Rules and Manual of the House of Representatives
114th Congress, 2d Session
House Document No. 114–192
Constitution
Jefferson’s Manual
and
Rules of the House of Representatives
of the United States
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
Thomas J. Wickham
Parliamentarian
U.S. Government Publishing Office
24–824
Washington : 2017
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office
Washington, DC 20402
House Resolution 945
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
December 6, 2016.
Resolved, That a revised edition of the Rules and Manual of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress be printed as a House document, and that three thousand additional copies shall be printed and bound for the use of the House of Representatives, of which nine hundred eighty copies shall be bound in leather with thumb index and delivered as may be directed by the Parliamentarian of the House.
Attest:
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.
Preface
The House Rules and Manual contains the fundamental source material for parliamentary procedure used in the House of Representatives: the Constitution of the United States; applicable provisions of Jefferson’s Manual; Rules of the House (as of the date of this preface); provisions of law and resolutions having the force of Rules of the House; and pertinent decisions of the Speakers and other presiding officers of the House and Committee of the Whole interpreting the rules and other procedural authority used in the House of Representatives.
The rules for the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress were adopted on January 3, 2017, when the House agreed to House Resolution 5. In addition to a series of changes to various standing rules, House Resolution 5 included separate free-standing orders constituting procedures to be followed in the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress. Explanations of the changes to the standing rules appear in the annotations following each rule in the text of this Manual.
The substantive changes in the standing rules made by House Resolution 5 of the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress included:
(1) authority for the Sergeant-at-Arms to impose a fine for unauthorized photography or audio or visual recording or broadcasting in the Chamber by a Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner, subject to appeal to the Committee on Ethics, and authority for the Chief Administrative Officer to deduct a fine from salary otherwise due ([clause 3(g) of rule II]; [clause 4(d) of rule II]);
(2) authority for the House, the Speaker, a committee, or a committee chair to continue litigation matters authorized in a prior Congress ([clause 8 of rule II]);
(3) clarification on ownership and control of the records of a Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner ([clause 6(b) of rule VII]);
(4) restatement of the procedure for responding to subpoenas to conform to practice ([rule VIII]);
(5) expansion of committee oversight plans to also include plans to review and reauthorize programs and agencies with lapsed authorization ([clause 2(d) of rule X]);
(6) authority for several committees to exceed the limit on the number of subcommittees allowed, codifying previous separate orders to that effect ([clause 5(d) of rule X]);
(7) requirement that committee reports include statement on duplicative Federal programs ([clause 3(c) of rule XIII]);
(8) clarification of the Ramseyer rule to remove an unintended consequence of a change effected in the 114th Congress ([clause 3(e) of rule XIII]);
(9) authority for the Committee on Homeland Security to close additional days of hearings ([clause 2(g) of rule XI]);
(10) restriction on disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Chamber during legislative proceedings ([clause 9 of rule XVII]);
(11) authority for the Delegates and the Resident Commissioner to preside over the Committee of the Whole ([clause 1 of rule XVIII]);
(12) expansion of the Speaker’s authority to postpone votes to include the question of adopting a motion to recommit and the question of adopting a motion to concur in a Senate amendment ([clause 8(a) of rule XX]);
(13) clarification on the Speaker’s authority to reduce voting time on a question arising after a report from the Committee of the Whole or on the question of adoption a motion to recommit ([clause 9(b) of rule XX]);
(14) restriction on an amendment to a general appropriation bill proposing a net increase in the level of budget authority in the bill ([clause 2(g) of rule XXI]);
(15) requirement for a comparative print for any bill, joint resolution, or amendment in the nature of a substitute proposing to amend or repeal current law showing such changes, and for a comparative print for a reported bill or joint resolution showing changes between the form of the measure as reported and as considered on the floor (effective December 31, 2017) ([clause 12 of rule XXI]); and
(16) designation of the document repository operated by the Clerk as the location at which documents may be made electronically available for purposes of satisfying layover requirements ([clause 3 of rule XXIX]).
In addition to the amendments cited above, mobility-based references throughout the standing rules were eliminated or replaced with mobility-neutral language (sec. 2(e), H. Res. 5, Jan. 3, 2017, p. __).
