30. Upon a division and count of the House on any question, no member without the bar shall be counted.-November 13, 1794. 31. Every member who shall be in the House when the question is put shall give his vote unless the House shall excuse him.—April 7, 1789. All motions to excuse a member from voting shall be made before the House divides, or before the call of the yeas and nays is commenced; and the question shall then be taken without debate.-September 14, 1837. 32. The name of the member who presents a petition or memorial, or who offers a resolution to the consideration of the House, shall be inserted on the journals.—March 22, 1806. 33. No member shall absent himself from the service of the House unless he have leave, or be sick, or unable to attend.-April 13, 1789. OF CALLS OF THE HOUSE. 34. Any fifteen members (including the Speaker, if there be one) shall be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members.—April 17, 1789. 35. Upon calls of the House, or in taking the yeas or nays on any question, the names of the members shall be called alphabetically.April 7, 1789. 36. Upon the call of the House, the names of the members shall be called over by the Clerk, and the absentees noted; after which the names of the absentees shall again be called over; the doors shall then be shut, and those for whom no excuse or insufficient excuses are made may, by order of those present, if fifteen in number, be taken into custody as they appear, or may be sent for and taken into custody, wher ever to be found, by special messengers to be appointed for that pur pose.-November 13, 1789, and December 14, 1795. 37. When a member shall be discharged from custody, and admitted to his seat, the House shall determine whether such discharge shall be with or without paying fees; and in like manner, whether a delinquent member, taken into custody by a special messenger, shall or shall not be liable to defray the expense of such special messenger.—November 13, 1794. OF MOTIONS, THEIR PRECEDENCE, ETC. 38. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the Speaker; or being in writing, it shall be handed to the Chair and read aloud by the Clerk, before debated.-April 7, 1789. 39. Every motion shall be reduced to writing if the Speaker or any member desire it--April 7, 1789. Every written motion made to the House shall be inserted on the journals, with the name of the member making it, unless it be withdrawn on the same day on which it was submitted.-March 26, 1806. 40. After a motion is stated by the Speaker, or read by the Clerk, it shall be deemed to be in the possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time before a decision or amendment.-April 7, 1789. 41. When any motion or proposition is made, the question, "Will the House now consider it ?" shall not be put unless it is demanded by some member, or is deemed necessary by the Speaker.-December 12, 1817. 42. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indefinitely; which sev eral motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are ar ranged-March 13, 1822-and no motion to postpone to a day certain, to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, shall be again allowed on the same day, and at the same stage of the bill or proposition. 43. When a resolution shall be offered, or a motion made to refer any subject, and different committees shall be proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order: The Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; the Committee of the Whole House; a Standing Committee; a Select Committee.-March 13, 1822. 44. A motion to adjourn, and a motion to fix the day to which the House shall adjourn, shall be always in order—April 7, 1789, and January 14, 1840; these motions, and the motions to lie on the table, shall be decided without debate.-November 13, 1795; March 13, 1822. 45. The hour at which every motion to adjourn is made shall be entered on the journal.-October 9, 1837. 46. Any member may call for the division of a question, before or after the main question is ordered, which shall be divided if it comprehend propositions in substance so distinct that, one being taken away, a substantive proposition shall remain for the decision of the House.-September 15, 1837. A motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible.-December 23, 1811; but a motion to strike out being lost, shall preclude neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert.-March 13, 1822. 47. Motions and reports may be committed at the pleasure of the House.-April 7, 1789. 48. No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment.-March 13, 1822. No bill or resolution shall at any time be amended by annexing thereto, or incorporating therewith, any other bill or resolution pending before the House.-September 15, 1837. 49. When a motion has been once made, and carried in the affirmative or negative, it shall be in order for any member of the majority to move for the reconsideration thereof―January 7, 1802-on the same or succeeding day-December 23, 1811; and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, except a motion to adjourn-May 6, 1828-and shall not be withdrawn after the said succeeding day without the consent of the House; and thereafter any member may call it up for consideration.— March 2, 1848. 50. In filling up blanks, the largest sum and longest time shall be first put.