city of Washington, and all the public buildings constructed by the United States which may be referred to them; and report their opinion thereon, together with such propositions relating thereto as may seem to them expedient. -September 15, 1837.-March 10, 1871. 97. [This rule, which prescribed the duty of the Committee of Revisal and Unfinished Business, was virtually rescinded by the resolution of July 25, 1868, abolishing the said committee and creating a Committee on the Revision of the Laws.] 98. It shall be the duty of the Committee of Accounts to superintend and control the expenditures of the contingent fund of the House of Representatives.—December 17, 1805; also to audit and settle all accounts which may be charged thereon.-December 23, 1811. 99. It shall be the duty of the Committee on Mileage to ascertain and report the distance to the Sergeant-at-Arms for which each member shall receive pay. -September 15, 1837. 100. There shall be referred by the Clerk to the members of the Committee on Printing on the part of the House,* all drawings, maps, charts, or other papers, which may at any time come before the House for engraving, lithographing, or publishing in any way; which committee shall report to the House whether the same ought, in their opinion, to be published; and if the House order the publication of the same, that said committee shall direct the size and manner of execution of all such maps, charts, drawings, or other papers, and contract by agreement, in writing, for all such engraving, lithographing, printing, drawing, and coloring, as may be ordered by the House; which agreement, in writing, shall be furnished by said committee to the Committee of Accounts, to govern said committee in all allowances for such works, and it shall be in order for said committee to report at all times.-March 16, 1844. 101. It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills—March 13. 1822-and the Committee on Printing to report at any time.-March 16, 1860. 102. Seven additional standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of the first session in each Congress, whose duty shall continue until the first session of the ensuing Congress.-March 30, 1816. To Consist of Five Members Each. 1. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Department of State; 2. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Treasury Department; 3. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Department of War; * So much of this rule as is printed in italics was inserted on the 19th of March, 1860, and so much of the rule of March 16, 1844, as imposed these duties upon the Committee on Engraving was stricken out, thereby abolishing the latter committee. 4. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Department of the Navy; } 5. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Post-Office; 6. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Public Buildings; 7. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Interior Department; * and 8. A committee on so much of the public accounts and expenditures as relates to the Department of Justice. † 103. It shall be the duty of the said committees to examine into the state of the accounts and expenditures respectively submitted to them, and to inquire and report particularly Whether the expenditures of the respective departments are justified by law; Whether the claims from time to time satisfied and discharged by the respective departments are supported by sufficient vouchers, establishing their justness both as to their character and amount; Whether such claims have been discharged out of funds appropriated therefor, and whether all moneys have been disbursed in conformity with appropriationlaws; and Whether any, and what, provisions are necessary to be adopted, to provide more perfectly for the proper application of the public moneys, and to secure the Government from demands unjust in their character or extravagant in their amount. And it shall be, moreover, the duty of the said committees to report, from time to time, whether any, and what, retrenchment can be made in the expenditures of the several departments, without detriment to the public service; whether any, and what, abuses at any time exist in the failure to enforce the payment of moneys which may be due to the United States from public defaulters or others; and to report, from time to time, such provisions and arrangements as may be necessary to add to the economy of the several departments and the accountability of their officers.-March 30, 1816. It shall be the duty of the several committees on public expenditures to inquire whether any offices belonging to the branches or departments, respectively, concerning whose expenditures it is their duty to inquire, have become useless or unnecessary; and to report, from time to time, on the expediency of modifying or abolishing the same; also, to examine into the pay and emoluments of all offices under the laws of the United States; and to report, from time to tirne, such a reduction or increase thereof as a just economy and the public service may require.-February 19, 1817. * This committee was created March 16, 1860. Of Committees of the Whole. 104. 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 Com mittee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and also for providing for the discharge of the Committee of the Whole House, and the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union-January 25, 1848; from the further consideration of any bill referred to it, after acting without debate on all amendments pending and that may be offered.*-March 11, 1844. 105. 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.t-April 7, 1789. 106. Whenever the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, or the Committee of the Whole House, finds itself without a quorum, the chairman shall cause the roll of the House to be called, and thereupon the committee shall rise, and the chairman shall report the name of the absentees to the House, which shall be entered on the journal.-December 18, 1847. 107. Upon bills committed to a Committee of the Whole House, the bill shall be first read throughout by the Clerk, and then again read and debated by clauses, leaving the preamble to be last considered; the body of the bill shali not be defaced or interlined; but all amendments, noting the page and line, shall be duly entered by the clerk on a separate paper, as the same shall be agreed to by the committee, and so reported to the House. After report, the bill shall again be subject to be debated and amended by clauses, before a question to engross it be taken.—April 17, 1789. 108. All amendments made to an original motion in committee shall be incorporated with the motion, and so reported.—April 7, 1789. 109. All amendments made to a report committed to a Committee of the Whole House shall be noted, and reported, as in the case of bills.-Apri 7. 1789. 110. No motion or proposition for a tax or charge upon the people shall be discussed the day on which it is made or offered, and every such proposition shall receive its first discussion in a Committee of the Whole House.