Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Committee of Accounts. Committee on Mileage. sumed where left off. Committee on Printing. Committee on Enrolled Bills. Committee on the Library of Congress. Committee on Expenditures in the State Department. ment. Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. ment. Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Depart ment. Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings. And when all the standing committees shall have been called, then it shall be the duty of the Speaker to call for reports from select committees. If the Speaker shall Call of to be re- not get through the call upon the committees before the House passes to other business, he shall resume the call where he left off, giving preference to the report last After occupying under consideration: Provided, That whenever any comtwo days, not to mittee 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. [But this proviso does not restrain the House from occupying the morning hour on more than two days in the consideration of a report.]—Rule 51. morning hours on report further. Call of committees for reports, how with. [The regular daily call for reports, as provided for by interfered this rule, is liable to be interfered with by "special or ders," "questions of privilege," and "privileged questions," also by the "call of States for bills on leave and resolutions," which, by Rule 130, is in order every Monday, and "motions to suspend the rules," which, by Rule 145, may be submitted every Monday, at the expiration of one hour after the Journal is read. So, too, by Rule 128, the call of committees is limited on Fridays and Saturdays to "business of a private nature."] What commit. tees report at any time. "It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills and the Committee on Printing to report at any time-Rules 100 and 101—and also for the Committee on Appropriations to report (for the purpose of reference) the general appropriation bills at any time"-Rule 77— and the Committee of Ways and Means have leave to report, for commitment, at any time.-Rule 151. Right to report carries right to "A committee having leave to report at all times may report in part at different times."-Journal, 1, 27, p. 104. The right to report at any time carries with it the right to consider the matter when reported.-Journal, 1, consider. 32, p. 195. And where authority is given to a committee to make a report at a particular time, the right follows to consider the report when made.-Journal, 1, 22, p. 1409. "The several standing committees of the House shall have leave to report by bill or otherwise."-Rule 71. It is not competent for a committee to report a bill where the subject-matter has not been referred to them by the House, by the rules, or otherwise.-Journal, 1, p. 590. 31, Have leave to report by bill or otherwise. Committee cansubject not referred by the rules, or otherwise. not report on a a ported with recommendation that it do not pass. A bill may be reported with a recommendation that it Bill may be redo not pass, if based upon a paper regularly referred.Journal, 1, 32, p. 785. "The report being made, the committee is dissolved, and can act no more without a new power. But it may be revived by a vote, and the same matter recommitted to them."-Manual, p. 92. [This evidently refers to a select committee, and, under the practice of the House, a motion to recommit decided affirmatively has the effect of reviving the committee.-See Journal, 2, 37, p. 874; 3, 37, pp. 487 to 489.] If it is disputed that a report has been ordered to be made by a committee, the question of reception must be put to the House.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 1410. Select commit tee, how dissolved and revived. Dispute as to tee have ordered whether commit report. make a report. A minority of a committee cannot make a report, a Minority cannot minority not being the committee.-Journal, 1, 24, p. [The common practice, however, is to permit the minority to submit their views in writing, which are usually printed and considered with the majority report.] And when such views are accompanied by a resolution Chairman may read report. Right of member reporting to debate. Proceedings of committee not to be published. Reference or bill, such resolution or bill is not thereby brought before the House for its action, but must be submitted by some member.-Congressional Globe, 1, 31, p. 1345. The chairman of a committee submitting a report has a right to read it.-Journal, 2, 27, p. 409. "A member reporting the measure under consideration from a committee may open and close the debate”—Rule 60-and, under the invariable practice, he is entitled to be recognized, notwithstanding another member may have risen first and addressed the Chair-Journal, 3, 17, p. 211-and his right to close the debate is never denied him, even after the previous question is ordered, or debate has been closed.-Journal, 1, 31, p. 1056. "The proceedings of a committee are not to be pub lished, as they are of no force till confirmed by the House."-Manual, p. 70. to It is not in order to allude on the floor to anything proceedings in committee not in that has taken place in committee, unless by a written report sanctioned by a majority of the committee.Journals, 1, 26, p. 418; 1, 31, p. 393. order. "After commitment and report thereof to the House. or at any time before its passage, a bill may be recommitted; and should such recommitment take plaće after its engrossment, and an amendment be reported and agreed to by the House, the question shall be again put on the engrossment of the bill."