[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 118th Congress]
[118th Congress]
[House Document 117-161]
[Front Matter]
[Pages i-xii]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page i]]

_______________________________________________________________________________

  117th Congress, 2d Session -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - House Document No. 117-161


                              CONSTITUTION


                           JEFFERSON'S MANUAL


                                   AND


                          RULES OF THE HOUSE OF


                             REPRESENTATIVES


                          OF THE UNITED STATES


                     ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS


                             JASON A. SMITH


                             PARLIAMENTARIAN



                [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE


________________________________________________________________________

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing 
        52-600              WASHINGTON : 2023

                                 Office




[[Page iii]]


                          Washington, DC 20402


                          HOUSE RESOLUTION 1507

                            In the House of Representatives, U.S.,      

                                                     December 2, 2022.  

    Resolved, That a revised edition of the Rules and Manual of the 
House of Representatives for the One Hundred Eighteenth 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 eighty copies shall be bound in leather with thumb 
index and delivered as may be directed by the Parliamentarian of the 
House.

    Attest:

                                                Cheryl L. Johnson,      


                                                                Clerk.  




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                                  (III)


                                 PREFACE

    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 Eighteenth Congress were adopted on 
January 9, 2023, 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 Eighteenth Congress. 
Explanations of the changes to the standing rules appear in the 
annotations following each rule in the text of this Manual.

    The substantive changes in the standing rules made by House 
Resolution 5 of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress included:

    (1) elimination of superfluous previous clarification that 
continuing litigation authority includes the authority to issue 
subpoenas (clause 8(c) of rule II);

    (2) revocation of admission to the Hall of the House for the Mayor 
of the District of Columbia and for Governors of Territories (clause 2 
of rule IV);

    (3) repeal of restriction on privilege of resolutions causing a 
vacancy in the Office of Speaker to only those offered by direction of a 
party caucus or conference (clause 2(a) of rule IX);

    (4) redesignation of the Committee on Education and Labor as the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and of the Committee on 
Oversight and Reform as the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 
(clause 1 of rule X);




[[Page vi]]

of Homeland Security relating to cybersecurity (clause 1(j) of rule X);
    (5) expansion of the jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland 
Security to include functions of the Department 

    (6) expansion of committee oversight plans to also include plans to 
review and reauthorize programs and agencies with lapsed authorization, 
and reinstatement of a requirement that committees adopt such plans in a 
meeting open to the public (clause 2(d) of rule X; clause 1(d) of rule 
XI);

    (7) authority for the Committee on Agriculture to exceed the limit 
on the number of subcommittees allowed, codifying previous separate 
orders to that effect (clause 5(d) of rule X);

    (8) requirement, codifying previous separate orders, for the 
Committee on Ethics to empanel an investigative subcommittee whenever a 
Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner is indicted or formally 
charged with criminal conduct, or else to report to the House on why it 
declined to do so and on any actions taken in response (clause 3(b) of 
rule XI);

    (9) repeal of a requirement that the Committee on Ethics adopt a 
rule allowing the use during an ethics investigation of evidence from 
the trial of any related criminal conviction (clause 3(p) of rule XI);

    (10) requirement for the Committee on Ethics to implement a process 
for receiving complaints from the public, including in electronic form 
(clause 3(r) of rule XI);

    (11) repeal of the exemption for the Committee on Rules from the 
requirement that committees include certain record votes in committee 
reports (clause 3(b) of rule XIII);

    (12) reinstatement of a requirement that various cost estimates 
include macroeconomic data (clause 8 of rule XIII);

    (13) requirement for committees to request their call on Calendar 
Wednesday at least 72 hours in advance (clause 6(a) of rule XV);

    (14) authority for the Speaker to reduce voting times in the House 
to not less than two minutes (clause 9 of rule XX);

    (15) reinstatement of a requirement of a three-fifths vote for the 
passage or adoption of certain measures or matters carrying a Federal 
tax increase, and conforming reinstatement of the automatic ordering of 
the yeas and nays on such measures (clause 10 of rule XX; clause 5(b) of 
rule XXI);



[[Page vii]]


level of budget authority in the bill (clause 2(g) of rule XXI);
    (16) reinstatement of restriction on an amendment to a general 
appropriation bill proposing a net increase in the 

    (17) reinstatement of a point of order against consideration of a 
concurrent resolution on the budget containing reconciliation directives 
that specify changes in law that would require reported reconciliation 
legislation to cause an increase in net direct spending (clause 7 of 
rule XXI);

    (18) prohibition on consideration of certain measures increasing 
direct spending over certain time periods with exceptional cumulatory 
treatment in the case of a special order of business combining in one 
engrossment separately-passed measures, and exclusion of certain 
emergency items (clause 10 of rule XXI); and

    (19) repeal of the rule providing for automatic passage and 
engrossment of a measure adjusting the statutory limit on public debt 
(former rule XXVIII).

