[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 110th Congress]
[110th Congress]
[House Document 109-157]
[Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
[Page 203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 

                  sec. xxiii--bills, leave to bring in




Sec. 398. Obsolete provisions as to introduction of 
bills.

  When  a Member desires to bring in a bill on any subject, he states 
to the House in general terms the causes for doing it, and concludes by 
moving for leave to bring in a bill, entitled, &c. Leave being given, on 
the question, a committee is appointed to prepare and bring in the bill. 
The mover and seconder are always appointed of this committee, and one 
or more in addition. Hakew., 132; Scob., 40. It is to be presented 
fairly written, without any erasure or interlineation, or the Speaker 
may refuse it. Scob., 41; 1 Grey, 82, 84.






  This provision is obsolete because rule XII provides an entirely 
different method of introducing bills through the hopper. The 
introduction of bills by leave was gradually dropped by the practice of 
the House, and after 1850 the present free system of permitting Members 
to introduce at will bills for printing and reference began to develop 
(IV, 3365).