-Rule 124. But recom mitment cannot be moved after the previous question is ordered.-Journal, 1, 29, p. 643. "If a report be recommitted before agreed to in the House, what has passed in committee is of no validity; the whole question is again before the committee, and a new resolution must be again moved, as if nothing had passed."-Manual, p. 92. "Two motions to recommit are not in order at the same stage of the bill."-Journal, 1, 20, April 11. [A select committee is created either by resolution, when resolutions are in order, or upon motion to refer, when the subject to be referred is before the House; the number of which it is to consist being designated in the resolution or motion.] Under the parliamentary law— Manual, pp. 87, 88-"none who speak directly against the body of the bill" are to be of the committee to which it is referred. The spirit of this law has prevailed in the House so far as that, in the formation of a select committee, in the case of the reference of a bill, a major. ity of the friends of the measure referred, and in the case of an investigation a majority of those favorable to the proposed investigation, are usually appointed thereon; and the member proposing the select committee is usually appointed the chairman.] Select committees do not hold over to a second or Select commitsubsequent session after their appointment-Journal, over. 2, 32, p. 207-unless specially authorized to do so.-Ibid., 1, 35, p. 1020. tees do not hold of oaths by chair tees. A chairman of a select committee (Stat. at Large, Vol. Administering I, p. 554) and a chairman of any standing committee men of commit(Stat. at Large, Vol. III, p. 345) shall be empowered to administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses in any case under their examination. ness to appear or testify. Any person summoned as a witness by authority of Failure of witthe House to give testimony or to produce papers upon any matter before the House or any committee thereof, who shall willfully make default, or who, appearing, shall refuse to answer any question pertinent to the matter of inquiry in consideration before the House or committee by which he shall be examined, shall, in addition to the pains and penalties now existing, be liable to indictment as for a misdemeanor. And when a witness shall fail to testify, as above, and the facts shall be reported to the House, it shall be the duty of the Speaker to certify the fact, under the seal of the House, to the district attorney for the District of Columbia.-Stat. at Large, Vol. XI, p. 155.-(See also WITNESS.) COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE. Duty of Speaker ness to testify. on failure of wit Commit tees of the Whole. [The rules and practice of the House recognize two Two Committees of the Whole, viz, the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, to which are referred public bills and public business, and the Committee of the Whole House, to which are referred private bills and private business.] Order of taking questions of commitment. Motion to into, in order any time. Fridays Saturdays. go "When a resolution shall be offered, or a motion made to refer any subject, and different committees shall be proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order: The Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; the Committee of the Whole House; a standing committee; a select committee."-Rule 43. "The House may at any time, by a vote of a majority of the members present, suspend the rules and orders for the purpose of going into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union."-Rule 104. [On and Fridays and Saturdays, which, under Rule 128, are set apart for the consideration of private business, the motion to go into Committee of the Whole House on the private calendar takes precedence of the motion to go into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, but upon a failure of the former motion the latter Seconding of motion may be entertained on those days. If the preprevents motion vious question shall have been seconded upon any pending proposition, under the practice it is not in order to entertain the motion to go into Committee of the Whole until it is disposed of.] previous question to go into. Motion to go into, takes prece It is in order, pending a motion to go to business on dence of motion to the Speaker's table, to move that the House resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.-Journal, 2, 32, pp. 155, 228. go to business on Speaker's table. "In forming a Committee of the Whole House the Speaker shall leave his chair, and a chairman to preside in committee shall be appointed by the Speaker.”—Rule 105. "In case of any disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries or lobby, the Speaker (or chairman of the Committee of the Whole House) shall have power to order the same to be cleared."-Rule 9. And in case of great heat and confusion arising in committee, the Speaker may take the chair and bring the House to order."-Manual, p. 72; Journal, 1, 26, p. 814. The chairman of the Committee of the Whole has power to administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses in any case under its examination.-Stat. at Large, Vols. I, p. 554; III, p. 345. |