    In addition to the amendments cited above, the House established 
during the 117th Congress a new exemption from the prohibition on the 
same-day consideration of privileged reports from the Committee on Rules 
under clause 6(a) of rule XIII and expanded the availability of motions 
to suspend the rules under clause 1(a) of rule XV (sec. 2, H. Res. 1230, 
July 19, 2022, p. _). In the 118th Congress, clause 11(a) of rule X was 
modified to increase the membership of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence (sec. 1(a), H. Res. 78, Jan. 31, 2023, p. _).

    Citations in this edition refer to:

    (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 States (volumes VI through VIII), by 
volume and section (e.g., V, 5763; VIII, 2852);

    (2) Deschler's Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives 
(volumes 1 through 9), Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of 
Representatives (volumes 10 through 16), Deschler-Brown-Johnson 
Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volume 17), and 
Deschler-Brown-Johnson-Sullivan Precedents of the U.S. House of 
Representatives (volume 18), by chapter and section (e.g., Deschler, ch. 
26, Sec. 79.7; Deschler-Brown, ch. 28, Sec. 4.26);

    (3) Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volumes 1 
through 3), by Parliamentarian last name, chapter and section (e.g., 
Precedents (Wickham), ch. 1, Sec. 1.1);



[[Page viii]]


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

    (5) House Practice (2017), by chapter and section (e.g., House 
Practice, ch. 1, Sec. 2);

    (6) 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);

    (7) the United States Code, by title and section (e.g., 2 U.S.C. 
287); and

    (8) the United States Reports, by volume and page (e.g., 395 U.S. 
486).

    All of the members of the Office of the Parliamentarian - Anne 
Gooch, Julia Cook, Ben Osheroff, Christina Reid, Norma Volkmer, Lloyd 
Jenkins, Kristen Donahue, and Matthew Kowalewski, as well as Charles 
Johnson, Max Spitzer, Allison Torres-Cherry, and Tim Abel - worked 
diligently to annotate the decisions of the Chair and other 
parliamentary precedents of the 117th Congress and of the 118th 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.


    Last year witnessed the passing of former Parliamentarian John V. 
Sullivan. John was a model public servant for over 40 years, including 
25 years of service with the Office of the Parliamentarian, culminating 
with eight years as Parliamentarian. His contribution to the precedents 
of the House during his tenure was invaluable, as was his dedication to 
fostering a collaborative and modernized work environment within the 
Office. He is greatly missed by his former colleagues, who remember him 
for his technical and linguistic prowess, his insights, his wit and his 
warmth. This publication is dedicated to his memory.

                                                             Jay Smith  




[[Page ix]]


  February 20, 2023


                                CONTENTS


                               __________

                            THE CONSTITUTION

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

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

                   II.--The executive power.......................    68

                  III.--The judicial power........................    81

                   IV.--Obligations, duties, etc., of the States..    83

                    V.--Amendments to.............................    85

                   VI.--Law of the land, etc......................    88

                  VII.--Ratification of...........................    92

                        Amendments ratified.......................    95

                           JEFFERSON'S MANUAL

            Section I.--Importance of adhering to rules...........   131

                  III.--Privilege.................................   134

                   VI.--Quorum....................................   155

                  VII.--Call of the House.........................   156

                   IX.--Speaker...................................   157

                    X.--Address...................................   159

                   XI.--Committees................................   160

                  XII.--Committee of the Whole....................   163

                 XIII.--Examination of witnesses..................   172

                  XIV.--Arrangement of business...................   177

                   XV.--Order.....................................   179

                  XVI.--Order respecting papers...................   179

                 XVII.--Order in debate...........................   180

                XVIII.--Orders of the House.......................   206

                  XIX.--Petition..................................   210

                   XX.--Motion....................................   211

                  XXI.--Resolutions...............................   212

                XXIII.--Bills, leave to bring in..................   214

                 XXIV.--Bills, first reading......................   215

                  XXV.--Bills, second reading.....................   215

                 XXVI.--Bills, commitment.........................   216

                XXVII.--Report of committee.......................   227

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                                                                    Page

