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



[[Page i]]

106th Congress, 2d Session -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - House Document No. 106-320

________________________________________________________________________
 
                CONSTITUTION, JEFFERSON'S MANUAL AND 


               RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


                          OF THE UNITED STATES


                      ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS


                           CHARLES W. JOHNSON


 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13


                             PARLIAMENTARIAN


 69-500                     WASHINGTON : 2001

____________________________________________________________________________

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

   Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250



[[Page iii]]

             Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001


                          HOUSE RESOLUTION 678

                            In the House of Representatives, U.S.,      

                                                    December 15, 2000.  

    Resolved, That a revised edition of the Rules and Manual of the 
House of Representatives for the One Hundred Seventh 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:

                                                    Jeff Trandahl,      


                                                                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 Seventh Congress were adopted on 
January 3, 2001, when the House agreed to House Resolution 5. In 
addition to a series of changes to various standing rules, House 
Resolution 5 included separate free-standing orders constituting 
procedures to be followed in the One Hundred Seventh Congress. 
Explanations of the changes to the standing rules appear in the 
annotations following each rule in the text of this Manual.

    In the One Hundred Sixth Congress, the House adopted a 
recodification of the Rules of the House. For an explanation of the 
recodified format, see the Preface and other introductory matter for the 
House Rules and Manual for the One Hundred Sixth Congress (H. Doc. 105-
358).

    The substantive changes in the standing rules made by House 
Resolution 5 of the 107th Congress included:

    (1) permission for the Clerk to publish certain documents in a form 
other than printed (clause 2 of rule II);

    (2) transfer of the responsibility for the engrossment and 
enrollment process from the Committee on House Administration to the 
Clerk (clause 2 of rule II);

    (3) expansion of the application of rule VIII to administrative 
subpoenas (rule VIII);

    (4) redesignation of the Committee on Commerce as the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce and of the Committee on Banking and Financial 
Services as the Committee on Financial Services (clause 1 of rule X);


[[Page vi]]

merly within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Commerce) and 
insurance generally (clause 1 of rule X);
    (5) expansion of the jurisdiction of the Committee on Financial 
Services to include securities and exchanges (for

    (6) expansion of the oversight plan each standing committee submits 
to the Committees on Government Reform and on House Administration to 
include review of specific problems with Federal rules, regulations, 
statutes, and court decisions (clause 2 of rule X);

    (7) additional special oversight responsibility of the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence over the intelligence community (clause 
3 of rule X);

    (8) removal of the requirement that the Committee on House 
Administration provide policy direction to the Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arms, 
and Chief Administrative Officer (clause 4(a) of rule II; clause 4(d) of 
rule X);

    (9) increase in the size of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence (clause 11 of rule X);

    (10) preservation of all committee requirements for a majority 
quorum found in House rules (clause 2 of rule XI);

    (11) removal of the word ``investigative'' from the rule governing 
hearing procedures (clause 2(k) of rule XI);

    (12) particularization of the availability of an assertion that 
evidence given in committee has a tendency to defame, degrade, or 
incriminate a person (clause 2(k) of rule XI);

    (13) limitation of the requirement that a committee furnish its 
rules to a witness to instances when the witness so requests (clause 
2(k) of rule XI);

    (14) elimination of the three-day availability requirement for a 
supplemental report that only corrects errors in the depiction of record 
votes (clause 3(a) of rule XIII).

    (15) replacement of the requirement that committees include in their 
reports oversight findings and recommendations by the Committee on 
Government Reform with a requirement that they include a statement of 
performance goals and objectives (clause 3(c) of rule XIII);

    (16) requirement that a report of the Committee on Appropriations 
contain additional detail on the status of unauthorized appropriations 
(clause 3(f) of rule XIII);

    (17) elimination of the three-day availability requirement for a 
report to accompany a bill called from the Corrections Calendar (clause 
4 of rule XIII; clause 6 of rule XV);


[[Page vii]]

permitting the Chair, in its discretion, to submit the question of its 
use to the House (clause 6 of rule XVII);
    (18) conversion of the rule governing the use of exhibits on the 
floor from one requiring a vote by the House on the use of an exhibit to 
which a Member objected to merely

