments intended for the
consideration of any committees of the House shall be addressed to the
Speaker for referral as provided in clause 2 of rule XIV.

This rule was adopted in 1867 and amended in 1880 (V, 6593). It was
renumbered January 3, 1953 (p. 24). Before the House recodified its
rules in the 106th Congress, this provision was found in former rule XL
(H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----). Formerly estimates of appropriations
were transmitted through the Secretary of the Treasury (IV, 3573-3576,
4045), but under the Budget Act they are transmitted by the President.