[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 113th Congress]
[113rd Congress]
[House Document 112-161]
[Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
[Pages 219-220]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 219]]
 

                    sec. xxix--bill, reports taken up




Sec. 422. Consideration and action on reports.

  When  the 
report of a paper originating with a committee is taken up by the House, 
they proceed exactly as in committee. Here, as in committee, when the 
paragraphs have, on distinct questions, been agreed to seriatim, 5 Grey, 
366; 6 Grey, 368; 8 Grey, 47, 104, 360; 1 Torbuck's Deb., 125; 3 Hats., 
348, no question needs be put on the whole report. 5 Grey, 381.



  In the House, bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and 
simple resolutions come before the House for action although the written 
reports accompanying them, which are always printed, do not (IV, 4674), 
and even the reading of the reports is in order only in the time of 
debate (V, 5292). The Chair will not recognize a Member during debate on 
a bill in the House or in the Committee of the Whole for unanimous 
consent to amend the accompanying committee report in a specified 
manner, because the House should not change the substance of a committee 
report upon which it is not called to vote (Apr. 2, 1985, p. 7209; Nov. 
7, 1989, p. 27762). In rare instances, however, committees submit merely 
written reports without propositions for action. Such reports being 
before the House may be debated before any specific motion has been made 
(V, 4987, 4988), and are in such case read to the House (IV, 4663) and 
after being considered the question is taken on agreeing. In such cases 
the report appears in full on the Journal (II, 1364; IV, 4675; V, 7177). 
When reports are acted on in this way it has not been the practice of 
the House to consider them by paragraphs, but the question has been put 
on the whole report (II, 1364).


[[Page 220]]

and gives time for amendments to be proposed in the House to the body of 
the bill; as he does also if it has been reported without amendments; 
putting no questions but on amendments proposed; and when through the 
whole, he puts the question whether the bill shall be read a third time?



Sec. 423. Action by the House on amendments recommended by 
committees.

  On  taking up a bill reported with amendments the amendments 
only are read by the Clerk. The Speaker then reads the first, and puts 
it to the question, and so on till the whole are adopted or rejected, 
before any other amendment be admitted, except it be an amendment to an 
amendment. Elsynge's Mem., 53. When through the amendments of the 
committee, the Speaker pauses,





  The procedure outlined by this provision of the parliamentary law 
applies to bills when reported from the Committee of the Whole; but in 
practice it is usual to vote on the amendments in gross. But any Member 
may demand a separate vote (see Sec. 337, supra). The principle that the 
committee amendments should be voted on before amendments proposed by 
individual Members is recognized (IV, 4872-4876; V, 5773; VIII, 2862, 
2863), except when it is proposed to amend a committee amendment. The 
Clerk reads the amendments and the Speaker does not again read them. 
Frequently the House orders the previous question on the committee 
amendments and the bill to final passage, thus preventing further 
amendment. When a bill is of such nature that it does not go to 
Committee of the Whole, it comes before the House from the House 
Calendar, on which it has been placed on being reported from the 
standing or select committee or pursuant to a special order of business. 
On being taken from the House Calendar the bill is read through and then 
the amendments proposed by the committee are read. In modern practice 
the House may adopt a special order ``self-executing'' the adoption of 
the reported committee amendments in the House, and may permit further 
amendment to the amended text (e.g., H. Res. 245, 106th Cong., July 15, 
1999, p. 16216).