    [United States Senate Manual, 112th Congress]
    [S. Doc. 112-1]
    [Standing Rules of the Senate]
    [Pages 4-5]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

             4                             RULE IV

                               COMMENCEMENT OF DAILY SESSIONS

          4.1a      1. (a) \2\ The Presiding Officer having taken the chair,
                following the prayer by the Chaplain, and after the
                Presiding Officer, or a Senator designated by the Presiding
                Officer, leads the Senate from the dais in reciting the
                Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States, and a
                Quorum being present, the Journal of the preceding day shall
                be read unless by nondebatable motion the reading shall be
                waived, the question being, ``Shall the Journal stand
                approved to date?'', and any mistake made in the entries
                corrected. Except as provided in subparagraph (b) the
                reading of the Journal shall not be suspended unless by
                unanimous consent; and when any motion shall be made to
                amend or correct the same, it shall be deemed a privileged
                question, and proceeded with until disposed of.
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                    \2\ As amended by S. Res. 28, 99-2, Feb. 27, 1986; S.
                Res. 113, 106-1, June 23, 1999.
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          4.1b      (b) Whenever the Senate is proceeding under paragraph 2
                of rule XXII, the reading of the Journal shall be dispensed
                with and shall be considered approved to date.
          4.1c      (c) The proceedings of the Senate shall be briefly and
                accurately stated on the Journal. Messages of the President
                in full; titles of bills and resolutions, and such parts as
                shall be affected by proposed amendments; every vote, and

    [[Page 5]]

                a brief statement of the contents of each petition,
                memorial, or paper presented to the Senate, shall be
                entered.
          4.1d      (d) The legislative, the executive, the confidential
                legislative proceedings, and the proceedings when sitting as
                a Court of Impeachment, shall each be recorded in a separate
                book.
           4.2      2. During a session of the Senate when that body is in
                continuous session, the Presiding Officer shall temporarily
                suspend the business of the Senate at noon each day for the
                purpose of having the customary daily prayer by the
                Chaplain.