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and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, except a motion to adjourn— May 6, 1828-and shall not be withdrawn after the said succeeding day without the consent of the House; and thereafter any member may call it up for consideration.-March 2, 1848. 50.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. On the call for reports from committees on each alternate Monday, which shall commence as soon as the journal is read, all bills reported during the first hour after the journal is read shall be committed, without debate, to the Committee of the Whole, and, together with their accompanying reports, printed; and if during the hour all the committees are not called, then, on the next alternate Monday, the Speaker shall commence where such call was suspended: Provided, That no bill reported under the call on alternate Mondays, and committed, shall be again brought before the House by a motion to reconsider.-March 16, 1860. 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 ad dress himself to "Mr. Speaker"—April 7, 1789-and shall confine himself to the question under debate, 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 discourse; nor while a member is speaking, shall pass between him and the Chair.— April 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 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. Twenty-seven standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each Congress, viz: A Commmittee of Elections,-November 13, 1789. A Committee of Ways and Means.-Junuary 7, 1802. A Committee of Claims.-November 13, 1794. A Committee on Commerce.-December 14, 1795. A Committee on 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. To consist of nine members each. A Committee on Public Expenditures.-February 26, 1814. A Committee on Indian Affairs.-De ember 18, 1821. A Committee on Revolutionary Pensions.-December 9, 1825. A Committee on Roads and Canals -December 15, 1831. -September 15, 1837. A Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds To consist of nine members each. To consist of five members each. 75. It shall be the duty of the Committee of Elections to examine and report upon the certificates of election, or other credentials, of the members returned to serve in this House; and to take into their consideration all such petitions and other matters touching elections and returns as shall or may be presented or come into question, and be referred to them by the House.-November 13, 1789; November 13, 1794. 76. It shall be the duty of the Committee of Ways and Means to take into consideration all such reports of the Treasury Department, and all such propositions relative to the revenue as may be referred to them by the House; to inquire into the state of the public debt or the revenue, and of the expenditure; and to report from time to time their opinion thereon.-January 7, 1802. In preparing bills of appropriations for other objects, the Committee of Ways and Means shall not include appropriations for carrying into effect treaties made by the United States; and where an appropriation bill shall be referred to them for their consideration, which contains appropriations for carrying a treaty into effect, and for other objects, they shall propose such amendments as shall prevent appropriations for carrying a treaty into effect being included in the same bill with appropriations for other objects.―January 30, 1819. 77. It shall also be the duty of the Committee of Ways and Means, within thirty days after their appointment, at every session of Congress, commencing on the first Monday of December, to report the general appropriation bills-September 14, 1837-for legislative, executive, and judicial expenses; for sundry civil expenses; for consular and diplomatic expenses; for the army; for the navy; for the expenses of the Indian department; for the payment of invalid and other pensions; for the support of the Military Academy; for fortifications; for the service of the Post Office Department, and for mail transportation by ocean steamers; or, in failure thereof, the reasons of such failure. And said committee shall have leave to report said bills (for reference only) at any time.- March 19, 1860. 78. It shall be the duty of the Committee of Claims to take into consideration all such petitions and matters or things touching claims and demands on the United States as shall be presented, or shall or |