Sec. 396. Concurrent resolutions of the two Houses. |
In the
modern practice concurrent resolutions have been developed as a means of
expressing fact, principles, opinions, and purposes of the two Houses
(II, 1566, 1567). Joint committees are authorized by resolutions of this
form (III, 1998, 1999), and they are used in authorizing correction of
bills agreed to by both Houses (VII, 1042), amendment of enrolled bills
(VII, 1041), amendment of conference reports (VIII, 3308), requests for
return of bills sent to the President (VII, 1090, 1091), authorizing the
printing of certain enrolled bills by hand in the remaining days of a
session (H. Con. Res. 436, Dec. 20, 1982, p. 32875), providing for joint
session to receive message from the President (VIII, 3335, 3336),
authorizing the printing of congressional documents (H. Con. Res. 66,
July 1, 1969, p. 17948); paying a birthday tribute to former President
Truman (H. Con. Res. 216, Apr. 24, 1969, p. 10213); calling for the
humane treatment of prisoners of war in Vietnam (H. Con. Res. 454, Dec.
15, 1969, p. 39037), and fixing time for final adjournment (VIII, 3365).
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-344) provides for the
adoption by both Houses of concurrent resolutions on the budget that
become binding on both Houses with respect to congressional budget
procedures (see Sec. 1127, infra). A concurrent resolution is binding on
neither House until agreed to by both (IV, 3379), and, since not
legislative in nature, is not sent to the President for approval (IV,
3483). A concurrent resolution is not a bill or joint resolution within
the meaning of clause 5 of rule XXI (requiring a three-fifths vote for
approval of such a measure if carrying an increase in a rate of tax on
income) (Speaker Gingrich, May 18, 1995, p. 13499). In the 106th
Congress the Senate neglected to adopt a House concurrent resolution
vacating signatures of the Presiding Officers on an enrolled bill and
laying that bill on the table as overtaken by another enactment (H. Con.
Res. 234, adopted by the House on Nov. 18, 1999, p. 30719). The Congress
subsequently enacted section 1401 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations
Act of 2001, which adopted that concurrent resolution (as enacted by
P.L. 106-554).
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