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be treated as sec

question on, for

ments.

[In the consideration of general appropriation bills the Clauses of, to clauses are invariably treated as sections in other bills.] tions. "Upon the engrossment of any bill making appropria- Division of the tions of money for works of internal improvement of any internal improvekind or description, it shall be in the power of any mem. ber to call for a division of the question, so as to take a separate vote of the House upon each item of improve. ment or appropriation contained in said bill, or upon such items separately, and others collectively, as the members making the call may specify; and if one-fifth of the members present second said call, it shall be the duty of the Speaker to make such divisions of the question, and put them to vote accordingly."-Rule 121.

APPROPRIATIONS, COMMITTEE ON.

This committee, to consist of nine members, is directedIts number, and when appointed. to be appointed at the commencement of each Congress.Rule 74. Its duty shall be to take into consideration all Duties of. executive communications, and such other propositions in regard to carrying on the several departments of the government, as may be presented and referred to them by the House. In preparing bills of appropriations for other objects, the said committee shall not include appro priations 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. Rule 76.

It shall also be the duty of the said committee, within thirty days after their appointment, at every session of Congress commencing on the first Monday of December, to report the general appropriation bills 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

propriation bills to be stated.

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 Amount in ap- time. In all cases where appropriations cannot be made specific in amount, the maximum to be expended shall be stated, and each appropriation bill, when reported from the committee, shall in the concluding clause state the sum total of all the items contained in said bill.-Rule 77.

Reasons to be reported in writing.

In reporting the reasons, above referred to, the report must be in writing.-Congressional Globe, 1, 31, pp. 1207, 8.

When committees are to be ap pointed by.

Speaker

shall vote in cases of.

Νο person to visit Clerk's desk while counting.

AYES AND NOES.

(See YEAS AND NAYS.)

BALLOT.

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 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."-Rule 67. "In all other cases of ballot than for committees, a majority of the votes given shall be necessary to an election; and where there shall not be such a majority on the first ballot, the ballots shall be repeated until a majority be obtained; and in all ballottings blanks shall be rejected, and not taken into the count in enumeration of votes, or reported by the tellers."-Rule 12.

"In all cases of ballot by the House, the Speaker shall vote."-Rule 7.

"No member or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while ballots are counting.”—Rule 65. Vote of late [There has been no instance for many years where a vote by ballot has been taken in the House, the Speaker

years not taken by.

BANKING AND CURRENCY, COM. ON-BAR OF HOUSE-BILLS. 19 and other officers having been elected by viva voce votes, and the committees appointed by the Speaker.]

(See ELECTIONS and COMMITTEES.)

BANKING AND CURRENCY, COMMITTEE ON.

when appointed.

Its duty.

This committee, to consist of nine members, is directed Its number, and to be appointed at the commencement of each Congress. -Rule 74. Its duty shall be to take into consideration all propositions relative to banking and the currency as shall be presented or shall come in question and be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon by bill or otherwise.

BAR OF THE HOUSE.

6

members must be

"No member shall vote in any case where he was not In order to vote, within the bar of the House when the question was put. "within the bar." And when any member shall ask leave to vote, the Speaker shall propound to him the question: Were you within the bar before the last name on the roll was called?"—Rule 29. [And upon his answer in the affirmative, he is permitted to vote. He must, however, answer the question for himself, the Speaker always very properly refusing to decide for him whether or not he was within the bar.]

[At the 1st session 35th Congress, (see Journal, p. What is meant by "within the 337,) soon after the occupancy of the present hall, it bar." was decided that, in order to be entitled to vote, a member must have been upon the floor of the hall, and not outside of any of the doors leading into it.]

No vote of a member without

"Upon a division and count of the House on any question, no member without the bar shall be counted." the bar counted. -Rule 30.

BILLS.

(See also PRIVATE BILLS AND PRIVATE BUSINESS.)

Every bill shall be introduced on the report of a committee, or by motion for leave-Rule 115—or upon the report of the Court of Claims.-(Stat. at Large, Vol. X, pp. 613,614.)