    (19) inclusion of standing authority, previously contained in 
separate special orders, for the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole 
to postpone requests for recorded votes on amendments and to reduce the 
minimum duration of those votes, after the first, to five minutes 
(clause 6 of rule XVIII);

    (20) prohibition against the consideration of a measure designating 
a public work in honor of a serving Member of Congress (clause 6 of rule 
XXI);

    (21) restoration of the notice requirement for a privileged 20-day 
motion to instruct conferees from legislative day to calendar day and 
clarification of the elements attending the privilege (clause 7 of rule 
XXII);

    (22) prohibition against the inclusion of argument in a motion to 
instruct conferees or a motion to recommit to conference (clause 7 of 
rule XXII);

    (23) repeal of the rule providing for automatic passage and 
engrossment of a measure adjusting the statutory limit on public debt 
(former rule XXIII);

    (24) prohibition against the paid employment of a spouse (clause 8 
of rule XXIII);

    (25) requirement of the Clerk to make those who have signed the oath 
permitting access to classified information a matter of public record 
(clause 13 of rule XXIII);

    (26) prohibition against certain lobbying by consultants paid by the 
House (clause 14 of rule XXIII); and

    (27) clarification of the definition of an employee under the Gift 
Rule (clauses 4 and 5 of rule XXV);

    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 106th Congress and 
of the 107th 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:


[[Page viii]]

States (volumes VI through VIII), by volume and section (e.g., V, 5763; 
VIII, 2852);
    (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

    (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);

    (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).

    Readers are invited to refer to the prefaces of Hinds', Cannon's, 
and Deschler's Precedents (Volumes I, VI, and 1, respectively) for 
comprehensive overviews by those editors of the procedural history of 
the House of Representatives from 1789 to 1976.

                                                    Charles W. Johnson  



[[Page ix]]


  March 15, 2001


                             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.......................    87


                           JEFFERSON'S MANUAL

            Section I.--Importance of adhering to rules...........   121

                  III.--Privilege.................................   124

                   VI.--Quorum....................................   143

                  VII.--Call of the House.........................   144

                   IX.--Speaker...................................   144

                    X.--Address...................................   147

                   XI.--Committees................................   147

                  XII.--Committee of the Whole....................   151

                 XIII.--Examination of witnesses..................   160

                  XIV.--Arrangement of business...................   165

                   XV.--Order.....................................   167

                  XVI.--Order respecting papers...................   168

                 XVII.--Order in debate...........................   168

                XVIII.--Orders of the House.......................   189

                  XIX.--Petition..................................   193

                   XX.--Motions...................................   194

                  XXI.--Resolutions...............................   195

                XXIII.--Bills, leave to bring in..................   197

                 XXIV.--Bills, first reading......................   198

                  XXV.--Bills, second reading.....................   198

                 XXVI.--Bills, commitment.........................   199


[[Page x]]

