[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 111th Congress]
[111st Congress]
[House Document 110-162]
[Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
[Pages 147-148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 

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                             sec. vi--quorum


[[Page 148]]

chair may be taken and the House adjourned. And whenever, during 
business, it is observed that a quorum is not present, any member may 
call for the House to be counted, and being found deficient, business is 
suspended. 2 Hats., 125, 126.



Sec. 310. Necessity of a quorum during business, including 
debate.

  In  general the chair is not to be taken till a quorum for 
business is present; unless, after due waiting, such a quorum be 
despaired of, when the





  In the House the Speaker takes the Chair at the hour to which the 
House stood adjourned and there is no requirement that the House proceed 
immediately to establish a quorum, although the Speaker has the 
authority under clause 7 of rule XX to recognize for a call of the House 
at any time. The question of a quorum is not considered unless properly 
raised (IV, 2733; VI, 624), and it is not in order for the Speaker to 
recognize for a point of no quorum unless the Speaker has put the 
pending question or proposition to a vote. Although it was formerly the 
rule that a quorum was necessary for debate as well as business (IV, 
2935-2949), in the 94th Congress the House restricted the Chair's 
ability to recognize the absence of a quorum (clause 7 of rule XX). 
Clause 5(c) of rule XX permits the House to operate with a ``provisional 
quorum'' where the House is without a quorum due to catastrophic 
circumstances. Title III of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 
2006, amended Federal election law to require States to hold special 
elections for the House within 49 days after a vacancy is announced by 
the Speaker in the extraordinary circumstance that vacancies in 
representation from the States exceed 100 (P.L. 109-55; 2 U.S.C. 8).