Standing Rules of the Senate
RULE IV
COMMENCEMENT OF DAILY SESSIONS
1. (a) 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 dias 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.
(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.
(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 a brief statement of the contents of each petition, memorial, or paper
presented to the Senate, shall be entered.
(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.
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. |