[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.