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of the time for the regular daily meeting of the House.Ibid., pp. 803, 811. And an adjournment does not necessarily take place at 12 o'clock a. m. on Sunday, nor is it against order for a majority to continue in session after the said hour, it being a question which must be left to be decided by the judgment and discretion of the House itself. Journal, 1, 24, pp. 577, 582.

For the House to shall adjourn.

determine when it

adjourn of itself more than three days.

"Neither house during the session of Congress shall, House cannot without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than for three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.-Const., 1, 5, 9.

For more than

three days does

sion.

Where the two houses adjourn for more than three days, and not to, or beyond, the period fixed by the Con- not terminate sesstitution or law for the next regular session, the session is not thereby terminated, but continues until an adjournment without day, or until the next regular session.See Journals, 1, 39, pp. 107, 108; 2, 39, p. 106; 1, 40, pp. 157, 158, 184. And it is competent by concurrent reso- Session may be lution to provide for an adjournment to a particular day, by failure of a and if upon that day a quorum is not present in each house, that the session shall terminate.-Journal, 1, 40, pp. 157, 158, 184.

made to terminate

quorum in either house.

"In case of disagreement between them (the two When President may adjourn two houses) with respect to the time of adjournment, the houses. President may adjourn the two houses to such time as he may think proper.”—Const., 2, 3, 18.

ADJOURNMENT, SINE DIE.

tion for.

The adjournment of a session (other than that which Form of resoluterminates with the expiration of the term of service of the members) is provided for by the joint vote of the two houses, and usually in the following form: "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives, That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives be authorized to close the present session by adjourning their respective houses on theday of at- o'clock-m." And such resolutions motion. are held to be privileged.

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And upon the arrival of the day and hour thus fixed, or the hour of 12 o'clock m. of the 4th of March of each

A privileged

When takes

place.

8

AGENTS FOR CLAIMS—AGRICULTURE, COM. ON—AMENDMENT.

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When in order to a bill.

Not cut off by previous question.

An amendment to, only in order.

alternate year, when, by the usage, the last session of a Congress terminates, the Speaker (either on or without motion) pronounces the House adjourned sine die.-Journals, 1, 28, p. 1362; 1, 33, p. 1345; 1,35, p.1148; 2, 32, p. 431; 3, 34, p. 691; 2, 35, p. 625.

AGENTS FOR CLAIMS.

(See CLAIM AGENTS.)

AGRICULTURE, COMMITTEE ON.

There shall be appointed at the commencement of each Congress a Committee on Agriculture, to consist of eleven members.-Rule 74.

[No duties are assigned to the Committee on Agriculture by the rules.]

AMENDMENT.

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 several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged.-Rule 42.

A motion to strike out the enacting words of a bill takes precedence of a motion to amend.-Rule 123.(See ENACTING WORDS, MOTION TO STRIKE OUT.)

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A bill cannot be amended on the first reading.-Manual, p. 87. [Indeed, it has become the settled practice of the House not to receive an amendment to a House bill except when the question is on its engrossment, and to a Senate bill except when the question is on ordering it to a third reading.]

If the motion to amend is pending when a demand for the previous question is made, it is not cut off by the order of the previous question.-Rule 132.

An amendment may be moved to an amendment, but it is not admitted in another degree.-Manual, p. 104. [But it is a well-settled practice of the House that But there may there may be pending, at the same time with such amendment (in nature of ment to the amendment, an amendment in the nature of substitute) and

be also an amend.

amendment to it. a substitute for part or the whole of the original text,

and an amendment to that amendment.-(See Journal, 1, 31, pp. 1074, 1075.) It was decided many years ago that if the motion to amend the original matter was first submitted, it was not then in order to submit an amendment in the nature of a substitute-Journal, 1, 19, p. 794; but it was subsequently decided otherwise-Journal, 1, 28, p. 807-and the practice ever since has been in accordance with the latter decision. So, now, notwithstanding the pendency of a motion to amend an amendment to the original matter, a motion to amend, in the nature of a substitute, and a motion to amend that amendment, may be received, but cannot be voted upon until the original matter is perfected.]

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Amendment of Senate's amend

posed to be in

serted may be first

amended.

But not afterwards, except by adding to.