Citations in this edition refer to:
(1) Hinds’ Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States (volumes I through V) and Cannon’s Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States (volumes VI through VIII), by volume and section (e.g., V, 5763; VIII, 2852);
(2) Deschler’s Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volumes 1 through 9), Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volumes 10 through 16), Deschler-Brown-Johnson Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volume 17), and Deschler-Brown-Johnson-Sullivan Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (volume 18), by chapter and section (e.g., Deschler, ch. 26, §79.7; Deschler-Brown, ch. 28, §4.26);
(3) the Congressional Record, by date and page (e.g., Jan. 29, 1986, p. 684);
(4) House Practice (2017), by chapter and section (e.g., House Practice, ch. 1, §2);
(5) Deschler-Brown Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives (4th edition and 1987 supplement), by chapter and section (e.g., Procedure, ch. 5, §8.1);
(6) the United States Code, by title and section (e.g., 2 U.S.C. 287); and
(7) the United States Reports, by volume and page (e.g., 395 U.S. 486).
Readers are invited to refer to the prefaces of Hinds’, Cannon’s, and Deschler’s Precedents (Volumes I, VI, and 1, respectively) for comprehensive overviews by those editors of the procedural history of the House of Representatives from 1789 to 1976. Volume 18 of Deschler-Brown-Johnson-Sullivan Precedents also features a commentary by former Parliamentarian Charles W. Johnson, III, noting procedural highlights during his affiliation with the House.
All of the members of the Office of the Parliamentarian - Ethan Lauer, Jay Smith, Anne Gooch, Kyle Jones, Julia Cook, Brian Cooper, Lloyd Jenkins, and Kristen Donahue, as well as Charles Johnson, Max Spitzer, Andrew Neal, Catherine Moran, and Bryan Feldblum - worked diligently to annotate the decisions of the Chair and other parliamentary precedents of the 114th Congress and of the 115th Congress to the date of publication of this edition. Their contributions, and their devotion to the pursuit of excellence in the procedural practices of the House, are gratefully acknowledged. Particular appreciation goes to Ethan Lauer for his initiative and steady hand in managing the project.
Thomas J. Wickham, Jr.
May 26, 2017
Contents
[The Constitution]
[Preamble]
[
Article I.—The legislative power
]
[
II.—The executive power
]
[
III.—The judicial power
]
[
IV.—Obligations, duties, etc., of the States
]
[
V.—Amendments to
]
[
VI.—Law of the land, etc.
]
[
VII.—Ratification of
]
[
Amendments ratified
]
[Jefferson’s Manual]
[
Section I.—Importance of adhering to rules
]
[
III.—Privilege
]
[
VI.—Quorum
]
[
VII.—Call of the House
]
[
IX.—Speaker
]
[
X.—Address
]
[
XI.—Committees
]
[
XII.—Committee of the Whole
]
[
XIII.—Examination of witnesses
]
[
XIV.—Arrangement of business
]
[
XV.—Order
]
[
XVI.—Order respecting papers
]
[
XVII.—Order in debate
]
[
XVIII.—Orders of the House
]
[
XIX.—Petition
]
[
XX.—Motion
]
[
XXI.—Resolutions
]
[
XXIII.—Bills, leave to bring in
]
[
XXIV.—Bills, first reading
]
[
XXV.—Bills, second reading
]
[
XXVI.—Bills, commitment
]
[
XXVII.—Report of committee
]
[
XXVIII.—Bill, recommitment
]
[
XXIX.—Bills, reports taken up
]
[
XXX.—Quasi-committee
]
[
XXXI.—Bill, second reading in the House
]
[
XXXII.—Reading papers
]
[
XXXIII.—Privileged questions
]
[
XXXIV.—The previous question
]
[
XXXV.—Amendments
]
[
XXXVI.—Division of the question
]
[
XXXVII.—Coexisting questions
]
[
XXXVIII.—Equivalent questions
]
[
XXXIX.—The question
]
[
XL.—Bills, third reading
]
[
XLI.—Division of the House
]
[
XLII.—Titles
]
[
XLIII.—Reconsideration
]
[
XLIV.—Bills sent to the other House
]
[
XLV.—Amendments between the Houses
]
[
XLVI.—Conferences
]
[
XLVII.—Messages
]
[
XLVIII.—Assent
]
[
XLIX.—Journals
]
[
L.—Adjournment
]
[
LI.—A session
]
[
LII.—Treaties
