practice of intro

ducing bills leave.

Objections tothe bills on leave, it may be remarked, however, does not on facilitate business. If, instead of waiting for an opportunity to introduce his bill on leave, the member would 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.]

Bills reported from committees.

Every bill shall have three readings.

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

"Every bill shall receive three several readings in the House previous to its passage; and bills shall be dispatched 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.] The first reading of a bill shall be for information, and 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 Second reading. bill shall go to its second reading without a question."Rule 117.

Objection after first reading.

Usually read by their title.

[The three readings of a bill are usually by the title, the readings 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 on its passage. It is the undoubted right, however, of

any member to have a bill read through at every stage Right of a memof its progress through the House.-See READING OF through. PAPERS.]

ber to have read

After

"Upon the second reading of the bill, the Speaker reading. shall state it as ready for commitment or engróssment; and, if committed, then a question shall be, whether to a select or standing committee, or to a Committee of the Whole House; if no motion be made to commit, the question shall be stated on its engrossment; and if it be not ordered to be engrossed on the day of its being reported, it shall be placed on the general file on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in order. But if the bill be ordered to be engrossed, the House shall appoint the day when it shall be read the third time."-Rule 118.

&c.

second

Commitment.

Amendment.

[The settled practice of the House upon the second Open to debate, reading, of a bill, unless it be an APPROPRIATION BILL, (which see,) is to consider it as open to debate, when, under the 42d Rule, it is in a condition for a motion 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 take precedence in the order in which they are arranged. "But a motion to Enacting words strike out the enacting words of a bill shall have prece- out. dence of a motion to amend; and, if carried, shall be considered equivalent to its rejection."—Rule 123. (See all of said motions respectively.)]

may be stricken

third reading.

[The question of engrossment is put in this form, viz: Engrossment and "Shall the bill be engrossed and read a third time?" If it be negatived, the bill is rejected; but if it be decided in the affirmative, and the bill is actually engrossed, or no question is made on its failure to be engrossed, the Speaker immediately directs "the third reading of the bill." But if the question is made, and it be not actually engrossed, the bill goes to the Speaker's table. In the case of a Senate bill, the engrossment having already Third reading of been made before it came to the House, the question which arises is, "Shall the bill be read a third time?" which being decided negatively the bill is rejected, but being decided affirmatively the bill is immediately read a third time.]

Senate bills.

In case of a bill with a preamble.

After third read

ing.

Debate.

[Where the bill has a preamble, although there is no rule, and until lately no settled practice, defining the stage at which it is to be considered, it would seem to be most appropriate that its consideration should take place after the bill has been ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and before the third reading takes place. By this course, the bill can be engrossed either with or without the preamble, as the House shall have determined.]

[After the third reading of a bill, the question which next arises in course is, "Shall the bill pass?" At this stage the bill is again open to debate, but is not amendRecommitment. able; it may, however, under the 124th Rule, be recommitted at any time before passage.-(See RECOMMIT, MOTION TO.)]

After passage.

Title.

After title disposed of.

[The bill having passed, and the title having been read, the Speaker states, "If there be no objection, this will remain the title of the bill." The title, however, is subject to amendment, and, unless the previous question is ordered on it, it is also debatable.]

[After the title is disposed of, it is usual for the member having charge of the bill to move "that the vote last taken be reconsidered, and that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table;" which latter motion having been decided in the affirmative, no reconsideration can take place, and the transmission of the bill to the Senate cannot be delayed. Indeed, it is not uncommon to make Motion to recon- the motion "to reconsider and lie" at every stage of the bill.]

sider and lie.

Certified by

Clerk and taken

The bill is then, as required by Rule 127, "certified by to the Senate. the Clerk, notifying the day of its passage at the foot thereof," and conveyed by him to the Senate, "together with all the papers on which it is founded," as required no bill that shall have passed

Not to be taken by Joint Rule 14. But "

to the Senate on

session.

last three days of one House shall be sent for concurrence to the other on either of the last three days of the session.”—Joint Rule 16. [This rule is almost invariably suspended by the two houses near the close of a session.].

To be on paper, when on passage

"While bills are on their passage between the two between the two Houses, they shall be on paper, and under the signature

houses.

of the Secretary or Clerk of each house respectively."—

Joint Rule 5.

of, from Senate,

[After the bill has been acted on by the Senate, it is After the return brought back to the House by the Secretary of the Sen- with amendment. ate, together with a report of their action thereon. If it has passed with amendment, it is placed on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in its order under the 54th Rule.

ate amendment to.

When taken up, the amendment of the Senate may be Action on Seneither agreed to, disagreed to, or agreed to with amendment; in case of an appropriation of money being involved in the amendment, however, it must be first considered in a Committee of the Whole.

If the amendment of the Senate is agreed to, that body is notified of the fact by message through the Clerk, and the bill is enrolled.]

When the Senagreed to.

ate amendment is

tween the houses.

In case of disagreement by the House to, or amend- Amendments bement of, the Senate's amendment, see AMENDMENTS BETWEEN THE HOUSES and CONFERENCE COMMITTEES.

both houses, to be

ment.

"After a bill shall have passed both houses, it shall, After passage by be duly enrolled on parchment by the Clerk of the House enrolled on parchof Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate, as the bill may have originated in the one or the other house, before it shall be presented to the President of the United States."-Joint Rule 6.

to be examined.

"When bills are enrolled, they shall be examined by When enrolled, a joint committee of two from the Senate and two from the House of Representatives, appointed as a standing committee for that purpose, who shall carefully compare the enrollment with the engrossed bills, as passed in the two houses, and, correcting any errors that may be dis covered in the enrolled bills, make their report forthwith to their respective houses."-Joint Rule 7.

(See ENROLLED BILLS, COMMITTEE ON.)

to be reported to

by Speaker.

"After examination and report, each bill shall be. When examined, signed in their respective houses, first by the Speaker of House and signed the House of Representatives, then by the President of the Senate."-Joint Rule 8.

After being

signed by presid

presented to President.

"After a bill shall have been thus signed in each house, ing officers, to be it shall be presented by the said committee to the President of the United States for his approbation, it being first indorsed on the back of the roll, certifying in which house the same originated; which indorsement shall be signed by the Secretary or Clerk (as the case may be) of the house in which the same did originate, and shall be entered on the Journal of each house. The said committee shall report the day of presentation to the President, which time shall also be carefully entered on the But not on last Journal of each house.”—Joint Rule 9. But "no bill or day of session. resolution that shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall be presented to the President of the United States for his approbation on the last day of the session."-Joint Rule 17. [This rule, like the 16th, is generally suspended near the close of the session.]

Presi

After being presented to dent.

After a bill is presented to the President, "if he approve he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origiWhere bill is ap-nated."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. [Where the President ap

proved.

Where vetoed.

Where not returned within ten days.

proves a bill, it is customary for him to notify the house where the bill originated of the fact, and the date of his approval, which is entered on the Journal.]

When an act has been approved by the President, the usual number of copies shall be printed for the use of the House.-Rule 157. And messages from the President giving notice of bills approved shall be repeated from the Clerk's desk forthwith.-Rule 158.

In case of a bill returned with the objections of the President, see VETO.

66

"If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. Where a bill is allowed to become a law by reason of the failure of the President to return the same, it is usual for him to notify the House of that fact, as in the case of approval.