—November 13, 1794. 111. No sum or quantum of tax or duty, voted by a Committee of the Whole * In the rearrangement of the rules under the resolutions of the House of March 16, 1860, !is rule was separated from the 145th rule, of which it had previously formed a part. Originally the rule was silent as to the mode of appointing a chairman of the Committee of the Whole. He was appointed by the House by nomination and vote thereon. That practice became very inconvenient, and on the 13th November, 1794, the rule was amended by adding" by the Speaker." By rule 9, the chairman has power, in case of any disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries or lobby, to order the same to be cleared. This refers to bills in manuscript and bills from the Senate. It was long after the date of this rule that the practice of printing the bills obtained. House, shall be increased in the House until the motion or proposition for such increase shall be first discussed and voted in a Committee of the Whole House; and so in respect to the time of its continuance.-November 13, 1794. 112. All proceedings touching appropriations of money and all bills making appropriations of money or property, or requiring such appropriations to be made, or authorizing payments out of appropriations already made, shall be first discussed in a Committee of the Whole House.-January 13, 1874.* 113. The rules of proceedings in the House shall be observed in a Committee of the Whole House, so far as they may be applicable, except the rule limiting the times of speaking-April 7, 1789; but no member shall speak twice to any question until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken.-December 18, 1805. 114. In Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, the bills shall be taken up and disposed of in their order on the calendar; but when objection is made to the consideration of a bill, a majority of the committee shall decide, without debate, whether it shall be taken up and disposed of, or laid aside: provided, that general appropriation bills, and, in time of war, bills for raising men or money, and bills concerning a treaty of peace, shall be preferred to all other bills, at the discretion of the committee; and when demanded by any member, the question shall first be put in regard to them-July 27, 1848; and all debate on special orders shall be confined strictly to the measure under consideration.-March 16, 1860.† Of Bills. 115. Every bill shall be introduced on the report of a committee, or by motion for leave. In the latter case, at least one day's notice shall be given of the motion in the House, or by filing a memorandum thereof with the Clerk, and having it entered on the journal; and the motion shall be made, and the bill introduced, if leave is given, when resolutions are called for ;§ such motion, * This rule, as first adopted, required all proceedings touching appropriations of money to be first moved in Committee of the Whole. The word "moved" was struck out on the 17th of December, 1805, as it was found in practice greatly to retard public business. †This amendment was adopted for the purpose of reforming to some extent the practice which had previously prevailed in Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, of indulging in general debate without regard to the measure under consideration. In the early stages of the government, before the institution of standing committees, it was the common practice to introduce bills, on motion for leave, by individual members; the bills were then referred to a select committee, to examine and report upon. The practice, however, of introducing bills by members on leave, gradually grew into disuse as standing committees were created, and, for nearly thirty years, no case occurs on the journals. Within a few years past the practice has been revived and has now become very common, but it is, nevertheless, a very inconvenient one, and does not facilitate business. Previous to the 13th of March, 1822, so strict was the House upon the introduction of bills, that standing committees had to obtai leave, in every case, to report by bill. On that day the 71st rule was adopted ? See rule 130. or the bill when introduced, may be committed.-April 7, 1789; September 15, 1837; and March 2, 1838. But the Speaker shall not entertain a motion for leave to introduce a bill or joint resolution for the establishment or change of post routes, and all propositions relating thereto shall be referred, under the rule, like petitions and other papers, to the appropriate committee.—May 5 1870. 116. Every bill shall receive three several readings in the House previous t its passage; and bills shall be despatched 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.-April 7, 1789. 117. 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?" If no opposition be made, or if the question to reject be negatived, the bill shall go to its second reading without a question.*-April 7, 1789. 118. Upon the second reading of a bill, the Speaker shall state it as ready for commitment or engrossment; and, if committed, then a question shall be, whether to a select or standing committee, or to a Committee of the Whole House; if to a Committee of the Whole House, the House shall determine on what day-November 13, 1794; 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.-September 14, 1837. But if the bill be ordered to be engrossed, the House shall appoint the day when it shall be read the third time.-November 13, 1794. 119. General appropriation bills shall be in order in preference to any other bills of a public nature unless otherwise ordered by a majority of the House.September 14, 1837. And the House may, at any time, by a vote of a majority of the members present, make any of the general appropriation bills a special order.—March 16, 1860.† 120. No appropriation shall be reported in such general appropriation bills, or be in order as an amendment thereto, for any expenditure not previously authorized by law-September 14, 1837-unless in continuation of appropriations for such public works and objects as are already in progress, and for the * If no opposition be made to a bill, or if the question to reject be negatived, and the bill receives its second reading forthwith (as is usual), it is always understood that it is by "special order of the House." In the rapid and hurried manner in which bills are now reported and acted upon, the motion is seldom or never made, nor is the question put, "Shall the bill be now read a second time?" The Speaker takes it for granted that the motion has been made and allowed, and announces the second reading as soon as the first reading is completed. This latter provision was inserted in the 145th rule March 16, 1860, but in the rearrange. ment under the resolution of that date it was deemed more appropriate to annex it to this rule. By rule 114 all debate on special orders is confined strictly to the measure under consideration. |