"All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose

How bills are Introduced.

Revenue bills.

Bills on leave.

Bills on leave, when and how introduced.

appear in news

paper.

or concur with amendments, as on other bills." Const.. 1, 7, 10.

"In the case of a bill on leave, at least one day's notice shall be given of the motion in the House, or by filing a memorandum thereof with the Clerk, and having it entered on the Journal; and the motion shall be made and the bill introduced, if leave is given, when resolu tions are called for; such motion, or the bill when introduced, may be committed."-Rule 115.

"All the States and Territories shall be called for bills on leave and resolutions every Monday during each session of Congress; and, if necessary to secure the object on said days, all resolutions which shall give rise to debate shall lie over for discussion, under the rules of the House already established; and the whole of said days shall be appropriated to bills on leave and resolutions, until all the States and Territories are called through. And the Speaker shall first call the States and Territories for bills on leave; and all bills so introduced during the first hour after the Journal is read shall be referred, without debate, to their appropriate committees: Provided, however, That a bill so introduced and referred shall not be brought back into the House upon a motion to reconsider."-Ruir 130. (See MORNING HOUR ON MONDAYS.)

[The notice above referred to is rarely given in the House, (it being in order to give it there only when reso lutions are in order,) but is usually given to the Clerk by sending to him a written memorandum in this form: Form of notice. "Mr. gives notice that to-morrow, or on some subsequent day, he will ask leave to introduce a bill (here To have notice insert its title.)" If the member desires his notice to appear in the newspaper report of the proceedings of the House, he should furnish the reporter of such paper with a copy of the memorandum furnished the Clerk. Having given his notice, it is then in order, on any subsequent day, when bills on leave and resolutions are being called for, and when his particular State is called, to move for Objections to the leave to introduce his bill. The practice of introducing ducing bills bills on leave, it may be remarked, however, does not facilitate business. If, instead of waiting for an oppor tunity to introduce his bill on leave, the member would

When to move for leave.

practice of intro

leave.

on

file his petition, or whatever other matter he may have in favor of the proposed legislation, and have it referred to the appropriate committee, as he may do on any day, under Rule 131, (see PETITIONS,) he will thus have the subject before them, and will get a bill reported as speedily as if it had been originally referred. Besides, the bill thus reported comes before the House unencumbered with amendments, as is not likely to be the case with a bill previously referred. These suggestions, of course, do not apply to cases where the immediate passage of a bill, without the intervention of a committee, is sought for, or where it is desirable to refer it to a select committee.]

For information in regard to bills reported from a committee, see COMMITTEES.

Bills reported from committees.

reported

from Court Claims.

of

have three read

So in regard to bills reported from and to be referred Bills to the Court of Claims.-See CLAIMS, COURT OF. "Every bill shall receive three several readings in the Every bill shall House previous to its passage; and bills shall be des-ings. patched in order as they were introduced, unless where the House shall direct otherwise; but no bill shall be twice read on the same day without special order of the House."-Rule 116. [The "special order" here referred to is generally assumed to have been given, for, unless objection is made, immediately after the bill is read a first time, the Speaker announces "the second reading of the bill," and it thereupon receives its second reading.]

first reading.

The first reading of a bill shall be for information, and, Objection after if opposition be made to it, the question shall be: "Shall this bill be rejected?”—Rule 117. And this question is debatable.―Journal, 2, 32, p. 152. But "if no opposition be made, or if the question to reject be negatived, the bill shall go to its second reading without a question.”— Rule 117.

Second reading.

their title.

ber to have read

[The three readings of a bill are usually by the title, Usually read by the reading throughout usually taking place in Committee of the Whole; but where there is no commitment, it then takes place whenever it is proposed to put the bill Right of a memon its passage. It is the undoubted right, however, of throughout. any member to have a bill read throughout at every stage of its progress through the House.-See READING OF PAPERS.]

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