    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 119th Congress]
    [119th Congress]
    [House Document 118-187]
    [Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
    [Pages 231-233]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                        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.

    [[Page 232]]

    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).

      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).

    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, 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?

    [[Page 233]]

    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).

      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 en gros unless a Member
    demands 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