[United States Senate Manual, 112th Congress]
[S. Doc. 112-1]
[Standing Rules of the Senate]
[Pages 16-18]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


        17                            RULE XVII

             REFERENCE TO COMMITTEES; MOTIONS TO DISCHARGE; REPORTS OF 
                         COMMITTEES; AND HEARINGS AVAILABLE

      17.1      1. Except as provided in paragraph 3, in any case in 
            which a controversy arises as to the jurisdiction of any 
            committee with respect to any proposed legislation, the 
            question of jurisdiction shall be decided by the presiding 
            officer, without debate, in favor of the committee which has 
            jurisdiction over the subject matter which predominates in 
            such proposed legislation; but such decision shall be 
            subject to an appeal.
      17.2      2. A motion simply to refer shall not be open to 
            amendment, except to add instructions.
     17.3a      3. (a) Upon motion by both the majority leader or his 
            designee and the minority leader or his designee, proposed 
            legislation may be referred to two or more committees 
            jointly or sequentially. Notice of such motion and the 
            proposed legislation to which it relates shall be printed in 
            the Congressional Record. The motion shall be privileged, 
            but it shall not be in order until the Congressional Record 
            in which the notice is printed has been available to 
            Senators for at least twenty-four hours. No amendment to any 
            such motion shall be in order except amendments to any 
            instructions contained therein. Debate on any such motion, 
            and all amendments thereto and debatable motions and appeals 
            in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than 
            two hours, the time to be equally divided between, and 
            controlled by, the majority leader and the minority leader 
            or their designees.
     17.3b      (b) Proposed legislation which is referred to two or 
            more committees jointly may be reported only by such 
            committees jointly and only one report may accompany any 
            proposed legislation so jointly reported.
     17.3c      (c) A motion to refer any proposed legislation to two or 
            more committees sequentially shall specify the order of 
            referral.
     17.3d      (d) Any motion under this paragraph may specify the 
            portion or portions of proposed legislation to be considered

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            by the committees, or any of them, to which such proposed 
            legislation is referred, and such committees or committee 
            shall be limited, in the consideration of such proposed 
            legislation, to the portion or portions so specified.
     17.3e      (e) Any motion under this subparagraph may contain 
            instructions with respect to the time allowed for 
            consideration by the committees, or any of them, to which 
            proposed legislation is referred and the discharge of such 
            committees, or any of them, from further consideration of 
            such proposed legislation.
     17.4a      4. (a) All reports of committees and motions to 
            discharge a committee from the consideration of a subject, 
            and all subjects from which a committee shall be discharged, 
            shall lie over one day for consideration, unless by 
            unanimous consent the Senate shall otherwise direct.
     17.4b      (b) Whenever any committee (except the Committee on 
            Appropriations) has reported any measure, by action taken in 
            conformity with the requirements of paragraph 7 of rule 
            XXVI, no point of order shall lie with respect to that 
            measure on the ground that hearings upon that measure by the 
            committee were not conducted in accordance with the 
            provisions of paragraph 4 of rule XXVI.
      17.5      5.\4\ Any measure or matter reported by any standing 
            committee shall not be considered in the Senate unless the 
            report of that committee upon that measure or matter has 
            been available to Members for at least two calendar days 
            (excluding Sundays and legal holidays) prior to the 
            consideration of that measure or matter. If hearings have 
            been held on any such measure or matter so reported, the 
            committee reporting the measure or matter shall make every 
            reasonable effort to have such hearings printed and 
            available for distribution to the Members of the Senate 
            prior to the consideration of such measure or matter in the 
            Senate. This paragraph--
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                \4\ As amended by S. Res. 28, 99-2, Feb. 27, 1986.
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                        (1) may be waived by joint agreement of the 
                    majority leader and the minority leader of the 
                    Senate; and
                        (2) shall not apply to--
                                (A) any measure for the declaration of 
                            war, or the declaration of a national 
                            emergency, by the Congress, and
                                (B) any executive decision, 
                            determination, or action which would become, 
                            or continue to be, effec

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                            tive unless disapproved or otherwise 
                            invalidated by one or both Houses of 
                            Congress.