    [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 271-272]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                            sec. xxxix--the question

    Sec. 489. Putting the question.

        The question is to be put
    first on the affirmative, and then on the negative side.

      Clause 6 of rule I provides more fully for putting the question.

    [[Page 272]]

    negative be put; because it is no full question till the negative part
    be put. Scob., 23; 2 Hats., 73.

    Sec. 490. Effect of putting the question in ending
    debate.

      After the  Speaker has put the affirmative part of the question, any
    Member who has not spoken before to the question may rise and speak
    before the

      After the Chair has put the affirmative part of the question, any
    Member who seeks to debate the matter or offer a motion may be
    recognized (V, 5925; June 22, 2006, pp. 12298, 12299), and such
    recognition is not subject to appeal (June 22, 2006, p. 12299). On one
    occasion, the Chair refused to entertain a motion to lay on the table
    after putting the affirmative part of the pending question where the
    Chair had affirmed the admissibility of that motion before putting the
    main question, and that motion nevertheless was not then offered (Sept.
    20, 1979, p. 25512). Where not pertinent to the pending parliamentary
    situation, a parliamentary inquiry regarding whether the Chair heard the
    ayes on a prematurely-commenced vote by voice was not entertained (June
    22, 2006, p. 12299).

    Sec. 491. Informal putting of the question.

      But in  small
    matters, and which are of course, such as receiving petitions, reports,
    withdrawing motions, reading papers, &c., the Speaker most commonly
    supposes the consent of the House where no objection is expressed, and
    does not give them the trouble of putting the question formally. Scob.,
    22; 2 Hats., 79, 2, 87; 5 Grey, 129; 9 Grey, 301.