]
[
LIII.—Impeachment
]
Rules of the House
[
Rule I.—The Speaker
]
[
II.—Other Officers and Officials
]
[
III.—The Members, Delegates, and Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
]
[
IV.—The Hall of the House
]
[
V.—Broadcasting the House
]
[
VI.—Official Reporters and News Media Galleries
]
[
VII.—Records of the House
]
[
VIII.—Response to Subpoenas
]
[
IX.—Questions of Privilege
]
[
X.—Organization of Committees
]
[
XI.—Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business
]
[
XII.—Receipt and Referral of Measures and Matters
]
[
XIII.—Calendars and Committee Reports
]
[
XIV.—Order and Priority of Business
]
[
XV.—Business in Order on Special Days
]
[
XVI.—Motions and Amendments
]
[
XVII.—Decorum and Debate
]
[
XVIII.—The Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union
]
[
XIX.—Motions Following the Amendment Stage
]
[
XX.—Voting and Quorum Calls
]
[
XXI.—Restrictions on Certain Bills
]
[
XXII.—House and Senate Relations
]
[
XXIII.—Code of Official Conduct
]
[
XXIV.—Limitations on Use of Official Funds
]
[
XXV.—Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts
]
[
XXVI.—Financial Disclosure
]
[
XXVII.—Disclosure by Members and Staff of Employment Negotiations
]
[
XXVIII.—[Reserved]
]
[
XXIX.—General Provisions
]
[Provisions of Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as Amended by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, Applicable to Both Houses]
[Congressional adjournment]
[Preservation of committee hearings]
[Joint and Select Committees]
[Economic Committee, Joint]
[Taxation, Joint Committee on]
[Library, Joint Committee of Congress on the]
[Printing, Joint Committee on]
[Inaugural Ceremonies, Joint Congressional Committee on]
[Select committees]
[House and Congressional Offices]
[House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards]
[House Office Building Commission]
[Government Accountability Office]
[Office of Compliance]
[Congressional Research Service]
[Legislative Counsel]
[Congressional Budget Office]
[Law Revision Counsel]
[Technology Assessment]
[Office of the Parliamentarian]
[Speaker’s Office for Legislative Floor Activities]
[Office of Interparliamentary Affairs]
[House Recording Studio]
[United States Capitol Preservation Commission]
[Office of General Counsel]
[Former Office of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations]
[Office of Attending Physician]
[Office of Architect of the Capitol]
[House Democracy Partnership]
[Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission]
[Office of Congressional Ethics]
[Early organization of the House]
[Miscellaneous Provisions of Congressional Budget Laws]
[Congressional Budget Act of 1974]
[Budget Enforcement Act of 1990]
[Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010]
[Legislative Procedures Enacted in Law]
[Measures privileged for consideration in House]
[Index]
[Index]
General Order of Business
Rule XIV
First. Prayer by Chaplain.
Second. Approval of Journal.
Third. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Fourth. Correction of reference of public bills.
Fifth. Disposal of business on Speaker’s table.
Sixth. Unfinished business.
Seventh. The morning hour for the consideration of bills.
Eighth. Motions to go into Committee of the Whole.
Ninth. Orders of the day.
Special Order of Business
Mondays
Second and fourth Mondays:
Motions to discharge committees. [Rule XV, clause 2].
District of Columbia Business. [Rule XV, clause 4].
Every Monday:
Motions to suspend rules. [Rule XV, clause 1].
Tuesdays
First and third Tuesdays:
Private Calendar. [Rule XV, clause 5]. Individual private bills considered on first Tuesday of each month, omnibus private bills may be considered on third Tuesday of each month.
Every Tuesday:
Motions to suspend rules. [Rule XV, clause 1].
Wednesdays
Call of Committees under Calendar Wednesday. [Rule XV, clause 6].
Every Wednesday:
Motions to suspend rules. [Rule XV, clause 1].