-April 7, 1789. ORDER OF BUSINESS OF THE DAY. 51. As soon as the journal is read, and the unfinished business in which the House was engaged at the last preceding adjournment has been disposed of, reports from committees shall be called for and disposed of; in doing which the Speaker shall call upon each standing committee in regular order, and then upon select committees; and if the Speaker shall not get through the call upon the committees before the House passes to other business, he shall resume the next call where he left off-September 15, 1837-giving preference to the report last under consideration: Provided, That whenever any committee shall have occupied the morning hour on two days, it shall not be in order for such committee to report further until the other committees shall have been called in their turn.-December 7, 1857. 52. Reports from committees having been presented and disposed of, the Speaker shall call for resolutions from the members of each State and delegate from each Territory, beginning with Maine and the Territory last organized alternately; and they shall not be debated on the very day of their being presented, nor on any day assigned by the House for the receipt of resolutions, unless where the House shall direct otherwise, but shall lie on the table, to be taken up in the order in which they were presented; and if on any day the whole of the States and Territories shall not be called, the Speaker shall begin on the next day where he left off the previous day: Provided, That no member shall offer more than one resolution, or one series of resolutions, all relating to the same subject, until all the States and Territories shall have been called.— January 14, 1829. 53. A proposition requesting information from the President of the United States, or directing it to be furnished by the head of either of the executive departments, or by the Postmaster General, shall lie on the table one day for consideration, unless otherwise ordered by the unanimous consent of the House-December 13, 1820; and all such propositions shall be taken up for consideration in the order they were presented, immediately after reports are called for from select committees; and when adopted, the Clerk shall cause the same to be delivered.—January 22, 1822. 54. After one hour shall have been devoted to reports from committees and resolutions, it shall be in order, pending the consideration or discussion thereof, to entertain a motion that the House do now proceed to dispose of the business on the Speaker's table, and to the orders of the day―January 5, 1832; which being decided in the affirmative, the Speaker shall dispose of the business on his table in the following order, viz: 1st. Messages and other executive communications. 2d. Messages from the Senate, and amendments proposed by the Senate to bills of the House. 3d. Bills and resolutions from the Senate on their first and second reading, that they be referred to committees and put under way; but if, on being read a second time, no motion being made to commit, they are to be ordered to their third reading, unless objection be made; in which case, if not otherwise ordered by a majority of the House, they are to be laid on the table in the general file of bills on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in their turn. 4th. Engrossed bills and bills from the Senate on their third reading. 5th. Bills of the House and from the Senate, on the Speaker's table, on their engrossment, or on being ordered to a third reading, to be taken up and considered, in the order of time in which they passed to a second reading. The messages, communications, and bills on his table having been 'disposed of, the Speaker shall then proceed to call the orders of the day.-September 14, 1837. 55. The business specified in the 54th and 130th rules shall be done at no other part of the day, except by permission of the House.-December 23, 1811. 56. The consideration of the unfinished business in which the House may be engaged at an adjournment shall be resumed as soon as the journal of the next day is read, and at the same time each day thereafter until disposed of; and if, from any cause, other business shall intervene, it shall be resumed as soon as such other business is disposed of. And the consideration of all other unfinished business shall be resumed whenever the class of business to which it belongs shall be in order under the rules.-March 16, 1860. OF DECORUM AND DEBATE. 57. When any member is about to speak in debate, or deliver any matter to the House, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address himself to "Mr. Speaker "—April 7, 1789—and shall confine himself to the question under dabate, and avoid personality.-December 23, 1811. 58. Members may address the House or committee from the Clerk's desk, or from a place near the Speaker's chair. 59. When two or more members happen to rise at once, the Speaker shall name the member who is first to speak.-April 7, 1789. 