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109th Congress, 2nd Session
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November 14, 2006 |
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| Home > Legislative Activities > The Legislative Process > Rules > Rule XVI |
RULE XVI: MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS
Motions
1. Every motion entertained by the Speaker shall be reduced to writing on
the demand of a Member, Delegate, or
Resident Commissioner and, unless it
is withdrawn the same day, shall be entered
on the Journal with the name of
the Member, Delegate, or Resident
Commissioner offering it. A dilatory
motion may not be entertained by the
Speaker.
Withdrawal
2. When a motion is entertained, the
Speaker shall state it or cause it to be
read aloud by the Clerk before it is debated.
The motion then shall be in the
possession of the House but may be
withdrawn at any time before a decision
or amendment thereon.
Question of consideration
3. When a motion or proposition is entertained, the question, ‘‘Will the House now consider it?’’ may not be put unless demanded by a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner.
Precedence of motions
4. (a) When a question is under debate,
only the following motions may
be entertained (which shall have precedence
in the following order):
(1) To adjourn.
(2) To lay on the table.
(3) For the previous question.
(4) To postpone to a day certain.
(5) To refer.
(6) To amend.
(7) To postpone indefinitely.
(b) A motion to adjourn, to lay on
the table, or for the previous question
shall be decided without debate. A motion
to postpone to a day certain, to
refer, or to postpone indefinitely, being
decided, may not be allowed again on
the same day at the same stage of the
question.
(c)(1) It shall be in order at any time
for the Speaker, in his discretion, to
entertain a motion— (A) that the Speaker be authorized
to declare a recess; or (B) that when the House adjourns it stand adjourned to a day and time certain.
(2) Either motion shall be of equal privilege with the motion to adjourn and shall be decided without debate.
Divisibility
5. (a) Except as provided in paragraph
(b), a question shall be divided on the
demand of a Member, Delegate, or
Resident Commissioner before the
question is put if it includes propositions
so distinct in substance that,
one being taken away, a substantive
proposition remains.
(b)(1) A motion or resolution to elect
members to a standing committee of
the House, or to a joint standing committee,
is not divisible.
(2) A resolution or order reported by
the Committee on Rules providing a
special order of business is not divisible.
(c) A motion to strike and insert is
not divisible, but rejection of a motion
to strike does not preclude another motion
to amend.
Amendments
6. When an amendable proposition is
under consideration, a motion to
amend and a motion to amend that
amendment shall be in order, and it
also shall be in order to offer a further
amendment by way of substitute for
the original motion to amend, to which
one amendment may be offered but
which may not be voted on until the
original amendment is perfected. An
amendment may be withdrawn in the
House at any time before a decision or
amendment thereon. An amendment to
the title of a bill or resolution shall
not be in order until after its passage
or adoption and shall be decided without
debate.
Germaneness
7. No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment.
Readings
8. Bills and joint resolutions are subject
to readings as follows:
(a) A first reading is in full when the bill or joint resolution is first considered.
(b) A second reading occurs only when the bill or joint resolution is read for amendment in a Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union under clause 5 of rule XVIII.
(c) A third reading precedes passage when the Speaker states the question: ‘‘Shall the bill [or joint resolution] be engrossed [when applicable] and read a third time?’’ If that question is decided in the affirmative, then the bill or joint resolution shall be read the final time by title and then the question shall be put on its passage.
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