[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 104th Congress]
[104th Congress]
[House Document 103-342]
[Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice]
[Pages 204-206]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]
SEC. XXIX.--BILL, REPORTS TAKEN UP.
[[Page 205]]
agreed to seriatim, 5 Grey, 366; 6 Grey, 368; 8 Grey, 47, 104, 360; 1
Torbuck's Deb., 125; 3 Hats., 348, no question needs be put on the whole
report. 5 Grey, 381.
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Sec. 422. Consideration and action on reports. |
When the
report of a paper originating with a committee is taken up by the House,
they proceed exactly as in committee. Here, as in committee, when the
paragraphs have, on distinct questions, been
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In the House of Representatives committees usually report bills, joint
resolutions, concurrent resolutions, or simple resolutions. These come
before the House for action while the written reports accompanying them,
which are always printed, do not (IV, 4674), and even the reading of the
reports is in order only in the time of debate (V, 5292). The Chair will
not recognize a Member during debate on a bill in the House or in the
Committee of the Whole for unanimous consent to amend the accompanying
committee report in a specified manner, as the House should not change
the substance of a committee report upon which it is not called to vote
(Apr. 2, 1985, p. 7209; Nov. 7, 1989, p. ----). In rare instances,
however, committees submit merely written reports without propositions
for action. Such reports being before the House may be debated before
any specific motion has been made (V, 4987, 4988), and are in such case
read to the House (IV, 4663) and after being considered the question is
taken on agreeing. In such cases the report appears in full on the
Journal (II, 1364; IV, 4675; V, 7177). When reports are acted on in this
way it has not been the practice of the House to consider them by
paragraphs, but the question has been put on the whole report (II,
1364).
[[Page 206]]
the question whether the bill shall be read a third time?
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Sec. 423. Action by the House on amendments recommended by
committees. |
On taking up a bill reported with amendments the amendments
only are read by the Clerk. The Speaker then reads the first, and puts
it to the question, and so on till the whole are adopted or rejected,
before any other amendment be admitted, except it be an amendment to an
amendment. Elsynge's Mem., 53. When through the amendments of the
committee, the Speaker pauses, and gives time for amendments to be
proposed in the House to the body of the bill; as he does also if it has
been reported without amendments; putting no questions but on amendments
proposed; and when through the whole, he puts
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The procedure outlined by this provision of the parliamentary law
applies to bills when reported from the Committee of the Whole; but in
practice it is usual to vote on the amendments in gross. But any Member
may demand a separate vote (see Sec. 337, supra). The principle that the
committee amendments should be voted on before amendments proposed by
individual Members is recognized (IV, 4872-4876; V, 5773; VIII, 2862,
2863), except when it is proposed to amend a committee amendment. The
Clerk reads the amendments and the Speaker does not again read them.
Frequently the House orders the previous question on the committee
amendments and the bill to final passage, thus preventing further
amendment. When a bill is of such nature that it does not go to
Committee of the Whole, it comes before the House from the House
Calendar, on which it has been placed on being reported from the
standing or select committee. On being taken from the House Calendar the
bill is read through and then the amendments proposed by the committee
are read.