    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 107th Congress]
    [107th Congress]
    [House Document 106-320]
    [Rules of the House of Representatives]
    [Pages 572-586]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 572]]

                                    Rule XII

    Messages
                  receipt and referral of measures and matters

    Sec. 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. ----).

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

    Sec. 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 573]]

      (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.

      (c) In carrying out paragraphs (a) and (b) with respect to the
    referral of a matter, the Speaker--

          (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 574]]

    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 Energy and
    Commerce in the 104th Congress), Foreign Affairs (now International
    Relations) (nonproliferation of nuclear energy and international nuclear
    export agreements), Interstate and Foreign Commerce (now Energy and
    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 Energy and 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 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 575]]

    reference to committees (Speaker Hastert, Apr. 26, 1999, p. ----) and
    may set appropriate time limitations 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); 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); 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
    initial

    [[Page 576]]

    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 577]]

    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 578]]

      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). 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. ----).

    Petitions, memorials, and private bills
      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). The Committee on the Judiciary, and
    not the Committee on Ways and Means, has jurisdiction over a private
    bill specifying that a certain annuity fund is exempt from taxation
    under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (Deschler's Precedents,
    vol. 4, ch. 17, sec. 43.22).

    [[Page 579]]

    senting it and shall be printed in the Congressional Record.

    Sec. 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 pre

      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
    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. ----).

    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). In the
    106th Congress the Speaker referred a bill by title to two committees
    (H.R. 1554, Apr. 26, 1999, p. ----).

    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).

    [[Page 580]]

    not be received or considered in the House if it authorizes or directs--

    Sec. 822. Certain private bills prohibited.

      4. A  private
    bill or private resolution (including an omnibus claim or pension bill),
    or amendment thereto, may

          (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 Code, or for a pension
    (other than to carry out a provision of law or treaty stipulation);

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

          (c) the correction of a military or naval record.

    Prohibition on commemorations
      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).

    Sec. 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.

    [[Page 581]]

    ommendations 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. --
    --).

    Excluded matters
      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 rec

    Sec. 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. ----).

    [[Page 582]]

    Sponsorship
      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).

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

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

      (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 583]]

    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. 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

      (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 and
    107th Congresses paragraph (a) was amended to effect technical
    corrections (H. Res. 5, Jan. 7, 1997, p. ----; sec. 2(x), H. Res. 5,
    Jan. 3, 2001, 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 adopted an order
    of the House 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. ----). In the 107th Congress the House adopted the same order,
    but extending the applicable time period to the entire first session
    (sec. 3(d), H. Res. 5, Jan. 3, 2001, p. ----).

    [[Page 584]]

    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).
      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

      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, 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).

      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 cosponsorship and to provide a mechanism
    for Members to add their names as cosponsors 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 cosponsors 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 cosponsoring Member himself to request unanimous consent for his
    deletion as a cosponsor, the primary sponsor of a measure was permitted
    to request unanimous consent to delete from the permanent Record the
    name of a cosponsor he had inadvertently or erroneously listed (Feb. 9,
    1982). This practice was codified in the 106th Congress (H. Res. 5, Jan.
    6, 1999, p. ----). Unanimous-consent requests to delete Members' names
    as cosponsors are not entertained after the last committee authorized to
    consider the bill has reported to the House (or has been discharged from
    further consideration) (Oct. 8, 1985, p. 26668; Feb. 10, 2000, p. ----),
    and the Speaker has vacated unanimous-consent orders of the House to
    delete cosponsors 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 cosponsor of an unreported bill during its
    consideration under suspension of the rules and prior to a final vote
    thereon (June 9, 1986, p. 12979).

    [[Page 585]]

    tual primary sponsor is no longer a Member (June 23, 1989, p. 13271;
    Apr. 5, 2000, p. ----), but the Chair will not otherwise entertain a
    request to add cosponsors by a Member other than the primary sponsor
    (Mar. 5, 1991, p. 5026). In fact, the Chair will not entertain any
    unanimous consent request to add a cosponsor (July 24, 2000, p. ----),
    whether such request includes only the Member making the request (Oct.
    25, 1995, p. 29352), includes all Members (Dec. 18, 1985, p. 37765), or
    includes a specified additional sponsor (Jan. 28, 1985, p. 1141; May 23,
    1985, p. 13421). Such requests must be made by a primary sponsor 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. ----).
      By unanimous consent a Member may add his own name as a cosponsor 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 cosponsors where the
    ac

      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; Jan. 22 and 28, 1992, pp. 149, 745).

      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.

    Executive communications
      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.

    [[Page 586]]

    House shall be addressed to the Speaker for referral as provided in
    clause 2 of rule XIV.

    Sec. 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

      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.