       Section XXVIII.--Bill, recommitment........................   228

                 XXIX.--Bills, reports taken up...................   229

                  XXX.--Quasi-committee...........................   231

                 XXXI.--Bill, second reading in the House.........   234

                XXXII.--Reading papers............................   237

               XXXIII.--Privileged questions......................   239

                XXXIV.--The previous question.....................   252

                 XXXV.--Amendments................................   254

                XXXVI.--Division of the question..................   263

               XXXVII.--Coexisting questions......................   266

              XXXVIII.--Equivalent questions......................   267

                XXXIX.--The question..............................   269

                   XL.--Bills, third reading......................   270

                  XLI.--Division of the House.....................   274

                 XLII.--Titles....................................   279

                XLIII.--Reconsideration...........................   279

                 XLIV.--Bills sent to the other House.............   283

                  XLV.--Amendments between the Houses.............   284

                 XLVI.--Conferences...............................   294

                XLVII.--Messages..................................   307

               XLVIII.--Assent....................................   312

                 XLIX.--Journals..................................   314

                    L.--Adjournment...............................   317

                   LI.--A session.................................   318

                  LII.--Treaties..................................   322

                 LIII.--Impeachment...............................   325

                           RULES OF THE HOUSE

               Rule I.--The Speaker...............................   349

                   II.--Other Officers and Officials..............   375

                  III.--The Members, Delegates, and Resident 

                        Commissioner of Puerto Rico...............   401

                   IV.--The Hall of the House.....................   406

                    V.--Broadcasting the House....................   414

                   VI.--Official Reporters and News Media 

                        Galleries.................................   417

                  VII.--Records of the House......................   429

                 VIII.--Response to Subpoenas.....................   433

                   IX.--Questions of Privilege....................   436

                    X.--Organization of Committees................   459

                   XI.--Procedures of Committees and Unfinished 

                        Business..................................   573

                  XII.--Receipt and Referral of Measures and 

                        Matters...................................   646

                 XIII.--Calendars and Committee Reports...........   662

                  XIV.--Order and Priority of Business............   699

                   XV.--Business in Order on Special Days.........   710

                   

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                                                                    Page

             Rule XVI.--Motions and Amendments....................   729

                 XVII.--Decorum and Debate........................   786

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

                        state of the Union........................   819

                  XIX.--Motions Following the Amendment Stage.....   850

                   XX.--Voting and Quorum Calls...................   864

                  XXI.--Restrictions on Certain Bills.............   895

                 XXII.--House and Senate Relations................   956

                XXIII.--Code of Official Conduct..................   983

                 XXIV.--Limitations on Use of Official Funds......  1000

                  XXV.--Limitations on Outside Earned Income and 

                        Acceptance of Gifts.......................  1005

                 XXVI.--Financial Disclosure......................  1034

                XXVII.--Disclosure by Members and Staff of 

                        Employment Negotiations...................  1036

               XXVIII.--[Reserved]................................  1037

                 XXIX.--General Provisions........................  1038
Provisions of Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as Amended by the 

    Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Applicable to Both Houses
Congressional adjournment.........................................  1043
Preservation of committee hearings................................  1044

                       Joint and Select Committees
Economic Committee, Joint.........................................  1045
Taxation, Joint Committee on......................................  1045
Library, Joint Committee of Congress on the.......................  1046
Printing, Joint Committee on......................................  1046
Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Congressional Committee on............  1046
Select committees.................................................  1046



[[Page xii]]

                     House and Congressional Offices
House Communications Standards Commission.........................  1049
House Office Building Commission..................................  1049
Government Accountability Office..................................  1049
Office of Congressional Workplace Rights..........................  1049
Congressional Research Service....................................  1050
Legislative Counsel...............................................  1050
Congressional Budget Office.......................................  1050
Law Revision Counsel..............................................  1050
Technology Assessment.............................................  1050
Office of the Parliamentarian.....................................  1050
Speaker's Office for Legislative Floor Activities.................  1051

                                                                    Page
Office of Interparliamentary Affairs..............................  1051
House Recording Studio............................................  1051
United States Capitol Preservation Commission.....................  1051
Office of General Counsel.........................................  1051
Former Office of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations.  1052
Office of Attending Physician.....................................  1052
Office of Architect of the Capitol................................  1052
House Democracy Partnership.......................................  1052
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission................................  1052
Office of Congressional Ethics....................................  1053
Early organization of the House...................................  1055

          Miscellaneous Provisions of Congressional Budget Laws
Congressional Budget Act of 1974..................................  1061
Budget Enforcement Act of 1990....................................  1143
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010...............................  1147

                  Legislative Procedures Enacted in Law
Measures privileged for consideration in House....................  1152





[

                                  Index
Index.............................................................  1349

                        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


First Tuesday:

                                Tuesdays

  Private Calendar. Rule XV, clause 5. Individual private bills 


        considered on first Tuesday of each month.


Call of Committees under Calendar Wednesday. Rule XV, clause 6.

                               Wednesdays