    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 115th Congress]
    [115th Congress]
    [House Document 114-192]
    [Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
    [Pages 300-304]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                              sec. xlvii--messages

    Sec. 560. Messages sent only when both Houses are
    sitting.

        Messages between the Houses are to be sent only while both
    Houses are sitting. 3 Hats., 15. * * *

      Formerly this rule was observed (V, 6603, 6604), but since the 62d
    Congress messages have been received by the House when the Senate was
    not in session (VIII, 3338). Clause 2 of rule II was added in the 97th
    Congress, and amended in the 111th Congress, to authorize the Clerk to
    receive messages at any time that the House is not in session (H. Res.
    5, Jan. 5, 1981, p. 98) or in recess (H. Res. 5, Jan. 6, 2009, p. 9).

    Sec. 561. Messages received during debate.

        * * * They are
    received during a debate without adjourning the debate. 3 Hats., 22.

      In the House messages are received during debate, the Member having
    the floor yielding on request of the Speaker.

    Sec. 562. Reception of messages during voting, in
    absence of a quorum, etc.

      In Senate  the messengers are introduced in any state
    of business, except: 1. While a question is being put. 2. While the yeas
    and nays are being called. 3. While the ballots are being counted. The
    first case is short; the second and third are cases where any
    interruption might occasion errors difficult to be corrected. So
    arranged June 15, 1798.

      In the House messages are not received while a question is being put
    or during a vote by division. However, they are received during the call
    of the yeas and nays, during consideration of a question of privilege
    (V, 6640-6642), during a call of the House (V, 6600), during debate on a
    motion to approve the Journal (Sept. 13, 1965, p. 23607), and before the
    organization of the House (V, 6647-6649). But the Speaker exercises
    discretion about interrupting the pending business (V, 6602).

    [[Page 301]]

    then quits it to return into committee without any question or
    interruption. 4 Grey, 226.

    Sec. 563. Informal rising of Committee of the Whole to
    receive a message.

      In the  House, as in Parliament, if the House be in
    committee when a messenger attends, the Speaker takes the chair to
    receive the message, and

    Sec. 564. Salutation of messengers by the
    Speaker.

        Messengers are not saluted by the Members, but by the Speaker
    for the House. 2 Grey, 253, 274.

      The practice of the House as to reception of messages is founded on
    this paragraph of the parliamentary law and on the former joint rules
    (V, 6591-6595). The Speaker, with a slight inclination, addresses the
    messenger, by title, after the messenger, with an inclination, has
    addressed the Speaker (V, 6591).

    Sec. 565. Correction and return of messages.

      If  messengers
    commit an error in delivering their message, they may be admitted or
    called in to correct their message. 4 Grey, 41. Accordingly, March 13,
    1800, the Senate having made two amendments to a bill from the House,
    their Secretary, by mistake, delivered one only, which being
    inadmissible by itself, that House disagreed, and notified the Senate of
    their disagreement. This produced a discovery of the mistake. The
    Secretary was sent to the other House to correct his mistake, the
    correction was received, and the two amendments acted on de novo.

    [[Page 302]]

    passed an identical House Joint Resolution, so that it could
    indefinitely postpone action thereon (Nov. 16, 1989, p. 29587); (5) the
    Speaker laid before the House as privileged a message from the Senate
    requesting the return of a message where it had erroneously appointed
    conferees to a bill after the papers had been messaged to the House, so
    that the message could be changed to reflect the appointment of Senate
    conferees (May 20, 1996, p. 11809); (6) the Speaker laid before the
    House as privileged a message from the Senate requesting the return of a
    Senate bill that included provisions intruding on the constitutional
    prerogative of the House to originate revenue measures (Oct. 19, 1999,
    p. 25901; Sept. 28, 2004, p. 19724; Sept. 30, 2004, p. 20045); (7) where
    the engrossment failed to depict certain action of the House, the House
    considered and agreed to a privileged resolution requesting the Senate
    to return the engrossment of a House bill (July 15, 2004, p. 15890) and
    a House-passed Senate bill (Oct. 8, 2004, p. 22630); (8) the Speaker
    laid before the House as privileged a message from the Senate requesting
    the return of Senate amendments to a House bill where the engrossment
    failed to properly depict the action of the Senate (July 14, 2005, p.
    15932).

