close of a session, for the Speaker to take the chair and receive a report of bills examined, and having signed the same and the Clerk having read their titles, the committee resumes its session without formal motion.] ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATIONS. And hereafter all estimates of appropriations and estimates of deficiencies in appropriations intended for the consideration and seeking the action of any of the committees of Congress shall be transmitted to Congress through the Secretary of the Treasury and in no other manner; and the said Secretary shall first cause the same to be properly classified, compiled, indexed, and printed, under the supervision of the chief of the division of warrants, estimates, and appropriations of his Department.Sess. Laws, 1, 48, p. 254, act of July 7, 1884. [See also RULE XLII.] EXCUSED. Clause 1, of RULE VIII, requires that "every member shall be present within the hall of the House during its sittings unless excused or necessarily prevented." The rules do not (and never did) prescribe the time when a request to "excuse" a member shall be made under this rule, but under the long-established practice these requests are addressed to the Speaker, and by him usually laid before the House immediately after the approval of the Journal or just prior to a roll-call or adjournment for the day. EXCUSES. Clause 2, of RULE XV, provides that after the doors are closed (during a call of the House) excuses shall be then heard for absent members. These excuses are made when the list of absentees is called over and before the adoption of the usual resolution for the arrest of those absent without leave. (See Call of the House.) There is an instance, however, when the House adopted such a resolution before hearing excuses for absentees. (See Cong. Globe, proceedings May 24, 1872, 2nd session 42d Cong., p. 3850. See also Journal, pp. 961–964. EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS. (See RULE XLII, also ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATIONS. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. Resolutions of inquiry directed to the heads of.-RULE XXIV, clause 1. List of reports called for to be made out by Clerk.-RULE III, clause 2. Messages and other executive communications are the busi ness first in order whenever the House proceeds to the consideration of the business on the Speaker's table.-RULE XXIV, clause 5. [It is the practice, however, of the Speaker, with the unanimous consent of the House (which is rarely refused), to lay such communications as shall not give rise to debate before the House immediately after the approval of the Journal or expiration of the morning hour, in order that they may be printed and referred.] EXCUSED FROM SERVING ON COMMITTEE. (See COMMITTEE.) EXCUSED FROM VOTING. (See VOTING.) EXPENDITURES, COMMITTEES ON. EXPENDITURES IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT, EXPENDITURES IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, EXPENDITURES IN THE WAR DEPARTMENT, EXPENDITURES IN THE NAVY DEPARTMENT, EXPENDITURES IN THE POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT, EXPENDITURES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, AND EXPENDITURES ON THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS. (See RULE XI, clauses 35 to 43.) These committees, with the exception of those on the Interior Department and Department of Justice, were created on the 30th of March, 1816. The two committees named were created, respectively, March 16, 1860, and January 16, 1874. EXPUNGE, MOTION TO. (See RESCIND.) FEES. Section 53 of the Revised Statutes provides that, in addition to his regular salary, the Sergeant-at-Arms shall receive, directly or indirectly, no fees, other compensation or emolument whatever, for performing the duties of his office, or in connec tion therewith. Of witness.-RULE XXXVII. But from the District of Columbia they shall not be allowed exceeding two dollars for each day's attendance.-Sess. Laws, 1, 44, p. 41. The Clerk shall certify extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives, and for such copies shall receive the sum of ten cents for each sheet containing one hundred words.— R. S., sec. 71. FILES. (See RULES XXXVIII and XXXIX.) [It is not necessary that leave should be asked of the House to take from the files any paper or document for reference to a committee. The file clerk will, on the verbal or written request of a member, take from the files and refer to the proper committee any papers or documents on the files of the House, and such reference will appear in the Journal and Record as though actually placed in the petition box at the Clerk's desk.] 366 FIVE MINUTES' DABATE-FLOOR, PRIVILEGES OF. FIVE MINUTES' DEBATE. House may at any time close debate in Committee of the Whole-RULE XXIII, clause 6—but the bill must have been first considered in Committee of the Whole; and this rule applies to messages, etc., as well as bills.-Journal, 1, 32, pp. 146, 147. Allowed on amendments, and on amendments to amendments, may be closed on an amendment or paragraph.-Ibid. Where a bill or resolution is under consideration "in the House as in Committee of the Whole" under what is known as the "five-minute rule," motions to lay on the table, for the previous question, to reconsider, to postpone, etc., are in order, as is also the demand for the yeas and nays. In other words, such an order merely takes the bill out of the Committee of the Whole and limits debate thereon to five-minute speeches. (See COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE.) FLOOR, PRIVILEGE OF ADMISSION TO. (See RULE XXXIV.) The first rule for the admission within the hall of other than members was adopted on the 7th of January, 1802, and was confined to "Senators, officers of the General and State Governments, foreign ministers, and such persons as members might introduce." On the 11th January, 1802, an attempt was made to amend so as to exclude persons "introduced by members," which failed. On the 8th of November, 1804, a proposition was made to confine the pivilege to Senators, which also failed. On the 17th December, 1805, officers of State governments were excluded. On the 1st February, 1808, a proposition was made to admit ex-members of Congress and the judges of the Supreme court. After a good deal of debate it was rejected. On the 11th February, 1809, the rule was enlarged so as to admit judicial officers of the United States, as also ex-members of Congress. On the 25th February, 1814, those who had been heads of Departments were admitted. On the 10th February, 1815, officers who had received the thanks of Congress were included; on the 12th January, 1816, the Navy commissioners; on the 21st February, 1816, governors of States and Territories; March 13, 1822, the President's secretary. On the 26th January, 1833, the rule was further enlarged by admitting "such persons as the Speaker or a member might introduce," and on the 10th December, 1883, the House, by a vote almost unanimous, rescinded that amendment. On the 23d of December, 187, soon after removing into the new hall in the south wing of the Capitol extension, the privilege of admission was restricted to "members of the Senate, their secretary, heads of Departments, President's private secretary, the governor for the time being of any State, and judges of the Supreme Court of the United States." On the 19th of March, 1860, it was adopted in its present form, excepting the last clause, a proposition to admit ex-members having been rejected. The last clause, adopted March 2, 1865, was intended to prevent persons not entitled to the privilege of the hall from occupying the cloak and other adjoining rooms. January 29, 1878, the House adopted the following resolution, by yeas 155, to nays 92, viz: Resolved, That the rule in regard to the admission of persons to the privi leges of the floor be enforced, and the Speaker is requested to discontinue the practice of issuing passes, which has been indulged in by common consent." See Journal, first session Forty-fifth Congress, pp. 316, 317. In the revision of the rules in the second session Forty-sixth Congress, the words "contestants in election cases during the pendency of their cases in the House" were added, so as to authorize the then existing practice, and in the first session of the Forty-eighth Congress the word "Congress" was stricken out and the words "House of Representatives" inserted, so as to restrict the privilege of the floor to "ex-members of the House of Representatives." The mere allegation that RULE XXXIV had been violated would not warrant or justify the Chair in excluding the person named from the floor.-Journal 1, 48, p. 1298. [The Doorkeeper is required by RULE V, clause 1, to execute strictly the aforesaid rule.] A resolution relating in any way to the privileges of the floor is a "privileged question."-Journal, 1, 49, p. 781. |