Thursday, July 25, 2002

6:05 P.M.

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The Committee granted, by voice vote, a structured rule providing 90 minutes of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Select Committee on Homeland Security now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against the bill, as amended.

The rule provides that no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution and amendments en bloc described in section 3 of the resolution. The rule provides that each amendment printed in the report may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole, except as specified in section 4 of the resolution.

The rule waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report or amendments en bloc described in section 3 of the resolution. The rule provides that it shall be in order at any time for the chairman of the Select Committee on Homeland Security or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments printed in the report not earlier disposed of or germane modifications of any such amendment.

The rule provides that amendments en bloc offered pursuant to the rule shall be considered as read (except that modifications shall be reported), shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security or their designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. The rule provides that for the purpose of inclusion in such amendments en bloc, an amendment printed in the form of a motion to strike may be modified to the form of a germane perfecting amendment to the text originally proposed to be stricken. The rule provides that the original proponent of an amendment included in such amendments en bloc may insert a statement in the Congressional Record immediately before the disposition of the amendments en bloc.

The rule provides that the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may recognize for consideration of any amendment printed in the report out of the order printed, but not sooner than one hour after the chairman of the Select Committee on Homeland Security or his designee announces from the floor a request to that effect. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.