An amendment of the House to a Senate amendment is only in the first degree; for, as to the Senate, the first ment. amendment with which they passed the bill is a part of its text; it is the only text they have agreed to.—Manual, p. 127. (See AMENDMENTS BETWEEN THE HOUSES.) "When it is proposed to amend by inserting a para- Paragraph prograph, or part of one, the friends of the paragraph may make it as perfect as they can, by amendments, before the question is put for inserting it.. If it be received, it cannot be amended afterward in the same stage, because the House has, on a vote, agreed to it in that form."Manual, p. 108. But an amendment which has been inserted may be added to.-Journal, 1, 19, p. 794. Although it is not in order to strike out by itself what or striking out has been inserted, it may be moved to strike out a portion of the original paragraph, comprehending what has been inserted, provided the coherence to be struck out be so substantial as to make this effectively a different proposition.-Manual, p. 110. If it is proposed to amend by striking out a paragraph, Paragraph prothe friends of the paragraph are first to make it as perfect as they can, by amendments, before the question is put for striking it out.-Manual, p. 109. to the parliamentary practice) if on the retained, neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert shall be precluded thereby, and a motion to

But (contrary question it be

part of original

paragraph includ

ing it.

posed to be struck

out may be first

amended.

Motion to strike

out failing.

To strike out strike out and insert is indivisible.-Rule 46.—(See

and insert indivisible.

No withdrawal after.

No modification

of, after previous

STRIKE OUT, MOTION TO.)

After a proposition is amended it cannot be withdrawn. -Rule 40. [Nor after the previous question is seconded.] It may, however, be withdrawn while the House is dividing on a demand for the previous question.-Journal, 2, 29, p. 241.

A motion to amend cannot be modified after the prequestion seconded. vious question is seconded-Journal, 1, 28, p. 811—[doubtless for the reason that the pendency of the particular amendment may be the inducement for seconding the previous question.]

Member yielding for, loses floor.

eral provision of

bill not in order.

If a member yields the floor to another to offer an amendment, as he may do, the member yielding loses his right to reoccupy it.-Journal, 1, 26, p. 248.

Proposing a gen- An amendment proposing to ingraft a general provislaw to a private ion of law upon a private bill is against order.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 784. It is also out of order to ingraft upon a bill for the relief of one individual a provision for the relief of another.-Journal, 2, 32, p. 414.

Must be mane, and

ger

not

Мау substance of pend

ing bill.

No motion or proposition on a subject different from incorporate any that under consideration shall be admitted under color other pending bill. of amendment. And 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.-Rule 48. The latter clause of the 48th rule, as contain originally reported to the House, contained at the end of it, "nor by any proposition containing the substance, in whole or in part, of any other bill or resolution pending before the House." These words were stricken out by the House before it would agree to the rule, by which it would seem to have been decided that an amendment containing the substance of another bill or resolution may be entertained.-Note to Rule 48. [Such, too, has been the practice ever since.] It has been decided that an amendment including the same provisions, to a very great extent, as other bills pending before the House, is in order.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1333.

Where incon- If an amendment be proposed inconsistent with one already agreed to, it is a fit ground for its rejection by

sistent not out of order.

the House, but not within the competence of the Speaker to suppress as if it were against order.-Manual, p. 108. On an amendment being moved, a member who has spoken to the main question may speak again to the amendment.-Manual, p. 108.

new

Presents question, and а member who has

spoken to main
question may
speak again.
To bills grant-
ing lands for rail-

A bill granting lands to a State for railroad purposes may be amended by adding thereto a similar provision roads. for other States.-Journal, 1, 32, pp. 427, 967.

A resolution of the House cannot be amended so as to Of resolutions. be converted into a Joint Resolution.-Journal, 1, 32, p.

679.

No amendment by way of rider shall be received to By way of rider any bill on its third reading.-Rule 126.

to bill on third reading.

An amendment to the rules cannot be proposed with- To the rules. out one day's notice-Rule 145-nor, without a similar notice, is it in order to offer an amendment, the effect of which is to change a standing rule.-Journal, 1, 17, p. 282. And it is virtually an amendment of the rules to impose other duties upon an officer of the House than those already prescribed.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 456.

From Committee of the Whole

visible.

An amendment reported from the Committee of the Whole as an entire amendment is not divisible.-Jour- or Senate not dinals, 1, 28, p. 1061; 1, 29, pp. 366, 642; 1, 30, p. 1059 ; 2, 30, p. 574. Nor is an amendment of the Senate divisible.-Journal, 2, 32, p. 401.

report from Com

Where, in Com

mittee of the

After a bill has been reported from the Committee of Additional, after the Whole with amendments, it is in order to submit an mittee of Whole. additional amendment, but the first question put is upon the amendments reported.-Journal, 1, 29, p. 865. If, in Committee of the Whole, an amendment is adopted, and subsequently the paragraph as amended is struck out, Whole, paragraph the amendment striking out is the only one to be re- struck out. ported to the House. And if the latter is voted down in the House, the first amendment is not thereby revived.-Journal, 2, 31, p. 346.

amended and then

propriation bills.

No appropriations shall be reported in a general appro. To general appriation bill, or be in order as an amendment thereto, for any expenditure not previously authorized by law, unless in continuation of appropriations for such public works and objects as are already in progress, nor shall any pro

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