ADJOURNMENT, SINE DIE-AGENTS FOR CLAIMS. 7 three days does not Where the two houses adjourn for more than three days, For more than and not to, or beyond, the period fixed by the Constitution or terminate session. 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 resolution to provide for an adjournment by failure of a to a particular day, and if upon that day a quorum is not house. present in each house, that the session shall terminate.—Journal, 1, 40, pp. 157, 158, 184. Session may be made to terminate quorum in either may adjourn two houses. "In case of disagreement between them (the two houses,) When President with respect to the time of adjournment, the President may adjourn the two houses to such time as he may think proper." -Const., 2, 3, 18. ADJOURNMENT, SINE DIE. The adjournment of a session (other than that which terminates 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 the day of upon Form of resolu tion for. at - o'clock - m." And A privileged mo tion. place. such resolutions are held to be privileged. AGENTS FOR CLAIMS. (See CLAIM AGENTS.) AGRICULTURE, COMMITTEE ON. takes and its number. There shall be appointed at the commencement of each Con- When appointed, gress a Committee on Agriculture, to consist of nine members.-Rule 74. No duties are assigned to the Committee on Agriculture by Duties of the rules.] Precedence motion to amend. out of Motion to strike words. enacting 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.) When in order to A bill cannot be amended on the first reading.—Manual, p. a bill. Not cut off by previous question, An amendment to only in order. 83. [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. 100. [But it is the well-settled practice of the House that there may be pend ing at the same time with such amendment to the amendment, But there may an amendment in the nature of a substitute for part or the ment (in nature of whole of the original text, and an amendment to that amendamendment to it. ment.-(See Journal, 1, 31, pp. 1074, 1075.) It was decided be also an amend substitute) and 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.] Amendment of An amendment of the House to a Senate amendment is only in the first degree; for, as to the Senate, the first amendment with which they passed the bill is a part of its text; it is the only text they have agreed to.-Manual, p. 123.-(See AMENDMENTS BETWEEN THE HOUSES.) Senate's amendment. Paragraph pro- "When it is proposed to amend by inserting a paragraph, posed to be in serted may be first or part of one, the friends of the paragraph may make it as amended. perfect as they can, by amendments, before the question is put for inserting it. If it be received, it cannot be amended But not afterwards, except by part of original ing it. Although it is not in order to strike out by itself what has Or striking out been inserted, it may be moved to strike out a portion of the paragraph includoriginal 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. 106. posed to be struck out may be first amended. If it is proposed to amend by striking out a paragraph, the Paragraph profriends 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. 105. But (contrary to the parliamentary practice,) if on the question it be retained, neither amendment Motion to strike nor a motion to strike out and insert shall be precluded thereby, and a motion to strike out and insert is indivisible.-Rule To strike out 46. (See STRIKE OUT, MOTION TO.) out failing. and insert indivisi ble. after. After a proposition is amended it cannot be withdrawn.- No withdrawal 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. of, after previous A motion to amend cannot be modified after the previous No modification question is seconded-Journal, 1, 28, p. 811-[doubtless for seconded. the reason that the pendency of the particular amendment may be the inducement for seconding the previous question.] ing for, loses floor. If a member yields the floor to another to offer an amend- Member yieldment, as he may do, the member yielding loses his right to reoccupy it.-Journal, 1, 26, p. 248. An amendment proposing to engraft a general provision of law upon a private bill is against order.—Journal, 1, 31, 784. It is also out of order to engraft upon a bill for the relief of one individual a provision for the relief of another.— Journal, 2, 32, p. 414. Proposing a gen eral provision of law to a private bill not in order. Must be germane and not in er pending bill. No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amend- corporate any othment. 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 originally reported to the House, May contain subcontained at the end of it, "nor by any proposition containing bill. stance of pending Where inconsistent not out of order. Presents new question, and a the substance, in whole or in part, of any other bill or resolu tion 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 praetice 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. If an amendment be proposed inconsistent with one already agreed to, it is a fit ground for its rejection by the House, but not within the competence of the Speaker to suppress as if it were against order.-Manual, p. 104. On an amendment being moved, a member who has spoken member who has to the main question may speak again to the amendment.— spoken to main question may Manual, p. 104. speak again. To bills granting lands for railroads. Of resolutions. By way of rider to bill on third reading. To the rules. From Commit tee of the Whole visible. A bill granting lands to a State for railroad purposes may be amended by adding thereto a similar provision for other States. Journal, 1, 32, pp. 427, 967. A resolution of the House cannot be amended so as to be converted into a Joint Resolution.-Journal, 1, 32, p. 679. No amendment by way of rider shall be received to any bill on its third reading.-Rule 126. An amendment to the rules cannot be proposed without 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. An amendment reported from the Committee of the Whole or Senate not di- as an entire amendment is not divisible.-Journals, 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, 32, 2, P. 401. Additional, after report from Com After a bill has been reported from the Committee of the mittee of Whole. Whole with amendments, it is in order to submit an additional amendment, but the first question put is upon the amendments Where, in Com- reported.—Journal, 1, 29, p. 865. If, in Committee of the paragraph amend Whole, an amendment is adopted, and subsequently the paragraph as amended is struck out, the amendment striking out is Imittee of Whole, ed and then struck out. the only one to be reported 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. propriation bills. No appropriation shall be reported in a general appropria- To general ap. tion 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, and for the contingencies for carrying on the several departments of the government.-Rule 120. [This rule, so far as relates to amendments offered, is usually enforced with much strictness, but an instance is not known where the Committee of the Whole has ever ruled out any portion of a bill as reported from the Committee of Ways and Means, although containing provisions in violation of said rule.] (See APPROPRIATION BILLS.) Debate may be closed on, with ther. "The House may at any time, on motion seconded by a majority of the members present, close all debate upon a pend-out precluding furing amendment, or an amendment thereto, and cause the question to be put thereon; and this shall not preclude any further amendment or debate upon the bill."-Rule 132. AMENDMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO HOUSES. Regular progres. sion from disagree. When either house, e. g., the House of Representatives, send a bill to the other, the other may pass it with amendments. ment to adherence. The regular progression in this case is that the House disagree to the amendment; the Senate insist on it; the House insist on their disagreement; the Senate adhere to their amendment; the House adhere to their disagreement.-(See Manual, pp. 121, 122.) 66 After each house shall have adhered to their disagreement, a bill or resolution shall be lost."-Joint Rule 15. Effect of adhe. rence by beth houses. recede. Motion to recede takes precedence Either house may recede from its amendment and agree to Either house may the bill; or recede from their disagreement to the amendment, and agree to the same absolutely, or with an amendment."— Manual, p. 122. And a motion to recede takes precedence of a motion to insist.-Journals, 1, 23, p. 229; 1, 29, p. 696. But the House cannot recede from or insist on its own amendment with an amendment. * * * They may modify an on its amendment amendment from the other house by engrafting an amendment but may amend on it."-Manual, p. 122. 66 of motion to insist. House cannot re cede from or insist with amendment, other house's "A motion to amend an amendment from the other house Motion to amend an amendment of takes precedence of a motion to agree or disagree. A bill other house. |