ACTION ON BILLS, JOINT RESOLUTIONS, ETC., AND SUSPENSION OF JOINT RULES. 26.—Every bill shall receive three readings previous to its being passed, and the President shall give notice at each, whether it be the first, second, or third; which reading shall be on three different days, unless the Senate unanimously direct otherwise. And all resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution, or to which the approbation and signature of the President may be requisite, or which may grant money out of the contingent or any other fund, shall be treated, in all respects, in the introduction and form of proceedings on them, in the Senate, in a similar manner with bills; and all other resolutions shall lie on the table one day for consideration, and also reports of committees. A motion to suspend, or to concur in a resolution of the House to suspend the 16th and 17th joint rules, or either of them, shall always be in order, be immediately considered, and be decided without debate. 27. [16 April, 1789-26 March, 1806-3 Jan., 1820-24 Feb., 1828-7 May, 1852. COMMITMENT OF BILLS. No bill shall be committed or amended until it shall have been twice read, after which it may be referred to a committee. IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. [16 April, 1789. 28. All bills on a second reading, shall first be considered by the Senate in the same manner as if the Senate were in committee of the whole, before they shall be taken up and proceeded on by the Senate agreeably to the standing rules, unless otherwise ordered. And when the Senate shall consider a treaty, bill, or resolution, as in committee of the whole, the Vice President, or President pro tempore, may call a member to fill the chair during the time the Senate shall remain in committee of the whole; and the chairman so called shall, during such time, have the powers of a President pro tempore. [21 May, 1789-26 March, 1806-3 Jan., 1820. FINAL QUESTIONS ON BILLS-REFERENCE TO COURT OF CLAIMS, ETC. 29.-The final question upon the second reading of every bill, resolution, constitutional amendment, or motion, originating in the Senate, and requiring three readings previous to being passed, shall be, "Whether it shall be engrossed and read a third time?" and no amendment shall be received for discussion at a third reading of any bill, resolution, amendment, or motion, unless by unanimous consent of the members present; but it shall at all times be in order, before the final passage of any such bill, resolution, constitutional amendment, or motion, to move its commitment; and should such commitment take place, and any amendment be reported by the committee, the said bill, resolution, constitutional amendment, or motion, shall be again read a second time, and considered as in committee of the whole, and then the aforesaid question shall be again put. Whenever a private bill is under consideration, it shall be in order to move, as a substitute for it, a resolution of the Senate referring the case to the Court of Claims. [4 Feb., 1807-26 June, 1856. AMENDMENTS TO APPROPRIATION BILLS. 30. No amendment proposing additional appropriations shall be received to any general appropriation bill, unless it be made to carry out the provisions of some existing law, or some act or resolution, previously passed by the Senate, during that session, or moved by direction of a standing or select committee of the Senate, or in pursuance of an estimate from the head of some of the departments; and no amendments shall be received whose object is to provide for a private claim, unless it be to carry out the provisions of an existing law or a treaty stipulation. [19 Dec., 1850-7 May, 1852-13 Jan, 1854-3 May, 1854. SPECIAL ORDERS. 31.- When the hour shall have arrived for the consideration of a special order, it shall be the duty of the Chair to take up such special order, and the Senate shall proceed to consider it, unless it be postponed by vote of the Senate. PRECEDENCE IN SPECIAL ORDERS [26 June, 1856. When two or more subjects shall have been specially assigned for consideration, they shall take precedence according to the order of time at which they were severally assigned, and such order shall at no time be lost or changed except by the direction of the Senate. [26 June, 1856. PRECEDENCE IN SPECIAL ORDERS AND OVER GENERAL ORDERS. When two or more subjects shall have been assigned for the same hour, the subject first assigned for that hour shall take precedence; but special orders shall always have precedence of general orders, unless such special orders shall be postponed by direction of the Senate. SPECIAL ORDERS NOT TO LOSE THEIR POSITION. [25 June, 1856. Special orders shall not lose their position on account of intervening adjournments; nor shall they lose their relative position on the calendar, except by vote of the Senate, until finally disposed of. MAKING UP THE JOURNAL. [26 June, 1856. 32. The titles of bills, and such parts thereof only as shall be affected by proposed amendments, shall be inserted on the journals. [12 March 1792. 33.—The proceedings of the Senate, when not acting as in committee of the whole, shall be entered on the journal as concisely as possible, care being taken to detail a true and accurate account of the proceedings; but every vote of the Senate shall be entered on the journal, and a brief statement of the contents of each petition, memorial, or paper, presented to the Senate, shall also be inserted on the journal. 34. [19 May, 1789-12 March, 1792-14 Feb., 1828. STANDING COMMITTEES. The following standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each session, with leave to report by bill or otherwise: [5 March, 1857. A Committee on Foreign Relations, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committe on Finance, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Commerce, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-7 Dec., 1825-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Naval Affairs, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on the Judiciary, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Public Lands, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Private Land Claims, to consist of five members. [27 Dec., 1826-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Indian Affairs, to consist of seven members. [3 Jan., 1820-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Pensions, to consist of seven members. [10 Dec., 1816-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Revolutionary Claims, to consist of five members. [28 Dec., 1832-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Claims, to consist of five members. [10 Dec., 1816--5 March, 1857. A Committee on the District of Columbia, to consist of seven members. [18 Dec., 1816--5 March, 1857. A Committee on Patents and the Patent Office, to consist of five members. [7 Sept., 1837-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to consist of five members, who shall have power also to act jointly with the same committee of the House of Representatives. [16 Dec., 1819-19 Dec., 1837--28 May, 1850-5 March, 1857. A Committee on Territories, to consist of seven members. [25 March, 1844-5 March, 1857. A Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate, to consist of three members, to whom shall be referred all resolutions directing the payment of money out of the contingent fund of the Senate, or creating a charge on the same. [4 Nov., 1807-7 April, 1853--5 March, 1857. PRINTING. A Committee on Printing, to consist of three members, to whom shall be referred every question on the printing of |