    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 111th Congress]
    [111st Congress]
    [House Document 110-162]
    [Front Matter]
    [Pages i-xiii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page i]]

    110th Congress, 2d Session -  -  -  -  -  - - House Document No. 110-162

    ________________________________________________________________________

                                  CONSTITUTION

                               JEFFERSON'S MANUAL

                                       AND

                              RULES OF THE HOUSE OF

                                 REPRESENTATIVES

                              OF THE UNITED STATES

                          ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS

                                JOHN V. SULLIVAN

    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13

                                 PARLIAMENTARIAN

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

                50-600

    ________________________________________________________________________

     For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
                WASHINGTON : 2009

                                     Office

    [[Page ii]]

    [[Page iii]]

                              Washington, DC 20402

                              HOUSE RESOLUTION 1513

                                In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                       September 27, 2008.

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

                                                   Lorraine C. Miller,

                                                                    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 Eleventh Congress were adopted on
    January 6, 2009, 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 Eleventh 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 111th Congress included:

        (1) modification of the audit responsibilities of the Inspector
    General (clause 6(c) of rule II);

        (2) enhancement of the oversight jurisdiction of the Committee on
    Homeland Security (clause 3(g) of rule X);

        (3) oversight of the services of the Architect of the Capitol by the
    Committee on House Administration (clause 4(d) of rule X);

        (4) elimination of committee chair tenure limitation generally, with
    exceptional treatment for the Committee on the Budget (clause 5 of rule
    X);

    [[Page vi]]

        (5) requirement for committees to request their call on Calendar
    Wednesday, and elimination of the restriction on the ability of the
    Committee on Rules to report a rule dispensing with the call (clause 6
    of rule XV; clause 6 of rule XIII);

        (6) authority for the Chair to postpone proceedings notwithstanding
    the operation of the previous question pursuant to a special order of
    business (clause 1 of rule XIX);

        (7) restriction on permissible instructions in a motion to recommit
    to those proposing an amendment or amendments reported forthwith, and
    rendering certain motions to recommit without instructions debatable
    (clause 2 of rule XIX);

        (8) repeal of policy on holding electronic votes open for the sole
    purpose of reversing the outcome of such votes (clause 2(a) of rule XX);

        (9) prohibition against the consideration of general appropriation
    conference reports in the absence of proper disclosure of congressional
    earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits, and against
    consideration of a rule or order waiving such prohibition (clause 9 of
    rule XXI);

        (10) with regard to the prohibition on consideration of certain
    measures containing direct spending and revenues reducing a surplus or
    increasing a deficit, (1) modification of the pertinent time periods for
    calculating such effect, (2) cumulation of such calculation in the case
    of a special order of business combining in one engrossment separately-
    passed measures, and (3) exclusion from such calculation of certain
    emergency items (clause 10 of rule XXI); and

        (11) application to all Members of the requirement to disclose
    certain employment negotiations (clause 1 of rule XXVII).

        In addition to the amendments cited above, gender-based references
    throughout the standing rules were eliminated or replaced with gender-
    neutral language (sec. 2(l), H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. _), clause 2 of
    rule XI was amended to require committees to hold certain hearings
    regarding waste, fraud, or abuse in certain federal programs, and clause
    1(d)(3) of rule XI was amended to require committee activity reports to
    include such hearings (H. Res. 40, 111th Cong., Jan. 14, 2009, p. _),
    and clause 11(a)(1) of rule X was amended to increase the size and ratio
    of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (H. Res. 97, 111th
    Cong., Jan. 28, 2009, p. _).

        Citations in this edition refer to:

    [[Page vii]]

    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 16), by chapter and section
    (e.g., Deschler, ch. 26, Sec. 79.7; Deschler-Brown, ch. 28, Sec. 4.26);

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

        (4) House Practice (2003), by chapter and section (e.g., House
    Practice, ch. 1, Sec. 2);

        (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.