                XXVII.--Report of committee.......................   210

                                                                    Page

       Section XXVIII.--Bill, recommitment........................   211

                 XXIX.--Bills, reports taken up...................   212

                  XXX.--Quasi-committee...........................   214

                 XXXI.--Bill, second reading in the House.........   218

                XXXII.--Reading papers............................   220

               XXXIII.--Privileged questions......................   222

                XXXIV.--The previous question.....................   235

                 XXXV.--Amendments................................   237

                XXXVI.--Division of the question..................   246

               XXXVII.--Coexisting questions......................   249

              XXXVIII.--Equivalent questions......................   250

                XXXIX.--The question..............................   253

                   XL.--Bills, third reading......................   253

                  XLI.--Division of the House.....................   257

                 XLII.--Titles....................................   263

                XLIII.--Reconsideration...........................   263

                 XLIV.--Bills sent to the other House.............   266

                  XLV.--Amendments between the Houses.............   267

                 XLVI.--Conferences...............................   277

                XLVII.--Messages..................................   289

               XLVIII.--Assent....................................   293

                 XLIX.--Journals..................................   296

                    L.--Adjournment...............................   298

                   LI.--A session.................................   300

                  LII.--Treaties..................................   303


                 LIII.--Impeachment...............................   307


                           RULES OF THE HOUSE

               Rule I.--The Speaker...............................   327

                   II.--Other Officers and Officials..............   345

                  III.--The Members, Delegates, and Resident 

                        Commissioner of Puerto Rico...............   364

                   IV.--The Hall of the House.....................   368

                    V.--Broadcasting the House....................   375

                   VI.--Official Reporters and News Media 

                        Galleries.................................   378

                  VII.--Records of the House......................   389

                 VIII.--Response to Subpoenas.....................   393

                   IX.--Questions of Privilege....................   397

                    X.--Organization of Committees................   413

                   XI.--Procedures of Committees and Unfinished 

                        Business..................................   518

                  XII.--Receipt and Referral of Measures and 

                        Matters...................................   572

                 XIII.--Calendars and Committee Reports...........   586

                  XIV.--Order and Priority of Business............   620


[[Page xi]]

                   XV.--Business in Order on Special Days.........   631

                                                                    Page

             Rule XVI.--Motions and Amendments....................   652

                 XVII.--Decorum and Debate........................   702

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

                        state of the Union........................   728

                  XIX.--Motions Following the Amendment Stage.....   755

                   XX.--Voting and Quorum Calls...................   770

                  XXI.--Restrictions on Certain Bills.............   794

                 XXII.--House and Senate Relations................   836

                XXIII.--Code of Official Conduct..................   860

                 XXIV.--Limitations on Use of Official Funds......   867

                  XXV.--Limitations on Outside Earned Income and 

                        Acceptance of Gifts.......................   871

                 XXVI.--Financial Disclosure......................   893


Provisions of Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as Amended by the 
                XXVII.--General Provisions........................   917


Congressional adjournment.........................................   918
Preservation of committee hearings................................   919

    Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Applicable to Both Houses


Economic Committee, Joint.........................................   923
Internal Revenue Taxation, Joint Committee on.....................   923
Library, Joint Committee of Congress on the.......................   924
Printing, Joint Committee on......................................   924
Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Congressional Committee on............   924
Select committees.................................................   924

                       Joint and Select Committees


House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards...............   927
House Office Building Commission..................................   927
General Accounting Office.........................................   927
Office of Compliance..............................................   927
Congressional Research Service....................................   928
Legislative Counsel...............................................   928
Congressional Budget Office.......................................   928
Law Revision Counsel..............................................   928
Technology Assessment.............................................   928
Office of the Parliamentarian.....................................   928
Office of Floor Assistants........................................   929
Corrections Calendar Office.......................................   929
House Recording Studio............................................   929

[[Page xii]]

                              House Offices


                                                                    Page
United States Capitol Preservation Commission.....................   929
Office of General Counsel.........................................   929
Early organization of House.......................................   931


Congressional Budget Act of 1974..................................   935
Budget Enforcement Act of 1990....................................  1011

          Miscellaneous Provisions of Congressional Budget Laws


Resolutions privileged for consideration in House.................  1017

      Congressional Disapproval Provisions Contained in Public Laws


Index.............................................................  1149


[[Page xiii]]



                                  Index

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

                                   OLD RULE through        NEW RULE

                                     105th Cong.     -------------------

          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      XXIV        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 xiv]]


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  ........

[[Page xv]]


Withdrawal of papers...........     XXXVII  ........       VII         7
Ballot votes...................    XXXVIII  ........        XX        11
Messages.......................      XXXIX  ........       XII         1
Executive communications.......         XL  ........       XII         8
Claims against the Government..        XLI  ........       XXV         6
General provisions.............       XLII  ........     XXVII         1
Code of Official Conduct.......      XLIII  ........     XXIII  ........
Financial disclosure...........       XLIV  ........      XXVI  ........
Unofficial office accounts.....        XLV  ........      XXIV       1-3
Limitation on use of frank.....       XLVI  ........      XXIV       4-9
Outside earned income..........      XLVII  ........       XXV       1-3
Intelligence Committee.........     XLVIII  ........         X        11
Response to subpoenas..........          L  ........      VIII  ........
Gift rule......................         LI  ........       XXV         5
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page xvi]]

                                                 (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 first Tuesday of each month, omnibus private bills 


Second and fourth Tuesdays:

        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.


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