Committee on Naval Affairs. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Committee on Railways and Canals. Committee on Mines and Mining. Committee on Education and Labor. Committee on the Revision of the Laws. Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Committee on Mileage. Committee on Expenditures in the State Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Treasury Department. Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Post-Office Department. Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department. Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings. Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice. Committee on Levees and Improvement of the Mississippi River. After the select committees have been called, the joint committees shall then be called in the following order, viz: Joint Committee on Printing. Joint Committee on Enrolled Bills. Joint Committee on the Library. 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 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 under consideration: Provided, That whenever any committee 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.-Rule 51, p. 113. [But this proviso does not restrain the House from occupying the morning hour on more than two days in the consideration of a report.] [The regular daily call for reports, as provided for by this rale, is liable to be interfered with by "special orders," "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 to "business of a private nature."] "It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills and the Committee on Printing to report at any time-Rules 100, 101, p. 126 -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, p. 141. "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, 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 bill or resolution reported being subject, of course, to the rules and practice of the House.] "The several standing committees of the House shall have leave to report by bill or otherwise."-Rule 71, p. 119. 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, 31, p. 590. A bill may be reported with a recommendation that it do not pass, if based upon a paper regularly referred.-Journal, 1, 32, p. 785. Whenever the report of a committee is adverse, it shall be in writing and ordered to be printed.—Rule 164, p. 143. "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. 71. [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. A minority of the committee cannot make a report, a minority not being the committee.-Journal, 1, 24, p. 562. [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 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, p. 116—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 published, as they are of no force till confirmed by the House."—Manual, p. 60. And it is not in order, under the regular call for resolutions, to submit a resolution instructing a committee to continue its investigations without secrecy either as to their past or future proceedings.— Journal, 3, 42, pp. 121-2. It is not in order to allude on the floor to anything 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. "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 place 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, p. 133. But recommitment 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. 71. [A select committee is created either by resolution, when resolu tions 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 parlia mentary law-Manual, pp. 68, 69-"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 majority 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.-Barclay.] Select committees do not hold over to a second or subsequent session after their appointment-Journal 2, 32, p. 207-unless spe cially authorized to do so.-Ibid., 1, 35, p. 1020. [Undoubtedly the committee would have the right to report at a second session the results of an investigation ordered and made during a previous session. It could not, however, continue it without further order of the House.] The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or a chairman of a Committee of the Whole, or of any committee of either house of Congress, is empowered to administer oaths to witnesses in any case under their examination.-R. S., Sec. 101. Every person who, having been summoned as a witness by the authority of either house of Congress, to give testimony or to produce papers upon any matter under inquiry before either house, or any committee of either house of Congress, willfully makes default, or who, having appeared, refuses to answer any question pertinent to the question under inquiry, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars nor less than one hundred dollars, and imprisonment in a common jail for not less than one month nor more than twelve months.-R. S., Sec. 102. No witness is privileged to refuse to testify to any fact, or to pro COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. 199 duce any paper, respecting which he shall be examined by either house of Congress, or by any committee of either house, upon the ground that his testimony to such fact or his production of such paper may tend to disgrace him or otherwise render him infamous. -R. S., Sec., 103. Whenever a witness summoned as mentioned in section one hundred and two fails to testify, and the facts are reported to either house, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House, as the case may be, shall certify the fact under the seal of the Senate or House to the district attorney for the District of Columbia, whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for their action.-R. S., Sec. 104. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. [The rules and practice of the House recognize 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.] "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, p. 111. "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, p. 128. [On Fridays, which, under Rule 128, p. 133, 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 (unless there be a special order pending therein), but upon a failure of the former motion the latter motion may be entertained on those days. If the previous 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.] |