      A request of one House for the return of a bill messaged to the other,
    or the request of one House to correct an error in its message to the
    other, may qualify as privileged in the House or may be disposed of by
    unanimous consent (III, 2613; V, 6605; Deschler-Brown, ch. 32, Sec. 2;
    Oct. 1, 1982, p. 27172; May 20, 1996, p. 11809). For example: (1) the
    House by unanimous consent agreed to a request from the Senate for the
    return of a Senate bill, to the end that the Senate effect a specified
    (substantive) change in its text (May 7, 1998, p. 8386) or to the end
    that the bill be recommitted to committee (July 15, 2004, p. 15890); (2)
    the House by unanimous consent directed its Clerk to correct an error in
    a message to the Senate (V, 6607); (3) the House, upon receipt of a
    request by the Senate to return a bill during consideration of the
    conference report accompanying that bill, laid the conference report
    aside and agreed to the Senate request (V, 6609); (4) the House
    requested the return of a message indicating passage of a Senate joint
    resolution after learning that both Houses had previously

    Sec. 566. Disposal of messages after reception.

      As soon  as
    the messenger who has brought bills from the other House has retired,
    the Speaker holds the bills in his hand; and acquaints the House ``that
    the other House have by their messenger sent certain bills,'' and then
    reads their titles, and delivers them to the Clerk to be safely kept
    till they shall be called for to be read. Hakew., 178.

      In the House the message goes to the Speaker's table for disposition
    under clause 2 of rule XIV. The Speaker does not acquaint the House,
    because it has already heard the message.

    Sec. 567. Information by message as to bills
    passed.

      It is not  the usage for one House to inform the other by what numbers a
    bill is passed. 10 Grey, 150. Yet they have sometimes recommended a
    bill, as of great importance, to the consideration of the House to which
    it is sent. 3 Hats., 25. * * *

    [[Page 303]]

      The Houses of Congress do not communicate by what numbers a bill is
    passed, or otherwise recommend their bills.

    Sec. 568. Information by message as to
    rejection of bills.

      * * * Nor when  they have rejected a bill from the other House, do
    they give notice of it; but it passes sub silentio, to prevent
    unbecoming altercations. 1 Blackst., 183.

      But in Congress the rejection is notified by message to the House in
    which the bill originated.

      In the two Houses of Congress the fact of the rejection of a bill is
    messaged to the House in which the bill originated, as in the days of
    Jefferson, although the joint rule requiring it has disappeared (IV,
    3422; V, 6601). And in a case wherein the House had stricken the
    enacting words of a Senate bill, the Senate was notified that the bill
    had been rejected (IV, 3423; VII, 2638; Oct. 4, 1972, pp. 33785-87).

    Sec. 569. Questions asked by conference, not by
    message.

      A question  is never asked by the one House of the other by way of
    message, but only at a conference; for this is an interrogatory, not a
    message. 3 Grey, 151, 181.

      In 1798 the House asked of the Senate a question by way of conference,
    but this appears to be the only instance (V, 6256).

    Sec. 570. Messages as to neglected bills.

      When a  bill is
    sent by one House to the other, and is neglected, they may send a
    message to remind them of it. 3 Hats., 25; 5 Grey, 154. But if it be
    mere inattention, it is better to have it done informally by
    communication between the Speakers or Members of the two Houses.

      It does not appear that either House of Congress has by message
    reminded the other of a neglected bill.

    [[Page 304]]

    communication should be made to both on the same day. But where a
    message was accompanied with an original declaration, signed by the
    party to which the message referred, its being sent to one House was not
    noticed by the other, because the declaration being original, could not
    possibly be sent to both Houses at the same time. 2 Hats., 260, 261,
    262.

    Sec. 571. Messages from the President to the two
    Houses.

      Where the  subject of a message is of a nature that it can properly be
    communicated to both Houses of Parliament, it is expected that this

      The King having sent original letters to the Commons afterward desires
    they may be returned, that he may communicate them to the Lords. 1
    Chandler, 303.

      A message of the President of the United States is usually
    communicated to both Houses on the same day when its nature permits (V,
    6590); but an original document accompanying can, of course, be sent to
    but one House (V, 6616, 6617). The President having by inadvertence
    included certain papers in a message, was allowed to withdraw them (V,
    6651). In the House the Speaker has the discretion, which is rarely
    exercised, to suspend a roll call in order to receive a message from the
    President.