60. No member shall occupy more than one hour in debate on any question in the House, or in committee; but a member reporting the measure under consideration from a committee may open and close the debate: Provided, That where debate is closed by order of the House, any member shall be allowed, in committee, five minutes to explain any amendment he may offer-December 18, 1847-after which any member who shall first obtain the floor shall be allowed to speak five minutes in opposition to it, and there shall be no further debate on the amendment; but the same privilege of debate shall be allowed in favor of and against any amendment that may be offered to the amendment; and neither the amendment nor an amendment to the amendment shall be withdrawn by the mover thereof, unless by the unanimous consent of the committee-August 14, 1850: Provided further, That the House may, by the vote of a majority of the members present, at any time after the five minutes' debate has taken place upon proposed amendments to any section or paragraph of a bill, close all debate upon such section or paragraph, or at their election, upon the pending amendments only.-March 19, 1860. 61. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgress the rules of the House, the Speaker shall, or any member may call to order; in which case, the member so called to order shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain; and the House shall, if appealed to, decide on the case, but without debate. If there be no appeal, the decision of the Chair shall be submitted to; if the decision be in favor of the member called to order, he shall be at liberty to proceed; if otherwise, he shall not be permitted to proceed, in case any member object, without leave of the House; and if the case require it, he shall be liable to the censure of the House.-April 7, 1789, and March 13, 1822. 62. If a member be called to order for words spoken in debate, the person calling him to order shall repeat the words excepted to, and they shall be taken down in writing at the Clerk's table; and no member shall be held to answer, or be subject to the censure of the House for words spoken in debate, if any other member has spoken, or other business has intervened, after the words spoken, and before exception to them shall have been taken.-September 14, 1837. 63. No member shall speak more than once to the same question without leave of the House-April 7, 1789—unless he be the mover, proposer, or introducer of the matter pending; in which case he shall be permitted to speak in reply, but not until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken.-January 14, 1840. 64. If a question depending be lost by adjournment of the House, and revived on the succeeding day, no member who shall have spoken on the preceding day shall be permitted again to speak without leave.April 7, 1789. 65. While the Speaker is putting any question, or addressing the House, none shall walk out of or across the House; nor in such case, or when a member is speaking, shall entertain private discourses; nor, while a member is speaking, shall pass between him and the ChairApril 7, 1789. Every member shall remain uncovered during the session of the House.-September 14, 1837. No member or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while the ayes and noes are calling or ballots are counting.-September 14, 1837. 66. All questions relating to the priority of business to be acted on shall be decided without debate.-February 21, 1803. OF COMMITTEES. 67. All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise specially directed by the House, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; and if upon such ballot the number required shall not be elected by a majority of the votes given, the House shall proceed to a second ballot, in which a plurality of votes shall prevail; and in case a greater number than is required to compose or complete a committee shall have an equal number of votes, the House shall proceed to a further ballot or ballots.-January 13, 1790. 68. The first named member of any committee shall be the chairman; and in his absence, or being excused by the House, the next named member, and so on, as often as the case shall happen, unless the committee, by a majority of their number, elect a chairman.-December 28, 1805. 69. Any member may excuse himself from serving on any committee at the time of his appointment, if he is then a member of two other committees.-April 13, 1789. 70. It shall be the duty of a committee to meet on the call of any two of its members, if the chairman be absent, or decline to appoint such meeting.-December 20, 1805. 71. The several standing committees of the House shall have leave to report by bill or otherwise.-March 13, 1822. 72. No committee shall sit during the sitting of the House without special leave.-November 13, 1794. 73. No committee shall be permitted to employ a clerk at the public expense without first obtaining leave of the House for that purpose.— December 14, 1838. 74. Thirty-four standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each Congress, viz: A Committee of Elections.-November 13, 1789. A Committee of Ways and Means.-January 7, 1802. A Committee on Appropriations.-March 2, 1865. A Committee on Banking and Currency.-March 2, 1865. A Committee on the Pacific Railroad.—March 2, 1865. A Committee of Claims.-November 13, 1794. A Committee on Commerce.—December 14, 1795. A Committee on the Public Lands.--December 17, 1805. A Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.-November 9, 1808. A Committee for the District of Columbia.-January 27, 1808. A Committee on the Judiciary.-June 3, 1813. A Committee on Revolutionary Claims.―December 22, 1813. A Committee on Public Expenditures.-February 26, 1814. A Committee on Private Land Claims.-April 29, 1816. A Committee on Manufactures.—December 8, 1819. To consist of nine members each. |