        All of the members of the Office of the Parliamentarian -- Tom
    Wickham, Ethan Lauer, Carrie Wolf, Max Spitzer, Jay Smith, Liz
    Woodworth, Gay Topper, Brian Cooper, Lloyd Jenkins, and Monica
    Rodriguez, as well as Charles Johnson, Bob Cover, Deborah Khalili, Bryan
    Feldblum, and Andrew Neal -- worked diligently to annotate the decisions
    of the Chair and other parliamentary precedents of the 110th Congress
    and of the 111th Congress to the date of publication of this edition.
    Their contributions, and their devotion to the pursuit of excellence in
    the procedural practices of the House, are gratefully acknowledged.
    Particular appreciation goes to Ethan Lauer for his initiative and
    resourcefulness in managing the project and to Tom Wickham for his
    operational leadership.

    [[Page viii]]

    House: Asher Hinds, Clarence Cannon, Lewis Deschler, William Holmes
    Brown, and Charles Johnson.

        It is appropriate from time to time to express gratitude for the
    wealth of recorded precedent that guides the procedural practices of the
    House. Although the continual refinement of written rules and the
    endless ingenuity of legislative practitioners yield questions of first
    impression more frequently than one might expect, even more remarkable
    is how regularly the right answer to a procedural question is readily
    supplied in the work of our predecessors in compiling the parliamentary
    precedents of the

                                                          John V. Sullivan

    [[Page ix]]

      June 16, 2009

                                 C O N T E N T S

                                   __________

                                THE CONSTITUTION

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

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

                       II.--The executive power.......................    65

                      III.--The judicial power........................    77

                       IV.--Obligations, duties, etc., of the States..    79

                        V.--Amendments to.............................    81

                       VI.--Law of the land, etc......................    83

                      VII.--Ratification of...........................    87

                            Amendments ratified.......................    90

                               JEFFERSON'S MANUAL

                Section I.--Importance of adhering to rules...........   125

                      III.--Privilege.................................   128

                       VI.--Quorum....................................   147

                      VII.--Call of the House.........................   148

                       IX.--Speaker...................................   149

                        X.--Address...................................   151

                       XI.--Committees................................   152

                      XII.--Committee of the Whole....................   155

                     XIII.--Examination of witnesses..................   164

                      XIV.--Arrangement of business...................   169

                       XV.--Order.....................................   171

                      XVI.--Order respecting papers...................   171

                     XVII.--Order in debate...........................   172

                    XVIII.--Orders of the House.......................   193

                      XIX.--Petition..................................   197

                       XX.--Motion....................................   198

                      XXI.--Resolutions...............................   199

                    XXIII.--Bills, leave to bring in..................   201

                     XXIV.--Bills, first reading......................   201

                      XXV.--Bills, second reading.....................   202

                     XXVI.--Bills, commitment.........................   203

    [[Page x]]

