[United States Senate Manual, 112th Congress]
[S. Doc. 112-1]
[Standing Rules of the Senate]
[Pages 56-57]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


        30                            RULE XXX

                     EXECUTIVE SESSION--PROCEEDINGS ON TREATIES

     30.1a      1. (a) When a treaty shall be laid before the Senate for 
            ratification, it shall be read a first time; and no motion 
            in respect to it shall be in order, except to refer it to a 
            committee, to print it in confidence for the use of the 
            Senate, or to remove the injunction of secrecy.
     30.1b      (b) \38\ When a treaty is reported from a committee with 
            or without amendment, it shall, unless the Senate unani

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            mously otherwise directs, lie over one day for 
            consideration; after which it may be read a second time, 
            after which amendments may be proposed. At any stage of such 
            proceedings the Senate may remove the injunction of secrecy 
            from the treaty.
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                \38\ As amended by S. Res. 28, 99-2, Feb. 27, 1986.
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     30.1c      (c) The decisions thus made shall be reduced to the form 
            of a resolution of ratification, with or without amendments, 
            as the case may be, which shall be proposed on a subsequent 
            day, unless, by unanimous consent, the Senate determine 
            otherwise, at which stage no amendment to the treaty shall 
            be received unless by unanimous consent; but the resolution 
            of ratification when pending shall be open to amendment in 
            the form of reservations, declarations, statements, or 
            understandings.
     30.1d      (d) On the final question to advise and consent to the 
            ratification in the form agreed to, the concurrence of two-
            thirds of the Senators present shall be necessary to 
            determine it in the affirmative; but all other motions and 
            questions upon a treaty shall be decided by a majority vote, 
            except a motion to postpone indefinitely, which shall be 
            decided by a vote of two-thirds.
      30.2      2. Treaties transmitted by the President to the Senate 
            for ratification shall be resumed at the second or any 
            subsequent session of the same Congress at the stage in 
            which they were left at the final adjournment of the session 
            at which they were transmitted; but all proceedings on 
            treaties shall terminate with the Congress, and they shall 
            be resumed at the commencement of the next Congress as if no 
            proceedings had previously been had thereon.