When takes place. When appoint. ed, and its number. Duties of. Precedence of motion to amend. Motion to strike out enacting words. When in order to a bill. Not cut off by previous question. An amendment to, only in order. 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 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 Agricul ture 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.) 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 the well-settled practice of the House that of substitute) and there may be pending, at the same time with such amend-, But there may be also an amend ment to the amendment, an amendment in the nature of ment (in nature a substitute for part or the whole of the original text, amendment to it. 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.] An amendment of the House to a Senate amendment Amendment of Senate's amendis 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.) posed to be in. "When it is proposed to amend by inserting a para- Paragraph prograph, or part of one, the friends of the paragraph may serted may be make it as perfect as they can, by amendments, before first amended. the question is put for inserting it. If it be received, it cannot be amended afterwards 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. But not afterwards, except by adding to. part of original paragraph in Although it is not in order to strike out by itself what or striking ont 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, the 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. But (contrary to the parliamentary practice) if on the question it be Paragraph pro posed to be struck amended. out may be first out failing. Motion to strike retained, neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert shall be precluded thereby, and a motion to To strike out strike out and insert is indivisible.-Rule 46.—(See STRIKE OUT, MOTION TO.) and insert indivisible. No withdrawal after. No tion of, after pre vious seconded. 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. modifica- A motion to amend cannot be modified after the prequestion 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 yield ing 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 germane, and not in other bill. substance pending bill. of No motion or proposition on a subject different from corporate any that under consideration shall be admitted under color pending 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 May 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. sistent not out of If an amendment be proposed inconsistent with one Where incon already agreed to, it is a fit ground for its rejection by 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 member who has amendment.-Manual, p. 108. Presents new question, and a spoken to main question may speak again. ing lands for rail A bill granting lands to a State for railroad purposes. To bills grant 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 any By way of rider 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 Commit tee of the Whole visible. An amendment reported from the Committee of the Whole as an entire amendment is not divisible.-Jour- or Senate not di nals, 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 Committee 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, graph amended the amendment striking out is the only one to be re- and then struck 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. out. para To general ap. No appropriations shall be reported in a general appro- propriation bills. priation 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 where the bill was committed without any reservation of points of order.] (See APPROPRIATION BILLS.) "The House may at any time, on motion seconded by a majority of the members present, close all debate upon a pending amendment, or an amendment thereto, and cause the question to be put thereon; and this shall not closed on. With preclude any further amendment or debate upon the bill.” ont precluding Rule 132. Debate may be further. AMENDMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO HOUSES. When either house, e. g., the House of Representatives send a bill to the other, the other may pass it with amendments. 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 Regular progres- adhere to their amendment; the House adhere to their greement to ad-disagreement.-(See Manual, pp. 125, 126.) sion from disa herence. Effect of adhe. "After each house shall have adhered to their disagreement, a bill or resolution shall be lost."-Joint Rule 15. rence by both houses. Either house may recede. Motion to recede of motion to insist. House cannot recede from ог insist on its "Either house may recede from its amendment and agree to the bill; or recede from their disagreement to the amendment, and agree to the same absolutely, or takes precedence with an amendment.”—Manual, p. 126. 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 amendment with from or insist on its own amendment with an amendment. They may modify an amendment from the other house by ingrafting an amendment on it."-Manual, p. 126. "A motion to amend an amendment from the other house takes precedence of a motion to agree or disagree. amendment, but |