                    XXVII.--Report of committee.......................   213

                                                                        Page

           Section XXVIII.--Bill, recommitment........................   214

                     XXIX.--Bills, reports taken up...................   216

                      XXX.--Quasi-committee...........................   217

                     XXXI.--Bill, second reading in the House.........   221

                    XXXII.--Reading papers............................   223

                   XXXIII.--Privileged questions......................   225

                    XXXIV.--The previous question.....................   238

                     XXXV.--Amendments................................   240

                    XXXVI.--Division of the question..................   249

                   XXXVII.--Coexisting questions......................   252

                  XXXVIII.--Equivalent questions......................   253

                    XXXIX.--The question..............................   255

                       XL.--Bills, third reading......................   256

                      XLI.--Division of the House.....................   260

                     XLII.--Titles....................................   266

                    XLIII.--Reconsideration...........................   266

                     XLIV.--Bills sent to the other House.............   269

                      XLV.--Amendments between the Houses.............   270

                     XLVI.--Conferences...............................   280

                    XLVII.--Messages..................................   293

                   XLVIII.--Assent....................................   298

                     XLIX.--Journals..................................   300

                        L.--Adjournment...............................   302

                       LI.--A session.................................   304

                      LII.--Treaties..................................   307

                     LIII.--Impeachment...............................   311

                               RULES OF THE HOUSE

                   Rule I.--The Speaker...............................   331

                       II.--Other Officers and Officials..............   352

                      III.--The Members, Delegates, and Resident

                            Commissioner of Puerto Rico...............   372

                       IV.--The Hall of the House.....................   376

                        V.--Broadcasting the House....................   384

                       VI.--Official Reporters and News Media

                            Galleries.................................   387

                      VII.--Records of the House......................   398

                     VIII.--Response to Subpoenas.....................   402

                       IX.--Questions of Privilege....................   406

                        X.--Organization of Committees................   426

                       XI.--Procedures of Committees and Unfinished

                            Business..................................   537

                      XII.--Receipt and Referral of Measures and

                            Matters...................................   603

                     XIII.--Calendars and Committee Reports...........   617

                      XIV.--Order and Priority of Business............   651

    [[Page xi]]

                       XV.--Business in Order on Special Days.........   662

                                                                        Page

                 Rule XVI.--Motions and Amendments....................   681

                     XVII.--Decorum and Debate........................   734

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

                            state of the Union........................   762

                      XIX.--Motions Following the Amendment Stage.....   791

                       XX.--Voting and Quorum Calls...................   806

                      XXI.--Restrictions on Certain Bills.............   836

                     XXII.--House and Senate Relations................   891

                    XXIII.--Code of Official Conduct..................   918

                     XXIV.--Limitations on Use of Official Funds......   929

                      XXV.--Limitations on Outside Earned Income and

                            Acceptance of Gifts.......................   933

                     XXVI.--Financial Disclosure......................   962

                    XXVII.--Disclosure by Members and Staff of

                            Employment Negotiations...................   987

                   XXVIII.--Statutory Limit on Public Debt............   988

                     XXIX.--General Provisions........................   991
    Provisions of Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as Amended by the

        Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Applicable to Both Houses
    Congressional adjournment.........................................   995
    Preservation of committee hearings................................   996

                           Joint and Select Committees
    Economic Committee, Joint.........................................   997
    Internal Revenue Taxation, Joint Committee on.....................   997
    Library, Joint Committee of Congress on the.......................   998
    Printing, Joint Committee on......................................   998
    Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Congressional Committee on............   998
    Select committees.................................................   998

    [[Page xii]]

                         House and Congressional Offices
    House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards...............  1001
    House Office Building Commission..................................  1001
    Government Accountability Office..................................  1001
    Office of Compliance..............................................  1001
    Congressional Research Service....................................  1002
    Legislative Counsel...............................................  1002
    Congressional Budget Office.......................................  1002
    Law Revision Counsel..............................................  1002
    Technology Assessment.............................................  1002
    Office of the Parliamentarian.....................................  1002
    Office of Floor Assistants........................................  1003

                                                                        Page
    Office of Interparliamentary Affairs..............................  1003
    House Recording Studio............................................  1003
    United States Capitol Preservation Commission.....................  1003
    Office of General Counsel.........................................  1003
    Office of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations........  1004
    Office of Attending Physician.....................................  1004
    Office of Architect of the Capitol................................  1004
    House Democracy Assistance Commission.............................  1004
    Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission................................  1004
    Office of Congressional Ethics....................................  1005
    Early organization of the House...................................  1007

              Miscellaneous Provisions of Congressional Budget Laws
    Congressional Budget Act of 1974..................................  1013
    Budget Enforcement Act of 1990....................................  1091

                      Legislative Procedures Enacted in Law
    Measures privileged for consideration in House....................  1097

    [[Page xiii]]

                                      Index
    Index.............................................................  1269

                            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 Committee of the Whole.

                  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

    Every Tuesday:

            may be considered on third Tuesday of each month.

                  Motions to suspend rules. Rule XV, clause 1.

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

    Every Wednesday:

                                   Wednesdays

                  Motions to suspend rules. Rule XV, clause 1.