[United States Senate Manual, 104th Congress]
[S. Doc. 104-1]
[Rules for Regulation of the Senate Wing of the Capitol and Senate Office Buildings]
[Pages 174-175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


        96                             RULE XV

                        LEGISLATIVE BUZZERS AND SIGNAL LIGHTS

                Effective May 15, 1981, the system of legislative 
            buzzers and signal lights shall be as follows:
            Pre-session signals:    One long ring at hour of convening.
                                    One red light to remain lighted at 
                                        all times while Senate is in 
                                        actual session.
            Session signals:        One ring--Yeas and nays.
                                    Two rings--quorum call.
                                    Three rings--Call of absentees.
                                    Four rings--Adjournment or recess. 
                                        (End of daily session.)
                                    Five rings--Seven and a half minutes 
                                        remaining on yea and nay vote.
                                    Six rings--Morning business 
                                        concluded. (Six rings with 
                                        corresponding lights. Lights cut 
                                        off immediately.)
                                    Recess during daily session. (Six 
                                        rings with corresponding lights. 
                                        Lights stay on during period of 
                                        recess.)
                Effective July 13, 1967, the legislative call system 
            shall be used for alerting Members of Congress, 
            Congressional employees, and visitors of enemy attack or 
            other major disaster conditions. There will be two signals:
                        1. Attack warning.--Notification to all 
                    occupants that the United States is under attack and 
                    that there is real danger of loss of life. This 
                    warning would be given by a sequence of two-second 
                    sounds of the legislative bells separated by two-
                    second silent intervals. This signal would be 
                    repeated for 3 to 5 minutes.
                        2. Attention signal.--Notification of peacetime 
                    disasters, such as accidental presence of 
                    radioactive materials or severe weather or natural 
                    disaster conditions.

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                    This signal would be given by a series of 16-second 
                    bell sounds separately by 16-second silent 
                    intervals, repeated for 3 to 5 minutes.

                            (Where lights exist they will correspond 
                            with rings.)